| Title | : | Aimez-vous Brahms... |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0685239306 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780685239308 |
| Language | : | French |
| Format Type | : | Mass Market Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 120 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1959 |
Aimez-vous Brahms ? a paru en 1959 et a été adapté au cinéma avec Ingrid Bergman, Yves Montand et Anthony Perkins en 1960.
Aimez-vous Brahms... Reviews
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If novels were dresses, this would be a summer one. Cool cotton without any buttons, zippers, or snaps, it slips on and off with ease.
Other novels are more complex. They have folds and frills and multiple layers. Not this. There is no underpinning of history or politics. No foundation in philosophy. No padding with symbolism or references to look up. What Francois Sagan has written is sheer almost, as it is short, and befits an author whose "hobby is driving fast cars, of which she has five."
A love story full of passion, Aimez-Vous Brahms . . . is a delight. -
És una història molt francesa tant dolça com amarga, segons el moment. Com si fos un croissant de mantega farcit de Nutella i taronja. M'ha encantat.
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Let me be frank with you, goodreads world, and admit something. I tend not to read romance novels. Ok, that is an understatement. This is the first book I have ever read which I have seen fall into that category of literature. But I think, even outside of that category, I tend not to read novels that dedicate a good deal of time to the development of romantic relations, or, at least, I do not seek them out. For some reason, and perhaps it speaks to my bachelored existence, romance isn’t a relationship that really interests me. I can’t even truly enjoy them in a good movie. I like the world that exists beside the romance, if that makes sense. One day that might change. Hell, even the reading of this book suggests that there is always the chance to try new things and find in them just the right morsel of pleasure.
I came to read this book, or, more specifically, this author, not because of an attraction to the genre or the topic at hand, but because of rumours about the author. You see, a few years ago I was browsing through a book on the history of the Nobel Prize. This book attempted to make sense of what, exactly, that prize rewarded when the Swedish Academy made its choices, and then raised questions about why some authors had been chosen and others hadn’t. France, which I believe to be the most well awarded country in the history of the prize, hasn’t had any of its women awarded. For the author of the book this was quite the astonishment. They then went on to list several who, to their estimation, would have been more than worthy winners: Marguerite Duras, Marguerite Yourcenar, Francoise Sagan, Simone de Beauvoir, Nathalie Sarraulte. Since then I’ve slowly been knocking these authors off of my list of authors to read. I still have to find to courage to read de Beauvoir and Sarraulte, both of whom have reputations grand enough to frighten me off, but the other three have each brought me a good deal of joy, confusion, and pleasure in their moment.
Which brings me to Sagan, who, I was warned by the author of that book about the Nobel, wrote romance novels. Which brings me to this book, which I found in a used bookstore that was closing down. I picked it up, looked suspiciously at the front and read the back, had a passing intrigue, was disappointed that it wasn’t her most well-admired classic, Bonjour Tristesse, but decided to add it to my pile and one day read it. It sat, for a year or two, on my bookshelf, and then for a year in a box in my parents’ basement when I was abroad, and then, for about two weeks, it occupied a space on the floor of my brother’s old bedroom, where I was organizing my collection into two piles, one which I would keep and one which I would get rid of, and, at the end of that organizing, it landed in my pile of books I will be disposing of; but, then, just as I was packaging those books into boxes to be donated to the prison, a small pile of books started develop, books that I don’t really want to keep, I don’t think, but that I do want to read before they leave the house. The pile grew to be about 30 in height, and this is now the pile of books that I am selecting my reading from; it sits at the side of my bed and stares at me while I sleep, each book surely aware of its fate, and perhaps hopeful that it too, like Destroy, She Said (by the aforementioned Marguerite Duras), will find its way back into my pile of books that I am going to keep.
After having finished this book, I can tell you that it won’t. But that isn’t quite it’s fault. Let me talk about the book now.
