Love of Seven Dolls [Paperback]

Paul Gallico (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 126 pages
• Publisher: International Polygonics (June 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558820132
• ISBN-13: 978-1558820135
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,673,904 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Love Story Between Two Souls, July 11, 2002

By 

Dumb Ox (Manassas, VA United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Love of Seven Dolls (Paperback)

This slender little novel is possibly one of the most beautiful love stories ever written. Inspired by puppeteers Fran Allison and Burr Hillstrom (to whom it is dedicated), this haunting tale by Paul Gallico weaves a spell of wonder, pain and enchantment. It is a love story in which innocent love (personified by the gamin, Mouche) and cynical hatred (embodied by the evil puppeteer, Michel Peyrot) are locked in mortal combat for the ultimate prize of the man's soul. Peyrot, who goes under the stage name Captain Coq, had a nightmarish childhood and adolescence devoid of human love. His bitter view of his fellow man is only solidified by his experiences in a war. He decides that God deserves nothing but his mockery, so to mock his Creator the man carves puppets, forming them into all of the facets of his complex personality. There are seven dolls: Ali the clumsy giant, self-absorbed and jealous Gigi, world-weary Madame Muscat, kindly Monsieur Nicholas, the bookwormish Dr. Duclos, efficient and clever Carrot-Top, and the thieving fox Reynardo. At first carved to amuse the guards when Peyrot is a POW, the puppets begin to take on a life of their own. This is shown when the girl Mouche walks toward the Seine River to end her miserable life. The puppets call out to her and draw her into their magical world; she interacts with them as though they are living beings like herself. Mouche is so charming that she becomes part of the act. Unfortunately, the master of the puppets is a cruel man who has given himself over to an existence devoted to evil. He despises the girl for the very innocence that makes her such a successful part of his puppet show. To her face, Peyrot shows the depths of his cruelty, even raping her in a vain attempt to debase her to his level. Yet though he can ravage her body, he cannot touch her soul, which is healed anew every day by the love he shows her through his puppets. His inability to reconcile his hatred for general humanity with the unwelcome tenderness Mouche arouses in him leads to schizophrenia, which is manifested by the schism between himself and the puppets. After a time, he does not control them; they compel him to change. In the end, when Mouche prepares to leave, he reveals his plan to commit suicide through the dolls, who plan to destroy themselves. She then realizes who the puppets truly are, and her love for Peyrot brings him back from the edge of the pit into which he'd planned to fling himself. He weeps in remorse, his deformed soul at last becoming human. Feminists would doubtless be upset by her forgiveness of this man's cruelty, but women have long possessed an amazing ability to embrace men's imperfections.(Which is not to say that women are perfect.) Long before psychobabble such as Martian Men and Venusian Women surfaced, this story served to beautifully point out that men and women may be equal, but they are certainly not the same. This is a magical tale, woven by a master story-teller. I highly recommend it.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A simple and oddly spiritual story of love and redemption., April 15, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Love of Seven Dolls (Paperback)

This charming love story is set against the colorful atmosphere of a travelling carnival, where things are not always what they seem. Mouche, a young girl orphaned after the second world war, has given up all hope of surviving on the streets of Paris. On her way to throw herself into the Seine, she passes a puppet booth, is stopped and then adopted by the troupe of rather life-like pupetts, who almost magically bring her back to the living world. But behind the curtains of the booth, the dark puppeteer, is a corrupted and bitter man who has much to learn from his own creations.

This lesser known work was the inspiration for the film, "Lili" starring Leslie Caron, and the broadway musical, "Carnival." Both pale in comparison to the original.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A creative tale about love and evil, and all its complexity., June 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Love of Seven Dolls (Paperback)

Love of Seven Dolls is a literary gem. Set in Paris, Mouche, a despondent young girl, is walking to the Seine to throw herself off a bridge. On the way she passes a puppet booth where she meets, at first one puppet and then his six friends. She is brought back to life by these 7 dolls; each with their own delightful personality; each a part of the evil puppet master. This is all accomplished with the most beautiful language. The reader is beckoned to reread paragraphs for the sheer beauty of the words. This gem makes a much better gift than a bottle of wine. Try it.