Guy de Maupassant 
Alexandre 

With all the wistful romance of ‘The Remains of the Day, ‘ (starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson), ‘Alexandre’ tells the story of a servant and his mistress, Madame Marambelle. Now wheelchair-bound, Madame Marambelle is reliant on Alexandre to get out and about. On one of their sojourns, they discuss her tyrannical husband, with Alexandre telling some uncomfortable home truths. However, he also has a secret of his own, and now seems as good a time as any to get it out in the open. A touching short story from one of the fathers of the genre, ‘Alexandre’ is the ideal read for fans of Jojo Moyes ‘Me Before You’. —