Every now and then you read something that just makes sense. It understands itself, it limits its ambitions, it is managed, it is all that it could hope to be and nothing less. Like the perfectly filled jar of home-made jam, there is no space for air inside under the lid, and no line of sticky preserve falling in an unsightly glop over the side - all of its contents, its ideas, its sentences fit perfectly into the shape of the thing that the author was creating. I’ve read a few of these sorts of books in my life, and each time I do I come away impressed. Pride and Prejudice comes to mind. Skylark. The Summer Book. Cassandra. Damn near any story by Alice Munro.
I think this book is one of those perfect little creations, in its way. All of it fits in the slim pages and the few words of tight, fluid and, in surprising ways, lyrical writing. Its characters are interesting, something more than what one would expect of the book but never more than what is needed; each one is given all the space to grow that they need and not more. Speaking of the story, it both supports, with the characters, a great many of the tropes that you imagine to be part and parcel with the genre and manages to subvert a great many of them. And it offers a level of sophistication that develops slowly, and reaches a nice ringing, similar to a bell at Christmas in a carol or down the street singing from the church’s midnight mass, tingling the spine with pleasure just before dying back to silence. It is a book trimmed of the unnecessary, of the fat of writing, and reduced to its most basic and important truths.
There isn’t much to the story that I can say without ruining it, so I’ll instead talk about the characters. I liked Paule. She is the central character of the love stories in this book - the one developing with Roger, an old lover, and the other developing with Simon, a new, young man who has entered into Paule’s life unexpectedly and caused his little waves of chaos. She was a complicated and lovely figure. With her sophistication and fine-ness she came out of the pages, felt human for a moment or two, like a figure in an old Hollywood film, a starlet, beautiful and intelligent and trapped in the very things which brought her joy. I liked hearing her voice, her tension, her uncertainty, and resignations. I admired her in a way, though I’m not sure what that way was. Have I felt some of her feelings before? Maybe. No. I don’t think so. Maybe because I’ve seen this one before? Like in a movie somewhere. I can see it, now that I think of it, in black and white, Greta Garbo is Paule, a dashing young man fills of the role of Simon, a young Cary Grant, the two of them in her small apartment in Paris, modestly decorated because she isn’t incredibly wealthy but carefully decorated because of her profession, and then Roger, Fredric March, filling the role of the older lover who, if nothing else, is consistent, and that is worth something, isn’t it, just being consistent is worth something isn’t it? I guess that might be worth something. But perhaps Greta is a bit too dramatic to play this role; is it possible to bring in somebody with the careful statements of the physical gesture, somebody like Audrey Hepburn, but to push her into the 1930s, or can we bring the others into the 1950s and 1960s, and just make it all click, the tension, the sex, the pleasure, the malaise, the decadence, the streets of Paris and the bars where they would dance? Yes, this is a movie I think.
So, then, only three glowing goodreads stars instead of five, despite a wave of admiration sent to it. Why?
Because, for all the good that this novella offers, for all of the ways that it surprised me, for the pleasure it brought me, for the insight it offers, I came away not feeling as though it really offered me anything that hasn’t been offered before in movies with nameless classic movie stars who I cannot name but somehow can picture - that is, right up until that last chapter, which I’m not going to talk about, but serves its purpose, like everything in this book, just perfectly. Ultimately, like those movies I liked this book. Nothing more, nor less; a simple pleasure.
As for Sagan? I wish I could rate her, because I would rate her quite highly. I look forward to reading more of her works, which is to say that I will be buying more romance novels at second hand book store clearance sales so long as her name is on the spine. Aimez-vous Brahms? Oui, mon cheri. -
“In the name of the deceased, I charge you for letting the love pass by, for neglecting the duty to be happy, for living out of excuses, pretense and accepting with the fate. You should be condemned to death, but you'll be sentenced to solitude.”
Another lovely forage into the beautiful and elegant world of Françoise Sagan. I have got a bit obsessed with her now and am consistantly making lists of all the books I want to read by her.
