Colomba [Paperback]

Prosper Merimee (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1992

This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1897 edition by Calmann Lévy.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 247 pages
• Publisher: French & European Pubns (October 1, 1992)
• ISBN-10: 0785947655
• ISBN-13: 978-0785947653
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,655,195 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful adventure, July 12, 2000

By 

Kenny L Parker - See all my reviews

This review is from: Colomba (Paperback)

I was first introduced to Merimee six years ago, during my sophomore year at Cornell, when my French class read a short story of his, La Chambre Bleue (The Blue Room). As he is considered the finest French author of short stories (that wildly elusive literary format), I was left disappointed by this mediocre tale.

A few years later, as I was planning a trip to Europe, I decided to polish up my French by doing a little reading. I bought a couple of books of Merimee's stories, including the short novel Colomba. Though I've only read it in French (the poetic phrases doubtlessly lose something in translation), I can say that it is exciting and inspired me to visit Corsica.

The tale is relatively simple yet adventurous. Corsica, a French possession which was formerly Italian, is home to a male-dominated society in which Mafia-style vendettas are the rule amongst the various "families". Colomba herself is the very strong-willed sister of Orso, the new head of his clan. Of course there are the love-story elements, but mainly it's an exciting and very descriptive adventure story.

Give it a try! It's not long... if you are unsure, read Merimee's short story Mateo Falcone first.... possibly the best French shory story ever, and definitely one of the better ones from any country.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars cowboys in Corsica, November 5, 2003

By 

"sfoster29" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Colomba (Paperback)

In reading this dramatic short novel, I could not refrain from thinking of Western (cowboy) novels. One could so easily take the same plot and the same characters and transpose them to the wild West. It could almost be argued that Merimee invented the Western, except that he located the action in Corsica.