Reviews

Zazie nel metró by Raymond Queneau, Roland Barthes, Franco Fortini, Louis Malle, Giacomo Magrini

kirbybeaton's review against another edition

2.0

I had to read this for a Parisian Literature class and it was certainly... interesting, but not something I particularly enjoyed. Reading the antiquated slang was hard to muddle through and none of the characters were particularly likable. The ending was fun though.

drewsstuff's review against another edition

5.0

Absolutely delightful, loved every single word of it.

freakingeek's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny lighthearted reflective relaxing tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

alison_jane's review against another edition

4.0

grab your sense of whimsy and a dictionary, and dive right in. the freedom with which queneau explores everything from language to gender roles is a breath of fresh air. zazie is delightful from start to finish.

michaelstearns's review against another edition

4.0

Fun and strange and periodically hilarious. Love that one of the character's cross-dressing is not directly addressed for 100 pages, but rather just its effects on others. Strangest of all is that this oddball bit of fluff from a genius was a hit in the sixties. (Probably thanks to the Louis Malle movie, but still.)

balancinghistorybooks's review against another edition

2.0

I thought that I would love Queneau's Zazie in the Metro, fan as I am of all things French and quirky. I simply could not get on with the writing - or rather, I suppose, the translation - and found the opening scenes rather dull. In this case, I think I may just watch the film.

catdad77a45's review against another edition

3.0

Not sure how I made it to my ripe old age with never having read Queneau's best known work, nor viewing Malle's iconic film made from the same ... but both were a mite disappointing - although this IS one of the rare cases when the film MIGHT be slightly better than the book. At least, I enjoyed Malle's visuals more than Queneau's verse, which even in such a short work got repetitious and tedious - and often incomprehensible. More clever than actually witty or LOL funny, Queneau's verbal pyrotechnics have been likened to Joyce, but I would say his anarchistic Punch & Judy-ish antics bear a much clearer debt to Alfred Jarry. And though I take all of Zazie's incessant questioning over Uncle Gabriel's alleged 'hormosessuality' (sic) as more or less a sign of the time in which it was written, it still slightly grates. Glad I finally read it, but have a feeling it will all be a blur within a week.

PS ... I can see how much the film was a direct influence on Jeunet in his "Amelie'...

debnanceatreaderbuzz's review against another edition

2.0

It is hard to read a book when you do not like the main character. At all.

And what if the book is written in some sort of odd Ulysses-ish manner? Not inviting.

Only two things kept me reading along: (1) the story is set in (ahhh!) Paris and (2) the book is on our list of 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up.

So there. I finished it. I didn’t like it. But I finished it.

janhicks's review against another edition

4.0

This is a hoot of a book. Surreal like Flann O'Brien is surreal. The word play is fun and gives the prose its rhythm. Zazie is a feisty potty-mouth who stirs up the weekend of her uncle and his friends. On her account they encounter all kinds of rum characters, and largely take it in their stride. Good fun, all of it.

babayagaofficial's review against another edition

P.G. Wodehouse-esque slapstick, trashy detective novel dialogue, gender trouble, and verbose philosophy. How much did I love this book? A lot.