This first publication by Carolyn Moncel consists of five short stories, which relate excerpts from the life of Ellery Roulet, an American living in Paris and working in public relations.  She is married to a Frenchman and they have twin daughters.

The first story begins with the delivery of three letters and the consequences that they have on the life of our heroine.  She is preparing to take her twins to school and she is running late.  Her day goes from bad to worse and her cosy existence is about to be turned upside down.

In the second story we learn of the death of Ellery's mother in America and discover that a fear of flying is holding her back from going to the funeral, but a chance meeting with a lady in a church changes her mind.

In the third story, an opportunity arises for a spot of revenge with an ex-boyfriend, and yet another life changing decision has to be made.

The penultimate story sees Ellery preparing for her journey to the US, and the memories of how she and her husband met are brought to the surface.

In the final story, Ellery has moved to Geneva for a month to take stock of her life and, with the help of a pair of fighting pigeons, she begins the healing process.

A brief but nonetheless delightfully entertaining read.

Reviewed on 05/20/2011 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Suzy Watts