Diane Johnson Livres

The plot revolves around the enchanting city of Picturia, which faces a dire threat from Ig, who unleashes The HAZE, a force that spreads apathy and indifference among its citizens. As the vibrant spirit of the city begins to fade, Ig's sinister plan aims to destroy Picturia while its inhabitants remain oblivious to the looming danger. The story explores themes of awareness, community, and the battle against complacency in the face of adversity.

Failed satanic high priest Lucas seeks redemption for his sins in a Christian commune. The day comes when the commune leader learns of Lucas' past as well as his connection to a celebrity faith healer who is rumored to be an atheist. Lucas must now prove his spiritual worth in order to remain a member of the commune. In order to save himself, he must save someone else, but his warped sense of right and wrong puts the faith healer and his family in mortal danger. 'Prophet Reborn' is a thrill filled sequel to Diane M. Johnson's 'Perfect Prophet.' The works raise questions about the morals people value, and those they do not by telling the story of two brothers who are anything but perfect.

""Many people have described the Famous Writer presiding at his dinner table. . . . He is famous; everybody remembers his remarks. . . . We forget that there were other family members at the table-a quiet person, now muffled by time, shadowy, whose heart pounded with love, perhaps, or rage." So begins The True History of the First Mrs. Meredith and Other Lesser Lives, an uncommon biography devoted to one of those "lesser lives." As the author points out, "A lesser life does not seem lesser to the person who leads one." Such sympathy and curiosity compelled Diane Johnson to research Mary Ellen Peacock Meredith (1821-1861), the daughter of the famous artist Thomas Love Peacock (1785-1866) and first wife of the equally famous poet George Meredith (1828-1909). Her life, treated perfunctorily and prudishly in biographies of Peacock or Meredith, is here exquisitely and unhurriedly given its due. What emerges is the portrait of a brilliant, well-educated woman, raised unconventionally by her father only to feel more forcefully the constraints of the Victorian era. First published in 1972, Lesser Lives has been a key text for feminists and biographers alike, a book that reimagined what biography might be, both in terms of subject and style. Biographies of other "lesser" lives have since followed in its footsteps, but few have the wit, elegance, and empathy of Johnson's seminal work"-- Provided by publisher

This "brilliant, engaging, cleverly manipulated piece of fiction" ("San Francisco Chronicle"), written by the author of "Le Divorce", captures the moral dilemmas and life-and-death decisions that are the foundation of hospital life, portraying the continuous clashes of motive and sensibility that create the ongoing comedy of medical manners.

Françoise Sagan war erst 19, als sie mit „Bonjour tristesse“ die Welt eroberte. Ihr Roman wurde in dutzende Sprachen übersetzt, millionenfach verkauft und verfilmt. Mit großer Treffsicherheit beschreibt sie darin die Befindlichkeiten ihrer jugendlichen Hauptfigur: Cécile ist ein launischer Teenager, scharfsinnig, egoistisch, manipulativ – und dazu verdammt, den Sommer mit ihrem eitlen Vater und seiner jungen, etwas einfältigen Geliebten Elsa in einem Haus an der Côte d’Azur zu verbringen. Zunächst jedoch gelingt es Cécile, die Erwachsenen gegeneinander auszuspielen und den Aufenthalt nach ihrem Geschmack zu gestalten: in herrlicher Leichtigkeit und Freizügigkeit. Bis plötzlich die kluge Anne auftaucht, eine Freundin ihrer verstorbenen Mutter, und die sommerliche Idylle mit erzieherischer Strenge zu zerstören droht. Als der Vater Elsa verlässt und Anne heiraten will, schmiedet Cécile einen Plan – mit tragischen Konsequenzen.

A wickedly funny and observant novel about the delicate questions of love, death and money. Amy Hawkins, Californian millionairess, is travelling in Europe, to find her culture, her roots and a cause to which she might devote her considerable fortune. She lands at one of the finest small hotels in the French Alps � a hotel noted for skiing and its famous cooking lessons � and soon finds that Americans are not the flavour of the month in France. A few days into her trip, she narrowly survives an avalanche. Two of the hotel�s other guests, English publisher Adrian Venn and his much younger wife Kerry, are not as fortunate and both lie comatose in a nearby hospital. Amy steps in as Adrian�s children � young and old, legitimate and illegitimate - assemble in Valmeri to protect their interests should he not pull through, and in her innocence sets in motion a series of events in France and England that threaten to topple carefully built family alliances once and for all. Add one or two small affaires and soon it is, as the French would say, a situation.

Marriage has long been a focal point for great European novelists, with Tolstoy portraying it as a lonely affair and Flaubert as tragic. In contrast, American literature has often overlooked the theme, especially in the 20th century, which focused more on individualism. Diane Johnson's latest novel signals a revival of interest in marriage in the 21st century. Dividing her time between San Francisco and Paris, Johnson writes with the depth and insight reminiscent of Tolstoy, while infusing her work with distinctly American humor. Her characters grapple with comedic self-consciousness, and the plot explores the bizarre aspects of modern life. The narrative centers on Tim Nolinger, an American journalist in Paris, and Anne-Sophie d'Argel, a French art dealer. Tim, who contributes to both conservative and liberal magazines, embodies the dispassionate American, while Anne-Sophie represents quintessential Frenchness. Their impending marriage unfolds against the backdrop of a medieval manuscript theft linked to a murder, leading them to the Crays, a couple facing marital decline, and Delia, a tourist with her own complications. As the wedding date approaches, the characters navigate their chaotic lives, revealing their inner struggles and desires. Johnson's mastery of plot ensures that every character's journey is compelling and interconnected. With a keen understanding of the contemporary French milieu and the American expatriat

Isabel Walker, a young, not-so-innocent, American abroad, arrives in Paris to find that her sister's French husband ('the frog prince') has just walked out. While Isabel embarks on her own sentimental education -seduced by gourmet food, antiques, existentialism and an older man -her sister's marriage disintegrates into bitter Franco-American wrangles over money, titles and a mysterious painting. With a sharp tongue and an ironic eye for the foibles of the Parisian bourgeoisie, the French art world and American ex-patriots, Isabel is a collector of experience, even those she can't control.

The two-time Pulitzer Prize- and three-time National Book Award-nominated author of the bestseller "Le Divorce" returns with a mesmerizing novel of double standards and double agents.