Publication
Penguin Books (2007), 128 pages
Original publication date
1954
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Deutscher Hörbuchpreis (2023)
Description
Cecile is the spoiled 17-year-old daughter of Raymond, a wealthy Parisian widower vacationing in a villa on the French Riviera. Their pleasure-seeking existence is threatened when Raymond decides to marry Cecile's straitlaced godmother, Anne, who disapproves of the teenager's steamy summer affair with Philippe.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Ibreak4books
If you have to come of age, and we all do, you might as well do it on the French Riveria.
LibraryThing member kristin8881
This novel reads like a pretentious French novel written by a pretentious French teenager, which is exactly what it is. There's this 17 year old, Cecile who lives with her 40-something playboy father, Raymond (her mother is dead). Raymond has never accepted that he is no longer in his 20s. He has
Father and daughter decide to take a holiday in the Riviera along with Raymond's girlfrield, Elsa. Later, Raymond invites Anne to visit. Anne is a friend of his late wife's who looked after Cecile while she was away at school. Anne is not the typical type this family hangs around with - she is intelligent, older, straight laced, etc. She also has feelings for Raymond. She shows up, and they all go to a casino. Raymond and Anne disappear for a long time, and Elsa and Cecile can't find them. Cecile eventually finds them in the car in the parking lot...wonder what they were doing... Nope, the text says that they were obviously having an intense conversation. They ask Cecile to tell Elsa that Anne was sick and Raymond took her home. Elsa knows what's up and leaves. They next morning Raymond and Anne inform Cecile that they're getting married. Cecile sees this as an end to their carefree lifestyle and hatches a plan in which Elsa and Cyril (Cecile's summer boyfriend who Anne has forbidden her to see) will pretend to be in love so Raymond will get jealous and leave Anne in order to win Elsa back. Tragedy ensues...but only for a short time. Then Cecile and Raymond return to their typical routine: "...Life began to take its old course...now, when my father and I are along together, we joke and discuss our latest conquests...but we are happy." (pg 127)
Does Cecile feel bad about what she is doing? She hatches the plan out of jealousy – she doesn’t want to lose her lifestyle and her father to a mundane domestic life. It’s a game that she hopes will end before anyone really gets hurt. Her initial thoughts are that she wants Anne out of her and her father’s life. Later, she states that she hopes that they will all return to Paris before her father decides to pursue Elsa; however, she continues to instruct Cyril and Elsa on how to play their roles. That’s fine – most people might be conflicted out it…but if she really feels so bad about what she’s doing, why doesn’t she stop telling Elsa and Cyril what bar they are going to be and when? She doesn’t want to do what she is doing, but she does it anyway. Why?
What does Cecile want to see as the final outcome of her plan? At times, it appears that she wants Anne gone (“A clean break with Anne would in the long run be less painful [for Raymond] than living a well-regulated life as her husband.” Pg. 112). Other instances suggest that Anne just needs to learn a lesson (“I had no wish to humiliate her, but only to force her to accept our way of life.” Pg. 113). And, of course, at other times Cecile expresses enthusiasm and excitement about their new life with Anne. WTF? Conflicted is one thing…but contradictory is another, and there is never an actual of admission of conflict. Either Cecile is unaware of the conflicted nature of her feelings (or Sagan chose not to tell us outright – wanted us to figure it out for ourselves), or Sagan was unaware of the contradiction. When Cecile’s plan succeeds, what is her reaction? Does she say to herself, “well this is sad but it’s what I wanted. It is the outcome of my actions”? Of course not. Cecile’s reaction is “we had to get Anne back.” So, like the morons they are, she and her father draft elaborate apology letters and are convinced that Anne will have to return because what they are writing is so convincing. I’m sure. Too bad Anne is already dead.
The novel is also contradictory about what Cecile expects the outcome to be. Again, she first admits that Anne would be perfectly right to leave them based on Raymond’s dandy ways (“…not because Anne was jealous…but because she had made up her mind to live with him on her own terms. She was determined to put an end to the era of frivolity and debauchery and to stop his schoolboy behavior…in the future he must behave well and not be a slave to his caprices. One could not blame Anne; hers was a perfectly normal and sane point of view.” Pg 113). When Anne actually leaves them, however, Cecile states, “I felt sorry for [Raymond] and for myself too.” Why does she feel sorry? Because she chased away the only decent, intelligent woman your father has ever had as a mistress? Because you wish that you hadn’t dreamed all this up and caused everyone such misery? Nope: “After all, why should Anne act like this, leave us in the lurch, make us suffer so for one little moment of folly? Hadn’t she a duty to us?” Like a typical teenager, she is unable to accept responsibility for the consequences of her actions.
