Lewis and Irene

"Lewis and Irene" by Paul Morand is a novel that kicks off with Lewis, a young French finance guy, dealing with the death of a big shot banker. While he's at the funeral, he's also getting into a business deal about mineral deposits in Sicily, which is how he meets the smart and ambitious Irene Apostolatos. The story throws us into Lewis's world, showing how he's all about ambition and doesn't really care about old-fashioned rules in the tough world of finance. When Lewis runs into Pastafina and finds those valuable minerals, it sets him up for a complicated relationship with Irene, as they become rivals in business and maybe something more. The book hints at themes like ambition, competition, and how personal and professional lives get mixed up.