The Madeleine Project: Uncovering a Parisian Life (and, Serendipitously, My Own Little Madeleine Project)

I couldn't resist joining in this France Book Tour for The Madeleine Project. It is filled with many things I love: Paris...photos...and mystery.

What is The Madeleine Project? It's a project Clara Beaudoux began when she discovered the belongings in the basement that a former tenant of her apartment had left after the tenant's death. 

Beaudoux started sorting through all of the photos and letters and artifacts of the tenant, who Beaudoux learned was named Madeleine, and slowly she began to post pictures and commentary of her findings on Twitter. From this Twitter feed, a book formed.

What sorts of things did Beaudoux find? 

Photos. Letters. 

Postcards. 

Travel brochures. 

All the wonderful and mysterious things that make up a long human life. 

It's an absolutely fascinating book about a regular yet quite intriguing person. I was completely drawn deeper and deeper into the story of this woman as Beaudoux found and shared and speculated upon all the comedies and dramas of Madeleine's life. 

I think you might be, too.

MY OWN MADELEINE PROJECT

Oddly, weeks before I read The Madeleine Project or even knew much about it, I embarked upon my own personal Madeleine Project. My dad has been after me to come over to his house and clean out some of my mother's things. My mom passed away six years ago. Once summer began and I had a little free time, I did. I spent a wonderful day going through a big closet including what had been my mother's cedar chest. I found some amazing things, which I feel led to share with you.

I love going through my mom's recipe box. Lots of these recipes were not only my mom's but my grandma's and my aunts'.

Inside the cedar chest was a big Ziploc of my grandma's valentines from the 1920's. A lot of them are pop-ups.

I found another Ziploc of my grandma's letters to her best friend from Pennsylvania, Dora Pyle. They were written in the 1920's through the 1950's. I was so curious about Dora and how her life turned out that I did a little research and found Dora's daughter-in-law who shared a little about Dora's later years.

Of course, there were bags and bags of old photos. These are a few of my favorites: (top left) my grandpap shooting a gun; ((bottom left) my mom in trouble in a time-out chair of the past ca. 1937; (center) my grandma as a baby ca. 1912; (far right) my grandma in a bathing suit when she worked as a nanny for a rich family vacationing in Florida during the Depression ca. 1931.

The next thing I found was really crazy. My mom took a drawing class about forty years ago. In the cedar chest, I found one of her sketch pads with drawings of (left to right) me, my sister, and my brother. This was so much fun to find.

One of my favorite things I found was an old camera. My sister is a masterful photographer and I plan to give this to her soon.

So there you have it: my own Madeleine Project. I hope you get a chance to read The Madeleine Project and maybe you will be inspired to embark a Madeleine Project of your own.

There is a global giveaway of The Madeleine Project open internationally.

Five participants will each win a copy of this book, print or digital.

Entry-Form

Saturday Snapshot is now hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads. To participate in Saturday Snapshot: post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky below. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don’t post random photos that you find online.

For more wordless photos, go to Wordless Wednesday.

Please join the weekly meme at An Accidental Blog. Share with the rest of us your passion for France. Did you read a good book set in France? See a movie? Take a photo in France? Have an adventure? Eat a fabulous meal or even just a pastry? Or if you're in France now, go ahead and lord it over the rest of us. We can take it.

Il est Juillet et il est temps pour le merveilleux Paris in July hosted by Thyme for Tea! (*It is July and it is time for the wonderful Paris in July!)