Customer Reviews

Therese Desqueyroux (in French)

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Mauriac's psychological portrait of Therese Desqueyroux beautifully illustrates the infinite complexity of the human character. Therese goes through so many phases in this book, so many explanations of possible motivation for her strange crime, some of them deeply touching and innocent, some abhorable. It is impossible to choose one opinion of Therese and stick to it throughout the novel. At times she deserves only hatred, at times pity and love. Her ever-changing state of mind makes the reader question whether or not it is ever possible for a person to objectively look back on their lives. Depending on her state of mind, Therese creates very different interpretations of her past. Mauriac engages the reader in trying to figure out what has brough Therese to the level of a criminal. Is it the fact that she grea up without a mother? That her husband does not love her? That she was born into the wrong atmosphere? That some people are simply born evil? And what makes this book so fascinating is that no single answer can satisfy Therese. Mauriac takes the reader through Therese's unhappy life, as well as her own analysis of why she has become a woman who loves to suffer and to watch others suffer, as she tries to convince herself that happiness does not exist.

firm founded catholic that he was, mauriac was horrified that many readers find therese a sympathetic character; mauriac insisted he intended her to be "a monster," the embodiment of evil. this is one of those books (it has an odd affinity w/madame bovary, another heroine of confused intentions and behaviors)that readers will turn to again and again out of a difficult-to-satisfy desire to decode therese and/or themselves. therese's crimes are arguably commited by the third hand, the one we all generally keep behind our backs. this is a book that opens ones eyes to oneself: assuming one has periods of dispising ones spouse and/or child and/or friends and relatives; assuming that the people we are when things are going well and happily are frequently not the people we become when we are thwarted, disappointed, seemingly incapable of flight OR fight.

THERE WAS NOT ONE WORD ABOUT THE BOOK BEING IN FRENCH! I FEEL LIKE I'VE BEEN RIPPED OFF!

This is the best French literary work ever! You must read it!