I read in a review of Bonjour Tristesse that Cecile is "such a believable character." That's true - she is a believable, spoiled, maipulative French teenage, and if you want to read about such characters - believable or not - than this book is definately for you. Some of this believability probably comes from the fact that Sagan was a spoiled French teenager when she wrote the novel. I, however, am infinitely annoyed by teenagers, especially ones like Cecile, so I was probably destined not to like this book. The prose comes across as juvenile and reminds me of what I tried to emulate when I was into writing stories in middle school.
Having recently read The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and The Road, I cannot help but compare righting styles and I simply don't believe that Bonjour Tristesse is anywhere near their stylistic league, let alone in it.
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brief affairs with 20-something "stupid, frivolous women" (pg. 111), and he and Cecile sit around, smoke cigargettes, and talk about life, death, love, etc. Essentially, they live the pretentious French lifestyle. Needless to say, it's clear that Raymond isn't exactly the best influence for a 17 year old, and it's suggested that she has been involved with Raymond's friends - though the level of seriousness of these relationships isn't clear.Father and daughter decide to take a holiday in the Riviera along with Raymond's girlfrield, Elsa. Later, Raymond invites Anne to visit. Anne is a friend of his late wife's who looked after Cecile while she was away at school. Anne is not the typical type this family hangs around with - she is intelligent, older, straight laced, etc. She also has feelings for Raymond. She shows up, and they all go to a casino. Raymond and Anne disappear for a long time, and Elsa and Cecile can't find them. Cecile eventually finds them in the car in the parking lot...wonder what they were doing... Nope, the text says that they were obviously having an intense conversation. They ask Cecile to tell Elsa that Anne was sick and Raymond took her home. Elsa knows what's up and leaves. They next morning Raymond and Anne inform Cecile that they're getting married. Cecile sees this as an end to their carefree lifestyle and hatches a plan in which Elsa and Cyril (Cecile's summer boyfriend who Anne has forbidden her to see) will pretend to be in love so Raymond will get jealous and leave Anne in order to win Elsa back. Tragedy ensues...but only for a short time. Then Cecile and Raymond return to their typical routine: "...Life began to take its old course...now, when my father and I are along together, we joke and discuss our latest conquests...but we are happy." (pg 127)
Does Cecile feel bad about what she is doing? She hatches the plan out of jealousy – she doesn’t want to lose her lifestyle and her father to a mundane domestic life. It’s a game that she hopes will end before anyone really gets hurt. Her initial thoughts are that she wants Anne out of her and her father’s life. Later, she states that she hopes that they will all return to Paris before her father decides to pursue Elsa; however, she continues to instruct Cyril and Elsa on how to play their roles. That’s fine – most people might be conflicted out it…but if she really feels so bad about what she’s doing, why doesn’t she stop telling Elsa and Cyril what bar they are going to be and when? She doesn’t want to do what she is doing, but she does it anyway. Why?
What does Cecile want to see as the final outcome of her plan? At times, it appears that she wants Anne gone (“A clean break with Anne would in the long run be less painful [for Raymond] than living a well-regulated life as her husband.” Pg. 112). Other instances suggest that Anne just needs to learn a lesson (“I had no wish to humiliate her, but only to force her to accept our way of life.” Pg. 113). And, of course, at other times Cecile expresses enthusiasm and excitement about their new life with Anne. WTF? Conflicted is one thing…but contradictory is another, and there is never an actual of admission of conflict. Either Cecile is unaware of the conflicted nature of her feelings (or Sagan chose not to tell us outright – wanted us to figure it out for ourselves), or Sagan was unaware of the contradiction. When Cecile’s plan succeeds, what is her reaction? Does she say to herself, “well this is sad but it’s what I wanted. It is the outcome of my actions”? Of course not. Cecile’s reaction is “we had to get Anne back.” So, like the morons they are, she and her father draft elaborate apology letters and are convinced that Anne will have to return because what they are writing is so convincing. I’m sure. Too bad Anne is already dead.
