There’s Ali the gentle, rather stupid, giant vain Gigi pompous Dr. He is only the first of the dolls to make Mouche’s acquaintance – there are six others, each beguiling in the extreme. He, supposedly, manages the others – and is caring and wry. Carrot Top gets into conversation with her, steering her away from the Seine. Not the cheeriest start for a story, but you’ll be pleased to know that she is interrupted – by a doll in a puppet booth. But she has met with no success at any of these pursuits (‘Mouche excited pity rather than desire’) and – terribly hungry, sad, and alone – she decides to end it all.
Orphaned, she came from Brittany to make it as a singer, dancer, or (if that failed) rely on more worldly assets.
We’re in Paris, and Marelle (known as Mouche – ‘fly’) is off to drown herself in the Seine. (Indeed, I’d forgotten that I’d read Jane’s review until I read my comment on it just now! So many blogs read does addle my brain somewhat…) Jane (aka Fleur Fisher) has written a lovely, compelling review of it here, but I must confess I hadn’t remembered her review when I picked up Love of Seven Dolls in Oxfam a few weeks ago. I suppose it’s one that doesn’t get mentioned much in the blogosphere. Paul Gallico’s Love of Seven Dolls seemed to raise the most interest, of the novellas I have mentioned, and I also said I’d lend it to Verity tomorrow – so I’ll get writing about it right away!Īs I mentioned at the weekend, I haven’t read anything else by Gallico – so this might be a case of me later wishing I’d chosen something else by him – but I’m going to go out on a limb and put Love of Seven Dolls on my 50 Books You Must Read But May Not Have Heard About. Not best pleased with my head and its ideas about sleep cycles, but I’m hoping to be back to normal tonight.
Then I woke up at half midnight… and went to sleep again at 5am. It was quite a busy day, what with church and a talk by Henrietta Garnett (more on that soon) and I also fell asleep at 9pm, in the middle of Saki’s The Unbearable Bassington. Well, I didn’t finish any other books on my second day of novella reading.
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