Bloodorange
I'm a GoodReads user testing new waters after the serious website changes. I mostly read fiction, usually Anglophone classics/ modern classics; I like nonfiction (mostly social and cultural history), good fantasy and graphic novels. For guilty pleasure, I read advice and how-to books.
I made at least two reading resolutions recently; 1. read less, live more; 2. read books which give me more pleasure. I have poor filters, and books I find stylistically pleasing tend to be depressing, so I need to do something about that; if you think you know a book that is very well written, but won't make me weep, please drop me a line.
The Devil in the Flesh
A few weeks ago I finally, happily, concluded that a passive command (sounds oxymoronic) of French is all I need, and started to read Radiguet in the original alongside Polish translation, and found this method very pleasing. This is 3.5 stars for me: the book is elegantly compressed, obsessively so, and I loved being able to follow the construction of sentences and the subversively-built paragraphs:
The voice of the narrator is powerful, and perfectly conveys the sensation of being at the moment of one's life when everything feels intense, raw and clear:Mes sœurs, maintenant, allaient à J… porter des paniers de poires aux blessés. Elles avaient découvert un dédommagement, médiocre, il est vrai, à tous leurs beaux projets écroulés. Quand elles arrivaient à J…, les paniers étaient presque vides!
Still, the book lacks scope - which I understand was intended, but which I always find very annoying in very good books - see [b:Revolutionary Road|48328|Revolutionary Road|Richard Yates|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1353721885s/48328.jpg|1235136].Si la jeunesse est niaise, c’est faute d’avoir été paresseuse. Ce qui infirme nos systèmes d’éducation, c’est qu’ils s’adressent aux médiocres, à cause du nombre. Pour un esprit en marche, la paresse n’existe pas. Je n’ai jamais plus appris que dans ces longues journées qui, pour un témoin, eussent semblé vides, et où j’observais mon cœur novice comme un parvenu observe ses gestes à table.
