SHADOW OF A MAN

A very simple story, rather obliquely and beautifully told, of a young man, at war with himself, half French, half Bostonian, and of how- after his mother's death, he goes back to Paris to find himself. There he falls in love with an older woman, has a violent but salutary love affair, discovers new emotional depths and purposes in life- and returns to New England- and the girl he'd left behind him. In the process of the arduous growing pains, he further discovers what France can give him- what ""availability"" can mean when linked with responsibility -- and how basically American he really is. A story told largely in most unAmerican terms of soul searching and civilized conversation. A nature love story, with idyllic overtones, and a satisfying ending for romanticists.