FEAST OR FAMINE

 

  Before Everything (2017) is set in rural Massachusetts in contemporary times.    Five girls make a permanent pact of friendship in their school years when they are eleven years old: Anna, Caroline, Helen, Ming, and Molly. They are simply called The Old Friends.   Beyond school, they continue to keep in touch through all of life’s changes.    Now, Anna is ill and dying. She enters a hospice in Massachusetts. Caroline’s sister has a mental health crisis; well-known artist Helen is about to re-marry; Milly is keeping her law practice going through love and children challenges; and Molly’s teenage daughter is rebelling. They all vow to visit Anna in the hospice, but Anna says no, don’t. But their friendship pact has to take priority, doesn’t it?   This is not a morbid story. The lives of The Old Friends flash rapidly before them as they confront the issue of their mortality, not in a linear timeline, but by their decisions, choices, and priorities. They take a lifelong look – reflectivel

  The Catsitters: A Novel (2001) is set in New York.   Johnny Downs is an aspiring actor. During the day he works as a bartender.    He lives alone, except for his demanding cat Slinky.  His catsitters, called in to feed and care for Slinky when he is out of town, are his past and present girlfriends – Nicole, Amanda, Caroline, Kris, Annette …    Each of his girlfriends reject Johnny for more stable males, and yet they all know of each other and have met each other. It is a veritable play list, but Johnny wants a serious relationship. So does his cat Slinky.    And then there is Darlene, Johnny’s friend who provides a lot of advice on managing his dating life. She is in the ‘catbird seat’ – the one with the upper hand because she knows more than the other women. Furthermore, Darlene ‘can talk the twists out of a pretzel.’   This is a quick, light read. It’s limited intellectually, a bit annoying at times, and unsurprisingly predictable, but okay for a few laughs.        As an Amazon A

  In 2022, Le Bon Marché River Gauche in Paris celebrates 170 years in the department store business. The celebratory slogan reads,  ‘170 ans de  Bonheur!’  – ‘170 years of happiness!’     Le Bon Marché was founded in 1838, and completely remodeled into the current opulent building which opened in 1852.    Aristide and Marguerite Boucicaut commissioned architect Louis-Charles Boileau and engineer Gustave Eiffel — of Eiffel Tower fame — to construct Le Bon Marché. It was the first department store in the world. The three-floor mall-style building has a simple façade, because the focus was on the feature-laden interior. It is on the corner of three streets: Rue de Sèvres, Rue de Babylone, and Rue du Bac in the 7 th  arrondissement of Paris.     MARTINA NICOLLS MartinaNicollsWebsite   Martinasblogs Publications Facebook Paris Website Animal Website Flower Website SUBSCRIBE TO MARTINA NICOLLS FOR NEWS AND UPDATES  MARTINA NICOLLS   is an international human rights-based consultant in educa