D'Ormesson is an erudite storyteller. And he loves spreading his erudition to the delight of his readers. That is the case here. But originality is that the hero is dead. It is around her grave as John tells his life and that of his relatives. And the story meets History; existential questions, unspoken of a lifetime; the infinitely small, the infinitely large. We cry, we laugh. And thanks to a funeral, John understands the beauty and fragility of life and the importance of what is done. Thank you sir Ormesson this book for greedy, it is a subtle and refined dish.