The novel is also contradictory about what Cecile expects the outcome to be. Again, she first admits that Anne would be perfectly right to leave them based on Raymond’s dandy ways (“…not because Anne was jealous…but because she had made up her mind to live with him on her own terms. She was determined to put an end to the era of frivolity and debauchery and to stop his schoolboy behavior…in the future he must behave well and not be a slave to his caprices. One could not blame Anne; hers was a perfectly normal and sane point of view.” Pg 113). When Anne actually leaves them, however, Cecile states, “I felt sorry for [Raymond] and for myself too.” Why does she feel sorry? Because she chased away the only decent, intelligent woman your father has ever had as a mistress? Because you wish that you hadn’t dreamed all this up and caused everyone such misery? Nope: “After all, why should Anne act like this, leave us in the lurch, make us suffer so for one little moment of folly? Hadn’t she a duty to us?” Like a typical teenager, she is unable to accept responsibility for the consequences of her actions.
I read in a review of Bonjour Tristesse that Cecile is "such a believable character." That's true - she is a believable, spoiled, maipulative French teenage, and if you want to read about such characters - believable or not - than this book is definately for you. Some of this believability probably comes from the fact that Sagan was a spoiled French teenager when she wrote the novel. I, however, am infinitely annoyed by teenagers, especially ones like Cecile, so I was probably destined not to like this book. The prose comes across as juvenile and reminds me of what I tried to emulate when I was into writing stories in middle school.
Having recently read The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and The Road, I cannot help but compare righting styles and I simply don't believe that Bonjour Tristesse is anywhere near their stylistic league, let alone in it.
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LibraryThing member Pummzie
Thrilling little read. I am surprised to learn that Sagan was only 18 when she wrote this novella. The narrator, Cecile, is a self-aware and divided character, with a petulant adolescent streak for wickedness that tends to be quickly followed by the comedown of remorse. I was entirely convinced by
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this book and I wish it had gone on for longer simply to remain in her dilemmas and THAT summer with her and her puppets. Not often I describe books this way, but I did find Bonjour Tristesse deliciously fun. Show Less
LibraryThing member thorold
This is one of those "I can't believe I didn't read it when I was 16" books. Reading it as an adult, far too late, I had to admire the maturity of Sagan's insight into the characters, but I don't think it had the magic for me that it evidently has for many readers.
What did strike me about it was
What did strike me about it was
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what a long time ago it all was, and what a privileged social class is involved. The teenage narrator never stops for a moment to wonder how it is that she is able to spend months lolling on the beach and pretending to revise for exams. Raymond is in advertising, but he seems to be able to stop work for the whole summer without any difficulty; we don't see any poor people at all, unless you count Elsa, who has no visible means of support, but still manages to get by for a few weeks (in Cannes!) when Raymond dumps her. I don't think many people in Europe were in such a comfortable position in the early fifties (my mother had been in full-time work for several years when she was Cécile's age). All right for some... Show Less
LibraryThing member Smiler69
Cécile, seventeen years old, has been living with her handsome widowed father Raymond, whom she adores, for the past two years, ever since he took her out of convent school and introduced her to his world of beautiful women and fashionable nightclubbing. Now he's rented a villa in the Côte
All is fun and good times, until Anne Larsen appears on the scene rather unexpectedly. Anne had been a friend of Cécile's mother, now dead for 15 years. Anne is a serious woman who has her own fashion business; refined and cultured, she had taken Cécile in hand some years ago, had shown her how a young lady should comport herself, taught her proper deportment, how to dress, how to modulate her speech, in short, given her a veneer of sophistication the girl had lacked until then and has put to good use ever since. But now it seems Anne and her father are suddenly in love with each other, which seems so unlikely! Surely he is much too dissolute for Anne? Surely she is much to staid for his tastes? But overnight, they decide to get married, and now Elsa must leave the villa. Cécile is outraged; surely they can't just turn out Elsa without a word of explanation? But worse is yet to come. Anne has decided to take the young girl in hand again. She is not doing well in her studies and exams are looming, so now she must spend her time studying hard, and never mind the beautiful summer weather and the beckoning beach. Worse yet, Raymond sides with his fiancée whenever she adopts a hard line, which is completely unlike him. Cécile can't believe her loving father would let himself be influenced to that degree. She comes up with a plan which will surely put Anne in her place. She will orchestrate it all: she tells Cyril and Elsa to act like lovers and appear in front of her father as if coincidentally to incite his jealousy. He is in his 40s after all, and surely he will be jealous to see his beautiful former mistress on the rebound with a much younger handsome man. Cécile counts on Raymond's weakness for beautiful women to lead him straight back into Elsa's arm. She knows her father well. She truly believes this will teach Anne a lesson, that she will be forced to give them back a little of their former freedom if she truly loves them. But her plan backfires and brings tragedy instead.