This, her fourth novel, tells the story of the beautiful and accomplished Paule, an interior designer who is having a rather awkward affair with Roger (who in turn is cheating on her every chance he gets).
She is drawn to Roger and cannot let him go because he represents all that she wants in a man, regardless of the fact their affair is built on secrecy and disrespect.
Enter Simon, a young and breathtakingly handsome layabout who falls head over heels for Paule which only serves to distance her from him more and more (or rather, she play acts at doing so, when in reality she is also falling for him too)... Paule has no idea what to do. She wants both of these very diferent men but also wants to be left alone...
Don't you love the French way of having affairs? So glamourous and the least discreet way to behave.
More Ms Sagan please!!! -
Always and always will return to this Sagan. Personally, her best novella and I've read it, I think by now, countless times. It breaks my heart every single time. It's just indescribable how much I love it. When I read it for the first time I was much too young but it marked me for a lifetime.
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M'ha agradat moltíssim però si torno a llegir un llibre que la trama és noia bojament enamorada d'un home que no li fa cas potser m'hauré de matar
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Nu a fost tocmai genul meu de romanță, însă de-a lungul paginilor i-am avut în față pe Ingrid Bergman și pe Anthony Perkins, datorită memorabilei interpretări pe care aceștia au făcut-o în filmul care are la bază cartea de față, Goodbye Again(1961).
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This is a re-read for me. I was probably too young at my first attempt, but with me being closer to the age of the protagonist, the tale gains in poignancy and nuance. My infatuation with Ingrid Bergman and her portrayal of the main character in a claasic movie may also colour my positive reaction to the text.
The story is deceptively simple and we have read it a thousand times by now: a love triangle in the city of love, Paris. A woman forced to look at her mid-life options and trying to recapture the exuberance and passion of youth, a study of loneliness and the curious attraction for a self-centered bully of an old lover versus the volatile, sensitive and slightly morbid younger man.
The text is very short, but is has a poetic , insightful quality and I wouldn't add or take away any page.
The English translation was good, but I would still like to try the original French version.
a quote:
Paule thought without bitterness: men really are amazing. "I trust you so much" - so much that I can deceive you and abandon you, yet there can be no question of the same thing happening in reverse.
It took one's breath away. -
Iako melanholičan, roman nije patetičan. Predvidljivost mu ne oduzima draž već uz pomoć sveprisutnog daška Parižanima svojstvenog joie de vivre, kom ni istom merom prisutna seta ne umanjuje intenzitet, stvara bajkovitu atmosferu koja se ne da napustiti, pa se roman čita u dahu. Poput paukove mreže vešto su ispletene tri sudbine čije su se glavne uloge našle na pozornici Polinog života. Bramsova melodija prati njen iskorak u nepoznato, te ću pružiti sebi dovoljno slobode i pitanje romana prevesti na sledeći način:
Volite li okolnosti koje prete da vam promene život iz korena?
Prikaz je na blogu:
http://totallyrandombyc.blogspot.com/... -
Mi-aduc aminte vag cã am vãzut cândva ecranizarea.
