‘Happy People Read And Drink Coffee’ … And Also Get Weinstein Co Film & Book Deal

Weinstein Books and The Weinstein Company have acquired film and publishing rights to French author Agnes Martin-Lugand’s debut novel Happy People Read and Drink Coffee. The book, originally self-published, will publish in the U.S. in spring 2016 from Weinstein Books, a joint venture with Perseus Books Group. The film adaptation will be produced by Maeva Gatineau and Sebastien Fechner of Source Films, who brought the material to Weinstein, with Negeen Yazdi and Julie Oh overseeing for TWC.

The book centers on Diane, who is still mired in grief after losing her husband and daughter in a car accident the year before, and her cafe is no longer a sanctuary. Searching for a way to remain close to her husband, she takes a trip to a place he always wanted to visit — Ireland. Once there, she discovers a whole new sanctuary in the form of a bitter and mysterious neighbor, and must decide whether she is ready — or able — to love again.

The deal comes as French publisher Michel Lafon will release Martin-Lugand’s second novel Entre mes mains le bonheur se faufile in France on April 26.

The deal for the project was negotiated by Sarah Sobel, EVP Business & Legal Affairs, for TWC with attorney David Miercourt on behalf of Source.