Declare Books Conducive To A Very Long Engagement
Original Title: | Un long dimanche de fiançailles |
ISBN: | 0452272971 (ISBN13: 9780452272972) |
Edition Language: | English |
Literary Awards: | Prix Interallié (1991) |
Sébastien Japrisot
Paperback | Pages: 327 pages Rating: 3.9 | 5819 Users | 533 Reviews
Commentary In Pursuance Of Books A Very Long Engagement
In January 1917, five wounded French soldiers, their hands bound behind them, are brought to the front at Picardy by their own troops, forced into the no-man's land between the French and German armies, and left to die in the cross fire. Their brutal punishment has been hushed up for more than two years when Mathilde Donnay, unable to walk since childhood, begins a relentless quest to find out whether her fiancé, officially "killed in the line of duty," might still be alive. Tipped off by a letter from a dying soldier, the shrewd, sardonic, and wonderfully imaginative Mathilde scours the country for information about the men. As she carries her search to its end, an elaborate web of deception and coincidence emerges, and Mathilde comes to an understanding of the horrors, and the acts of kindness, brought about by war. A runaway bestseller in France and the winner of the 1991 Prix Interallié, this astonishing novel is many things at once: an absorbing mystery, a playful study of the different ways one story can be told, a moving and incisive portrait of life in France during and after the First World War, and a love story of transforming power and beauty.Details Based On Books A Very Long Engagement
Title | : | A Very Long Engagement |
Author | : | Sébastien Japrisot |
Book Format | : | Paperback |
Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 327 pages |
Published | : | September 1st 1994 by Plume (first published September 6th 1991) |
Categories | : | Historical. Historical Fiction. Fiction. Cultural. France. War. World War I. Romance |
Rating Based On Books A Very Long Engagement
Ratings: 3.9 From 5819 Users | 533 ReviewsCommentary Based On Books A Very Long Engagement
My love,Im not able to write today, so a fellow Landis is writing this for me. Your face is all lit up, I can see you. Im happy, Im coming home. I would like to shout out my joy on the road, Im coming home. I would like to kiss you the way you like me to, Im coming home. I must step lively. Tomorrow is already Sunday, and were to be married Monday. Fragment of a letter sent from the trenches by a teenage soldier to his girlfriend, on a cold morning in January 1917. Jean Etchevery,Oh my, explaining why I have rated this three stars is complicated, just as complicated as the book is. When it ended, I liked it a lot. Very much in fact, so it should get four stars! Right? Except that if you have been following the comments I have been making about it at diverse places at GR you will have noted that I have been annoyed, exasperated and at wits' end as I read this book! So what is going on? As I stated, the book is complicated. If you are adept at solving mysteries and love
The French trenches on the Western Front during World War I were muddy, cold, and infested with lice and rats. The men lived in constant danger, and saw their good friends die by their sides. Some soldiers suffered "shell shock", some deserted, some committed suicide, and others wounded themselves to get away from this hell on earth. The book opens as five soldiers, who have allegedly shot themselves in the hand, walk through the mud to the Front. Their punishment is to be brought to the area
I recall being profoundly moved by this book, and the turmoil of its characters. I read it many, many years ago (likely around the time of the film release) and enjoyed it so much more than I expected. It's well written and creates a really beautiful story.
Fascinating.Five French soldiers had enough of war and tried to give themselves a blighty by shooting themselves in the hand. Instead, they are sentenced to death. There were more than five but the others were commuted to life imprisonment for one reason or another. But, France had outlawed firing squads. So the five were thrown, bound, to no man's land and left to their own devices. Both sides could shoot at them.One of the five is engaged to Mathilde Donnay. She doesn't seem to be the girl to
This book is a detective story, a story of the horrors and inhumanity of war, a love story -- or stories. The premise is complex and horrific.But... there are a lot of characters. OK, too many characters. And probably too many words. Some of the characterizations are palpable, but most are not. I would have preferred knowing half as many people twice as well. Even the basis of the relentless persuit of Matilde is somewhat obscure. Oh well, that's the way love is, I guess.I don't know that this
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