Cinema Blue
Synopsis
The city of Paris, and the world of surreal art provide the backdrop for this intense and disturbing story. It is told from two viewpoints: Frankie, struggling to build a new life for herself, and Francesca, the woman her husband wanted her to be. As Frankie struggles to establish her own identity, Francesca haunts her dreams and her waking life.
Author's Biography
Cinema Blue is Sue Rullière’s first novel. Her short stories Bruised Fruit and
Street Life were read on BBC Radio 4, and The Sound of Flies, appeared in NW15 (British
Council/Granta 2007).
Reviews
‘The story is so absorbing you’ll find yourself trying to slow down in order to savour the beautiful language.’ Wordpress.
‘Sue Rullière is a skilled and talented writer of modern literary fiction. Cinema Blue is an unusual and emotive piece.’ Drew Campbell
£8.99 Paperback
Reader Comments
Absorbing and beautifully written. I didn't think it was 'my kind of book', but really enjoyed it.
My book of the year by a mile. The ending really drew me in and I couldn't stop reading it. Beautifully written.
Cinema Blue is a gripping, thought provoking and intelligent modern story supported by fine writing. From the very start the reader is drawn into the situation, the air of mystery and the unfolding disquiet. The main character, Frankie, shares her hopes, desires, past and present anxieties with a total honesty that compels us to follow her experience of life in Paris. The authentic French atmosphere is an added bonus.
This book is like a good French film; evoking the city of Paris,full of interesting complex people and yet able to persuade you to follow the complex journey with the main character right up to the end. Coming out of the "cinema" I wanted to go on talking about the plot and discuss my perceptions of what I had just seen and understood.
Great thought provoking read. Couldn't put it down, just had to find out what was happening next. Really paints a picture of Paris and the darker side of life.
Enjoyed thoroughly.
Would recommend.
My favourite book for 2010. The poetry of the language used was beautiful and yet author did not fall into the pit of using too many adjectives and adverbs. The characters were very well developed and recognisable, stimulating one's feelings towards them. The plot was skilfully managed, maintaining a pace and changing the person,which held the interest, and the ending allowed the imagination space to create and hope for more! This was a book one didn't want to end!
Beautifully written and constructed. Intense and absorbing.
A satisfying ending to an enigmatic journey. Wonderfully drawn main character.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have recommended it to my book group. I also like the cover (unlike the reviewer in the Scotsman).
A fantastic first novel which gripped my attention from the beginning. Beautiful prose which conjures very vivid images combines with issues of power and abuse within relationships, and a twisting story of suspense to create an absorbing read.
From the opening pages of Cinema Blue, the reader, like the protagonist Frankie, is drawn into a twilight world, where the surreal suffuses reality, and reality informs the dream. This is a powerful, gripping and moving psychological drama, set in the oppressive and searing heat of a Paris summer, where past and present meet with consequences that will engage and disturb you. With her intelligent, accessible and vivid prose, Sue Rulliere skilfully paints in the reader’s mind a multi-layered tableau of a mind in turmoil.
Beautifully written book, in which the author seduces the reader with her perfectly captured, descriptive narrative. Images in this book will stay with you for a long time - and the story has so many unexpected twists and turns, you can't put it down. Highly recommended for anyone who likes to get really absorbed in a book, its characters and their deeper inner lives.
This is an utterly compelling book that has you turning the pages faster and faster, but with a feeling of trepidation as it progresses. Lovers of Paris will enjoy the ambiance of the city that permeates the narrative. Beautifully written and thoroughly enjoyable.