A review by caterpillarkappa
Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan

emotional reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

When I saw that the author was only 18 when this was written it made so much sense. Not in a derogatory way. I feel that the main character's words are spot on in how a young, melodramatic teen would deal with her father getting married to someone they don't quite "gel" with.
At some points, the indecisiveness of "should I break up these people or shouldn't I" gets very exhausting. But because the book is so short, it's doesn't last long enough to be a real problem.
As a teen, I was also faced with dilemmas I couldn't quite find the right answer for, and I would get lost in thought of what a "perfect" outcome would look like, even if it was never even possible in the first place.
The car crash at the end was completely unexpected, and usually I would hate this kind of ending and call it a cop out, but somehow, it works in bonjour tristesse. And it's overall ironic because when Cecile drives home drunk earlier in the book I was hoping she wouldn't crash. /spoiler> On another note, I loved the overall lifestyle of the characters, lounging by the lake at the vacation home, going sailing, going to dinner parties. 
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