Madison and Olivier Malin are the "it" couple in France's famous Left Bank neighborhood. Madison is an actress - not on the A-list, but good enough to get work. She's an American (a Texan no less) who moved to France and is working hard to reinvent herself as a French goddess.
Olivier, a philosopher, is the pride of the city. He has fans everywhere he goes and, of course, has also made a few enemies through his writings.
In public, Olivier and Madison seem to have ideal lives. They often appear with their daughter, Sabine, holding hands and smiling as if they have not a care in the world.
Behind closed doors, however, it's a different story, Olivier believes they have an open marriage where he is free to explore his passions. Madison, on the other hand, believes she must keep up appearances and has actually considered having an affair just because it seems everyone else is.
And where does that leave their daughter? Well, right where you'd expect - with the nanny. And yet the nanny, Anna, becomes a stimulus for change in each of their lives in different ways.
This book is quite different than most chick lit, primarily because it begins with a mystery. There is still the "critical" chick lit elements, a snarky woman, an egotistical man; but there is also an underlying message of redemption. In part because of Olivier's philosophical career the book speaks to the reader on a deeper level than most chick lit. Readers will connect with each character's search for meaning and their place in life.
I enjoyed this book. It gave me reason to pause and think about my own relationships. Muir's writing is humorous and yet leaves you thinking about what is really meaningful in life.
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