Customer Reviews

Farewell, My Only One: A Novel

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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.

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.

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.

This book confused me to no end... I kept flipping back, thinking maybe I'd missed something -- but no, I didn't, it's just that disjointed. I didn't even finish it....skimmed it and decided to hit Google to learn more about the real characters. Yuck. I want those three hours I wasted back.