A French Book Reading Resource

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Carmody
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Re: A French Book Reading Resource

Postby Carmody » Tue Oct 11, 2022 3:00 pm

jeffers,

I don't know Louise but I do congratulate you on the Ancient Greek and Sanskrit (beginner); wonderful.
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Re: A French Book Reading Resource

Postby Fortheo » Wed Oct 12, 2022 10:09 pm

jeffers wrote:
Fortheo wrote:Any recommendations for a feel good, happy french book?


I enjoyed this question juxtaposed with your avatar. However, I feel like Louise would sneer at the idea of a feel good happy book.

When I need to read French with a smile on my face I turn to the classics: Le Petit Nicolas or La sorcière de la rue Mouffetard.


She definitely would :lol: Interestingly enough, that show has been something I turn to when I'm in the mood for a feel good, happy show!

Thanks for the recommendations. I've read le Petit Nicolas a few times years ago and really enjoyed them. I'll check out la sorcière de la rue Mouffetard.
Last edited by Fortheo on Thu Oct 13, 2022 5:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Carmody
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Re: A French Book Reading Resource

Postby Carmody » Wed Oct 12, 2022 11:37 pm

Fortheo

Great to see your old avatar back again.
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Re: A French Book Reading Resource

Postby Amandine » Wed Oct 12, 2022 11:58 pm

Well, depends on what you mean by happy. I was looking for a true crime book about the l'affaire Troadec titled Pour Tout L'or Du Monde and came across a Harlequin romance of the same name. So I read that too ... certainly some "happy moments" for all concerned :lol: :oops:

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Re: A French Book Reading Resource

Postby Le Baron » Sat Oct 15, 2022 7:31 pm

Carmody wrote:Annie Ernaux wins the 2022 Nobel prize in literature

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/oct/06/annie-ernaux-wins-the-2022-nobel-prize-in-literature

Congratulations to Annie but what do you think of her books? I have read a couple and they did not seem like Nobel prize material. Please tell me what it is I do not get.......

I've read a few, they are rather sober and I've felt she rewrites the same book over again. I liked Une Femme, but that might be because it was thin.
Carmody wrote:Another book in the same vein and for the same age group is 35 Kilos d'espoir by A. Gavalda that is about a student who is having trouble learning in school. It is not too long and has a great story to tell.

I like Anna Gavalda's books. Her first novel Je voudrais que quelqu'un m'attende quelque part is good. I also read her Fendre l'armure the summer before last.
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Re: A French Book Reading Resource

Postby MorkTheFiddle » Sun Oct 16, 2022 5:37 pm

Le Baron wrote:
Carmody wrote:I've read a few, they are rather sober and I've felt she rewrites the same book over again. I liked Une Femme, but that might be because it was thin.
Carmody wrote:Another book in the same vein and for the same age group is 35 Kilos d'espoir by A. Gavalda that is about a student who is having trouble learning in school. It is not too long and has a great story to tell.

I like Anna Gavalda's books. Her first novel Je voudrais que quelqu'un m'attende quelque part is good. I also read her Fendre l'armure the summer before last.

Don't mean to nitpick, but Je voudrais . . . is a collection of well-observed and polished short stories. Which I like very much, including the audio book, read by Gavalda herself, but the later writing of hers that I've seen, Ensemble c'est tout or La Consolate, for example, bored me.
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Many things which are false are transmitted from book to book, and gain credit in the world. -- attributed to Samuel Johnson

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Re: A French Book Reading Resource

Postby Le Baron » Sun Oct 16, 2022 9:08 pm

MorkTheFiddle wrote:Don't mean to nitpick, but Je voudrais . . . is a collection of well-observed and polished short stories. Which I like very much, including the audio book, read by Gavalda herself, but the later writing of hers that I've seen, Ensemble c'est tout or La Consolate, for example, bored me.


No, you're quite right. I had to dig out my copy to have a look. It's a real pain looking for books!
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Re: A French Book Reading Resource

Postby AroAro » Wed Nov 02, 2022 9:24 am

Carmody wrote:The France 24 response to Annie Ernaux's prize.

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/2 ... literature

Ernaux describes her style as “flat writing” — aiming for an very objective view of the events she is describing, unshaped by florid description or overwhelming emotions.


In the book that made her name, “La Place” (A Man’s Place), published in 1983 and about her relationship with her father, she writes: “No lyrical reminiscences, no triumphant displays of irony. This neutral writing style comes to me naturally.”

So, I totally agree with Annie re her flat and neutral writing. To me it comes off as just a listing of incidents, places, people, etc. For me it never goes beyond that...

Someone tell me what I am missing........


Carmody, I agree with you on that one. I’ve just read 5 books by Ernaux in a row and I don’t really understand the hype around her. She just lists soullessly events and names from her life without giving it any universal meaning. For me, she’s sadly on par with two previous French Nobel winners - Modiano and Le Clezio – middle-of-the-road writers, probably “consensus” choices not driven by real passion behind them.
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Le Baron
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Re: A French Book Reading Resource

Postby Le Baron » Wed Nov 02, 2022 10:22 am

AroAro wrote:Carmody, I agree with you on that one. I’ve just read 5 books by Ernaux in a row and I don’t really understand the hype around her. She just lists soullessly events and names from her life without giving it any universal meaning. For me, she’s sadly on par with two previous French Nobel winners - Modiano and Le Clezio – middle-of-the-road writers, probably “consensus” choices not driven by real passion behind them.


I don't know that I'd put Modiano alongside, though I can see why he'd be considered as such. I see the point of not just writing straight-up memoires, but the point of autobiographical fiction is that you can play with reality and write in a different way. It seems to me that Ernaux would have done better to write memoires if she wanted to be so matter-of-fact.

Jane Birkin published her diary which she translated into French herself and that sort of thing is easier to read when you know you aren't searching for or expecting literary devices. Though I think she did a fantastic job. I doubt any Nobel prizes will be forthcoming though.

For me Amelie Nothomb is in some ways no better that Ernaux. She's saved by the quality of her dialogue. In fact she'd have been better off as a playwright. Her descriptive prose is sketchy and like Modiano most of the writing seems to be about her. Nowadays, unlike e.g. Graham Greene, little attempt is made to mask the autobiographical elements; in fact they are the core of the work.
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Re: A French Book Reading Resource

Postby AroAro » Wed Nov 02, 2022 2:40 pm

Le Baron wrote:For me Amelie Nothomb is in some ways no better that Ernaux. She's saved by the quality of her dialogue. In fact she'd have been better off as a playwright. Her descriptive prose is sketchy and like Modiano most of the writing seems to be about her. Nowadays, unlike e.g. Graham Greene, little attempt is made to mask the autobiographical elements; in fact they are the core of the work.


I’ve read only “Stupeurs et tremblements” by Amelie Nothomb so I cannot judge her literary output but I liked this book (probably because I had some similar experiences related to a toxic work environment in an accounting department so the book touched the right cords with me). Nevertheless, I’m not interested in reading her other books because I don’t buy that aura of controlled extravagancy around her (big hats, black lipstick), publishing one book each year, claiming that her drawer is already full of manuscripts just waiting there for their turn to be printed and so on. I’m happy for her though, that she succeeded in gaining visibility and fame on the literary scene/market. It’s not so easy with so many writers and aspiring writers, so kudos to her (and her literary agent, I guess).
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