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A review by dingakaa
The Years by Annie Ernaux
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
A worthwhile read that triggers contemplation.
The ability to translate a work like this, specifically from French to English, is a feat deserving of an award; much praise to Strayer.
4.75, and not 5.00, because I felt the last ten pages, where the book itself was explained, took away from the beauty of the artwork itself. The entire book is a sort of dual autobiography, constantly alternating between a story of the author herself, and a collective autobiography of France and/or women in France. By spending the last ten pages discussing the inspiration/design/inception of the book, the perspective snaps exclusively to Ernaux's and we lose the collective point of view. In addition, it's always nice to go behind the scenes and see how and why iconic art was made, but I would prefer that the pulling back of the curtain on this book's creation not be part of the artwork itself.
Then again, this book won a Nobel Prize and I'm just an idiot with a keyboard. You should read this.
The ability to translate a work like this, specifically from French to English, is a feat deserving of an award; much praise to Strayer.
4.75, and not 5.00, because I felt the last ten pages, where the book itself was explained, took away from the beauty of the artwork itself. The entire book is a sort of dual autobiography, constantly alternating between a story of the author herself, and a collective autobiography of France and/or women in France. By spending the last ten pages discussing the inspiration/design/inception of the book, the perspective snaps exclusively to Ernaux's and we lose the collective point of view. In addition, it's always nice to go behind the scenes and see how and why iconic art was made, but I would prefer that the pulling back of the curtain on this book's creation not be part of the artwork itself.
Then again, this book won a Nobel Prize and I'm just an idiot with a keyboard. You should read this.