Marilyn Kaye is a writer in Paris. She retired from her university job in New York (where we met in the mid-90s), sold her apartment in Brooklyn, and moved herself over here. She’d been spending nearly every available break and vacation over here already, so it was not much of a shock, and she’s a busy lady, so we don’t get a whole lot of time with her, but I had lunch with her one time and then we made a plan to have dinner with the kids. She brought Meredith two books and all of us a darling set of placemats, and then we enjoyed an al fresco meal by the Stravinsky fountain. Thayer was able to do a few laps, meet some Americans, and cause trouble for the waiter, who called him “a little catastrophe” (well, it sounded cute in French, anyway!).
Marilyn has no children of her own, but she loves kids and they love her back. She writes her novels for the “tween” and youth set, mainly, and she’s got a great grasp on the latest literary trends in this arena. Her current series,
Gifted is rather like ABC’s “Heroes” -- but for the middle-school set. There are six books out (anticipating three more!), starting with
Gifted: Out of Sight, Out of Mind. Meredith has read and loved them all; I have to admit to getting a bit wrapped up in the suspense of the overall story arc, myself, and I appreciate Marilyn's character development. A book geared for older youth,
Demon Chick, concerns a teenager girl whose mother sold her to the Devil in return for fame, fortune, and political power. An intriguing concept, I found, plus I really enjoyed Marilyn’s depiction of hell-as-suburbia! A bit mature for Meredith, thematically, however, so I’ll hang onto it for another couple of years. [If you’re interested, the
Gifted series and
Demon Chick are available at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com].
Marilyn is also the godmother to something like four French kids. This is pretty amazing, considering that she’s neither French nor Catholic. But she is like a Fairy Auntie to them all and is very involved with them, picking them up from school, taking them to dance class or music lessons, babysitting, and – the best part – going on vacation with them and their parents, to the south of France, for example, to Italy, to Corsica, and currently to the Dordogne.
Her life here is never dull, that’s for sure, and I can’t imagine that she’s ever lonely. She joined a group of ex-pat writers at one point, but she soon tired of the moaning and belly-aching about not having friends or feeling like they have a place here. This is not her experience at all, as she has had friends here for nearly 30 years, if I’m not mistaken! Marilyn is totally engaged with Paris and Parisians. And although I love my family, and I wouldn’t trade them for the world, part of me can’t help but envy her ability to be spontaneous and to answer to no one but herself, in the main. If only she’d start a salon, she could be a 21st century Gertrude Stein! Except much, much nicer. Plus, she’s got Tilda Swinton as a BFF, but that’s another story!
