≡ [PDF] Bonjour Tristesse Penguin Great Loves Franoise Sagan 9780141032917 Books

Bonjour Tristesse Penguin Great Loves Franoise Sagan 9780141032917 Books

Download As PDF : Bonjour Tristesse Penguin Great Loves Franoise Sagan 9780141032917 Books

Bonjour Tristesse Penguin Great Loves Franoise Sagan 9780141032917 Books

Sagan became and overnight sensation at 18 when when she published her first book, "Bonjour, Tristesse", in 1954. It really is easy to see why since this is a wonderful little book. Introspective, philosophical, but brief. The story is moved by characters motivated by indifference, what the French call "ennui", which is perfectly illustrated by the first paragraph:

"A strange melancholy pervades me to which I hesitate to give the grave and beautiful name of sorrow. The idea of sorrow has always appealed to me, but now I am almost ashamed of its complete egoism. I have known boredom, regret, and occasionally remorse, but never sorrow. Today it envelops me like a silken web, enervating and soft, and sets me apart from everybody else."

What I love about this particular edition is the inclusion of an enlightening introduction, as well as an essay penned by Sagan about her need for speed (she had a penchant for sports cars) as well as an interview with her shortly after she gained fame about her inspiration and her way of life.

Overall, this book is a winner if you love a story by the sea and a coming of age story. Ah, to be a failed student on the Riviera, whiling away the hours basking in the sun. Great read!


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Bonjour Tristesse Penguin Great Loves Franoise Sagan 9780141032917 Books Reviews

The complicated, back-and-forth emotions between the narrator and her relationships with the people around her astutely mimic adolescent insecurity and unawareness. Written when she was only eighteen, Sagan's novel of the destructiveness of ennui and naivete thus easily gets into the mind of a teenager. The thoughts written down are so commonplace to youth, that one will find themselves underlining whole passages due to their precise accuracy. Indeed, Bonjour Tristesse is more philosophical and devastating than many coming-of-age stories. Unsentimental, although sometimes laborious and heavy-handed, especially in Part One, the novel reveals the despair of wanting another to know one's thoughts, and the anguish of realizing the consequences of one's actions in the world of adult theatrics. The lyricism of the prose is ethereal and is eerily reminiscent of the work of fellow French writer Albert Camus. Simple stylistically yet complex in symbolism, Sagan has penned a tome that would make any psychologist tremble at the amount of material present to analyze and dissect.
I was disappointed but not greatly surprised. One has to keep in mind this was published in 1954 and for the times it was probably shocking and offensive to some. I grew up in France, my stepmother who is the most voracious book monster loved Sagan and talked about her often so out of fealty to her I felt it was time to see what the fuss was about. From the opening pages I knew what it was and that it was not my kind of literature. It vaguely reminded me of the "Magus" which I loved so I persevered knowing I was deluding myself. It's a story that needs early fifties French mores to sustain it if one wants to take it seriously. My stepmother was 29 with a petit bourgeois background when she read it and she must have found it liberating as well as titillating. For me it was just a slightly interesting bit of nostalgia, I was only 3 at the time, about a very elite and rare set of people but at least I think I understand why she found Francois Sagan so special.
I bought this book to practice my French over the summer, and I'm part of an online book club where the leader reads the book aloud in small portions so that we can hear it all pronounced correctly. It's a beautiful tale, perfect for summer, about a young girl coming of age. It's very French in style and subject, but reading it in the French and then translating into English for myself as I study the French language has given me a new appreciation for Sagan's word choices, the atmosphere and tone she is able to set--lazy summer, indolent, indulgence, Lana Del Rey's summer time sadness--and for the French language. I highly recommend this charming little story.
This is a remarkable debut novel. The English translation is good and the writing is tight. But what makes it remarkable is Sagan's ability to see clearly and write well about a transitional phase in the lives of almost all young girls when she herself was quite possibly still in the middle of it. It is that phase when girls realize that they have sexual power and start to see the possibilities that has - both as a tool on their own behalf and as a force in the world. Maybe I am attributing too much self reference to Sagan, but there is a reason that this neat little book is a classic. The book is heavy with all the power, sensuality and danger of sex as a tool. It captures both a time of awakening and serves as a heady remind of the dangers of such power when wielded by the immature and inexperienced. The contrast between Cecile and Anne and their views on love and sex just highlights how transitory such power is and that ultimately the recognition of this power in oneself signals a loss of innocence. Quick, clever read.
Sagan became and overnight sensation at 18 when when she published her first book, "Bonjour, Tristesse", in 1954. It really is easy to see why since this is a wonderful little book. Introspective, philosophical, but brief. The story is moved by characters motivated by indifference, what the French call "ennui", which is perfectly illustrated by the first paragraph

"A strange melancholy pervades me to which I hesitate to give the grave and beautiful name of sorrow. The idea of sorrow has always appealed to me, but now I am almost ashamed of its complete egoism. I have known boredom, regret, and occasionally remorse, but never sorrow. Today it envelops me like a silken web, enervating and soft, and sets me apart from everybody else."

What I love about this particular edition is the inclusion of an enlightening introduction, as well as an essay penned by Sagan about her need for speed (she had a penchant for sports cars) as well as an interview with her shortly after she gained fame about her inspiration and her way of life.

Overall, this book is a winner if you love a story by the sea and a coming of age story. Ah, to be a failed student on the Riviera, whiling away the hours basking in the sun. Great read!