A wonderful collection of stories that delves into feelings of alienation and dissatisfaction and strong feelings stifled by prosaic lives. These women are often desperate and always powerful characters and there stories are a fascinating mix of the surreal and the existential. It's elegant and refined and throbbing with dreams and potential and dissatisfaction.

There was much to enjoy here, but I found I couldn't connect with it. I'd read more from this author in the future though.

Bourdouxhe is a treasure - wonderful to see her works in translation. Brava. Highly recommended reading.

Unsparing; commanding; arresting- there are seemingly endless adjectives that apply to Madeleine Bourdouxhe’s short stories, a form she masterfully deployed to devastating effect. Her women-for it is the female experience she almost wholly concentrates on- are each attending to their inner voices in the midst of often devastating events.

Whilst not as conventional as some of her writing (‘Marie’, for example) and sometimes patchy in terms of quality, these stories give a real voice to their protagonists- their fears, wants and desires.

A unique collection of short stories.Each story drew me in captured my imagination will be reading more by this author.#netgalley#pushkinpress.

This one had me thinking about it long after I finished. Touching and atmospheric - I loved it. The author has a fascinating mind.

I was first drawn to A Nail, A Rose by its cover and especially the image central to it. It feels so French. It also immediately gives of a 'frustrated housewife' vibe, which I found intriguing. Although you'll definitely find that vibe in the stories contained in A Nail, A Rose, I'm happy to say that Bourdouxhe goes a lot deeper. Thanks to Pushkin Press and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this collection in exchange for an honest review.

Pushkin Press, under its 'Pushkin Collection', has been steadily providing me with some brilliant, translated fiction, much of it written by women. As Faith Evans states in her introduction to these stories, Bourdouxhe had been almost forgotten. Born in Belgium, she was deeply engaged with the oppression of the war, the occupation of France and the effects of repression on a creative mind. She was also writing for Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre's magazine Les Temps moderne. All in all, she was a fascinating woman and I find it fascinating, and saddening, how many of such people have disappeared from our awareness over time. So I'm very pleased that publishers like Pushkin Press and people like Faith Evans continue to put their time, effort and money into returning such jewels to us from the past.

A Nail, A Rose contains 7 stories, all of which are about women, but one of which is narrated by a man. Bourdouxhe looks at the interior lives of women, their secret frustrations, the blindness of those around them to their suffering, the restraints of society, the deep love and compassion they are capable of. Evans points out the lushness of Bourdouxhe's descriptions, how similar to Surrealist artists it is. There is definitely a Surrealist tinge to to Bourdouxhe's stories, whether it is the odd juxtaposition of images or the deep connection to the unconscious many of her female characters exhibit. The stories are, mostly, named after their main characters. 'Irene' is lost after the end of love and then attacked; 'Anna' feels disconnected from her life, husband and body that allow her no mental exercise; 'Louise' is a maid who dreams of understanding her mistress and the world more; 'Leah' is torn between a fantasy and reality; and 'Blanche' has shut herself off from the world around her to survive it. Meanwhile, 'Clara' is a story about silence and death and 'Rene' about an angry young man and a woman he can't impact.A standout story is 'Sous Le Pont Mirabeau', which is divided into small chapters and chronicles a chapter of Bourdouxhe's own life when, shortly after giving birth, she flees Nazi-occupied France. It is a beautiful story of motherhood, the kindness of strangers and the futility of war.

Each of Bourdouxhe's characters is a fully drawn, yet elusive portrait. They each leave a mark, have an impact, yet not even Bourdouxhe can entirely capture them, which seems on purpose. These women, who everyone seems to assume they can know, possess or overpower, are their own creatures, with thoughts often thousands of miles away. There is a dreamlike quality to Bourdouxhe's writing, which is perfectly captured by Faith Evans. Her translations follow the hazy yet insistent tone of Bourdouxhe's writing, the beauty and freedom of nature and dark night. There are some absolutely beautiful passages in A Nail, A Rose which stuck with me. I will definitely be exploring more of Bourdouxhe's oeuvre, especially as more of her works are apparently available in translation now.

Bourdouxhe's stories are far from gentle and yet they seem to exist on an unconscious, almost dreamlike plane. They hold harsh truths, beautiful moments and messages worth considering. Anyone interested in exploring both writing under oppression as well as early feminist writing should absolutely give A Nail, A Rose a go.

