natdash 's review for:

Claudine in Paris by Colette
5.0
Spoilerhmmm very interesting, certainly not as fun as claudine at school, but that seems to be the point. her depression and loneliness become more acute, and her fathers neglect feels more sinister in this book than it did in claudine at school. it makes me sad seeing the reviews that get upset that she gets together with renaud because of his age or that get upset because of the line "free women are not free at all". i don't think this is supposed to be something you have to agree with or the book is actively trying to convince you of. what you're seeing is claudine's perspective and what she wants is a father who pays attention to her; renaud fulfills this need. what she wants is to feel part of a family, secure, no longer adrift in her own loneliness. the book doesn't really comment on ty as good or bad, and if anything from what ive read of claudine married thus far, it seems to condemn renaud and the relationship more.

i feel incredibly sad for claudine. living in her head is still as lovely as it was in the first book, but it is twinged with a deeper sadness (and a frustration for the things claudine cannot see about herself or the people around, things that are becoming more weighted and consequential). i don't think this is a detriment to the series, if anything it feels like one of the best portrayals of the in between period, between girlhood and womanhood, childhood and personhood, innocence and knowledge, that i've read. read it.