Tag Archives: Guy de Maupassant

In Which The Classics Club Poses a Question and I Put My Books in Order …

January 30, 2013 By in Classics Club Tags: , , , , 6 Comments

classicsclubAt the beginning of the month The Classics Club posed a question:

“What is the best book you’ve read so far for The Classics Club — and why? Be sure to link to the post where you discussed the book! (Or, if you prefer, what is your least favorite read so far for the club, and why?)”

I usually struggle with this sort of question, because I love many different books for many different reasons, but as I thought about it I realised that I could put the 5 books from my Classics Club list that I’ve read into order.

I loved and appreciated them all, but I know in my heart that some had greater claims than others …

*****

In first place:

Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell

Wives and Daughters“All life is there, from quiet domesticity to grand events, and through everything in between. And lives are lived. A broad cast of characters – no not characters, people, because everyone is so perfectly drawn – live, love, make mistakes, learn, enjoy good or bad fortune, feel every emotion under the sun ….and so completely realised, real lives are reflected in the pages of these book.”

This was heaven: a fully realised world that pulled me right in, a story that captivated me, and a book that I know I will pick up again. I could quite happily go and live in Wives and Daughters.

*****

Very, very close behind, in second place:

The Home-Maker by Dorothy Canfield Fisher

the-home-maker“The very, very best novels leave me struggling for words, quite unable to capture what it is that makes them so extraordinary. The Home-Maker is one of those novels. It was published in the 1920s, it is set in small town American, and yet it feels extraordinarily relevant.It is the story of the Knapp family – Evangeline, Lester and their children, Helen, Henry and Stephen. A family that was unhappy, because both parents were trapped in the roles that society dictated a mother and a father should play.”

A significant statement, an extraordinary book, I can only say that it wasn’t quite as profound or well written as the book that preceded it.

*****

And the book that comes third:

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

The Woman in White“I was held from the first page to the last and, though this is a big book, the last page came very quickly. Because there were so many twists, so many questions, that I had to turn the pages quickly. It’s lucky that Collins writes maybe the most readable prose of all the Victorian greats!”

I can’t quite believe that Wilkie Collins is down in third place, but although he’s a wonderful storyteller and this is a wonderful story, but I do think that the books that came before are greater works.

*****

Some way behind that in fourth place:

The Constant Nymph by Margaret Kennedy

Constant Nymph“The Constant Nymph was wildly successful in the 1920s. A bestselling novel! A popular play! A Hollywood film! And yet it disappeared. Fell out of print, until Virago picked it up and made it a Modern Classic – number 121!”

I loved Margaret Kennedy’s writing, and I shall be seeking out more of her work. I loved much of the story, but I was just a little disapponted in the way it played out in the end.

*****

It’s a cliche I know, but it really is a case of last but not least:

Bel-Ami by Guy de Maupassant

Bel-Ami“I have been to 19th century Paris, but I barely knew it. Because I have read a book with a style, with themes, with a story, that felt so very, very contemporary. This is a story of journalists with dubious ethics, of politicians who use their position for personal gain, of men and women caught up in the quest for power, money and social status.”

It was a wonderful story, and I’m glad I read it, but I did’t miss it or wish for a copy of my own when I had to give it back to the library.

*****

So that’s five books read, 10% of my list behind me, but still lots of wonderful classics to come.

 

Bel-Ami by Guy de Maupassant

July 19, 2012 By in Book Reports, Classics Club Tags: 4 Comments

I have been to 19th century Paris, but I barely knew it. Because I have read a book with a style, with themes, with a story, that felt so very, very contemporary.

This is a story of journalists with dubious ethics, of politicians who use their position for personal gain, of men and women caught up in the quest for power, money and social status.

And at the centre of it all is Georges Duroy. He was an ordinary man, a former soldier, who rose from the bottom of society to the very top. An old friend gave him a foot in the door, finding him a position as a journalist, and introducing him to society. And then Duroy, who was both handsome and charming, was able to seduce wealthy women, the bored wives of powerful men, and use their money, their connections, the things they told him to rise further and further up the ladder.

But he was never satisfied. There was always somebody who had a little more than he did, somebody whose position he had to emulate. Or usurp.

He was not a nice man, but he was a fascinating character.  At first it was easy to empathise with a man who had served in the army and had subsequently struggled. Easy to be pleased when fortune seemed, finally, to be favouring him. But that changed, as it became clear that he never appreciated what he had, that he was prepared to do almost anything to further his own ends.

He mirrored the society around him. Every man, and every woman, was motivated by the same things. Every one of them would have done exactly the same in his position, and not one of them would have even thought that maybe there was a different way they could live.

That made the story horrifying, fascinating, and more than a little sad.

The story is very much the focus. The style was quite neutral, and very readable. Only the scenes that move the story forward were played out. Dialogue was always to the point. Descriptions were scarce. And there were no characters that didn’t have significant roles to play.

But there was enough variation to keep things interesting. Drama, and a little humour, when the time came for a duel. Upset, and a little self-interest, when there was a death. And an interesting diversity of outlooks and responses among the many mistresses.

All of that could make it the classic for people who don’t like classics. The 19th century novel that isn’t tied to its era. It really was timeless. I suspect that the author realised that, because he did nothing to pinpoint his setting.

The final scene was perfect. Then, as now, it is the ambitious and not necessarily the righteous who prosper. Not an ending, but a fitting conclusion.

Time to talk about Paris ….

June 28, 2012 By in Challenges Tags: , , , , , , , , 8 Comments

That’s Paris in July, hosted for a third year by Karen at Book Bath and Tamara at Thyme for Tea.

A celebration of the French capital, taking in books, cinema, music, food …

I’ve been pondering books for a while now, and I have come up with far more wonderful possibilities than I could ever read in a single month.

There are the older classics:

Three French writers from the 19th century have been calling me for a while now, and I so want to read Guy de Maupassant, Émile Zola and Honoré de Balzac.

I’m not entirely sure which of their books I shall read, but I’m  drawn to Bel-Ami, Pot Luck and Père Goriot at the moment.

*****

There are the 20th century classics:

I must confess that I had quite forgotten that Jules et Jim by Henri-Pierre Roché was a book before a film until I picked up a used copy a little while ago. I wonder how the two will compare.

I love her writing, and so I know that The House in Paris by Elizabeth Bowen will be a joy.

And I now that whenever I need a book to fit a particular theme I will fins something on my Virago shelves: this time it’s Pillion Riders by Elizabeth Russell Taylor.

*****

And there’s wonderful, real history:

I want to read Liberty by Lucy Moore, the story of the women caught up in the French Revolution.

The Crimes of Paris by Dorothy & Thomas Hoobler, true stories of crime and detection from La Belle Epoque, looks wonderful.

And when I caught sight of a lovely new edition of Madame de Pompadour by Nancy Mitford I remembered that I had an old Penguin edition of that same biography waiting at home.

*****

So I have a wonderful pool of books to choose from, and I’m sure I will discover more when Paris in July arrives.

There will be films and music too, but I’ll write about that another day.

Do you have plans for Paris in July? Or recommendations maybe?