Stendhal was forty-seven when his first major novel, Le rouge et le noir, was published in 1830 (although a little known and unremarkable book called Armance did precede The Red and The Black).  This tale of the young Julien Sorel, takes some dedication to finish and is best devoured in the original French.  Often cited […]
Posts Tagged ‘Review’
Le rouge et le noir by Stendhal
Posted in The List, tagged Film Adaptation, Review, Stendhal on November 5, 2012 | Comments Off on Le rouge et le noir by Stendhal
Le Rivage des Syrtes by Julien Gracq
Posted in The List, tagged Julien Gracq, Le Rivage des Syrtes, Review on August 27, 2012 | Comments Off on Le Rivage des Syrtes by Julien Gracq
A novel set in an imaginary land where a frozen conflict has lasted over the past three centuries. Published in English as the Opposing Shore, this is a tale of a young man Aldo who is sent to a coastal town over-looking the sea and the world of his enemies. There he waits for his […]
The cursed novel adaptation – Eucalyptus by Murray Bail
Posted in The List, tagged Eucalyptus, Film Adaptation, Murray Bail, Review on May 9, 2012 | Comments Off on The cursed novel adaptation – Eucalyptus by Murray Bail
Eucalyptus is a simple novel. The story of a widower who plants hundreds of eucalyptuses as a memorial to his wife. Living with him in this man-made forest, hidden away from prying eyes, is the young daughter (due to be portrayed by Nicole Kidman in a never completed movie).  Over the years, men have tried […]
Review of The Luck of Barry Lyndon by William Makepeace Thackeray
Posted in The List, tagged Film Adaptation, Review, Thackeray on August 20, 2011 | Comments Off on Review of The Luck of Barry Lyndon by William Makepeace Thackeray
A romp through the late 1700’s which takes in a young Irish rogue who ends up in the British Army in Germany for the Seven Years War and then in the pay of the Prussians. He’s adventures keep him away from the UK for eleven years until he finally returns to win the heart of […]
Review of La Jument Verte by Marcel Aymé
Posted in The List, tagged Marcel Aymé, Review on August 19, 2011 | Comments Off on Review of La Jument Verte by Marcel Aymé
Country France in the 19th Century is a world of intrigue where the lives of women and girls are cheap, and paintings of green horses have the ability to make social observations and commentaries. A fine yarn by the pen-master Aymé of the life in the village of Claquebue from the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 […]
Review of L’équipée malaise by Jean Echenoz
Posted in The List, tagged Jean Echenoz, Review on April 2, 2011 | Comments Off on Review of L’équipée malaise by Jean Echenoz
In the postscript in this novel, Jean Echenoz states that he wants to destabilise the novel from within. He certainly has a talent for destabilising the reader. This novel is the story of two men who once loved the same women. However, they never realise this fact until the last. They have various adventures across […]
Review of L’Incident by Christian Gailly
Posted in The List, tagged Alain Resnais, Christian Gailly, L'Incident, Les Herbes Folles, Review on February 22, 2011 | Comments Off on Review of L’Incident by Christian Gailly
In a sense the story is actually secondary to the literary work of Gailly. The chapters are set out in different phases, which relate to the different parts of the relationship between the two protagonists. Marguerite Muir, the dentist and hobby-pilot, who gets her hand-bag snatched in Paris, and Georges the older-man who finds her […]
Review of L’occupation by Annie Ernaux
Posted in The List, tagged Annie Ernaux, L'occupation, Review on February 19, 2011 | Comments Off on Review of L’occupation by Annie Ernaux
At only 76 pages, this novel was almost simply a pamphlet, telling the story of a woman’s decent into obesession following the end of a relationship. Of course, this “occupation” and invasion of her mind was not due to despair, but because of her incredible jealousy over the other woman. This novel will not appeal […]
Review of Rapport aux Bêtes by Noëlle Revaz
Posted in The List, tagged Coeur Animal, Noëlle Revaz, Rapport aux Bêtes, Review, Séverine Cornamusaz on February 11, 2011 | Comments Off on Review of Rapport aux Bêtes by Noëlle Revaz
Not exactly an easy read, but mostly because Revaz manages to find the voice, the internal voice, of a Swiss farmer living with his wife Vulve in the high mountains. This is not an easy life, with farm labour taking a toll on the whole family. Paul, the rough farmer, decides to employ a Portuguese […]
Review of Travnicka hronika / UK ed: Chronicles of Travnik
Posted in The List, tagged Andric, Chronicles of Travnik, Danny Review, Review on January 29, 2011 | Comments Off on Review of Travnicka hronika / UK ed: Chronicles of Travnik
Members of our little group are keen reviewers, and of course book lovers. For those of you who don’t know his work, one of our star reviewers is Danny Yee and his Book Review site. I will highlight some of the reviews on his site for the various Novels on our List. The first of […]