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lbast's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
elisala's review against another edition
3.0
C'est une lecture pas désagréable, bien menée au niveau de l'intrigue, du rythme, des découvertes de "l'enquête". L'alternance de récits et d'épistolaire fonctionne vraiment bien, les personnages sont tous plutôt attachants. Je me suis laissée emporter assez vite, même si je ne suis pas dupe des effets de manche de l'auteur, qui me paraît être un peu trop dans la recherche de l'émotion à tout prix, dans l'ellipse superflue, et... dans la sympathie un peu trop généralisée des différents personnages - pas très réaliste, ça, si vous voulez mon avis - tout le monde il est beau, tout le monde il est gentil, même si tout le monde peut être ronchon ou méfiant à l'occasion. Mais bon, ça fait plaisir à lire, ne boudons pas notre plaisir.
Le tout fut quasi gâché par la post-face de l'auteur, où il révèle une tendance sexiste et un égocentrisme pas piqué des hannetons. o_O Je dis "quasi", parce que malgré tout c'est l'histoire qui me revient d'abord à l'esprit. Il s'en sort bien, le gaillard.
Le tout fut quasi gâché par la post-face de l'auteur, où il révèle une tendance sexiste et un égocentrisme pas piqué des hannetons. o_O Je dis "quasi", parce que malgré tout c'est l'histoire qui me revient d'abord à l'esprit. Il s'en sort bien, le gaillard.
librarian_lisa_22's review against another edition
5.0
One of the finest, most intricately written books I’ve ever read. I loved it and then read it again after via read the last page.
morepagesplease's review against another edition
5.0
"Once upon a time, there were five French Soldiers who had gone off to war, because that's the way of the world." So begins Sebastien Japrisot's haunting novel which chronicles not only the horrors of war and the endurance of love, but the ways in which World War 1 forever changed the lives of those who were caught up in the conflict.
I have already read this book several times. For some reason, I seem to find myself returning to it every few years. Japrisot's writing is so beautiful and flows so well in translation (the novel was originally written in French) that it makes me want to take language lessons so that I could enjoy his writing in his native language.
The story concerns Mathilde Donnay, an intelligent and strong-willed protagonist who happens to be confined to a wheelchair because of an early childhood injury. Don't let this detail bother you, as it certainly doesn't bother Mathilde. She has far too many fish to fry to let a little thing like partial paralysis get in her way. As a young girl, Mathilde formed a lasting friendship with a boy named Manech, who became her fiancee after their childhood friendship developed into a strong and loving relationship. At the tender age of 19, Manech was sent off to the war, serving as an infantryman on the front of the French lines. Literally driven past the point of endurance by the horrors he has witnessed, Manech arranges for an accommodating soldier in German trench to shoot him in the hand. Manech is sentenced to death for this self-mutilation, along with four other soldiers. Their sentence is to be thrown into no-man's land, the space between the French and German trenches, with no weapons and their hands tied behind their backs. What happened to Manech and his fellow inmates becomes a mystery, one which Mathilde is not willing to let remain unsolved, and spends seven years trying to uncover. In pursuing this mystery she will uncover not only Manech's ultimate fate, but also learn the stories of those who witnessed it.
This is such a beautiful novel, and Mathilde is such a likable character. Each time I read it I find myself furiously turning the pages, hoping for a resolution to lives that were so unfairly interrupted.
I have already read this book several times. For some reason, I seem to find myself returning to it every few years. Japrisot's writing is so beautiful and flows so well in translation (the novel was originally written in French) that it makes me want to take language lessons so that I could enjoy his writing in his native language.
The story concerns Mathilde Donnay, an intelligent and strong-willed protagonist who happens to be confined to a wheelchair because of an early childhood injury. Don't let this detail bother you, as it certainly doesn't bother Mathilde. She has far too many fish to fry to let a little thing like partial paralysis get in her way. As a young girl, Mathilde formed a lasting friendship with a boy named Manech, who became her fiancee after their childhood friendship developed into a strong and loving relationship. At the tender age of 19, Manech was sent off to the war, serving as an infantryman on the front of the French lines. Literally driven past the point of endurance by the horrors he has witnessed, Manech arranges for an accommodating soldier in German trench to shoot him in the hand. Manech is sentenced to death for this self-mutilation, along with four other soldiers. Their sentence is to be thrown into no-man's land, the space between the French and German trenches, with no weapons and their hands tied behind their backs. What happened to Manech and his fellow inmates becomes a mystery, one which Mathilde is not willing to let remain unsolved, and spends seven years trying to uncover. In pursuing this mystery she will uncover not only Manech's ultimate fate, but also learn the stories of those who witnessed it.
This is such a beautiful novel, and Mathilde is such a likable character. Each time I read it I find myself furiously turning the pages, hoping for a resolution to lives that were so unfairly interrupted.
demottar's review against another edition
I read 100 pages of A Very Long Engagement before ultimately deciding this novel is not for me, or I’m not in the right mood for it. Stylistically, the writing is strong, though not my favorite — I have always struggled through epistolary novels — but there is something missing. It might be emotion or even just a sense of immediacy. Whatever it is, I did not connect with Matilde or any other characters in the first 100 pages and found my mind drifting whenever I began reading. I might come back to this novel again, because the writing is beautiful, but I’m shelving this for the time being.
lys_anders's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
somewheregirl7's review against another edition
4.0
In the later years of WWI the fighting dragged on, soldiers continued to die by the thousands and many were losing hope. A number of French soldiers engineered accidents to get out of military service by injuring their right hands. The military convicted five of those men, tied their hand behind their backs and threw them into the no-man's land into enemy territory to be slaughtered by the Germans. Years later the fiance of one of the men sets out to find out the truth about what happened that night. Rumors say one, if not two, of the men may have escaped and she is hoping desperately her fiance is one of the lucky men.
This book was a departure from my normal books, however I'm glad I took a chance on it. The book is well written & translated with excellent characterizations throughout. The story is haunting and I was caught up in it, hoping for a good outcome. Ultimately the story feels very genuine, an event that could have happened and the ending fits that as well. Japriscot brings the war and the people involved in it to life and paints a vivid picture of WWI and the years afterward.
This book was a departure from my normal books, however I'm glad I took a chance on it. The book is well written & translated with excellent characterizations throughout. The story is haunting and I was caught up in it, hoping for a good outcome. Ultimately the story feels very genuine, an event that could have happened and the ending fits that as well. Japriscot brings the war and the people involved in it to life and paints a vivid picture of WWI and the years afterward.
suannelaqueur's review against another edition
4.0
This was an interesting book. Interesting in subject matter, and interesting in the way I read it. Usually I either tear through a book, or I lose interest after a few chapters. I rarely stick with it if I don't really love it. I liked this book a lot, but I didn't read it like I liked it. I did maybe a chapter a day. I don't know if it was because I needed to think about it in between chapters, or it simply wasn't that compelling. And yet it was compelling, I had no idea what was going to happen. I wanted to finish. Being an avid genealogist, I know what it's like to be on a search with very few clues and I sympathized with Mathilde, whom I found to be a very different kind of heroine.
decembermum's review against another edition
4.0
It took a little while to get into this book but it was well worth it. Mathilde's journey towards finding out what happened to her fiance in the trenches of the Somme in 1917 is like piecing together a jigsaw. An extrememly moving and satisfying read.
suria_go's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0