Reviews with content warning for Rape - Les Liaisons dangereuses

Oh wow, who would have thought something so risqué would have be published 250 years ago. I devoured this! I am a sucker for despicable and nefarious characters and this book has two of them who are just so enjoyable in their villainy. It is all about the rich playing with people because they have nothing else to fulfil their lives and it depicts this so well that I wouldn't be surprised if this book led some people to join the French Revolution!

Even outside of the two villains, the characters are so well drawn and all of their motivations clear. The format of the story through letters is perfect as it forces you to fill in the narrative gaps and makes the reveals all the more shocking. It also adds perfectly to the gossipy nature of the storytelling. All in all, this has been my biggest surprise of the year and a book I will highly recommend to anyone intimidated by classics but not by dark themes.

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fishnchipsbusan's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Once considered to be controversial, Dangerous Liaisons has lost some of its colours, thus exposing the flaws that have always been present: it is quite clear that the novel went on for longer than it should've, as evidenced by the repetition of themes and subjects of the letters. There's no personality in de Laclos' writing style, and the epistolary format limits it more.

However, I'm fond of how it portrays emotional manipulation and the character of Cécile; her pure personality works perfectly in the novel to show the debauched nature of Merteuil and Valmont. Unfortunately, the flaws proved to be too severe in my experience.

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jihyeeroy's review

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

4.5⭐️

Comment faire l’éloge d’une oeuvre qui survit si bien à sa postérité, voire qui a déjà méritée ses lettres de noblesse ? Les liaisons dangereuses de Pierre Choderlos de Laclos met en scène des personnages absolument dépravés qui subissent, à raison, le sort misérable de leurs actions; quoi demander de mieux d’une histoire ? C’est une œuvre choquante et étonnante pour son époque, considérant son exploration crue du libertinage, mais elle en est d’autant plus divertissante pour ces mêmes raisons. C’est une lecture qui, je l’admets, à des longueurs, or lorsque ça dérape… il devient impossible d’en détourner le regard.

Que dire aussi de la scandaleuse Marquise de Merteuil et ses multiples citations toutes aussi cinglante que satisfaites ? «Eh bien, la guerre !» déclare-t-elle comme un refus de soumission aux hommes. Son caractère froid et impétueux était si rafraîchissant; elle demeurera sans doute le personnage féminin le plus marquant que j’aurai lu dans le canon littéraire français. Tout en condamnant ses actions, il me coûte d’admettre qu’elle exécutait sa violence avec une habileté délicieuse. I support women’s right, AND women’s wrongs.

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