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ercole's review against another edition
5.0
Un libro in cui la passione gioca il ruolo fondamentale, e che vuole smascherare l’ipocrisia di un secolo in cui nulla è salvato dalle grinfie delle apparenze. Julien Sorel è solo uno dei tanti eroi che le gesta di Napoleone hanno contribuito a procreare, e la sua ambizione ne acceca continuamente l’animo. Dall’inizio alla fine, ci troviamo incollati alla vita di questo protagonista tanto singolare, che deve farsi strada verso il cielo partendo dalle tenebre della sua bassa condizione sociale. Un libro magnifico.
readingfromfrance's review against another edition
1.0
I've read 70% of this and just could not take it any longer. Everything went straight over my head. This is one of the most boring books I've ever read.
dipescara's review against another edition
4.0
Better than expected
Bit of a slog as Stendhal is very verbose. Knew that going in and pushed through, skimming some of the monologues I'd they got put of hand. I'm glad I did as the story is compelling and I enjoyed the twists and turns at the end.
Bit of a slog as Stendhal is very verbose. Knew that going in and pushed through, skimming some of the monologues I'd they got put of hand. I'm glad I did as the story is compelling and I enjoyed the twists and turns at the end.
elliebasta's review against another edition
5.0
Un libro sublime il cui tema principale è una tensione dualistica incentrata sull'egotismo. Ilenia Zodiaco non ne sbaglia una, una delle letture migliori del 2022. Si tratta di una scrittura brillante e ben condotta, in cui la peculiarità principale è l'ironia distaccata. Lo studio di un carattere e dei suoi mutamenti, l'amore che non è mai solo l'amore. Lo studio di un carattere, non ci si può non affezionare a Julien Sorel.
bccoulter's review against another edition
2.0
meh.
Tedious, unless you're interested in the manners of post-Bonaparte France.
Tedious, unless you're interested in the manners of post-Bonaparte France.
lauanecampos's review against another edition
dark
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
tittypete's review against another edition
3.0
Man this was a slog, man. My lack of literary sophistication continues to rear its dull head and prevent me understanding what the fuck I am reading. This old time-y French novel uses lots of words to tell a melodramatic story of a scheming peasant boy named Julien. Julien is a smart guy and evidently good looking. In the first half of the book, he gets a job at the mayor's house teaching his kids latin. He ends up digging out the mayor's wife in secret on the reg. He does it so good that she falls in love with him. When people fall in love in old time-y France it's super dramatic and they go back and forth emotionally ad nauseam. The wife feels guilty and her husband sort of figures out and Julien is kicked out.
In the second half of the book Julien is now the secretary for a Marquis in Paris who is way fancier than the Mayor. He ends up dicking down the Marquis' daughter and knocking her up. This almost gets him an Aristocrat title and land and a bunch of money but the Mayor's wife from the first half of the book blows up his spot. Julien tracks her down and shoots her in church. She survives. Julien is in prison and both women still have wet knickers for him. It's all very swoon-y. Julien gets the guillotine and that's pretty much the end.
The book has a bunch of notes that you are meant to look up in the back as you go. They explain the importance of various things based on their context in old time-y France. It was a complex time. There'd recently been a revolution and the terror and Napoleon and all that. There was a general conflict of ideals between liberal (pro democracy folks) and ultras (pro monarchy rich dudes) that's sort of the mental setting of the book. I guess the overall story is one of ambition and hypocrisy and the shit someone will do to get to the top.
It wasn't bad. Actually the more I sit with it, I think it was pretty good. And it's supposed to be pretty important for its time, stylewise. Hopefully reading more classics will teach my brain how to digest them more efficiently because this one was a challenge to an aging idiot such as myself.
In the second half of the book Julien is now the secretary for a Marquis in Paris who is way fancier than the Mayor. He ends up dicking down the Marquis' daughter and knocking her up. This almost gets him an Aristocrat title and land and a bunch of money but the Mayor's wife from the first half of the book blows up his spot. Julien tracks her down and shoots her in church. She survives. Julien is in prison and both women still have wet knickers for him. It's all very swoon-y. Julien gets the guillotine and that's pretty much the end.
The book has a bunch of notes that you are meant to look up in the back as you go. They explain the importance of various things based on their context in old time-y France. It was a complex time. There'd recently been a revolution and the terror and Napoleon and all that. There was a general conflict of ideals between liberal (pro democracy folks) and ultras (pro monarchy rich dudes) that's sort of the mental setting of the book. I guess the overall story is one of ambition and hypocrisy and the shit someone will do to get to the top.
It wasn't bad. Actually the more I sit with it, I think it was pretty good. And it's supposed to be pretty important for its time, stylewise. Hopefully reading more classics will teach my brain how to digest them more efficiently because this one was a challenge to an aging idiot such as myself.
moniwicz's review against another edition
5.0
La prodigeuse folie passionante des français.
J'étais particulièrement plu par les chapitres decrivaient "le bal" et tous qui suivait. La manipulation des esprits et émotions des protagonists était à la fois comprehensible, à la fois délirante.
J'étais particulièrement plu par les chapitres decrivaient "le bal" et tous qui suivait. La manipulation des esprits et émotions des protagonists était à la fois comprehensible, à la fois délirante.