Gigi and The Cat (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics) [Paperback]

Colette (Author), Roger Senhouse (Translator), Antonia White (Translator)

Book Description

Series: Penguin Twentieth Century Classics | Publication Date: June 1, 1995

In these two stories, Colette reveals her grasp of the politics of sex.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (June 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140183191
• ISBN-13: 978-0140183191
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,683,910 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GiGi, but not as in the musical, May 1, 2001

By 

Joanna Daneman (Middletown, DE USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gigi and The Cat (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics) (Paperback)

Gigi was really about a time, a place and a way of life that is no more--the Belle Epoque and the demimonde of Paris.

The "demimonde" or twilight or half-world, was the domain of paid courtesans, not prostitutes, but professional "artistes" who made their living as the paid companions of rich men. They often were dancers or actresses and didn't marry--"We never marry in our family" states Gigi's mother. The Belle Epoque ended with World War One and saw the revitalizaton of Paris by Hausmann and others, creating the city's magnificent architecture that we still love today.

Gigi is a young girl of 16. She falls in love with a rich gentlemen of 33, Gaston. But contrary to custom, she wants something quite different that her family has planned for her. This reflects the idealized dream that Colette had of love with a much older man. She herself pursued this dream disastrously by marrying the highly unsuitable Willy, and also assigned her alter-ego Claudine the same but happier dream in her Claudine novels.

Read this for the wonderful evocation of Paris in the gay 90's, and realize that it has little to do with the musical--this is about a way of life that has passed, along with horse drawn carriages, laced hourglass corsets, and women's hats the size of cartwheels.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The choice between a cat and a wife., May 11, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Gigi and The Cat (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics) (Paperback)

'Gigi', the musical, was heavily based on the first novelette, so if you enjoyed the movie, it is a lovely read.

The second novelette, 'The Cat' is more sophisticated. Set in Paris around the turn of the century, it is the story of the beginning of a marriage where the husband has a prior claim on his love.

This is a beautifully balanced story. It is rare to find a novelette in which the scope of the plot is so well suited to the length.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I DO Understand The Parisians, January 2, 2001

By 

D. Costa "The Werecat" (Gonic, NH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gigi and The Cat (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics) (Paperback)

The books of Collette all seems to whisk you right into the world of turn of the century Paris (GiGi). For those who think a relationship between a 16 year old and a 33 year old odd, it most certainly is by today's standards, but not for 1900 - try to think that quite a few women were groomed for marriage or to be courtisans as soon as they were old enough back then. Perspective is required when reading historical fiction, and Collette's works are some of the finest.