Cartea am tot evitat-o, de vinã o fi şi exemplarul vechi rãmas de la pãrinții mei. Oricum, nu e o carte rea, probabil cã la 19 ani mi-ar fi dat mai mult de gândit. Apreciez franchețea scriitoarei, cred cã a avut şi a cunoscut mulți bãrbați, altfel nu i-ar fi ieşit atât de bine acel triunghi amoros şi dinamica relațiilor dintre amorezi. Ce lipseşte acolo e un anume nivel de profunzime, poate cã e prea multã vitezã sau identificare doar cu Paula. Ea este centrul de greutate, femeia-trofeu dupã care se întorc admirativ capetele pe stradã, femeia independentã financiar, femeia invidiatã şi vorbitã pe la colțuri de cucoanele trecute. Tot Paula este femeia care face casa confortabilã şi aşteaptã la ceas de searã (ne)rãbdãtoare un telefon de la masculul iubit de ea. (*apropos de pe cine iubeşte ea , asta e cu adevãrat uimitor, ea e atrasã inevitabil de bãrbatul plin de sine care o mai înşealã cu altele , dar se întoarce periodic la ea - la asta se pricepe Francoise Sagan foarte bine, la a reda slãbiciunile inimii, la a se identifica cu hoții de emoții). -
Франсоаз Саган, това енфан терибл, познава много добре жените, а още повече мъжете. Всяка нейна история е толкова взета от живота, че направо изглежда стереотипна и в която лесно бихме се припознали. Наричат я "лековата" и "лесносмилаема", но харесвам начина, по който ми поднася ненатрапчивите си истории и деликатната истина, премълчана в тях.
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★★★☆☆ 3 stars
"E io accuso lei di non aver fatto il suo dovere di essere umano; la accuso di essersi lasciata sfuggire l'amore, di aver dimenticato il dovere di essere felice, di aver vissuto di scappatoie, di espedienti e di rassegnazione." -
This is such an exasperating book! It has a sort of its own beauty, but on the whole it is stereptypical and sad, especially the ending. Bitter, fatalistic and pessimistic.
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Книгата може и да имаше малко повече стойност, която обаче беше безвъзвратно провалена от нескопосания изказ. Не препоръчвам това издание, определено.
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Questa volta: Film 3 Libro 1.
Musica stupenda, attori di più.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y08dR... -
What a tragic little story, but I really enjoyed it. Weirdly enough this reminded me of Barbara Pym's books, only very, very French and sad. It's about a quiet woman approaching middle age, in a not very happy relationship with a longtime lover who keeps cheating on her. Not even a spoiler, but:
Beautifully written and rather short, so even my weak-ish French was up to it.
Plus, I've always found the title very intriguing ... And I do love Brahms. :) -
رواية عن تضارب المشاعر، لدى فتاة ذات 39 عامًا، تعاني من جفاف علاقتها بحبيبها الذي يخدعها بمعرفته لفتاة أخرى، ويدخل حياة الفتاة شاب صغير في ال 25 من عمره فينقلب حالها ويدور صراع بداخلها وسط أزمتها لما يدور على ألسنة الناس عنها
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4,5/5
Moja prvá knižka od autorky a rozhodne nie posledná. Nemala ani 120 strán a predsa ponúka komplexný príbeh.
Je to kniha o láske, nevere, klamstvách, samote, bolesti, rezignácii a strachu. To všetko v príbehu, ktorý bol veľmi pekný aj tragický a lámal mi srdce.
Autorka napísala postavy brilantne a realisticky. Nešťastná žena, muž, ktorý ju potrebuje, ale nie natoľko, aby jej bol verný a o 15 rokov mladší muž, ktorý by pre ňu zniesol aj modré z neba. Lenže vymaniť sa z pazúrov zvyku, spomienok a spoločenských konvencii nie je jednoduché.
Ťažko som si mohla vybrať niečo lepšie na uzavretie svojho knižného roka. Tenučké, no fantastické dielo. -
"Nepovie: "on", povie "my", lebo za nič na svete nemohla rozťať ich dva životy. Nevedela prečo. Azda preto, že úsilie, ktoré vložila do ich lásky za šesť rokov, to ustavičné boľavé úsilie jej bolo napokon drahšie ako šťastie."
"A vás, vás obviňujem, že ste nesplnili svoju povinnosť ľudskej bytosti. Menom toho mŕtveho vás obviňujem, že ste prepásli lásku, že ste zanedbali povinnosť byť šťastná, že ste sa uspokojili s náhradkou, že ste biedne živorili a vzdali sa. Mali by ste byť odsúdená na smrť, budete odsúdená na samotu."