I picked up this slim novel as an audiobook, extremely well narrated by French actress Sara Giraudeau, who was very convincing as Cécile, listening to it in just one short sitting. I'd forgotten what year it had been published in and assumed it was from the early 60s, and upon checking, was shocked by just how advanced it was for it's time. True, the French have always had different notions from the English when it comes to sexuality and the rearing of children, but all the same, the attitudes adopted by Cécile and her father here seemed more in tune with the anything-goes 70s or even our own era than the postwar early 50s, and more surprising yet was just how mature Cécile's voice was. Perhaps the way she decided to deal with Anne's strict presence showed her to be a child still, but her narration was sophisticated, and when one considers that Françoise Sagan herself wrote the book when she herself was only 18 years old, basing herself on personal experiences, it is clear she was a unique and exceptionally precocious writer. This book might not suit everyone, since the material may be shocking to some readers, but I really loved it for how beautifully it is written. Highly recommended for readers with a liberal mind.
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d'Azure for the summer, and Cécile is looking forward to an easy and fun-filled summer by the beach, which she knows will be filled with his father's women, though she doesn't mind this—they come and go and he's always taken Cécile in his confidence, and she finds his frivolity suits his character just fine. His current mistress is called Elsa and all three get along very well. Then she meets a young man in his mid-20s called Cyril who seems to be in love with her and she indulges him in a love affair on a whim, to pass the time and because that is what is done by her friends, and certainly by the likes of her father. All is fun and good times, until Anne Larsen appears on the scene rather unexpectedly. Anne had been a friend of Cécile's mother, now dead for 15 years. Anne is a serious woman who has her own fashion business; refined and cultured, she had taken Cécile in hand some years ago, had shown her how a young lady should comport herself, taught her proper deportment, how to dress, how to modulate her speech, in short, given her a veneer of sophistication the girl had lacked until then and has put to good use ever since. But now it seems Anne and her father are suddenly in love with each other, which seems so unlikely! Surely he is much too dissolute for Anne? Surely she is much to staid for his tastes? But overnight, they decide to get married, and now Elsa must leave the villa. Cécile is outraged; surely they can't just turn out Elsa without a word of explanation? But worse is yet to come. Anne has decided to take the young girl in hand again. She is not doing well in her studies and exams are looming, so now she must spend her time studying hard, and never mind the beautiful summer weather and the beckoning beach. Worse yet, Raymond sides with his fiancée whenever she adopts a hard line, which is completely unlike him. Cécile can't believe her loving father would let himself be influenced to that degree. She comes up with a plan which will surely put Anne in her place. She will orchestrate it all: she tells Cyril and Elsa to act like lovers and appear in front of her father as if coincidentally to incite his jealousy. He is in his 40s after all, and surely he will be jealous to see his beautiful former mistress on the rebound with a much younger handsome man. Cécile counts on Raymond's weakness for beautiful women to lead him straight back into Elsa's arm. She knows her father well. She truly believes this will teach Anne a lesson, that she will be forced to give them back a little of their former freedom if she truly loves them. But her plan backfires and brings tragedy instead.
I picked up this slim novel as an audiobook, extremely well narrated by French actress Sara Giraudeau, who was very convincing as Cécile, listening to it in just one short sitting. I'd forgotten what year it had been published in and assumed it was from the early 60s, and upon checking, was shocked by just how advanced it was for it's time. True, the French have always had different notions from the English when it comes to sexuality and the rearing of children, but all the same, the attitudes adopted by Cécile and her father here seemed more in tune with the anything-goes 70s or even our own era than the postwar early 50s, and more surprising yet was just how mature Cécile's voice was. Perhaps the way she decided to deal with Anne's strict presence showed her to be a child still, but her narration was sophisticated, and when one considers that Françoise Sagan herself wrote the book when she herself was only 18 years old, basing herself on personal experiences, it is clear she was a unique and exceptionally precocious writer. This book might not suit everyone, since the material may be shocking to some readers, but I really loved it for how beautifully it is written. Highly recommended for readers with a liberal mind.
