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A review by coffeedragon
Monsieur by Emma Becker, Maxim Jakubowski
3.0
**spoiler alert**
When browsing the shelves, I found this book and the summary instantly caught my attention, as well as the cover. I liked the idea of reading a book where the age difference was wide since I usually read books where the characters are about the same age. This was also the first time I had picked up an erotic novel and I thought: why not? There was a first time for everything. I was rather excited to read this book (so I started to read as soon as I got it) but found that it really disappointed me. The beginning caught me instantly by having the main character seeing the son of Monsieur (the older man she was having an affair with) and I really wanted to find out what was going to happen and what had happened between them. I also wondered if anything would arise between the two or if Monsieur's son would only be the link or the trigger. (Who was he and why was he mentioned?)
The novel was split up into 3 books, the first book was the longest out of the three). I began to lose interest near the end of book 1 because nothing seemed to really be happening. I found no problem that was being put to the front, it was just the beginnings of an affair where both parties thought that things would be fine. I zoned out in book 2, which was when Ellie (MC) started to lose contact with Monsieur, she began to see other men so that she could forget Monsieur, and her depressive state begins. My attention was recaptured near the end of Book 3, which is where Ellie starts seeing Monsieur but their relationship isn't like it was before. There seems to be a rift and it's also where they part (in body). Because of my loss in interest, I began to read book 2 and 3 in parts, rather than in chunks like I did with book 1 (i.e. 10 pages one day, 15 another, 10 again).
I really enjoyed the beginning because of how their relationship was; there was interest on both sides, the way they could engage in conversations about literature, and their way of communicating. I enjoyed the formatting and how we read what they wrote as if we were the recipients. There seemed to be a lot of life and optimism in this part. I also don't feel like it was an obsession at that point. Then Ellie began to see less and less of Monsieur and I couldn't help but start disliking the characters. I didn't like Monsieur because of how he was with Ellie; not contacting her, only calling to see about the book, and only seeing her for a quick session and then leaving once again for an uncertain amount of time. Then there was Ellie who then couldn't get Monsieur out of her life (that's when I saw it as an obsession). Her life seemed to consist of smoking, having sex with any and all guys, contacting Monsieur, and writing the book about Monsieur. Her whole life seemed pretty much destroyed; the way she spoke was more in passing, not as poetic as before, a light seemed to be missing (I think this is why I lost interest). I felt like blaming Monsieur for messing up her life but then I couldn't help but think: she knew what she was getting into and she let it affect her too much.
I'm slightly conflicted about the ending because I felt that it could have been better. Monsieur's reaction to the book was also rather disconcerting. He had been pushing her to continue writing it and then she showed it to him and he seemed rather upset/displeased. At that point where Monsieur finally came back and she began meeting with him (having sex), it didn't feel as intense or special as their earlier encounters. It felt like she was with any other guy - a disconnect. When she finally broke things off with him and left the room, I couldn't help but wonder: how will she recover? She was without him for quite some time (the summer?) and in that time I felt like she just went through life automatically. Would she be like that for the rest of her life? Did she only need some time? To meet someone new? She seemed to realize this as she was crying and watching him go.
Another thing that bugged me was the mention of characters like Charles. He was at the beginning of the book and one of the reasons the book caught my interest instantly, the way Ellie and he were connected. There was no later mention of him or anything like that. I figured that by mentioning him, he might have been important but he was dropped after the introduction. For example, Ellie mentioned Monsieur's wife and writes about who she could possibly be and how Monsieur's relationship with her could be. I found that rather interesting. Also, there was Lucy who seemed to be quite a force and during the time she was out int he country, Ellie spoke much about her and how she was a temptation for her. When they returned to the city, there was no further mention about her. It left me with many questions about what her place could have been/became later on in the future.
Overall, I think this book was alright. It could have been better but I suppose that when someone goes into a depressive state there really isn't anything interesting. This was clearly put out but I felt that there could have probably been another way to go about it without loosing the readers.
