Levy, Marc 1961-

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LEVY, Marc 1961-

PERSONAL: Born 1961, in France; children: Louis.

ADDRESSES: Home—London, England. Agent—c/o Publicity Director, Pocket Books, 100 Front St., Riverside, NJ 08075.

CAREER: Author. Former chief executive officer of architectural design firm in France.

WRITINGS:

Et si c'était vrai, Robert Laffont (Paris, France), 1999, translation published as If Only It Were True, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 2000.

ADAPTATIONS: Film rights to If Only It Were True have been bought by DreamWorks. If Only It Were True has been adapted for sound recording.

WORK IN PROGRESS: A novel set in New York and a collection of bedtime stories for children.

SIDELIGHTS: With the unexpected and almost immediate success of his debut novel If Only It Were True, Marc Levy gave up a career as an architect to devote all of his time to writing. Before publishing If Only It Were True, Levy was the chief executive officer of an architectural design firm in Paris, France. His interest in writing stemmed from the bedtime stories he thought up for his son Louis. Levy, a single father, would tell Louis a story every night to help him fall asleep. He enjoyed the challenge of making up stories and decided to write one down for his son to read when he grew up. Although he had no intention of having the book published when he began the project, Levy was persuaded by his sister to send the manuscript to the French publisher Robert Laffont, whose editors were impressed with the book and agreed to publish it. With the novel's success, both in France and abroad, Levy resigned from his architectural firm in 2000 and moved with his son to London, England, where he took up writing on a full-time basis.

If Only It Were True is set near San Francisco, where Levy once lived for several years. The plot revolves around the unusual love affair of Lauren Kline, a career-minded emergency room intern, and a renowned San Francisco architect named Arthur. When Lauren is in a serious car accident, she is left in a coma. While lying in the hospital bed, Lauren learns how to detach her spirit from her body. With this newfound ability, she roams the city, often returning to the apartment where she lived before the accident. When Arthur decides to move into this now-vacant apartment, he finds a crying, lonely Lauren in a closet. Unlike everyone else, he can actually see and communicate with her. The two fall in love, but the relationship falls into jeopardy when Lauren's family decides to take her off the life-support machine at the hospital and let her die. Arthur decides to steal Lauren's body from the hospital so he can keep her alive long enough to save her. As the story progresses, Lauren watches as Arthur studies medical journals and conducts paranormal research in an attempt to raise her from her coma.

Arthur's relationship with Lauren also makes him face some of his own past, especially his mother's death twenty years earlier. In the end, Arthur does find a way to cure Lauren, although she does not remember who he is when she awakes, and the two must learn to love one another again.

If Only It Were True received mixed reviews from critics. A Kirkus Reviews contributor felt the author's prose has "almost no sense of the urgencies of language or strivings for expression" and described the book as "flower-strewn, lyrical, and immensely predictable." But Booklist critic Patty Engelmann called the novel "a heartfelt journey into life's lessons," in addition to noting Levy's ability to create "well-developed characters." Carol DeAngelo of School Library Journal called Levy's effort a "feel-good story" that, in her opinion, would be "particularly popular with teen girls." And Kamila Shamsie in the Times Literary Supplement wrote that Levy's novel contains "all the ingredients for a rollicking romance/thriller, with the occasional touch of comedy."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, May 15, 2000, Patty Engelmann, review of If Only It Were True, p. 1730.

Entertainment Weekly, June 2, 2000, review of If Only It Were True, p. 74.

Europe, May, 2000, Ester Laushway, "Spielberg to Film French Novel," p. 36.

Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2000, review of If Only It Were True, p. 568.

Publishers Weekly, November 1, 1999, John F. Baker, "Pardon My French: DreamWorks Buys Film Rights to a Novel by French Architect/Author Levy," p. 18; April 10, 2000, review of If Only It Were True, p. 73; September 4, 2000, review of If Only It Were True, (sound recording).

School Library Journal, August, 2000, Carol DeAngelo, review of If Only It Were True, p. 212.

Times Literary Supplement, June 23, 2000, Kamila Shamsie, "Spirit Guidance," p. 24.

Variety, March 13, 2000, Alison James, "CEO Shows His 'True' Colors: Marc Levy to Become Full-time Writer," p. 16.