A review by athenaowl
The Lost Estate (Le Grand Meaulnes) by Alain-Fournier

5.0

A French classic for a reason. It almost feels like the precursor to dark academia, it takes place mostly in a school setting, there's a charismatic leader who takes a slightly awkward character under his wing, the charismatic character has a mysterious adventure that the awkward character tries to help him untangle, and in the end the slightly awkward character ends up disillusioned. But it's written in an almost dreamlike state where not everything is immediately clear and you really do have to pay attention to follow along, which is something that I actually really like in a novel as long as I'm expecting it. A little like Maurice meets Catcher in the Rye meets Peter Pan. It's not so much a coming of age story as a refusal to come of age story. Like all great classics it stayed with me after I read it and really made me think. Really enjoyed this read!

Read if…
- You liked Catcher in the Rye
- You’re a fan of French classics

Skip if…
- You prefer a straightforward narrative
- You can’t stand purposefully unsatisfactory endings