A review by cmcrockford
Count D'Orgel's Ball by Raymond Radiguet

4.0

I picked this up as Mishima was a fan and the NYRB reprintings are very stellar so far, and it's a fascinating book, albeit tinged with the racism and sexism of the time. Radiguet at a very young age combines the caustic tone of Flaubert with the empathy of Tolstoy to create a portrait of an aristocracy so obsessed with itself and the affairs of the heart that it doesn't even notice it's decline. I was a bit confused by the ending but realized the abruptness is perfect: life goes on and is even silenced for the sake of propriety and the masks they wear.