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violetviva's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
billd's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
By Cecile is my second effort by Tereska Torrès, the first being Women's Barracks, often described as the first lesbian pulp novel. By Cecile was originally published in 1963. It tells the story of young French woman, Cecile and is set at the end of WWII and the years afterward.
Cecile was moved by her parents from Paris to live with an aunt in a small country town to keep her away from the war. Her parents are sent to a 'prison' and she awaits the end of the war, hoping they will return. A family friend, Maurice, a man who is basically a literary agent+, comes and gets Cecile and brings her to Paris, to live in her parents' apartment. He eventually marries her and the majority of the story is their life together.
Cecile is a free-spirited child, imaginative, full of life. Maurice introduces her to sex and to the artistic life in Paris. (The sex is more hinted at than graphic). Cecile isn't happy with Maurice and begins to fall in love with Henriette. Maurice discovers a story that Cecile is writing and decides it needs to be touched up (that is his specialty; he's not a writer, rather an editor) and by touched up, he means more detailed exploration of sexuality.
Everything sexual is described very mildly, more by intimation than actual action. It's a very French story. I can see it as a movie by Jean Luc Godard or Francois Truffaut. The story is very well-written, provides an excellent picture, and is very thoughtful. It's a slow-paced story, but that is necessary and it helps present Cecile's character and describe her growth. Thoughtful and interesting. (3.5 stars)
Cecile was moved by her parents from Paris to live with an aunt in a small country town to keep her away from the war. Her parents are sent to a 'prison' and she awaits the end of the war, hoping they will return. A family friend, Maurice, a man who is basically a literary agent+, comes and gets Cecile and brings her to Paris, to live in her parents' apartment. He eventually marries her and the majority of the story is their life together.
Cecile is a free-spirited child, imaginative, full of life. Maurice introduces her to sex and to the artistic life in Paris. (The sex is more hinted at than graphic). Cecile isn't happy with Maurice and begins to fall in love with Henriette. Maurice discovers a story that Cecile is writing and decides it needs to be touched up (that is his specialty; he's not a writer, rather an editor) and by touched up, he means more detailed exploration of sexuality.
Everything sexual is described very mildly, more by intimation than actual action. It's a very French story. I can see it as a movie by Jean Luc Godard or Francois Truffaut. The story is very well-written, provides an excellent picture, and is very thoughtful. It's a slow-paced story, but that is necessary and it helps present Cecile's character and describe her growth. Thoughtful and interesting. (3.5 stars)
atticmoth's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Geeze, this WW2 history book sure did have a lot of gay sex! I am somewhat joking, as Jeunes femmes en uniforme is a roman à clef, based on Tereska Torrès’ own experiences, and originally published in English as Women’s Barracks, one of the first lesbian pulp publications. Despite Torrès focusing more on the relationships between soldiers than the war itself, I find it hard to believe readers would find this titillating — the way she juxtaposes Colette-esque sexual escapades with for example the London Blitz says more about the war than most “objective” accounts. It’s important to remember that even if it’s fictionalized, it’s still based on real life, which is what makes the otherwise meandering and aimless story more interesting. It starts with five young women enlisting in the “Corps féminin” (something which invites lots of wordplay). At first, it was a bit hard to tell the characters apart, and I found it a bit too episodic, but towards the end a story emerged, a reminder of the tragedy of war and how it effects personal relationships. I could see someone like Wes Anderson adapting this book to film, the way it deliberately contrasts quirky patrimoine with the horrors of war.
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