A review by _marco_
A Woman's Life by H.N.P. Sloman, Guy de Maupassant

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

I was incredibly and immensely affected by this book; Jeanne’s pain became my own. 

Yes, it was the end of expectation and she had nothing to do today or tomorrow or ever again. 

Maupassant’s highly emotional style of writing demands that the reader empathize with Jeanne’s outbursts of joy and (more often) her deep sorrow; as well as brief yet visceral moments of rage. I loved how the changing of the seasons and the resilience of natural processes posed as a backdrop for a life decimated by a cruel fate; and how the constancy of the peasants served to put all Jeanne’s problems into perspective. 

This is definitely one of the more depressing books that I’ve read, in that the bleak condition of Jeanne’s life is so universal. I could not help comparing my own life with hers, and it put me in such a dour mood for the whole week. We are all her: grieving broken dreams and memories of a joyous past we will never experience again. 

Overall an excellent read, highly emotive and introspective. I recommend it for people who have loved books like Anna Karenina and Madame Bovary. 
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