A Chicken and a Candle

A Chicken And A Candle Is The Memoir Of The Childhood And Young Adulthood Of Suzanne Regnier In France During The World War Ii And The Immediate Post War Era. But It Is More Than Just A Memoir; It Is The Evocation Of A Unique Period Of European History And A Fascinating Cast Of Characters That Made Up The World Of The Unique Woman. Readers Will Meet Tonton Dede Her Plump Terot Card-Reading Grandmother; Diminutive Politically-Radical Memere Regnier Her Other Grandmother; Remi Her First Love; Mrs. Vilbert The Tyrannical Headmistress Of The Pension De Fleurs; Suzanne'S Husband Bob Sanford; Her Volatile Step-Mother; And Perhaps Most Of All Her Father. The Result Is An Enchanting Mélange Of Personalities Who Come Alive In Indelible Portraits Of Humor Veniality Selfishness And Tender Affection.The Reader Will Also Discover The Disparate Worlds Of Cosmopolitan And Provincal France As The Regniers Travel About The Country During The Traumatic German Occupation Of France And The Dramatic Restructuring Of Postwar French Society: Beauce Provence Aix St. Leu Chauvry Chartres The Riviera And Paris. As Suzanne Matures Into An Adolescent Suffering From A Temperamentally Unpredictable Step-Mother And An Emotionally Distant Father She Experience A Bewildering Life That Fluctuates Between Loving Acceptance And Aloof Rejection. Suzanne'S Description Of Her Varied Careers As Governs To The Children Of One Of France'S Wealthiest Families Secretary Salesperson For A Publisher And Translator At An American Air Base Where She Met Her Future Husband Reveals With Subtle Insight The Complexity Of Human Nature With Its Combination Of Selfish Mendacity Compassionate Tenderness.But Most Of All A Chicken And A Candle Is The Touching Flowering Of A Sensitive Young Woman Forged From A Difficult Childhood Punctuated By A Heart-Rendering Search For Love And Acceptance. As The Story Unfolds The Metaphorical Significance Of The Title Becomes Apparent In Suzanne'S Ang