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LibraryThing member missizicks
The cover of this translation of Françoise Sagan's classic coming of age tale has a quote that calls it thoroughly immoral. The back of the book tells me that it scandalised 1950s France with the main character's rejection of conventional notions of love.
What was love like in 1950s France, then?
Sagan was 18 when she wrote the book, and her eye for the transition from youth to adulthood is precise. There is nothing flowery or romantic about her writing, but the book is more beautiful for that. Her style made me think of Fitzgerald, but I liked Sagan more. She brought some Flannery O'Connor to the mix.
Although only a short book, it drew me in completely. I really enjoyed it.
What was love like in 1950s France, then?
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What's immoral about finding pleasure in desire and enjoyment in sex?Sagan was 18 when she wrote the book, and her eye for the transition from youth to adulthood is precise. There is nothing flowery or romantic about her writing, but the book is more beautiful for that. Her style made me think of Fitzgerald, but I liked Sagan more. She brought some Flannery O'Connor to the mix.
Although only a short book, it drew me in completely. I really enjoyed it.
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LibraryThing member soylentgreen23
'Bonjour Tristesse' is an amazing achievement for a writer so young - Francoise Sagan was only eighteen when she penned this beautiful novella.
In many ways this book reminds me of Camus's 'L'Etranger' - the beach, the sun beating relentlessly down, the events that turn out so tragically for the
The ending is a little too tragic, perhaps, but otherwise the novel shows an incredible amount of insight into the motivations and feelings of the young narrator; yes, this is one of those myriad works of literature that can teach as well as engross.
In many ways this book reminds me of Camus's 'L'Etranger' - the beach, the sun beating relentlessly down, the events that turn out so tragically for the
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protaganist and the people around them. However, Sagan's book follows the course of love and jealousy, as a young girl finds her father pulled away from her and the life she loves by an intelligent woman intent on marrying him. She plots to tear the couple apart, but never really knows what she really wants - for her plan to succeed and to have her womanising father back, or for her plan to fail and for her to have the safe and bougeois life that this woman can offer them.The ending is a little too tragic, perhaps, but otherwise the novel shows an incredible amount of insight into the motivations and feelings of the young narrator; yes, this is one of those myriad works of literature that can teach as well as engross.
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LibraryThing member axya
The plot is a bit cliche', and the emotions stream quite chaotic. I totally agree with what NYTimes said "ACCORDING to most of the book reviewers. Françoise Sagan's "Bonjour Tristesse" was an immature little novel, mainly a catalogue of moods experienced under the strain of a father-complex by a
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fairly precocious French girl. As a noticeable literary effort, it was somewhat astonishing but thin." Show Less
LibraryThing member mstrust
Seventeen year-old Cecile, her father Raymond and his current girlfriend Elsa are spending the summer in a Mediterranean coastal village. Cecile's mother died several years before and ever since, Raymond has had a string of brief romances. Cecile adores her father and isn't bothered at all by his
It's hard to believe that Sagan was just eighteen years old when she wrote this. There is a maturity in both the writing and subject that I would never expect to see in a teenager or even someone ten years older. The story of Cecile's change from a child's reverence for a father who charmingly mistreats women, including Cecile, to a woman who has experienced real remorse and sadness is powerful and so very infused with the sophistication of France of the 1950's. Highly recommended.
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selfish manipulations of the women he moves in and out of her life and even makes excuses for his behavior until he shows a preference for old friend Anne's company rather than her own.It's hard to believe that Sagan was just eighteen years old when she wrote this. There is a maturity in both the writing and subject that I would never expect to see in a teenager or even someone ten years older. The story of Cecile's change from a child's reverence for a father who charmingly mistreats women, including Cecile, to a woman who has experienced real remorse and sadness is powerful and so very infused with the sophistication of France of the 1950's. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member LynnB
This is the story of Cecile, a 17 year old spending the summer with her father (Raymond) in a villa somewhere in the south of France. Cecile and Raymond enjoy an easy-going life. Raymond doesn't worry about his daughter's academic failures; nor does he hide his series of love affairs from her
Enter Anne, and old friend of the family. As Raymond and Anne fall in love and decide to marry, Cecile feels threatened by Anne's sense of order, her intellectualism and slight disdain for the life she and Raymond have been living.
Cecile hatches a plot to break up Anne and Raymond's relationship. That plot turns the book into something of a teenager's fantasy: adults (Raymond's ex-lover Elsa and Cecile's beau) willing to play out roles ascribed by Cecile and other adults (Raymond and Anne) easily manipulated by the play acting.
