Reviews

read new year’s eve found it at a bookstore at school. Lots of interesting moments and reflections on being a young woman growing up. Interesting to read over 100 years after first publication. Some questionable assertions on power relations but a perspective written well.

cemstoize's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

fattoush's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.75

jcubifer's review against another edition

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funny medium-paced

2.25

foggy_rosamund's review against another edition

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4.0

Claudine's father, a neglectful and forgetful parent, brings Claudine with him to Paris, where he has travelled in order to further his own studies. Claudine, at 17, no longer goes to school, and is separated from her dear friends and the village and countryside she loves best. She suffers a severe illness ("brain fever"), and struggles with loneliness and lack of affection in the Parisian setting. When she meets Renaud, a distant relation, she is entranced by his kindness and affection. She views him as father, uncle, friend and lover, and becomes besotted with him. The forward to my edition of this book describes Claudine in Paris as Colette's only novel in which she deals with romantic love in an entirely positive way, but I disagree that she does this -- the subtext of the novel is that Claudine is starved of love and appropriate affection, and falls for the first person who shows her a modicum of care. We also have the parallel narrative of Luce, Claudine's school friend, who runs away from home, and ends up with her uncle-in-law, who keeps her in luxury on the condition that he will rape her whenever he pleases. At least Claudine is infatuated with her rich relation, but the parallel between the two situations -- young woman becomes entangled with experienced man -- is unavoidable.

At times, the narrative descends into being merely silly or titillating (if one is titillated by young girls spanking one another), but most of the time Colette gives us a controlled portrait of Claudine and the milieu in which she lives, and it's compelling and moving. I enjoyed this more than I thought I would!