Book Blog

A year after her arrival, Marie packs a luggage for the two of us and I go home with her for Christmas. Marie was my youngest brother's and my nanny. © (Unedited Excerpt) We travel by train, just Marie and I, with our luggage and a handbag filled with sandwiches, fruits and two thermoses, one filled with hot chocolate, the other with coffee. From my seat, by the window, I discover the … [Read more...] about Christmas At The Farm ©

Children are back in school now. What are your memories of going back to school? My memories of returning to school is of the taste of raw chestnut in my mouth, the smells of wax from our wooden desk, chalk from the board and dark purple ink. In my village, the elementary school was located in the Renaissance castle from the 1500. We walked on the original wood floors, just a few centuries … [Read more...] about Back To School

Unedited excerpt from my memoir. ©2019 Sylvaine Francine When I first arrived on campus, the girls’ building was at full capacity, could not accommodate me. Instead, I was sent to the boys’ dorm to settle in a small apartment on the fourth floor. The boys, always, keep the elevator door open for me. But, even in the thick of the heat and drenching humidity; I ignore the elevator and climb up … [Read more...] about Mumbai, India-2005

Last weekend, my son and his family celebrated Mother's Day in France. It triggered a memory of  his coming into the world.  Here is a recount of the hours before my son was born at home. It was a planned home-birth. What will women do? They will do whatever is needed! (Unedited excerpt of my memoir.) Sylvaine Francine © 2019 Time passes, the contractions come on more frequently. I begin to … [Read more...] about A Ride In The Night

©2019 (Unedited Excerpt from my memoir)  A good neighborhood—Le café “Aux Deux Magots,” feverish with activity on Le Boulevard St Germain, faces La Rue de Rennes and right there, on the same sidewalk the little church of St Germain stands as always. I live in the center of Paris between the churches of St Germain and St Sulpice. I barely acknowledge them, reserving my ecstatic admiration for … [Read more...] about Paris – 1979 Left-Bank Neighborhood

Unedited excerpt of my memoir - ©2019 Sylvaine Francine  I close the low gate behind me. The twins, Nicolas and Marion, run toward the children. I sit on a bench and think about Sam and India. Our fights over his drinking on dry days when no liquor can be purchased or consumed. We didn’t leave in the best terms; I was too upset with him. “Your French uptight temper, a real problem.” “Your … [Read more...] about 1978 – Encounters – India and Pakistan