Scan barcode
obscuredbyclouds's review
3.0
I fell in love with her style but I'm still not 100% sure about the stories. They feel a bit aimless, confused almost.
The first story "La Grosse Fifi" was well-written but I did not enjoy the way Fifi was portrayed.
The longest of the four stories, "Vienna", is the one I enjoyed the most. The female main character has to run with her husband from European country to country (oh! but not Poland! The horror!) because he is wanted for mishandling other people's money.
I only read the book yesterday but I have already trouble remembering what the other two stories were about, I think I didn't really understand them fully.
Oh, and by the way, it helps if you speak French. They speak quite a bit of it and there's no translation.
So while I didn't love the book completely, I'd definitely be interested in reading more by Jean Rhys, the way her female main characters think and speak is fascinating. And in general it reminded me to read more female-written classics.
»For God knows, if there' one hypocrisy I loathe more than another, it's the fiction of the 'good' woman and the 'bad' one.« (p. 34)
The first story "La Grosse Fifi" was well-written but I did not enjoy the way Fifi was portrayed.
The longest of the four stories, "Vienna", is the one I enjoyed the most. The female main character has to run with her husband from European country to country (oh! but not Poland! The horror!) because he is wanted for mishandling other people's money.
I only read the book yesterday but I have already trouble remembering what the other two stories were about, I think I didn't really understand them fully.
Oh, and by the way, it helps if you speak French. They speak quite a bit of it and there's no translation.
So while I didn't love the book completely, I'd definitely be interested in reading more by Jean Rhys, the way her female main characters think and speak is fascinating. And in general it reminded me to read more female-written classics.
»For God knows, if there' one hypocrisy I loathe more than another, it's the fiction of the 'good' woman and the 'bad' one.« (p. 34)
mattressy's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
rebeccagee's review
4.0
A lovely collection of short stories, all with a French theme. They aren't life changing but they are highly enjoyable.
veebutts's review against another edition
2.0
I found these stories confusing.
The writing was lovely and I really felt a connection with the female narrators, but generally I felt a bit at a loss as to what the point of the stories were. I'm sure there were mini plots, to the mini stories, I just didn't understand them!
My lack of understanding might be something to do with the fact that some sentences are written in french, without English translation, and this went far beyone the tiny amount I can remember from my GCSE. This was quite jarring as I felt I was missing out on vital information.
I really wanted to love these little stories, but generally all I was left with were feelings of confusion.
The writing was lovely and I really felt a connection with the female narrators, but generally I felt a bit at a loss as to what the point of the stories were. I'm sure there were mini plots, to the mini stories, I just didn't understand them!
My lack of understanding might be something to do with the fact that some sentences are written in french, without English translation, and this went far beyone the tiny amount I can remember from my GCSE. This was quite jarring as I felt I was missing out on vital information.
I really wanted to love these little stories, but generally all I was left with were feelings of confusion.
More...