Pre mňa zatiaľ najkrajšia Saganovka. -
La Paule i en Roger són el que avui anomenaríem una parella oberta. Però aquesta fórmula no funciona si un dels membres no en vol fer ús. La Paule espera cada dia que en Roger deixi de tenir aventures i sigui només per ella. Sap prou bé que ell l'estima, però sembla que no en té prou. La Paule li és fidel, és dona d'un sol home. Però tot canviarà quan coneix en Simon, un noi 14 anys més jove que ella, però amb qui de seguida teixeix vincles. El triangle amorós està servit.
La relació amb en Roger fa infeliç la Paule, però li aporta estabilitat, equilibri. En canvi, viu amb passió continguda l'enamorament amb en Simon, però amb 25 anys ell i 39 ella, i amb la poca formalitat de la joventut, la Paule dubta que puguin compartir un futur. Què li pesarà més? Això és el que es decideix a 'T'agrada Brahms?', una lluita entre el cor i el cap, entre la serenitat i la passió. Una història que se'ns anirà explicant des de la perspectiva canviant dels tres protagonistes, però que té en la Paule l'indubtable eix vertebrador.
Sagan recupera alguns dels clixés que ja va mostrar a 'Bon dia, tristesa', per bé que aquí s'aborden des d'una perspectiva més madura. La protagonista és una dona forta i amb conviccions, però molt supeditada als rols i a les voluntats masculines, mentre que els dos protagonistes mostren tots els defectes estereotipics: immaduresa, llibertinatge, deixadesa, gelosia i un masclisme omnipresent.
Tot i que té molts elements per la reflexió i l'autora sap mantenir el pols narratiu, no és una història que m'hagi impressionat gaire en termes generals. Li sé trobar virtuts en els detalls, però em costa més en el conjunt. Qüestió de gustos, deu ser que això dels triangles amorosos no fa per mi.
(SERGI) -
راستش نه برامس را نشنیده ام....اما ساگان را دوست ندارم،نه اینکه اصلا دوست نداشته باشم،نه،اما برایم جذابیتی ندارد،اگر پنج یا ده سال پیش همین داستان را میخواندم،اوضاع طوری دیگر بود.....داستان هایی مانند این دیگر ،برایم جذاب نیست،توصیفات،حتی توضیح حالات روحی شخصیت ها برام قابل حدس بوده،انقدر داستان برام تکراری بوده......دلم یک شگفتی میخواهد.....داستانی شگفت.....ماجرایی باحال......اما نه دیگر از نوع ساگانی،بپذیریم دوره وزمانه ساگان دارد میگذرد.....
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I like the...imagery of Françoise Sagan's writing. I really do. There are a few paragraphs that seem so unbelievably real.
But the topic of the book isn't the kind of thing that works for me. I just can't feel anything but dislike and disdain for the characters and their actions. Maybe it's a lack of empathy on my part but it's just so pathetic, they're all so pathetic. -
Разделят ни се пътищата със Саган. Приятна книга, но трудно понасям вечно колебаещи се и лашкащи се ту на една посока, ту на друга герои, колкото и да са реалистични историите. Не е моето нещо :)
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Um roman despre trei oameni care nu stiu cum sa iubeasca.
Un triunghi amoros format dintre Paule (o femeie de 39 de ani), Roger (un barbat de patruzeci si ceva de ani, nu este mentionata varsta exacta) si Simon (25 de ani). Toate aceste personaje nu stiu sa iubeasca sau si-au ratat sansa la iubire.
Simon o iubeste pe Paule, o iubire mai degraba adolescentina, prima, de altfel. Desi este un baiat frumos, el nu se ataseaza de nimeni pana la 25 de ani cand o cunoaste pe Paule. E un tanar care isi refuza si rateaza sansa la iubire, marturisind chiar, ca pana acum nu a iubit ceea ce sinonim cu a nu trai. Finalul romanului, ultima sa scena din roman (si cuvantul "scena" este potrivit pentru ca este o iesire teatrala) demonstreaza atitudinea copilareasca si adolescentina de care da dovada.