In spite of the juvenile plot, the author displays remarkable insight into people's fears and motiviations; especially remarkable given she was 18 when she wrote this book.
At 108 pages, this is an easy read and not a bad way to spend an afternoon.
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(Cecile's mother died 15 years ago). Their lives are full of amusing, attractive, if somewhat shallow, friends.Enter Anne, and old friend of the family. As Raymond and Anne fall in love and decide to marry, Cecile feels threatened by Anne's sense of order, her intellectualism and slight disdain for the life she and Raymond have been living.
Cecile hatches a plot to break up Anne and Raymond's relationship. That plot turns the book into something of a teenager's fantasy: adults (Raymond's ex-lover Elsa and Cecile's beau) willing to play out roles ascribed by Cecile and other adults (Raymond and Anne) easily manipulated by the play acting.
In spite of the juvenile plot, the author displays remarkable insight into people's fears and motiviations; especially remarkable given she was 18 when she wrote this book.
At 108 pages, this is an easy read and not a bad way to spend an afternoon.
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LibraryThing member citygirl
The love affairs of adults through the eyes of spoiled, smart and wily Cecile as she embarks upon her first affair. Her playboy father inexplicably decides to settle down with a woman his own age, a friend of Cecile's late mother. Anne is elegant, sophisticated, reserved and a bit of a control
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freak. Cecile and her father live a life of carefree pleasure that Anne threatens, and Anne's efforts to mold Cecile into a more serious young woman are ill-advised and resented. Cecile devises a plan to rid herself and her father of this woman. In lovely language, Sagan describes the psychological tug-of-war that takes place between Anne and Cecile as well as the affection between father and daughter and Cecile's first love affair, all on the sands and in the water of the French Riviera. A very good first novel. I will read Sagan again. Show Less
LibraryThing member WorldInColour
So what happens when a spoiled teenager is forced to grow up and refuses her new stepmother? Apparently, some pretty evil shit. Cécile is not happy with the rigid lifestyle of her new mater familias Anne and doesn't waste a single opportunity to show her disdain. Even though she admires the
I would say that this book is interesting because of the opposition between quick passions, represented by Elisa and the father of Cécile, and the long-lasting engagement of a real relationship. I would say that this book is interesting because of this reason, but certainly not groundbreaking. No earthquakes here.
I can't even be bothered to write a decent review here. Nothing spectacular. Go read Boris Vian.
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consistency and upper class aesthetics of Anne.I would say that this book is interesting because of the opposition between quick passions, represented by Elisa and the father of Cécile, and the long-lasting engagement of a real relationship. I would say that this book is interesting because of this reason, but certainly not groundbreaking. No earthquakes here.
I can't even be bothered to write a decent review here. Nothing spectacular. Go read Boris Vian.
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LibraryThing member HadriantheBlind
A very adolescent novel, and everything that follows from that. Wild emotions, search for identity, etc., etc. I wonder if I should have read this when I was younger.
LibraryThing member elleceetee
Bonjour Tristesse takes place in the south of France in the 1950s. Cecile lives a live of decadance with her father after her mother dies. She drinks, she smokes, she goes to parties with him, and she is acustomed to the parade of women that march through her father's life. While on vacation on the
This book is something of a classic. It is Francoise Sagan's first book and she wrote it when she was 17 years old. This, of course, makes me feel incredibly inadequate. For a seventeen year old, there is a certain adultness to the writing. Cecile as a narrator is so self-absorbed and self-indulgent, and the way that the book is written conveys that perfectly without it even having to be said. This book is also a nice portrait of life in the fifties before tanning and smoking and drinking huge, gas guzzling cars are seen as "bad".
It's a short novel, and a quick and absorbing read. I'm curious to see whether or not Sagan's other writing is as interesting.
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Mediterranean, her life with her father is upset by the entrance of the lovely and sophisticated Anne Larsen. When Cecile realizes that Anne might upset the lifestyle that she and her father have been living, she puts a plan in motion to remove her from their lives. However, Cecile's plan works a little better than expected with some tragic results.This book is something of a classic. It is Francoise Sagan's first book and she wrote it when she was 17 years old. This, of course, makes me feel incredibly inadequate. For a seventeen year old, there is a certain adultness to the writing. Cecile as a narrator is so self-absorbed and self-indulgent, and the way that the book is written conveys that perfectly without it even having to be said. This book is also a nice portrait of life in the fifties before tanning and smoking and drinking huge, gas guzzling cars are seen as "bad".
