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A review by veelaughtland
Forbidden Fruit: From the Letters of Abelard and Heloise by Abbess of the Paraclete Heloise, M.T. Clanchy, Pierre Abélard
2.0
This book was incredibly frustrating.
As part of the Penguin Great Loves series, I find this incredibly misplaced. The love affair of Abelard and his pupil Heloise is meant to be both legendary and tragic, but from this short collection of some of their letters to each other, I just didn't see it.
Abelard came across as a pompous, self-inflated whiny git who cared more about how crap his life was than the woman who he had sent to a convent. Heloise's letters are brimming with emotion and guilt and sadness for him, and at times made the feminist in me grimace at her self-criticism and adoration of him. However she showed passion, and Abelard's self-cantered letters in return were both dull and frustrating.
What a disappointment.
As part of the Penguin Great Loves series, I find this incredibly misplaced. The love affair of Abelard and his pupil Heloise is meant to be both legendary and tragic, but from this short collection of some of their letters to each other, I just didn't see it.
Abelard came across as a pompous, self-inflated whiny git who cared more about how crap his life was than the woman who he had sent to a convent. Heloise's letters are brimming with emotion and guilt and sadness for him, and at times made the feminist in me grimace at her self-criticism and adoration of him. However she showed passion, and Abelard's self-cantered letters in return were both dull and frustrating.
What a disappointment.