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emersonmoore03's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
nxymarcelamor's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
kathrinpassig's review
3.0
Ich hab es bis zum Ende gelesen, aber ich mochte den Erzählstil nicht, es war mir alles zu angedeutet. Kann an der englischen Übersetzung gelegen haben (auf Deutsch war es nicht in der Open Library, und auf Französisch zu kompliziert für mich).
lmclar12's review
3.0
3 stars. I wanted a little more from this book. I read it on Patti Smith’s recommendation but found it a bit underwhelming. Anne mostly just hangs out in bed waiting for Julien to come around again. There were some nice lines but for the most part it was a bit forgettable.
booklywookly's review against another edition
emotional
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Review by Prateek - @BooklyWookly on Instagram
This is a semi autobiographical novel that weaves a narrative of escape, survival, and emotional dependency mistaken for love. Set against the backdrop of 1960s France, the story follows Anne, a young 19 year old woman who breaks free from prison, only to fracture her ankle – the astragal – during her daring escape.
She is immediately rescued by Julien, another fugitive on the run. The book follows Anne being moved from place to place as she recovers, being “kept safe” and hidden from police by Julien. The broken ankle as a physical setback becomes a metaphor for the obstacles Anne faces throughout the novel - a lens through which to explore the limitations imposed on individuals by society. Anne gradually realizes that she might have traded her former life in prison for yet another form of imprisonment - a possibly one sided love.
“I used to be pampered, petted, fussed over, too, in the old days: I was intact and able to bite, my cupboard was full and my claws were ingenious. My equipment was destroyed, I am wounded and begging, and it's I now who offers herself and clings; people don't hold onto me at all, for I have nothing to give them but myself, myself naked, and it will take a lot of time and tenderness before some resource, some source springs up in me.”
Anne is a complex personality. She is a resilient and a defiant figure, driven by a deep desire for freedom, but with a deep vulnerability beneath her tough exterior. But more than Anne, it’s the author, Albertine Sarrazine who is the most interesting part of the book. Anne is Sarrazine. A young abused girl from Paris, worked as a prostitute, sentenced to jail, escaped prison, met her future husband, spent years on the run, found again, wrote the book in prison, died two years later at 29.
If the cover hadn’t already mentioned it, this book truly reads like a French new wave movie with hints of noir. Think Godard, and Truffaut, with a hint of Tennessee Williams. It’s beautiful - sometimes a bit too much for its own good.
My gripes? Overtly poetic and highly stylized sentences. Also, why name someone Annie when you already have Anne in the same book? Why!? And the publishing house decided not to put name of the translator on either side of the covers. Shame! Instead they decided to put Patti Smith front and center. By the way, this is Patti Smith’s favorite book and there is a whole intro written by her. I didn’t bother with that part. Anyway, this was a good book.
anaximandersalamander's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
andtosaturn's review
5.0
So fucking good from beginning to end I wanna rip my eyes off because I will never read anything as good as this
jurgitasir's review against another edition
1.0
Let me preface it with the fact that English is not my first or second language. Some expressions and dialogues felt quite cumbersome and unnatural in the book. It's translated from French. So maybe that has something to do with it. Also, proof reading of the book was bad - "it" instead of "if", "bow" instead of "how", which I have started noticing by the end of it. Probably explains why some paragraphs made absolutely no sense.
Couldn't relate to any characters or their decisions. Or, for that matter, like any of them.
Couldn't relate to any characters or their decisions. Or, for that matter, like any of them.