
Catherine Certitude (Paperback)
Patrick Modiano (author), Jean-Jacques Sempe (illustrator)
£7.99
Paperback
80 Pages /
Published: 04/02/2021
- 10+ in stock
A classic French story from Nobel Prize-winner Patrick Modiano and celebrated illustrator Jean-Jacques Sempe.
Beautifully illustrated, this is a love letter to Paris, ballet and childhood for fans of The Little Prince, Le Petit Nicholas and Madeline.
Catherine lives with her gentle father, Georges Certitude, who runs a shipping business in Paris with a failed poet named Casterade. Father and daughter share the simple pleasures of daily life: sitting in the church square, walking to school, going to her ballet class every Thursday afternoon. But just why did Georges change his name to Certitude? What kind of trouble with the law did Casterade rescue him from? And why did Catherine's ballerina mother leave to return to New York?
Translated by William Rodarmor
Publisher: Andersen Press Ltd
ISBN: 9781783449828
Number of pages: 80
Weight: 215 g
Dimensions: 215 x 145 x 8 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
"Elegant. Apparently simple and transparent nostalgia belies its sophistication of observation. Deftly characterised illustrations." * Books for Keeps *
"What particularly engages is the way Modiano captures memories of childhood: fragmented, misunderstood, but glowing in the crucible of recollection" * Booklist *
"Really affecting" * Bookbag *
"Feather-light illustrations. This lovely book suggests the delicacy and strength of an eggshell." * Publishers Weekly online *
"Ravishing artwork. In surrendering our old certitudes, we may win insights that make our lives more fully human and humane in the present." * The Boston Globe *
"What particularly engages is the way Modiano captures memories of childhood: fragmented, misunderstood, but glowing in the crucible of recollection" * Booklist *
"Really affecting" * Bookbag *
"Feather-light illustrations. This lovely book suggests the delicacy and strength of an eggshell." * Publishers Weekly online *
"Ravishing artwork. In surrendering our old certitudes, we may win insights that make our lives more fully human and humane in the present." * The Boston Globe *
You may also be interested in...
“I like the unanswered questions. It makes it real.”
Catherine Certitude is a strange little tale of childhood memory, of Paris, and of unanswered family questions. Catherine watches her young daughter in a New York dance studio and thinks of what sets her family apart... More
Please sign in to write a review
Sign In / Register
Not registered? CREATE AN ACCOUNTCREATE A plus ACCOUNT
Sign In
Download the Waterstones App
Would you like to proceed to the App store to download the Waterstones App?
Click & Collect
Please note that owing to current COVID-19 restrictions, some of our shops are closed. Find out more by clicking here.
Thank you for your reservation
Your order is now being processed and we have sent a confirmation email to you at
When will my order be ready to collect?
Following the initial email, you will be contacted by the shop to confirm that your item is available for collection.
Call us on or send us an email at
Unfortunately there has been a problem with your order
Please try again or alternatively you can contact your chosen shop on or send us an email at