See buying choices for this item to see if it's one of the millions that are eligible for Amazon Prime.

29 used & new from $5.35

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
 
Moderato Cantabile
  
Tell the Publisher!
I’d like to read this book on Kindle

Don’t have a Kindle? Get yours here.
 
  

Moderato Cantabile (Paperback)

by Marguerite Duras (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)


Available from these sellers.


10 new from $20.28 19 used from $5.35
Also Available in: List Price: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover (Import) 5 used & new from $35.40
Paperback (French) $11.53 80 used & new from $0.01
Unknown Binding Order it used!

Special Offers and Product Promotions

  • Haga sus compras en nuestra tienda de Libros en Español para obtener las últimas ediciones en lenguaje Español.


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Une Tempete (French Edition)

Une Tempete (French Edition)

by Aime Cesaire
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  $18.21
Le Cid (Petits Classsiques) (French Edition)

Le Cid (Petits Classsiques) (French Edition)

by Corneille
$9.31
Moliere: L'Ecole des Femmes, Student Ed. (Focus Student Editions) (French Edition)

Moliere: L'Ecole des Femmes, Student Ed. (Focus Student Editions) (French Edition)

by Moliere
4.0 out of 5 stars (1)  $10.17
Pierre Et Jean (Focus Edition Series) (French Edition)

Pierre Et Jean (Focus Edition Series) (French Edition)

by Guy De Maupassant
$11.21
Moderato Cantabile - Study Guide for the AP French Literature Exam (French edition)

Moderato Cantabile - Study Guide for the AP French Literature Exam (French edition)

by Stephen C. Clem
$7.33
Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
(Grant & Cutler 1991) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 120 pages
  • Publisher: Calder Publications (1997)
  • Language: Spanish
  • ISBN-10: 0714503819
  • ISBN-13: 978-0714503813
  • Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,323,789 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category: (What's this?)

    #27 in  Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( D ) > Duras, Marguerite



Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
Check a corresponding box or enter your own tags in the field below.

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
Help others find this product — tag it for Amazon search
No one has tagged this product for Amazon search yet. Why not be the first to suggest a search for which it should appear?

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

 

Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
5 star:
 (4)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A musical masterpiece of a book, February 7, 2001
By Eric Hewllet (Gainesville, Fl, USA) - See all my reviews
Considered a "musical novel" and better than Virgina Wolf's "The Waves" (though "The Waves" is quite incredible in its own right and should not be over looked). If you are not famillar with the genuis of a musical novel the idea is incredible. It brings upon an interesting form for exploring the duality of human experience. "Moderato Cantabile", follows the form of the first movement of a sonata, presenting and developing in two contrasting themes in different keys. "Moderato" the word it self indicating a measure of control taken with the time signaure of a sonata being a square four-four outlines the meter the book follows. Anne's (the main character) life in the first theme starts out structured and boring. In the second chapter she begins her strange affair with Chauvin. Chauvin, or the the second theme is Ann's quest for the "cantabile" (the lyrical impulse, or exit from the first theme of boredom). They meet again and again, at the same bar and always at the same time of day, unitl the eighth chapter. Then, just as the eighth note of a musical scale is the same as the first (but an octave higher) the final resolution comes in the form of a symbolic reenactment of the murder that occurs at the end of the first chapter: Chauvin: "I wish you were dead." Anne: "I already am." --And Anne returns permanently to her boring life.

Brillantly written and a must have in any book collection.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Technically brilliant, March 16, 2006
By Clark B. Timmins "q-25" (West Jordan, UT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This novelette (~58 pages) is one of the most technically perfect pieces of fiction I have ever encountered. The "plot" is fairly conventional (but in many ways is inconsequential to the textual developments). The amount of detail hidden away in the narrative structure is incredible and the construction and crafting are about as perfect as could be desired. The story is interesting on so many levels that repetitive readings continue to illuminate and expand understanding.

Consider how Duras plays with objectivity in the first central theme of the novel. After the first reading you'll conclude that a man murdered a woman in a cafe--presumably by shooting her through the heart upon her own request. And yet a closer reading reveals the problems with this assumption: a scream is heard, but no gunshot; blood comes from the victim's mouth, but not her heart; nobody (notably including the primary characters) actually witnessed anything; the man's behavior is unindicative of definitive guilt--perhaps he's simply distraught; the woman was the man's wife (we are told as one of the only "omniscient" acts of the unknown narrator)--but later an acquaintance notes that the woman "was married". In short, even the objective "murder" presented is anything but objective.

Instead of reading a story you will end up inventing a plausible reality--just as Anne and Chauvin (the primary characters) invent a plausible reality to explain their unsatisfied (and unsatisfiable) desire.

Ever wonder why Anne ignores the closest end-of-work-day siren but pays attention to the farthest-away end-of-work-day siren? Remember that her husband manages a factory. Remember that her husband's factory is the furthest away from the cafe, on the opposite side of town of her house. Remember that she has to beat her husband home from work. Details like this abound, but of course are left to a careful reader to pick them out and assemble them into a larger understanding.

Such a beautiful novelette--so well crafted, so enjoyable to read and re-read. Thoroughly recommended. Fiction as it was meant to be.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Another good book by Duras about an alcoholic in a café, February 23, 2003
By A Customer
Similar in some ways to "10:30 on a Summer Night," this book is about an alcoholic woman taking her son to piano lessons and on the way home she develops an odd relationship with a stranger in a café where a man has just killed his lover. As with many of Duras' books, one shouldn't expect to the affair to culminate in physical love or if it does, it probably won't be particulary pleasant or satisfying. For those looking for a realistic story where things don't necessarily go right, I recommend this book along with "10:30 on a Summer Night," also written by Duras.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars this is a test
I sent in a review relating this book to music but not sure if i did it under my account name or not?
Published on February 8, 2001 by Eric Hewlett

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully haunting
In this story, seeing the aftermath of a murder sends a respectable matron spiralling into the darkness within herself. Read more
Published on November 6, 1999

4.0 out of 5 stars Yes readers, depression is the point and the genius.
When I began reading this book (without the aid of a blurb) I expected a brilliant work concerning a puerile musical prodigy and his doting mother. Read more
Published on August 12, 1998

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
New! See all customer communities, and bookmark your communities to keep track of them.
This product's forum (1 discussion)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
French version 0 May 2007
See all discussions...  
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


   


Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)


So You'd Like to...


Look for Similar Items by Category


Storm Warning

Black & Decker Storm Station
Buy the Black & Decker Storm Station--an all-in-one emergency power source, radio, and flashlight--for the unbelievably low price of $119.99.

Shop the Power Tools Store

 

Best Books of 2008

Best of 2008
Find our top 100 editors' picks as well as customers' favorites in dozens of categories in our Best Books of 2008 Store.
 

Shop for Lawn-Boy in Home Improvement

Shop for Lawn-Boy mowers in Home Improvement
Check out our selection of Lawn-Boy mowers, snow throwers, and accessories in the Outdoor Power & Lawn Equipment Store.

See all Lawn-Boy

 

Best Books

Best of the Month
See our editors' picks and more of the best new books on our Best of the Month page.
 

 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.



Where's My Stuff?

Shipping & Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.

Continue shopping: Top Sellers
Free
Free by Chris Anderson
Paranoia
Paranoia by Joseph Finder
My Soul to Lose
My Soul to Lose by Rachel Vincent
Glenn Beck's Common Sense

Conditions of Use | Privacy Notice © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates