The incorrigible optimists club cover

The incorrigible optimists club

by Jean-Michel Guenassia

Michel Marini reads a an awful lot of novels, even while walking through the crowded Paris of the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. If people tell him not do so so since it’s dangerous, he ignores them. It will take a special meeting with a special person to make him change his mind. And special people he’ll meet a lot. Pierre, going to Algeria as a french soldier and planning to write a philosophical book there. His sister Cécile writing her litterature thesis. Igor, Leonid and a couple of other refugees of soviet countries who now meet in a club where they play chess all day. A french secret service spy, regular visitor of the club. A misterious man, also coming regularly to the club but always ignored, insulted or even thrown out. And Michel will change his habits. He’ll start to play chess instead of table-top football, he’ll start to run regularly in the jardin du Luxembourg. And he’ll start to regret his old carefree life. Only reading he will not chease.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?