Customer Reviews

Ensemble, C'Est Tout (Litterature Generale) (French Edition)

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

 

 

I'm 3/4 of the way through this delightfully engrossing 500+ page novel.
Very hip and current. Lots of French slang. This author can write
pages of quippy dialog that tell you huge amounts about the two characters engaged in conversation. She can also write pages of description and monologue that move the plot forward cleverly. The next time I'm in Paris, I'll be looking for these lovable characters at every turn. I just expect to run into them, hurrying by on a moto, waiting at the metro. They're that real. Whenever Camille refers to a specific artist who has inspired her - Vuillard, Albrecht Durer - I run to the
Internet to look them up.

As a student of French for several years now, I took this book on at the suggestion of a French friend. The language is often colloquial and at times takes some deciphering but I found the character rendering clever yet convincing and the narrative delightful and unpredictable - there are no cliches here. After reading for an hour or two I tend to reflect on just how well this book is written and am most impressed with the author's skill and perception. I admit I'm only half way through it so cannot judge it overall but am glad of the experience so far. I wish there were an English translation so that my wife could share my pleasure.

I really wanted to like this book and thought I would after seeing the good reviews on Amazon. However, the characters were just too uninteresting. After the big build up about what could have led the main female character, Camille, to turn out the way she did in her adult life, I was left incredibly underwhelmed. I found her character really uninteresting and unsympathetic. Her constant battles with the "cool cretin" seemed staged just to make me roll my eyes. One of the other main characters, Philibert, could have been interesting, but as soon as the author decided to turn her attention to the love story between the two other battling main characters, she seemed to forget about him. The Senegalese character seems so over the top and drawn from every silly stereotype the author could possibly find. Then there's the nice and tidy, cheesy ending where all of the pieces (very) suddenly come together nicely and everyone's problems are resolved. I made it to the end of the book, but I found it tedious, predictable, and cheesy. Another reviewer (wish I'd seen this review before I got the book), accurately described the characters and the storyline as cartoonish.

I haven't looked at it yet. but it arrived within a week, and the cover looks so fine.
it looks very nice!