Adele BREAU
This is the story of a woman who, on the cusp of her fifties, freed the voice of an entire generation. This is the story of a woman who, through a radio show, brought together millions of female listeners every day, transforming them into an invisible chain capable of challenging loneliness and male domination. This is the story of a woman who believed that it was time for all of them to take advantage of the tremendous surge of life in a society undergoing transformation, to finally take the place they deserved. This is the story of a woman who sparked a revolution, an explosion, who unleashed passions and made many others understand that they could finally control their destiny. A woman nicknamed "The Lady of Hearts," who was ready to do anything to help those in need. This is the fabulous story of Menie Grégoire.
But it is also the story of her granddaughter Adèle, whose personality was forever imbued with the love of this incredible and flamboyant grandmother, and who lived through this whirlwind of celebrity by her side. It is the story of Adèle who one day decided to tell the epic tale of her childhood heroine in a captivating book called "Women's Hour." A book that unites the destinies of women over five decades. Sisters. Friends. Colleagues. Mothers. Daughters. Neighbors. Strangers. Women whose lives intertwine throughout the ages and who, despite their differences, manage to reach out to each other.
Adèle loves to talk about women in her books, and this isn't her first time at it, as this is her seventh book. Writing is an integral part of her life. Just like fashion and good restaurants, since she's the fashion, food, and decor editor at Gala and former editor-in-chief of Elle. Which makes us think even more that the women in this family share a passion for women's magazines and a desire to live life in the fast lane.
So, the one who writes like we breathe and who would recognize the smell of new paper in bookstores from miles around. The one who never thought she'd write her grandmother's story even though she spends her time telling her sons: "as my grandmother would say." The one who takes us like no one else to the heart of fashion weeks, in a mix of sequins and irresistible humor. The one who regularly delivers the best street styles from all over Paris. Adèle, the talented, the creative, the lover of words, agreed to talk to me about her latest novel. And I can tell you, it's worth the detour.
With Adèle, we talked about the living conditions of a large number of women in the 70s, a far cry from the May 68 with the flowers in the hair that we tend to imagine, and then about what has concretely changed for us, since this time so close, and at the same time so distant. We talked about the taboo subjects on which Menie lifted the veil, and about this lid that opens on the words of women at certain periods in history and then, very often, closes again as if nothing had happened. We talked about ignorance, loneliness, connections, love, mutual aid and Adèle told me again how much her grandmother had been a model of strength, freedom and hope for her, but also for a whole generation of women, some of whom saw themselves grow wings so big that they had the courage to turn the page on a life that did not make them happy...and to leave their husbands altogether: ah well I had warned that Menie's show had been a shock in homes!
So here we go! With Adèle today, we're blowing your wings.
Listen carefully. Deploy them. And fly!