Farewell, My Only One: A Novel [Hardcover]

Antoine Audouard (Author), Euan Cameron (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 20, 2004

A bestseller and nominated for the prestigious Goncourt Prize in France, Farewell, My Only One brings to life one of the great romances of all time and evokes the vibrant color and tumult of the Middle Ages.
In the early twelfth century, William reaches Paris full of hope and without a penny. There, on the same day, he meets the two people who will dominate his life: young Heloise, with whom he immediately falls in love, and Abelard, the world-renowned philosopher. Through the eyes of William, we follow every turn in the greatest love story of the Middle Ages. We witness, in harrowing and lush descriptions, the scandal of the famous theologian falling for his educated and charming student; their flight and secret marriage; the barbaric revenge of the girl?¦s uncle; their years of separation; the writing of the famous letters; and finally the demise of a broken Abelard, whose books have been burned, a man who finds his ultimate solace in the thought of the woman who has never ceased to love him.
Antoine Audouard brings literary grace to a story that is palpably infused with sensuality, conflict, and intellectual ferment. Farewell, My Only One is intelligent and bawdy, philosophical and romantic ?X a universal story of star-crossed lovers.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Audouard resurrects the medieval love story of Heloïse and Abelard in this Goncourt Prize–nominated novel, retelling it in the voice of a clever young student named William who travels from Oxford to Paris in 1116. Soon after his arrival, William is shaken by a vision of the ethereal, brilliant young Heloïse, "man's dream and man's fear." Then he attends a lesson given by the great philosopher Peter Abelard, falling under the spell of Abelard's skepticism and rational approach to theology. Heloïse, too, attends Abelard's lectures, and eventually Abelard initiates a fiery love affair with her. In his solitude, William begins to live his life through them, out of love for his two closest friends mingled with a not-so-subtle trace of voyeurism. Brutal punishment looms for the lovers, and when it comes, they turn to God for solace, exchanging their famous letters and discovering a world that extends beyond words and beyond the material world. Though slow in places, this is an elegantly written novel, refreshing in its bawdy portrayal of religious figures and intellectually stimulating in its rigorous treatment of the theological discourse of the time.
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From Booklist

The tale of Abelard and Heloise and their overwhelming passion is legendary, and Audouard recounts it here through the eyes of an outside observer, William, a clerk who is a student of Abelard. It is William who first spots Heloise in a crowd and saves her from a riot, and it is William who loves her first. But it is Abelard who has the courage to pursue her, while William stands by in agony, unable to say anything to Heloise. And so begins the great love affair, as Abelard and Heloise consummate their relationship and sneak around behind the back of Fulbert, Heloise's uncle, who wants her to become the most educated woman in France and is delighted when Abelard wants to instruct her. But when Fulbert learns of their affair, Abelard and Heloise flee, taking William with them. William begins to see "that it is too great a burden for one person to know everything about other people's lives" even as he finds himself unable to abandon the pair. A lyrical, beautiful meditation on an all-consuming passion. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; None edition (July 20, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618152865
• ISBN-13: 978-0618152865
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 1.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,254,092 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An unusual study of love and faith in 12th-century France, December 28, 2004

By 

Elizabeth (My old Kentucky home) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Farewell, My Only One: A Novel (Hardcover)

Though the book jacket suggests that this is a romantic tale, "Farewell, My Only One," is a great deal more. As love stories go, it's more tragedy than triumph. Because we watch the two lovers, Abelard and Heloise, through William's eyes, the novel has an emotional detachment that requires a bit more effort on the reader's part. Yet William is far from uninvolved; his unrequited love for Heloise adds a bittersweet note to the story.

Be prepared for a style that's highly literary, although I didn't find it particularly difficult to follow. The welcome surprise for me was the strong faith element of the story. Abelard was a brilliant thinker, teacher, and theologian, whose personal struggles between faith and flesh felt very contemporary indeed. Should you be sensitive to such things, the sexual language and images are rather graphic in a few instances. This novel is not an easy read, nor a page-turner; it offers food for thought, rather than entertainment.

If you're searching for an historical romance, this is not it. If your preference is for the safe and predictable, I'd turn elsewhere. But if you fancy a literary look at 12th-century monastic life in Paris and beyond, and if you're willing to take a difficult spiritual journey with a tortured trio of seekers after Truth, then perhaps "Farewell, My Only One" might suit your fiction palate.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars confusing and detached, September 6, 2004

By 

A. LEJEUNE "scarlettdoll" (Prairieville, LA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Farewell, My Only One: A Novel (Hardcover)

I was eager to buy this book and read about the tragic love of Peter Abelard and Heloise. Unfortunately, it is a very weak telling. Though the love between the two is frequently mentioned, it is never really felt. The reader is told they are in love but seldom is the passion shown. Only the final death scene of Peter had any warmth in it.

Even worse, is the scattered and chaotic pattern of the book. I don't know whether it is the result of poor writing, poor translating or poor editing, but the story jumps from one point to another with no bridge of connection. At times, it was difficult to even know who the story is talking about or which character is even talking! This was the true failing of this book. It seems as if the writer was trying very hard to be philosophical and write of the deep thoughts of this William but any wisdom he may have had is lost as he rapidly leaps from one thing to another, leaving the reader with little clue as to what is being discussed.

If you're going to read this book, be ready to devote a long period of time as you'll have to read passages over and over to understand what you've just read. Even when you've finished the book, you don't feel anything for any of the characters. Heloise is only seen as an object of love, full of purity and self-sacrifice. Peter is elevated, arrogant and abrasive. Occasionally, you are told of his goodness and intelligence but it is never shown. Overall, I found the book and its characters to be flat, confusing and just boring.

1.0 out of 5 stars Boring, boring, boring, February 17, 2009

By 

Casca (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Farewell, My Only One: A Novel (Hardcover)

The fascinating love between Abelard and Heloise could make a great novel. This is certainly not it. The story is told by William, a pupil of Abelard. There is too much extraneous matter and not enough about the lovers. The characters are wooden and uninteresting. There is no engrossing plot to capture your attention. There is nothing special about the style of writing. Overall, just plain boring.