Pushkin has reprinted a series of short stories by Bourdouxhe translated by Faith Evens for publication by the Woman’s Press in 1989. At the time they were the first English translation of most of her work which, as a Belgian, had been written in French. Recognised as a significant feminist writer before the Second World War, much of her writing had been disrupted by subsequent events – this is a gathering of eight pieces spanning the late 1940s to 1981. All are very woman centred and deal with ordinary life and inner thoughts that carry a woman through their days and lives. With the exception of Sous Le Pont Mirabeau which – showing a woman giving birth on the day of the German invasion of Paris and coping with the subsequent, disruption and confusion – surely has to be strongly autobiographical – the others take a day, a moment or an incident and show a woman’s double life of the public face around others and the private. But the dreams and fantasies good and bad used to survive need not be true – or do they?
In “A Nail A Rose” we follow Irene, not able to build a relationship who is attacked by a stranger in the street and her ongoing “relationship” with the attacker. In “Rene” a holiday maker in a hairdresser is subsequently attacked and killed by the temporary male worker in the salon for transgressing his satisfaction. “Anna” married and working in the family garage ruminates on her life and her dissatisfaction with her aging body and how she can build positive moments to take her through life, a life peopled with a carelessly abusive and violent husband. In “Louise” a single mother builds a “happy moment” (with the kindness of her employer) in an “otherwise everyday life of slow ordinary days, days of no hope”.” Leah” – in a more political tale works in a café and waits for a friend – a man committed to a strike in his local factory that will peter out into nothingness. Reflecting her own incapacity to alter things around her for the better. “Clara” sits with Lemie as she dies from her second suicide attempt.” Blonde” is a stay at home wife and mother who needs her “dreams to help me” get through her routine days.
None of these are earth shattering action tales, but instead are deeply imbedded in female experience of many at this time. They are varied but with social structures where financial security is vested in being married – and marriage means compromise and living up to male (and other social expectations). Failure to meet these – even in peacetime – can lead to almost casual violence. The women all seem immersed in their place – with the inability to move far beyond it, however unsatisfactory, except by living elsewhere in the mind. It might be said that this is “times past” – but it is perhaps also the issue of being depressed to the point of not even knowing how to move beyond the then present,
This is an important historic read to show – perhaps - how women have advanced with more economic freedoms available to some. But this does not make it a comfortable one. Bourdouxhe was inevitably a creature of her times, living through not one but two world wars, their immediate disruptions and the resultant economic chaos that they caused. Her writing was undoubtedly her form of resistance to a restricted life –with the recognition that an alternative was something of value and to be sought for. But, like reading Sylvia Plath too, the reader can see the cost of the life they live on the creative woman, when they cannot clearly see a way beyond social pressures and norms. to where they would like to be.
This book might appeal to certain book groups who focus on women, their feelings and experiences. Others might find it depressing or dated.

A fascinating collection of unique short stories exploring many facets of womanhood. Some stories will definitely stick with me for longer than others: the character Blanche had a particularly haunting inner monologue.

I highly recommend this publication. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Strong on image and atmosphere, with an underlying tension and the menace of catastrophe, and with a very Gallic feel to them, these stories have a timeless quality, despite most of them being set in a very specific time and place. The short story format suits them well. They are concerned with the inner musings and daydreams of women, trapped by circumstances beyond their control, lonely and unhappy, yearning to be able to take charge of their own lives. Their feelings and needs are misunderstood and disregarded by the men around them, to the extent in some cases that they suffer physical abuse. The exception, of course, is Rene’s story, written from a man’s point of view, serving to highlight the women’s experiences.

I found translator Faith Evans’ introduction just as interesting as the stories themselves, putting Madeleine Bourdouxhe’s life and work in context and inspiring me to seek out copies of her full length novels. I’m so pleased to have been introduced to her work and that this translated collection has been republished for a 21st century readership. With thanks to Pushkin Press via NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC.

A neat collection of short stories mostly about "lonely, fantasizing women”. Three stories stood out in my reading ‘A Nail, A Rose’ which starts darkly (main character is attacked by a stranger with a hammer) and then takes a warm turn by the end, followed by perhaps the best story in the collection, "Louise" which focuses on the thoughts and fantasies of a woman who works as a maid during daytime and wanders the city at night thinking about her erstwhile lover wearing a coat borrowed from her mistress. Collection ends with "Sous le pont Mirabeau", a long, brilliantly crafted story, about a woman moving from town to town escaping the calamities of a raging second world war, which is said to be based on the writer's own experiences. Faith Evan’s translation is a joy to read. Thanks to NetGalley and Pushkin for the review copy.

I was looking forward to reading this book with much anticipation and was really happy when NetGalley kindly sent me a copy. But about a few pages in, I lost my way. And somehow I could not quite find it back again. I got lost in the maze of wordy passages and descriptions and it was difficult to tell who was saying what. Was it a monologue? Was it a dialogue?

