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2.93 AVERAGE
2.93 AVERAGE
This was my first Margeurite Duras story, and unfortunately, it will probably be my last. I know that she has received great acclaim for many of her works, but for me, this fell into the genre of classics that I really detest: well-to-do people have nothing to do with their time but gossip and despise each other. I spent the length of the book waiting for something to happen, and nothing ever did. I think people who likes books like Anna Karenina will enjoy this book, but it just wasn't for me.
Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.
Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Notably the only one of Duras' novels to not be published in English, 2021 will change all that. Here we have a work in translation, a novel about French nobles and how the previously unsought Maud becomes a person of interest in a pre war love triangle.
My first thought was that this was like the Netflix special -Bridgerton - except set in France. This did not bode well.
This book is about an aristocratic family and their fiscal difficulties. Jacques is a total scab always begging for money and then blowing it all and having to ask for more. Maud looks out the window a lot. At their summer residence, John the farmer pursues Maud and so does another man and I had totally lost interest by this point.
It was the accounts of how author Marguerite Duras rose to stardom with her erotic debut The Lover that piqued my interest in this book. The Lover won the Prix Goncourt but unfortunately the writing wasn't strong enough to sustain me.
My first thought was that this was like the Netflix special -Bridgerton - except set in France. This did not bode well.
This book is about an aristocratic family and their fiscal difficulties. Jacques is a total scab always begging for money and then blowing it all and having to ask for more. Maud looks out the window a lot. At their summer residence, John the farmer pursues Maud and so does another man and I had totally lost interest by this point.
It was the accounts of how author Marguerite Duras rose to stardom with her erotic debut The Lover that piqued my interest in this book. The Lover won the Prix Goncourt but unfortunately the writing wasn't strong enough to sustain me.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Not my cup of tea at all. Throughout the book I was always thinking that I was finally understanding what it was all about, until I read some passage that confused me again. The ending saved it a little in that respect but still feel that I was wasting my time reading this.
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I am only withholding a fifth star from this review because this is not a book I would put into anyone's hand. It is on the cusp, so let's make it an odd 4.5 star rating.
This drama, detailing a summer of anguish a bourgeoisie family endures at their dilapidated villa, is an easy page-turner. The secrets this family keep and wield against one another are elemental in some respects, and could be exchanged between members of any dysfunctional household. In others, we are invited to witness the effect that wealth, or, the perception of wealth, has on the outcome of harrowing scandals.
"The Impudent Ones," is a subtle work of well restrained beauty and animosity. All of Duras' characters exude disdain, grace and delight with the slightest gesture and seemingly unremarkable exchange. The quality of Duras' writing is so refined that you find yourself reading through and empathizing with a portrayal of fleeting feelings you've previously felt, but never had the words to describe. Her characters are so magnificently developed that your opinion of them is natural, to the point of being involuntary. The characters you love and hate are equally complicated and worthy of attention., and they all demand it by deploying their most sly manipulations.
This drama, detailing a summer of anguish a bourgeoisie family endures at their dilapidated villa, is an easy page-turner. The secrets this family keep and wield against one another are elemental in some respects, and could be exchanged between members of any dysfunctional household. In others, we are invited to witness the effect that wealth, or, the perception of wealth, has on the outcome of harrowing scandals.
"The Impudent Ones," is a subtle work of well restrained beauty and animosity. All of Duras' characters exude disdain, grace and delight with the slightest gesture and seemingly unremarkable exchange. The quality of Duras' writing is so refined that you find yourself reading through and empathizing with a portrayal of fleeting feelings you've previously felt, but never had the words to describe. Her characters are so magnificently developed that your opinion of them is natural, to the point of being involuntary. The characters you love and hate are equally complicated and worthy of attention., and they all demand it by deploying their most sly manipulations.
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes