Two aspects to the work of Andrei Makine

Some years back I was impressed by the beautiful writing in Andrei Makine's memoiristic novel Dreams of my Russian Summer. He never seemed to find the American readership that I thought he deserved, however. (He's born in Russia but has lived in France for many years and writes in French.)  despite the mixed reviews I decided to give his newest novel, A Woman Lived, a look. Based on the first third or so my views are: mixed. Describing the novel makes it sound incredibly unappealing - a young man in Soviet Russia is trying to write a screenplay about Catherine the Great, focusing on her many affairs and sexu relationships (including the much rumored sexual relationship with a horse) and on her conspiracy to murder her husband, the feckless Peter III, and take the crown. By all accounts the screenplay is dreadful, but that doesn't prevent Makine from describing it in some detail.  I was losing patience with this novel but Makine gradually developed what to me is the far more interesting component: the life and life story of the writer - Oleg - his relationship with girlfriend a film critic or theorist who leaves him for a young director, his relationship w his academic mentor who encourages him but warns him of the danger he will face when he presents his script to the censorship board, his struggle to earn a living through work in a slaughterhouse (wonder if Makine has seen Killer of Sheep?), and relationship with his father, a mentally ill engineer of German descent - which was a source for Opeg of torment and exclusion in his youth. Hoping Makine develops these themes further over course of the novel.