Roger este un barbat care nu poate sa iubeasca. Nu o iubeste pe Paule pe deplin, iubeste confortul dat de ea, e legatura aia indisolubila care apare intre soti dupa multi ani, doar ca el are aventuri si evadeaza din mediul acesta ori de cate ori vrea sau simte nevoia. Disparitia confortului casnic (sau aparent casnic pentru ca nu il leaga nimic oficial de Paule) ii provoaca criza aparenta criza existentiala, rezolvata in finalul romanului.
Paule il iubeste sincer pe Roger, dar se lasa stapanita de sentimentele sale, de pasiunea sa pentru un barbat incapabil sa se aseze "la casa lui". Seamana cu un personaj din tragediile grecesti, ea incercand sa isi infranga destinul (prin idila cu Simon), dar esueaza. Destinul ei e scris si poate fi schimbat - e predestinata sa il iubeasca pe Roger chiar daca reciproca nu este in totalitate valabila (Roger iubeste in felul lui, cu jumatati de masura). Situatia aceasta nu poate fi schimbata. Paule e incapabila sa o schimbe.
Un roman care te lasa cu un sentiment de tristete, dar si de spaima pentru ca e mai actual ca niciodata. -
Spicuiri din recenzia finala care se gaseste
pe blogul meu
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Scrie bine Sagan? Da. Dar este deranjantă repetiția obsesivă a vârstei protagoniștilor. Nici măcar în scrierile clasice în care se sublinia cât se poate de gros și apăsat oribilitatea pretendentului în vârstă la mâna eroinei principale nu se insista atât pe vârsta respectivului personaj. De atâtea ori se repetă vârstă lui Simon și cea a lui Paule încât ai senzația că participi la un concurs de memorie la care profesorul mai pune din când în când câte o întrebare ca să vadă dacă ai memorat cifrele rostite la începutul cursului. Obsesia scriitoarei legată de subiectul abordat și de vârsta personajelor te poate face să dai din mână a lehamite de-a lungul cărții. Și să începi să vezi cu ochi mai puțin binevoitori evoluția narațiunii.
Povestea e faină în sensul că te face să te simți ca un voyeur ușor mârșav care se strecoară nevăzut în viața nenorocită a unor oameni pe care nu-i cunoaște, nu vrea să-i cunoască și căruia nici nu-i pasă de problemele lor, dar pe care chinurile acestora îl fac să se simtă mai bine cu propria-i condiție. Până la urmă personajele lui Sagan sunt triste, nici măcar tragice, ci doar triste. Incapabile de a-și asuma vârsta și crizele pe care aceasta le presupune, se aruncă cu turbare în relații fără niciun viitor dar categoric aducătoare de și mai multă suferință. Cu asta se hrănesc, până la urmă, cei trei. Cu a lor, cu a celuilalt, cu a tuturor oamenilor din preajma lor.
....................................... -
Nein, Madame Sagan verstand es nicht, mich mit diesem Buch zu überzeugen. Mit Voranschleichen der Handlung begannen mich Paule, Simon und Roger zunehmend zu langweilen.
Die Einführung der drei Charaktere geschah durchaus gekonnt. Konfliktpotential hätte ausgereicht, um die Handlung rasant voranzutreiben, bis im Finale die emotionsgeladene Atmosphäre zerplatzt. Stattdessen kam mir Paule wie ein unreifes altes Mädchen vor, die unter einer Weide sitzend Blütenblätter zupft ("Ich liebe Roger, ich liebe ihn nicht. - Ich liebe Simon, ich liebe ihn nicht. - Ich fühle mich jung. Ich fühle mich alt. - Ich weiß, was ich tu, ich weiß es nicht.") --- Argh, diese Frau kostete mich Nerven. Trotz ihrer erst 39 Jahren ist sie selbst überzeugt schon alt zu sein und hätte ich das Alter nicht gewusst, hätte ich sie durch ihre Gedanken und Reden auch für 70 gehalten.
