Chance Acquaintances and Julie de Carneilhan (Twentieth Century Classics) by Colette Gauthier-Villars

Chance Acquaintances and Julie de Carneilhan (Twentieth Century Classics) Reviews

• 
  Nicole Entin

  A long overdue, delightful read, perfect for a wintry afternoon. There’s something Austen-esque about Colette’s writing, especially in Chance Acquaintances, where you feel as if she’s taken you by the hand in a Parisian café, telling you about the complex and tormented people she has known, lowering her voice at the scandalous parts. Perhaps it’s that sense of the author as witty, observant confidante that rings true in her writing.
  
  A particularly apt observation: “It is only since I first encountered human barnacles that molluscs equipped with contractile nerve-cords have filled me with horror.”
• 
  au

  slice of life stories with that witty colette flair; chance acquaintances of a couple's endless hypocrisy and julie de carneilhan of turmoils of the heart. in both love is perplex, a kind of intangible web that circles through life, out, and in again to acknowledgement or hopeless surrender
• 
  Tom

  Two novellas by Colette:
  
  Julie de Carneilhan ⭐⭐⭐
  Chance Aquaintances ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• 
  Cori

  I started Chance Acquaintances in late 2018 as research for my role in a production of The Babylon Line. I shelved the book for a while during the run and eagerly returned to it once we closed. It was lovely. Not plot-driven but descriptive and "atmospheric".
  
  I admit I chose Chance Acquaintances as my first Colette because of the cat. The bits involving the cat were sweet.
  
  I'm somewhat curious to read another translator's Chance Acquaintances. I did not read Julie de Carneilhan but, having enjoyed Chance so much, perhaps I will one day.
• 
  Mattea Gernentz

  "'Why is it all so sad, Julie?' She surveyed him with what remained of her benevolence, still humming softly to avoid having to say: 'It's so sad, because you're the wrong person to be here with me. And nothing here is really meant for you. You're not made for drinking or dining with a woman who doesn't love you, somebody who comes from far away and remains there even when you hold her to your heart'" (116).
  
  Chance Acquaintances > Julie de Carneilhan
• 
  Colin

  All jolly good stuff. Enjoyable easy reading.
• 
  Leonie

  I prefer Chance Acquaintances of the two. Julie de Carneilhan gave me Lily Bart vibes from Edith Wharton's House of Mirth, a novel I'm still haunted by. I half expected Julie to go the same way, tbh.
• 
  Mel

  This was the first book I bought while we were away in Hay-on-Wye. It's two nice novella's of Collettes. Of the two I prefered Chance Acquaintances, it was a nice funny and quite strange story about Collette (and her fantastic cat) ending up in a hotel for the summer outside of Paris. The story was quite simplistic with little plot but full of odd characters and I enjoyed it a great deal. Julie I found I didn't enjoy quite so much. It wasn't written in the first person and was less humourous. The main character was quite sad in many ways. She was in her 40s hanging out with people in their 20s, with no money and no goals besides getting more money to get more things. It really was the downside of decadence. Julie and her friends struck me as the people you always wanted to avoid at parties/clubs as they thought they were more interesting or intellectual than they were. In many ways she reminded me of Emma Boveray, failing without direction in her life. While this novella had more of a plot it wasn't really one that I liked as much. Even though there were more hints of bisexuality ;) Still I did enjoy both of these translations and I will definitely read more Collette. I hope one day my French is good enough to read her in the original!
• 
  Babs

  A story about an independent woman - presumably Colette herself - who has a cat and becomes an unwilling witness in a husband's infidelity. Lots of lovely details like buying chilled cream from a milk stall in a French park at the crack of dawn to give to her also highly independent and cool cat that goes strolling in the 'jardins' with her. Interestingly we find out very little about Colette herself - although she is the first person narrator she is utterly detached an notably mute. It isinteresting to view acute and perceptive detail through the eyes (or rather brain and language) of someone who gives you nothing about herself.
• 
  Joel Van Valin

  One of Colette's less satisfying later novellas, Chance Acquaintances interweaves a seemingly autobiographical account of Colette's stay at a spa, a couple she meets by chance there, and the rather sordid story of a beautiful denizen of the Parisian demimonde (an acquaintance of Colette's). Philandering men are weak, and the women who have the patience to live with them are saints. Colette here writes with the voice of disappointed experience, and the story as a whole is rather dismal and tattered, a bit like a high-class, Parisian "Days of Our Lives" episode.
  
  I have yet to read Julie de Carneilhan.
• 
  Richelle

  This was my first foray into the writings of Colette. I enjoyed both short stories, but preferred Julie de Carneilhan. What I enjoyed most about these stories were Colette's descriptions of Parisian life and her creation of the characters around the city. Her observances on fashion were also interesting to me. "A woman wager to confirm to prevailing fashion must always resemble any number of other women." The book certainly kindled a greater curiosity in French literature for me.
• 
  Greta

  I almost abandoned this book half way through the first novella, Julie de Carneilhan. There wasn't much going on there that was enjoyable. And, to be honest, I can't even recall what it was about, now that I've finished the book. The second story, however, was a bit more descriptive and the first person narration added more personality to an otherwise dull story.
• 
  Phoebe Lynn

  Excellent book! Julie de Carneilhan is a great character study - I love how real the characters are - they all have their flaws and they don't behave logically, especially in love.
• 
  Jenny

  A wonderful cafe companion. Can't wait to read more!