Joue-moi Espana, Jeanne d'Arc, Marie-Claire, Deborah et les anges dissipes

Well, I read a novel about the last days of the ancient Jewish community in Cairo, told not in a tone of grief but in a picaresque novel. I appreciate that from a novelist, and the story is really ridiculous: a generous American donor comes to see the orphanage she funds, and the locals substitute a bordello and its occupants for it. It all ends in a hail of bullets from Israel, ironically enough. The novel about Joan of Arc is a very quick read, and I will remember the detailed description of Joan burning at the stake for quite some time. Finally, both Joue moi Espana and Marie-Claire are bildungsroman, but the latter, written by what passes for a non-professional writer, Marguerite Audoux, sparkles with simplicity and light.