Customer Reviews

Les Diaboliques (French Edition)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The title suggests a lot: this is gonna be a dark book. And it is. I felt like I was watching a ''nip/tuck'' episode: it's dark, sassy, and chocking. Each short story is different then the others but there's one idea that travels through out the book: women hide alot, whether it's a hidden child, a secret desir, obsession or even violence. That's probably what kept me from giving 5 stars, the author seems to hold a grudge against the women he knows and unfortunetely he generalizes it to a worldwide scale.
Bottom line: those pages hold some pretty dark stuff but somehow when you'll close the back cover you'll have a guilty smile. You won't talk about what you just read with anyone but a definite sensation of satisfaction will keep you awake at night for days.

If you ever wanted to know where some forms of fascism found their spark of life read Les Diaboliques. The world d'Aurevilly creates is almost a prediction of the next century: Disillusioned Bonapartists Monsieur Mesnilgrand and Vicomte de Brassard are a vision of what's to come. Barbey is also keen at defining each and every character from their flesh to the buttons on their sleeves to the way they react and feel. Completely underrated writer!