September 2013 Host: Nancy
Pure by Andrew Miller
Summary
Pure is an
unusual, yet well written piece of historical fiction set in Paris, France, in
the years preceding the French Revolution.
Jean-Baptiste Barratte, an engineer from Normandy, has been given the
job of excavating the vast pits of the cemetery of les Innocents located in the
center of Paris. Bodies have been piled
into the cemetery for centuries and the King is concerned about the filth and
contamination that emanates from the cemetery. The stench permeates the food,
clothing, and people of the area and Jean-Baptiste is given one year to make it
pure. The removal of the graveyard is a
subject of historical record and the bones end up in the famous catacombs of
Paris, where they can be seen to this day. The novel follows the progress of the engineer
and the relationships he forges with his workers, the family he boards with,
and others in the neighborhood. The
coming revolution is foreshadowed throughout the novel, allowing the reader to
fill in some of the blanks. This book is
a winner of the Costa Book award.
Menu
Spinach Dip
Rice and Naan
Chickpea Curry
Dessert