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A review by graylodge_library
Gigi and The Cat by Colette
4.0
What a delight to read Colette again after so many years! Her writing is both spirited and lyrical, clever and beautiful. It's almost as if it's a concrete manifestation of her character.
These two novellas are very different, and some would say it's odd that they are collected together, but they actually compliment each other. First is Gigi, a bubbly, funny, and witty story about a young girl who is being trained to be a courtesan. There's love that goes beyond what others want and subverts expectations. (There's also a 1958 musical, a visually gorgeous but ultimately empty Hollywood version with one of the most creepiest songs I've ever heard. So let's just forget it.)
The second story, The Cat, on the other hand is about love that sours. It's like the night version of the first one: sensual, dreamy, and stagnant. The protagonist wants to linger in his childhood and loves his cat more than anything else, which results in a hot Parisian summer simmering with jealousy and bitterness.
These two novellas are very different, and some would say it's odd that they are collected together, but they actually compliment each other. First is Gigi, a bubbly, funny, and witty story about a young girl who is being trained to be a courtesan. There's love that goes beyond what others want and subverts expectations. (There's also a 1958 musical, a visually gorgeous but ultimately empty Hollywood version with one of the most creepiest songs I've ever heard. So let's just forget it.)
The second story, The Cat, on the other hand is about love that sours. It's like the night version of the first one: sensual, dreamy, and stagnant. The protagonist wants to linger in his childhood and loves his cat more than anything else, which results in a hot Parisian summer simmering with jealousy and bitterness.
"You can, at a pinch, leave the face till the morning, when travelling or pressed for time. For a woman, attention to the lower parts is the first law of self-respect."