Christine led the discussion and immediately set the scene producing her very own purple leather handbag complete with pockets and a red notebook! She started by explaining she'd chosen the book because of its size, it had a happy ending and more importantly because it had been a pure pleasure to read. Her enthusiasm and love of the book were evident and encouraged a wide and positive discussion about the book.

The book was warmly received and enjoyed by the majority of the group and reasons included;
a 'charming' book, pure escapism, likeable and believable characters, the setting and evocative description of Parisian life and culture.

A small number did find it slow and orchestrated at times. But others found this part of its charm.

We considered what we would do if we found a bag and most felt they would look in the bag for clues and try to return the bag to its rightful owner. We also discussed the 'privacy' of ladies' bags and their mystery to 'men'. We also considered whether Laurent went too far in trying to return the bag but equally could understand that as he found out snippets of information, he became fascinated in trying to find out more about Laure while being respectful of her belongings.

There was a discussion around his presence in her apartment and how easily that happened with some finding this uncomfortable and a bit weird. Equally others felt it was plausible, accidental and a combination of circumstances at the time, and there was no ulterior motive. By this point, Laurent felt he knew Laure to some degree and the cat did need looking after! It was noted that the cat was happy with Laurent's presence in the flat! We all agreed, in his letter to Laure, Laurent acknowledged he'd overstepped boundaries and addressed any concerns around the situation.

All agreed it was a heat warming love story and we discussed possible cultural differences between how the French and British may view love and romance. All agreed it was well written, with lots of nuance and we all wondered whether it would be an even better read before translation.

In summary we agreed it was an enjoyable, feel good read and with scores ranging from 6 to 9.5, it scored an average of 8.08.