I like the themes that Bourdouxhe has portrayed; themes of oppression, suppression, and the patriarchy. My favourite story was the last one in the collection - Sous le Pont Mirabeau. There was kindness, gentleness, and warmth in this story, which is ironically about the Second World War. But the warm welcome that the young mother and her baby received everywhere, even from soldiers, was quite touching.

I enjoyed the book in parts. I just wish more of the stories had the clarity of Sous le Pont Mirabeau.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin for the copy!

I discovered an new to me amazing author. All these stories are excellent, well written and engrossing.
I look forward to reading other works by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

These are a wonderful discovery having been recently translated and published by the excellent Pushkin Press who often seek out little gems of author and their books.
This is a set of seven short stories
"... they weren't in the habit of explaining things to each other" is mentioned in the first with the story of Danny and Irene (but from Irene's perspective). Many are from the female point of view but when the male narrator is to the fore such as with Rene the hairdresser the author shows she can be understanding of both male and female emotions.
Many issues weave their way through the stories - leaving/staying, domestic/worldy view and are set aginst the war although it rarely impinges directly onto the narrative. In fact the intricate descriptions are of the minute views we have as humans of our own place in the life we lead. There is often a focus on the body in all its senses and there are undercurrents of jealousy/manipulation and the reader is shocked and taken by surprise by some violent scenes.
Totally absorbing and so wonderful to discover this French writer. I shall look for more of her work

I’ve never considered myself a short story person, but I think I might need to reconsider. I really enjoyed this collection and the incredible women I met within it.
‘A Nail, A Rose’: This started the collection and felt completely timeless – not what I expected for a collection written in post-WWII Belgium and France. I found Irene, and weirdly her assailant, compelling and I wanted more of their story. The longing in this one is palpable.
‘Anna’ is a bit trippy and ‘Blanche’ was good; there is a scene doing the dishes like nothing I’ve ever imagined.
‘Louise’ is probably my fave of the stories. A short but effective meditation on dissatisfaction, on class, and on the relationship (both real and imagined) between a woman and her employer.
‘Leah’ is an interesting one. It took me awhile to get a handle on what was going on and then I was completely hooked. I loved Leah – character and story.
‘Clara’, a deaf woman, contemplates… and commits (?) suicide. Beautifully written and not unrelatable… but dark. Very dark.
‘René’: I’ve got very mixed feelings about this one. Aside from Leah, he’s the only character who commits violence… And, he commits it all over an innocent woman. <i>Why did Bourdouxhe write this? Why do I have to read it? </i> The woman’s passive resistance is the best part of the narrative; a bit of what Anna and Leah must have looked like from the outside/aggressor’s eyes. And, perhaps that is the point.
‘Sous le pont Mirabeau’ is <i>so, so good</i>. Following a mother and newborn fleeing from the Nazis across Belgium and France. Their struggles and those faced by those they come across. I didn’t know where this was going and I was so afraid for mother and child… but I’m so grateful it went to an unexpected and beautiful place instead. This is a marvellous way to end the edition.

A collection of stories by Belgian writer Bourdouxhe, translated from the French by Faith Evans. I'm not sure how to review this book; it's a series of small, crystalline gems with a razor sharp yet compassionate lens on the interior lives of working-class women. Bourdouxhe studied philosophy & wrote this after the Nazis came to power & accordingly these stories are heavy in thought & mood, less on plot. Reminds me of Clarice Lispector.

This ranks high on my shelf of overnight success stories discovered 70 years after being written. Bourdouxhe is right up there with Irene Némirovsky, Hans Fallada, and other authors who wrote eyewitness accounts of life under Nazi occupation, not historical novels or reconstructions, but works of originality given the spark of verisimilitude via experience. Her heroines are flesh and blood and evidently their stories mirror Bourdouxhe's own life. There is a fine introduction by Faith Evans, the translator, who researched Bourdouxhe while translating the stories back in the 1980's and had a chance to meet her in person.

A Nail, A Rose is a collection of seven stories. It's quite a hard hitting book, and very well written.
I will remember them for some time to come. The characters were well developed although they were only stories and very memorable. I enjoyed the writing a lot as well.
I will read from this author anytime, and would really recommend this collection.
Thanks a lot to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

A Nail, A Rose is a collection of seven stories that are emotional and well written. The characters in the stories are interesting and you will remember this book after you have read it.

The translation work here was excellent as Bourdouxhe's intelligence and talent as writer shone through. Varied mix of stories set in the 1940' that are in turns an exploration of brutality, surreality bordering on the absurd, as well as imprisonment without bars.

Recommended.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.