*Happy Publication Day*
July 11, 2023

“It’s other people who captivate me. All the people my age, making their way, fearful or bold, convinced they’ve been through the most intense time in their life during these various lockdowns, and that they’re rediscovering a world that they’d taken for granted. I find them touching, and I envy them as well. Though you might not think it, I’d like to join in the dance again, too, but I’ve forgotten the steps.”

After eighteen months of shelter-in-place, lockdowns, curfews, travel restrictions and much more, people are figuring out how to restore a semblance of normalcy to their lives in the post-pandemic era. After eighteen months of shelter-in-place, lockdowns, curfews, travel restrictions, and much more, people are figuring out how to restore a semblance of normalcy to their lives. Set in a classic café in the French provinces, Le Tom's, during current times, over the course of a single day, we are privy to the innermost thoughts of its patrons and the waiters and owners. We follow their most private thoughts as they ponder over how their lives have changed, the significant events and people they have left behind, how they are reframing their hopes and dreams, and how they perceive themselves, others and life in general after months of uncertainty and stagnancy.

Two estranged friends, one of whom is now an established writer and once harbored attraction for the other, meet after almost a lifetime with their own share of regrets and resentments. A mother of two grown-up children sits with her son and shares her decision to finally leave her family and embark on the life she always dreamed of. A waiter ponders his choice to move on and spread his wings. A woman encounters a former boyfriend from decades ago. Both the new owner and previous owner of the café reflect on events that led them to the present moment and concerns about the future. In the midst of it sits a young woman, who returned home during the pandemic and is yet to move on. She regularly visits the café, sits at the back and tries to capture life in the café in her sketches. Few of these characters interact with one another; some remain lost in their own thoughts or within their own circle. But the common element in all of their thoughts and interactions is how the past eighteen months have compelled them to reevaluate their priorities.

Café Unfiltered by Jean –Phillippe Blondel (translated by Alison Anderson) is a beautiful, quiet and intimate novel - one that inspires pause and reflection. Each of these characters is very well-written. The author does not go into the upsetting details of the pandemic but focuses on the post-pandemic period when life was slowly returning to normal, though the threat of newer threads of the virus was looming large which resulted in planning for the future in a more guarded, tentative and reserved manner. The characters in this novel are real and relatable and as we follow their stories, we feel invested in their lives and hope that things work out for them. The writing is crisp and concise, yet able to convey the thoughts and emotions of the characters eloquently. Overall, this is a slow-paced, contemplative novel that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Many thanks to author Jean –Phillippe Blondel and publisher New Vessel Press for granting access to a digital review copy of this novel via Edelweiss . All opinions expressed in this review are my own. ( )

Engaging and quite charming set piece from the author of Exposed and The 6:41 to Paris. Table by table, from the early breakfast customers to the following dawn, we meet the denizens of Le Tom's, a café in a middle-sized French provincial town. In each chapter, the table's occupant describes themselves, who they are, what they might be doing there that day - from a seemingly rootless young woman who sits in a booth and sketches all day, to a middle-aged man waiting to meet an old friend from his youth about whom he has long had conflicted feelings, a self-regarding young man meeting his rather dreary old mother, the surly bar man. As the day progresses, the young man leaves in a huff and we get to hear his mother's side of things; the man visiting his old friend comes with a poignant and reflective agenda of his own; the current owner of the cafe (who seems to be under the thumb of the surly barman); and finally, the aging woman who used to own the place. Most of them at some point suspect the young woman artist might be drawing them - but is she? They begin to talk to each other, eliciting scraps of each other's stories, plans, and possibilities.

It's an affectionate portrait of that irreplaceable French institution, the café. Blondel has expanded from his previous forays into the interior monologues and musings of individuals into a polyphonic tale. Some sections are more effective than others, but their stories interweave skillfully enough that more than once, I went back to a previous chapter to find the whispers of another perspective were indeed there. What appeared to be animosity is actually a complicated fondness and protectiveness; one entrapment into isolation grew from way too much entanglement; another's selfishness has blinded them to someone else's pain. Blondel's humanity and basic kindness redeems people's failings, and leaves you wishing you had a Le Tom's in your neighborhood. ( )

The people you meet at a French café. The book takes place over 24 hours, in which we meet several characters. Some we get just a slice of story and others we get the whole cake. A very pleasant read. It is a nice palate cleanser. ( )

Café’ Unfiltered is more of an introspective about an assortment of customers who frequent a café’ in France over a period of 24 hours. The world is just emerging from the stringent Covid regulations and they are cautiously re-entering a period of more freedom which allows going to public places and being around small groups.

This is not a book for someone looking for a traditional story. It is the fictional stories of individuals who share a part of their lives with you, the reader. The book is well written and there was no place where I felt that this English translation was awkward.

The author does a wonderful job of reaching into the hearts and minds of his characters and making them come to life. My only issue was that because the book chapters are slotted behind specific progressive time frames, it was sometimes difficult for me to immediately pick up the continuation of an individual’s story when moving forward to the next time segment.

I received an advance copy through the Early Reviewers program at LibraryThing with no promise made of a positive review.

( )

I was drawn into this story almost instantly. I am also an observer and the themes here felt universal. The setting is modern day and the COVID world is something we can all relate to. I really enjoyed this book. I was rooting for Chloe and Fabrice almost immediately as the heroes of the story. Of course it's the quiet ones that shake things up.
There was one bit about the woman whose fiancé went to Australia... I didn't see how that fit into the rest of the narrative. Aside from that it all felt very interconnected. It went by way too fast for me. I could have kept reading. ( )