'A brilliant love story' The Lady



'Like finding a gem among the bric-a-brac in a local brocante' Telegraph



From the bestselling author of The Red Notebook



In 1760, Guillaume le Gentil, astronomer to King Louis XV, sets sail for India. He hopes to record the transit of Venus, but rough seas - and war with the British - make his quest more complicated than he could have imagined.

Two hundred and fifty years later, anxious, lonely Xavier Lemercier chances upon Guillaume's telescope. As he looks out across the rooftops of Paris, he glimpses an intriguing woman with a zebra in her apartment. Then she walks into his office, and his life changes forever...



Translated by Louise Rogers Lalaurie and Megan Jones.



Antoine Laurain was born in Paris and is a journalist, antiques collector and award-winning author of ten novels, including The Red Notebook and The President's Hat. His books have been translated into 25 languages and sold more than 200,000 copies in English. He lives in Paris, France.



Perfect for the poolside or sitting outside a café with a pastis and olives - and bound to give you just the same cheering lift



Parisian perfection



A brilliant love story . . . The supporting cast, including a not-quite-dead dodo and a zebra, will have readers laughing and crying in equal measure



"...charmingly artless, inventive, preposterous and lovely"