When browsing the shelves, I found this book and the summary instantly caught my attention, as well as the cover. I liked the idea of reading a book where the age difference was wide since I usually read books where the characters are about the same age. This was also the first time I had picked up an erotic novel and I thought: why not? There was a first time for everything. I was rather excited to read this book (so I started to read as soon as I got it) but found that it really disappointed me. The beginning caught me instantly by having the main character seeing the son of Monsieur (the older man she was having an affair with) and I really wanted to find out what was going to happen and what had happened between them. I also wondered if anything would arise between the two or if Monsieur's son would only be the link or the trigger. (Who was he and why was he mentioned?)
The novel was split up into 3 books, the first book was the longest out of the three). I began to lose interest near the end of book 1 because nothing seemed to really be happening. I found no problem that was being put to the front, it was just the beginnings of an affair where both parties thought that things would be fine. I zoned out in book 2, which was when Ellie (MC) started to lose contact with Monsieur, she began to see other men so that she could forget Monsieur, and her depressive state begins. My attention was recaptured near the end of Book 3, which is where Ellie starts seeing Monsieur but their relationship isn't like it was before. There seems to be a rift and it's also where they part (in body). Because of my loss in interest, I began to read book 2 and 3 in parts, rather than in chunks like I did with book 1 (i.e. 10 pages one day, 15 another, 10 again).
I really enjoyed the beginning because of how their relationship was; there was interest on both sides, the way they could engage in conversations about literature, and their way of communicating. I enjoyed the formatting and how we read what they wrote as if we were the recipients. There seemed to be a lot of life and optimism in this part. I also don't feel like it was an obsession at that point. Then Ellie began to see less and less of Monsieur and I couldn't help but start disliking the characters. I didn't like Monsieur because of how he was with Ellie; not contacting her, only calling to see about the book, and only seeing her for a quick session and then leaving once again for an uncertain amount of time. Then there was Ellie who then couldn't get Monsieur out of her life (that's when I saw it as an obsession). Her life seemed to consist of smoking, having sex with any and all guys, contacting Monsieur, and writing the book about Monsieur. Her whole life seemed pretty much destroyed; the way she spoke was more in passing, not as poetic as before, a light seemed to be missing (I think this is why I lost interest). I felt like blaming Monsieur for messing up her life but then I couldn't help but think: she knew what she was getting into and she let it affect her too much.
I'm slightly conflicted about the ending because I felt that it could have been better. Monsieur's reaction to the book was also rather disconcerting. He had been pushing her to continue writing it and then she showed it to him and he seemed rather upset/displeased. At that point where Monsieur finally came back and she began meeting with him (having sex), it didn't feel as intense or special as their earlier encounters. It felt like she was with any other guy - a disconnect. When she finally broke things off with him and left the room, I couldn't help but wonder: how will she recover? She was without him for quite some time (the summer?) and in that time I felt like she just went through life automatically. Would she be like that for the rest of her life? Did she only need some time? To meet someone new? She seemed to realize this as she was crying and watching him go.
Another thing that bugged me was the mention of characters like Charles. He was at the beginning of the book and one of the reasons the book caught my interest instantly, the way Ellie and he were connected. There was no later mention of him or anything like that. I figured that by mentioning him, he might have been important but he was dropped after the introduction. For example, Ellie mentioned Monsieur's wife and writes about who she could possibly be and how Monsieur's relationship with her could be. I found that rather interesting. Also, there was Lucy who seemed to be quite a force and during the time she was out int he country, Ellie spoke much about her and how she was a temptation for her. When they returned to the city, there was no further mention about her. It left me with many questions about what her place could have been/became later on in the future.
Overall, I think this book was alright. It could have been better but I suppose that when someone goes into a depressive state there really isn't anything interesting. This was clearly put out but I felt that there could have probably been another way to go about it without loosing the readers.