Customer Reviews

Dangerous Liaisons (Signet)

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
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I loved the movie Dangerous Liasons with Glenn Close and John Malkovich and decided to try this audio version of the book. I can't say it was better than the movie, but the audio is superb. It is on 3 CDs and so is longer than the movie and supplies more detail. Since it is in letter form, its style more closely follows the book. The readers show incredible and intense emotion in their voices - you can almost see them in your mind. It made my commuting a joy for several days - I was almost sorry when I got to the office or arrived back home and had to quit listening. Such devious-ness! Who is the most wicked? Enjoy.

Finally a Kindle edition of de Laclos' masterpiece! The novel (adapted into a fine film with Glenn Close, John Malkovich, and Michelle Pfeifer in the 1980s) is one of the great works of world literature. Shocking in its sexual candor, even by modern standards, it offers great insight into the decadence of French aristocracy on the eve of the French Revolution as the two main characters set out to debase and destroy innocent lives - all for their own amusement.

Such corruption. Such ruthlessness. I love this book because I find the good guys so boring, and here we have perfectly delicious bad guys and gals doing horrible things to each other.

I've recommended this book to people, and only a couple have enjoyed it, but the others tend to read bodice rippers, and this one has sex and intrigue, but not in the typical way.

If you want fun and love among the ruins of an innocent's life, this is your book.

I bought this for my Kindle after having seen the movie. I have to say, as much as I loved the movie, it's amazing how much is lost without the epistolary element; the way Laclos juxtaposes things -- Valmont's manipulative letters to Danceny's ardent ones, Merteuil's accusations against Prevan to what Valmont actually does to Cecile -- is something that one misses when the letters are taken out of the mix. If there is one flaw to the book it is the heavy handed way in which Valmont finally achieves his great conquest with Madame de Tourvel...after so much subtlety it seemed cheap and melodramatic to use the tactic he did.

This book is certainly dense, and there are entire letters which do not move the plot forward (Danceny's and Cecile's letters to each other are like a musical number in a pre-Oklahoma! stage show: they tell us more of what we already know, but rarely give us anything new) and one gets the sense that some things get lost in translation -- I especially felt that since I'm pretty sure I ran across several sentences that were just plain ungrammatical or generally made no sense, as if they'd been babelfished. However, I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a juicy, lascivious classic.

I love this book but see the movie first. The story unfolds through the letters written between the characters. If you see the movie first, it will help you make better sense of the text. Don't miss out in the foreword by the author becuase it is delicious in itself.

I'm reading this on Kindle for Mac. I'm reading it for the first time, alongside with the French original. I've already found some mistakes in the translation, and not small mistakes either. I'm not aware of other better or worse translations, but I wouldn't be so quick to recommend this one. If you can't read the original, though, this is not a bad alternative.

The book is based on letters. It's so authentic that you forget the manner in which the words differ from our present time and you forget it was set on a different era. This book is truly a literary giant

Although this book represents a historical period from the past, which is the french aristocracy a few years before the french revolution, I believe Dangerous Liaisons is still of actuality. After all, libertinism is still popular in high circles of society, whether political or artistic such as Hollywood, while adultery, cruelty and manipulations are weapons still used by several couples and certain people, in all circles of society, whether they are rich or poor. For the success of Dangerous Liaisons is not only due to its excellent representation of the french aristocracy, but it is also a masterpiece of storytelling where several characters fall into a pit of vengeance, lust and cruelty, which Madame de Merteuil, a powerful but dangerous Marquise, employs as she pulls the strings of this story and manipulates all she meets in order to accomplish her projects. Of course, the Vicomte de Valmont is her equal in terms of cruelty and lust, but Madame de Merteuil remains the most diabolical as her thoughts and actions are revealed through her letters, along with the other characters, whose letters are all condensed in this epistolary novel, which inspired Heiner Muller to write a play called Quartett, with the same characters, a theater adaptation by Christpher Hampton, and a movie by Stephen Frears whom several people consider a masterpiece. Based on a novel finally available on Kindle.

I think you give enough information on the products
I got several watches, a screwdriver, a book and something else, I am pleased with them all.

I must admit that I have not listened to the tapes. However, the new movie "Crule Intentions" is based on this book. I have seen the movie and if the two are anything alike, I would highly recommend ordering them.