Book jacket/back: Francois Mauriac--who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1952--is famous for his subtle character portraits of the French rural classes and for depicting their struggles, aspirations and traditions. The Woman of the Pharisees--one of Mauriac's most accomplished novels--is a penetrating evocation of the moral and religious values of a Bordeaux community. In Brigitte, we see how the ideals of love and companionship are stifled in the presence of a self-righteous woman whose austere religious principals lead her to interfere--disasterously--in the lives of others. One by one the unwitting victims fall prey to the bleakness of her "perfection." A conscientious schoolteacher, a saintly priest, her husband and stepdaughter and an innocent schoolboy are all confronted with tragedy and upheaval. But the author's extraordinary gift for psychological insight goes on to show how redeeeming features inevitably surface from disaster. The unfolding drama is seen through the discerning eye of a young Louis--Brigitte's stepson--whose point of view is skillfully blended into the mature and understanding adult he later becomes.
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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Who is the Pharisee?,
This review is from: The Woman of the Pharisees (Paperback)
Mauriac, winner of the 1952 Nobel Prize for Literature, is one of the great underrated writers of the 20th century. His highly emotional approach to writing has been criticized (unjustly, I beleive) as sentimentalist. But the suffering of his characters, their humanity and loveability even in the midst of their personal failings and darknesses, make Mauriac's world incredibly compelling. "Woman of the Pharisees" is, on its surface, the story of a cold and cruel woman viewed through the eyes of her own son, a child. In the name of Christian love, she destroys all she touches, whether a couple in love or a priest who is truly Christ-like. Yet in the end one begins to realize that the pharisee may not be her, but rather... (read and see). An agonizing, beautiful book, as are nearly all of his novels (with the exception of the horrific but still great "Genetrix"). I cannot recommend this work highly enough.
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Study of Love,
By "frbs" (Hillsboro, ND United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Woman of the Pharisees (Paperback)
Mauriac demonstrates his masterful powers of observing humanity at its best and its worst. In this story he explores the dynamics of human love within the horizon of Christian faith. He creates characters which embody the ethic of Christian love both in its best form and at its worst incarnations. And in so doing, he gives us a glimpse into the glories and the agonies in risking to love in an authentic way. A great read. And a fine examine for any and all who are serious about Love.
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Monsieur Puybaraud, Monsieur Calou, Madame Brigitte, Brigitte Pian, Brigitte Plan, Monsieur Rausch, Jean de Mirbel, Hortense Voyod, Comtesse de Mirbel, Octavia Tronche, Cure of Baluzac, Madame Pian, Sacred Heart, Free School, Hotel Garbet, Charity Organization, Madame Voyod, Octave Plan, Prize Day, Mass of the Octave, Monsieur Pian, Octave Pian New!
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Monsieur Puybaraud, Monsieur Calou, Madame Brigitte, Brigitte Pian, Brigitte Plan, Monsieur Rausch, Jean de Mirbel, Hortense Voyod, Comtesse de Mirbel, Octavia Tronche, Cure of Baluzac, Madame Pian, Sacred Heart, Free School, Hotel Garbet, Charity Organization, Madame Voyod, Octave Plan, Prize Day, Mass of the Octave, Monsieur Pian, Octave Pian New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 4
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10
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- Instead of a Letter by Diana Athill in Back Matter
- The Good Father by Peter Prince in Back Matter
- Time After Time by Allen Appel in Back Matter
- Work With Passion by Nancy Anderson in Back Matter
- A Study in Greene: Graham Greene and the Art of the Novel by Bernard Bergonzi on page 136
- The Dressmaker by Beryl Bainbridge on page 147
- Letters to Alice on First Reading Jane Austen (Weldon, Fay) by Fay Weldon in Back Matter
- Existentialism: A Reconstruction (Introducing Philosophy) by David E. Cooper in Back Matter
- The Left Bank: Writers, Artists, and Politics from the Popular Front to the Cold War by Herbert Lottman on page 177
See all 10 books citing this book
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