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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
Few and far between are protagonists like Emmanuel. I've never known anyone as smart to use their powers of manipulation for sheer good. This definiately ranks with my other favorite post-nuclear war book, A Canticle for Liebowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Sexisme de l'auteur et misogynie du narrateur. Style insipide et héros et personnages secondaires antipathiques. Seul élément intéressant : le récit d'un effondrement pour cause de guerre nucléaire. Livre daté.
Actually, I would have given it 4.5 but I can't and the end was a bit disappointing so it's a four.
This is a French dystopian novel set in a rural village in Southwest France at a time, when written and first published in France in 1972 , in the near future of 1977. A 'clean' (lithium not hydrogen) bomb is exploded over France (And presumably the rest of the world), destroying the world and all living in it from humans to insects. There are pockets of survivors who were located somewhere protected by some natural phenomena. This story, told by a narrator as if writing a history, centers on such a pocket of individuals who survived because they were in a wine cave deep under a medieval castle [known as Malevil, hence the book title], built under a cliff. The combo of sheltering cliff, medieval castle (they built to last back then), and underground cavern saved our small group, mostly friends from childhood, a couple of the castle owner's employees, and a young scientist.
The reason behind and cause of the destruction is of little importance once of course the question of potential nuclear fallout is answered. What is the center of the story is both the group's survival and governing structure going forward. The role of religion is very clearly at the heart of what the author seeks to portray here; this being rural France, Catholic/Protestant vs. Communist/Atheist. The narrator is in so many ways a Christ figure - named Emmanuel, charismatic, a natural leader, unwed and childless, immensely intelligent, and a mediator. Religion is in some fashion the underpinnings for much of any society's norms and government and conflicts. And of course leads to great abuses as well, as is seen when another pocket of survivors is found in a nearby town. The author has pretty decided opinions on what is needed to govern effectively, and some form of religion is part of it.
I am not particularly familiar with the dystopian genre, but this did not really read to me as typical. In fact, it reads very much like a pioneer story, with settlers struggling to create a new community while surviving in an inhospitable land, and battling those who would take or destroy all you have struggled to achieve. Or even more a boy's adventure story. It also suffered by clearly placing it in the late 1970s, a time now over 40 years in the past, a period that saw 9/11 and the rise of nuclear weapons in the hands of extremists like Iran and North Korea. It reads a bit too naive from 2019. Especially when you have work like [b:Station Eleven|20170404|Station Eleven|Emily St. John Mandel|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1451446835l/20170404._SY75_.jpg|28098716] for comparison.
I also had a serious problem with the way the author depicted women. While he has the women to a large degree own their sexuality, it ends up reading too much lime a male adolescent's wet dream. The women, what few there are because of course not being as physically strong as men they were less likely to survive, are either children, sex bombs, or physically unattractive (i.e. obese, skeletal, manly). Women are mostly excluded from key decision-making and governing. And this was written and set in the 1970s! Unbelievable. The lack of ethnic diversity is far more understandable and acceptable given this is a very rural insular village in France, far from an urban center.
It was a good read, not a great one. I did like how the author had the voice of another survivor interrupt Emmanual's account from time to time, and actually write the conclusion. Just as you might find Emmanual's voice a little too egotistical, a new tone is introduced briefly, and a new perspective.
The reason behind and cause of the destruction is of little importance once of course the question of potential nuclear fallout is answered. What is the center of the story is both the group's survival and governing structure going forward. The role of religion is very clearly at the heart of what the author seeks to portray here; this being rural France, Catholic/Protestant vs. Communist/Atheist. The narrator is in so many ways a Christ figure - named Emmanuel, charismatic, a natural leader, unwed and childless, immensely intelligent, and a mediator. Religion is in some fashion the underpinnings for much of any society's norms and government and conflicts. And of course leads to great abuses as well, as is seen when another pocket of survivors is found in a nearby town. The author has pretty decided opinions on what is needed to govern effectively, and some form of religion is part of it.
I am not particularly familiar with the dystopian genre, but this did not really read to me as typical. In fact, it reads very much like a pioneer story, with settlers struggling to create a new community while surviving in an inhospitable land, and battling those who would take or destroy all you have struggled to achieve. Or even more a boy's adventure story. It also suffered by clearly placing it in the late 1970s, a time now over 40 years in the past, a period that saw 9/11 and the rise of nuclear weapons in the hands of extremists like Iran and North Korea. It reads a bit too naive from 2019. Especially when you have work like [b:Station Eleven|20170404|Station Eleven|Emily St. John Mandel|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1451446835l/20170404._SY75_.jpg|28098716] for comparison.
I also had a serious problem with the way the author depicted women. While he has the women to a large degree own their sexuality, it ends up reading too much lime a male adolescent's wet dream. The women, what few there are because of course not being as physically strong as men they were less likely to survive, are either children, sex bombs, or physically unattractive (i.e. obese, skeletal, manly). Women are mostly excluded from key decision-making and governing. And this was written and set in the 1970s! Unbelievable. The lack of ethnic diversity is far more understandable and acceptable given this is a very rural insular village in France, far from an urban center.
It was a good read, not a great one. I did like how the author had the voice of another survivor interrupt Emmanual's account from time to time, and actually write the conclusion. Just as you might find Emmanual's voice a little too egotistical, a new tone is introduced briefly, and a new perspective.
Un livre sympa, on se laisse prendre à l'histoire, mais...
J'ai trouvé le narrateur un peu trop parfait, manquant d'émotions et de conflits intérieurs. De même, j'ai trouvé les difficultés des personnages un peu trop facilement résolues.
En bref, ce n'est pas le meilleur bouquin post apocalyptique qui soit.
J'ai trouvé le narrateur un peu trop parfait, manquant d'émotions et de conflits intérieurs. De même, j'ai trouvé les difficultés des personnages un peu trop facilement résolues.
En bref, ce n'est pas le meilleur bouquin post apocalyptique qui soit.
adventurous
challenging
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes