Friday [Paperback]

Michel Tournier (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 18, 1997

Friday, winner of the 1967 Grand Prix du Roman of the Académie Française, is a sly, enchanting retelling of the legend of Robinson Crusoe by the man the New Yorker calls "France's best and probably best-known writer." Cast away on a tropical island, Michel Tournier's god-fearing Crusoe sets out to tame it, to remake it in the image of the civilization he has left behind. Alone and against incredible odds, he almost succeeds. Then a mulatto named Friday appears and teaches Robinson that there are, after all, better things in life than civilization.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A fascinating, unusual novel... a remarkably heady French wine in the old English bottle... Tournier has attempted nothing less than an exploration of the soul of modern man.

(New York Times Book Review )

Friday is the latest and one of the best examples of the French genius for revisionism—for ringing original variations on a traditional theme. It is also unique in that enterprise because it is so moving, so touching in its elegance, so simple in its art.

(Richard Howard )

Like [Crusoe's island], Tournier's novel is unique, self-sufficient, imaginative, well worth exploring, and with a number of minor miracles to reveal.

(Time )

M. Tournier is a cultivated and disciplined writer, and his Robinson, the son of a Yorkshire draper, is most likable... [T]he castaway has that quaint and peculiarly English stolidity that seems to exist only in the imagination of the French.

(New Yorker )

Defoe's book is distinguished by an unawareness of the psychology of solitude; nothing happens. Michel Tournier, however, has placed his man in precisely the same situation of static impotence, and then proceeds to illustrate a personal development as passionate and variegated as anyone could wish.

(New Statesman )

Book Description

A highly praised novel—now in a new paperback edition

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press (March 18, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801855926
• ISBN-13: 978-0801855924
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #329,174 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inside Crusoe, August 9, 2000

By 

Manuel Haas - See all my reviews

This review is from: Friday (Paperback)

Rewriting Robinson Crusoe? Tournier tells an entirely different story, although the outward details are mostly the same as in Defoe's novel. The interest has shifted to what's going on inside Crusoe. And instead of the self-confident Christian who steadily builds up a colony, Tournier shows us a man of radical twists and turns. At first he even seems to have given up completely, letting himself sink into the mud. However, when he pulls himself together and starts colonizing the island, that turns out to be just a stage in his development, too.

This is a very witty and original novel, with many things to enjoy for those who are familiar with Defoe's book. At long last we find out that Crusoe did have some kind of sexuality after all...

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Robinson Crusoe with a twist, June 2, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Friday (Paperback)

In this story, it is Friday who teaches, and Robinson who has everything to learn. The castaway's stay on a desert island turns into a journey of self-discovery and transformation. A mythical, poetic, and adventure-filled novel that will be hard to put down

5.0 out of 5 stars On the top of my list!, November 11, 2010

By 

Sea Cure - See all my reviews

This review is from: Friday (Paperback)

I read this book for the first time many years ago. I loaned out my copy and never got it back. Bought another (finding it in a used book store) - same thing happened. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Etc. Descriptions of life on the island are lyrical. Process Robinson goes through is amazing. Resolution with Friday only possible ending. Beautifully written. One of my most favorite books ever.