It's a short novel, and a quick and absorbing read. I'm curious to see whether or not Sagan's other writing is as interesting.
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LibraryThing member stefano
a good read but not quite the memorable masterpiece I was expecting. there are some rather clever touches in point of narrative technique. my favorite is the drunk South American at the casino who blabbers on in his stupor (doubly removed from humanity, because foreign and because drunk) while Elsa
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is being delivered devastating news. Show Less
LibraryThing member hbergander
Groundbreaking novel for openly lived-out sexuality. Although the time was ripe for it, contemporaries were not yet.
LibraryThing member Stbalbach
French post-war 1950s classic. Is it warranted? If you identify with vaporous, bored, boring and careless people. That is, most people, as its popularity attests. Hello sorrow indeed! Can't wait to see the movie. The best part is from the Introduction, which associates the 20th century literary
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meme of death-by-automobile as the equivalent of death-by-consumption in the 19th century. Show Less
LibraryThing member achoo_tw
Nice and short, delicate, like an appetizer. I think the translator did a good job. It's also quite different from the mostly American novels I read, the author tends to put more focus on describing the moods and feelings of the character, and the twists and turns of a teenage girl's mind which is
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hard because I can't even describe what I'm feeling sometimes. Show Less
LibraryThing member deadgirl
I generally liked the story, but found the ending too abrupt. But I also asked myself, What else could Sagan add in?, and I couldn't give an answer. A short novel with depth. Sometimes tragedy needs no big words to illustrate its impact.
LibraryThing member bookworm12
Cecile is a teenage girl spending the summer with her father in a villa in the south of France. His mistress Elsa is there as well and Cecile sinks into the relaxed atmosphere from the moment she arrives. Her father treats her more like a friend than a daughter and allows he allows his love life to
This book is part of the Penguins Great Loves series. Each edition in this series comes with a gorgeous cover and I buy them whenever I see them in bookstores. That’s how I first heard of this book. It’s a strange little tale, but one that sweeps you right along.
Cecile and her father see themselves as people fated to be alone. They push others away if they get close at all. Their immaturity and selfishness hurt those around them and they constantly long for whatever they don’t have. They both use the people who love them to further their gain. Even at the end of the book we see that despite the dire circumstances, they haven’t really changed.
Although the book is slim, the narrator is convincing. She feels like a real teenage girl, making selfish decisions, changing her mind in a moment, not thinking about the consequences of her actions, etc. She is jealous of her father’s attentions and at the same time is distant from him. I think the most impressive part of the book is that the author was only 18 years old when she wrote this.
BOTTOM LINE: A quick summer read for a lazy day in the sun. The eerie tone of the book will leave you with an air of loneliness after you finish.
“Certain phrases fascinate me with their subtle implications.”
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play out in front of her. Anne, a former friend of her mother’s, comes to visit and a romance sparks between her and Cecile’s father. The This book is part of the Penguins Great Loves series. Each edition in this series comes with a gorgeous cover and I buy them whenever I see them in bookstores. That’s how I first heard of this book. It’s a strange little tale, but one that sweeps you right along.
Cecile and her father see themselves as people fated to be alone. They push others away if they get close at all. Their immaturity and selfishness hurt those around them and they constantly long for whatever they don’t have. They both use the people who love them to further their gain. Even at the end of the book we see that despite the dire circumstances, they haven’t really changed.
Although the book is slim, the narrator is convincing. She feels like a real teenage girl, making selfish decisions, changing her mind in a moment, not thinking about the consequences of her actions, etc. She is jealous of her father’s attentions and at the same time is distant from him. I think the most impressive part of the book is that the author was only 18 years old when she wrote this.
BOTTOM LINE: A quick summer read for a lazy day in the sun. The eerie tone of the book will leave you with an air of loneliness after you finish.
“Certain phrases fascinate me with their subtle implications.”
Show Less
LibraryThing member Staramber
I'm always won over by teenagers old beyond their years. I like their manipulations, their loves and their disregard for school work. It makes me feel better about my own lack of rebellion. Cécile is larger than life and magnificent. She schemes to stop her father from marrying in a way which
It makes me seem like a horrible person if I say that her humanity detracted me from the scheming and manipulation. I was really hoping she'd just do something horrible quickly and not bore me with remorse.
