Reviews

A King Alone by Jean Giono

causticcovercritic's review

3.0

Structurally very odd: the ostensible plot finished 50p in, with 2/3 of the book still to go.

pogseu's review against another edition

5.0

After reading some pensées on 'divertissement', I decided to read Un Roi sans Divertissement by Jean Giono (1895-1970). The title is a quote from Pascal's Pensée 137(Laf)/142(Br.): 'un roi sans divertissement est un homme plein de misères', or 'a king without diversion is a man full of wretchedness'.

There are many references to the Pensees throughout the novel which is the chronicle of strange events happening in a small French village, which is completely isolated from the outside world during the long winter months. Several people disappear, a few gendarmes come to investigate. The main investigator, Langlois, understands that the man responsible for the disappearance and subsequent death of these people is, in fact, bored, and his killing sprees are his way of keeping himself entertained...

eugeniekildine's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny inspiring mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

fraan's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

faust1ne's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

siria's review

3.0

In a mountain village in mid-19th-century France, there's a serial killer on the loose. The intrepid investigator Langlois tracks him down and finds himself changed by the pursuit. Jean Giono is capable of creating the most vivid, engaging depictions of people and place—I could really picture the hills and houses in which A King Alone takes place. This is a novel of great atmosphere. Could I, however, understand what was happening past about the mid-point of the book? Increasingly, no. This may well be a failure of comprehension on my part rather than an issue with Giono's writing, but I spent a lot of time towards the end of the book saying "Who's speaking?", "What's happening now?", and then blinking a lot at the conclusion. 

swannarchie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

flexluthor's review

3.0

Fantastic first two-thirds, but the last third is someone from a rural town telling a story and feeling like they need to mention every single detail and aside and the story is only interesting if your family has lived in that town for 18 generations and thus knows all the gossip. Exceedingly boring.

cmqsf's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

melissardv's review against another edition

4.0

Le style de l'artiste est long à cerné mais après analyse très promettant et intéressant.