Neben einem gesunden Selbstbild fehlte es ihr völlig an Courage und Entscheidungskraft. Wenn sie letztlich die sichere Zukunft mit Selbstbetrug und gewohnheitsmäßigen Seitensprung des Geliebten wählt, statt Begehren, ehrlichen Interesse und unsicherer Zukunft mit dem Anderen, dann hat sie das Ende nicht anders verdient.
So stellte sich die Handlung genauso seicht und einschläfernd heraus, wie ich die Verfilmung mit Bergman, Montand und Perkins in Erinnerung hatte. Zwei Sterne gebe ich nur, weil ich französische Dreiecksgeschichten mag, weil mir die reifen und klugen Worte Simons gen Ende gefielen und weil ich den Schlusssatz für gerecht halte und somit ein Happyend im truffaut'schen Sinne ist, wie ich es mag! -
Another romance novel, with a similar concept to a Certain Smile, but, in my honest opinion, with a much deeper conflict within a main character. She's a mature women, who finds herself between two men. One is old and successful, but she find his company and everyday routine kind of boring, while the other is much younger than her and has a career as an attorney, but his love suggestions, though rejected, make her feel attractive and live again. Unlike the last title, this one has consequences for rejection and stalling, since a person can love or be loved by someone else. The best part of the novel is the problem the main protagonist finds herself in: to accept the passing of the time and embrace maturity or to feel herself joyful in someone's company, disregarding ''conventional rules'' (age, sex, faith, ideals, nationality, race etc.). When facing the old age, one must consider his own deeds of the past, the fruits for the present and the plans for the future. It's not one of my most favorite Sagan's novels, but it's a very good book I look forward of seeing what the next titles might bring.
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I've read two romance novels in my lifetime. The first, A Prescription for Love or STDs, was about a bunch of physically challenged people with weird eyes that sparkled, flaring nostrils and hair that was unruly. This, the second, was about a bunch of French lovers. And the French really know how to screw up and complicate love. Or maybe I just don't appreciate love's complexity. Or maybe I just don't give a shit. Anyway, the lady is old (39 years old! My goodness she's on death's bed). Her stupid and thoughtless lover that sleeps with young girls is 41 and the lady's new lover and cause of her confusion is 25. I'm not sure why I state the ages. Maybe because it's just mentioned in the book a million times.
I really must have enough of her, he thought; when I start worrying about a woman's vocabulary, the end is in sight.
What a riot!
So... the French, Paris, love... I'm going back to the crazy Japanese now. -
Noramlly, I shy away from romantic novels. I made an exception with Aimez vous Brahms , which follows an older woman who has finally left her cheating lover. She then takes up another lover, a younger man, who defies convention by loving her. Despite the romantic overtones, it really is more a study of an aging woman who tries to change her life, but sadly fails in the end.
(I'm afraid they aren't selling any more copies of this book, though. I found mine by chance at Booksale and I haven't seen another copy since.)
Like most of the books I've read, this too has been made into a movie starring Ingrid Bergman and Anthony Perkins (of Psycho fame) as the young lover. I haven't found a copy of that either. -
Amb la historia de'n Roger i la Paule, l'autora et descriu, al llarg de tot el llibre, una situació de dependencia emocional des del punt de vista femení. La trama no va més enllà de la relació entre els dos personatges, la infidelitat i la solitud d'una dona que, tot i obrir els ulls, queda sempre lligada a aquella figura masculina. Possiblement, el que avui en diriem "una relació oberta". Recomano el llibre i l'escritura de l'autora.
"Si, havia estat honest. Però ella es demanava si l'honestadat, l'única honestedad possible en aquella vida inextricable, no consistia en estimar prou algú per fer-lo feliç."