I did find reading Bonjour Tristesse to be an afternoon well spent and I do love the two penguins kissing on the front of my copy.
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would make a military general proud. And then in the next second she softens at turns to tears and regret, hating herself and needing to be comforted. It makes me seem like a horrible person if I say that her humanity detracted me from the scheming and manipulation. I was really hoping she'd just do something horrible quickly and not bore me with remorse.
I did find reading Bonjour Tristesse to be an afternoon well spent and I do love the two penguins kissing on the front of my copy.
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LibraryThing member comradesara
precocious, melodramatic, and french; francoise wrote this devilish little masterpiece when she was 18. if you're not hooked after the first sentence, don't bother.
LibraryThing member Kristelh
Review: a story written by a young woman about a time when she was 17 on holiday on the French Riviera with her playboy father and his girlfriend. A tale of self absorbed adolescence rings still true today. It is the author’s first novel, she was 18 when it was published.
First sentence: A
Words:
demimondaine: sexually promiscuous
Cassandra-like: to feel ignored
Quotes: All the elements of a drama were to hand: a libertine, a demimondaine, and a strong-minded woman.
Last words: Something rises in me that I call to by name with closed eyes. Bonjour, Tristesse!
The rating respects the talented writing by this young author, age 18. The narrator annoyed me.
First sentence: A
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strange melancholy pervades me to which I hesitate to give the grave and beautiful name of sorrow. Words:
demimondaine: sexually promiscuous
Cassandra-like: to feel ignored
Quotes: All the elements of a drama were to hand: a libertine, a demimondaine, and a strong-minded woman.
Last words: Something rises in me that I call to by name with closed eyes. Bonjour, Tristesse!
The rating respects the talented writing by this young author, age 18. The narrator annoyed me.
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LibraryThing member japaul22
Bonjour Tristesse was written by 18 year old Françoise Sagan in the 1950s. It centers around a 17 year old girl, Cécile, who lives with her bachelor father. They are vacationing in the Mediterranean and he arrives there with one young mistress and ends the vacation planning to marry a different
As with most books written about a teenager, by a teenager, there is definitely a self-centeredness to the main character. I liked this brief book, though, finding it a pretty realistic depiction of a girl growing up in this situation. There are several lines that really sum up the feeling of being a teenage girl very well and I can see why this book was a success. It probably is better read when you are a teenager yourself, but I missed the boat on that!
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woman. Cécile is not happy about this marriage idea and crafts a plan to break them up. She also experiences love herself for the first time with a local boy named Cyril. As with most books written about a teenager, by a teenager, there is definitely a self-centeredness to the main character. I liked this brief book, though, finding it a pretty realistic depiction of a girl growing up in this situation. There are several lines that really sum up the feeling of being a teenage girl very well and I can see why this book was a success. It probably is better read when you are a teenager yourself, but I missed the boat on that!
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LibraryThing member TerriS
This was very short and interesting (written in 1955). A French teenage girl's story about one summer in her life. It wasn't my favorite but it was worth reading.
Media reviews
35 livres cultes à lire au moins une fois dans sa vie
Quels sont les romans qu'il faut avoir lu absolument ? Un livre culte qui transcende, fait réfléchir, frissonner, rire ou pleurer… La littérature est indéniablement créatrice d’émotions. Si vous êtes adeptes des classiques, ces
De temps en temps, il n'y a vraiment rien de mieux que de se poser devant un bon bouquin, et d'oublier un instant le monde réel. Mais si vous êtes une grosse lectrice ou un gros lecteur, et que vous avez épuisé le stock de votre bibliothèque personnelle, laissez-vous tenter par ces quelques classiques de la littérature.
Quels sont les romans qu'il faut avoir lu absolument ? Un livre culte qui transcende, fait réfléchir, frissonner, rire ou pleurer… La littérature est indéniablement créatrice d’émotions. Si vous êtes adeptes des classiques, ces
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titres devraient vous plaire.De temps en temps, il n'y a vraiment rien de mieux que de se poser devant un bon bouquin, et d'oublier un instant le monde réel. Mais si vous êtes une grosse lectrice ou un gros lecteur, et que vous avez épuisé le stock de votre bibliothèque personnelle, laissez-vous tenter par ces quelques classiques de la littérature.
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Language
Original language
French
ISBN
014103291X / 9780141032917
Physical description
128 p.; 4.37 inches
Pages
128