Henry James's admiration for "this masterly little novel" has been echoed throughout the twentieth century by readers of Pierre et Jean. It marked ...
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Jan 25, 2009
Emily
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Nov 24, 2010
Jim
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Sep 30, 2011
Why do stories of two brothers—or two sisters—[especially] insist on contrast and comparison? Because they’re knee-jerk, they’re instinctive, they’re human nature? In literature, authors tend to go on the route of fairy tales or parables—if not legitimately or in structure, then in tone, or feel.
De Maupssant’s short novel feels like that. It’s almost too easy to compare and contrast—the author gives us two brothers, standing side by side, from the get go. It’s almost like an invitation More...
De Maupssant’s short novel feels like that. It’s almost too easy to compare and contrast—the author gives us two brothers, standing side by side, from the get go. It’s almost like an invitation More...
Sep 03, 2010
Dominique
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This book is actually a lot better than I thought it would be based on the first two chapters I read. Although at first blush this book seemed settled into describing the quiet life of a normal french family in the countryside, it wasn't long before some pretty dark secrets started springing up. I was pleasantly surprised by Pierre's psychological depth, seeing as the majority of the book takes place amid his warring thoughts. Another thing to note was the fantastic imagery of the port town le
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Dec 13, 2010
Liam
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"Illusion of beauty -- a human convention! Illusion of ugliness -- a matter of opinion! Illusion of truth -- never constant! Illusion of the vile -- attractive to so many! The great artists are those that impose their personal illusion on mankind." (9)
"Pierre was having one of those gloomy days when you look into every corner of your soul and shake out the creases." (44)
"Without the two of you it would be empty, black and empty as the night. I wo More...
"Pierre was having one of those gloomy days when you look into every corner of your soul and shake out the creases." (44)
"Without the two of you it would be empty, black and empty as the night. I wo More...
Nov 18, 2010
Genevieve
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I came to read this book in a peculiar way: I found it lying on a city sidewalk, late at night. As there was no one in sight who could have dropped it, I took the book home. Its previous owner had clearly been a student; the pages were full of underlining and English translations of words (not always quite exact). Anyway I enjoyed the book very much, although 'enjoy' is perhaps the wrong term for a story of a family unraveling. The way that Maupassant shows us his characters' thoughts, and t
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Oct 10, 2010
Scott
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4-Star rating for Pierre et Jean.
Much has been made by historians of literature, and in the preface of this very edition, of the importance Guy de Maupassant’s “Pierre et Jean” plays in the shift in French literature from the traditional realist novel to a newfound concern with the interiority of characters. However, it is equally important to note that such a distinction is not only of academic interest, but it is also what makes this short novel, from a writer more famed for his s More...
Much has been made by historians of literature, and in the preface of this very edition, of the importance Guy de Maupassant’s “Pierre et Jean” plays in the shift in French literature from the traditional realist novel to a newfound concern with the interiority of characters. However, it is equally important to note that such a distinction is not only of academic interest, but it is also what makes this short novel, from a writer more famed for his s More...
Sep 19, 2011
MJ
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Unlike Robbe-Grillet’s predatory eyes and unspoken menace, Maupassant offers a tale of overt bitter jealousy, with a healthy dose of bastardism thrown into the mix. Jean is the sole inheritor of a family friend’s fortune, leaving his brother Pierre dazed as to his own bad luck. Quite rightly in that situation, you’d be gutted—nothing for me? who was this tosser? So Pierre arrives at a simple conclusion that tears his family apart, all very suddenly, after many pleasant pages of boating and court
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Jun 24, 2009
Barry
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i grabbed this cuz i recognize the author's name being mentioned with other fogie frogs like the Madam Bovary guy and maybe Proust or something, and I think he's a contemporary of Paul Verlaine who I'm a fan of - so far, I'm enjoying it, altho some soap opera-ish elements are cropping in but I recognize how petty and futile it'd be to judge on such modern prejudices - it's sorta just a palette-cleanser for me as the other thing I'm reading is taking me a while cuz of scheduling so I needed to ge
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Jul 13, 2009
Leslie
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Well. This book does have all the language and style that I crave. The scenery was lovely. The description of a day spent catching shrimp was lovely to read. However, the brother, Pierre, who is so wretched, wanted a good smacking. How I wished I could reach into the pages and smack him. And then, all of a sudden, I realized that he wasn't delusional, but right. How I wanted him to be wrong. He was nasty though, and I hated him. Then, I felt sorry for him. Then I felt sorry for every d
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Jul 31, 2011
A fine litle novella from a great French novelist. Familial harmony is shattered when one of two brothers receives an unexpected inheritance from a family friend. The older brother cannot understand why his younger brother should receive all the inheritance, until realisation dawns that the family friend may have been closer than any of them thought. Sibling rivalry erupts, and the story ends with a beautifully understated, but very reasonable conclusion.
Apr 06, 2008
Joshua
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I'm a fan of french literature, which i find odd, but its true none-the-less. I like stories that set a nice scene of France or countries in which french is spoken. I credit this to my love of French Soccer, in which many years ago I would watch the French Soccer highlight show every week and familiarize myself with the towns/cities of France. That show was cancelled and i'm still pissed about that.
Pierre And Jean takes place in Normandie in Le Havre which is a seaside port town. More...
Pierre And Jean takes place in Normandie in Le Havre which is a seaside port town. More...
Jun 29, 2011
Quentin
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J'aime beaucoup le style de Maupassant dans ce livre, à la fois simple, clair et précis. Le roman raconte une histoire d'héritage qui va opposer deux frères dans une famille bourgeoise du Havre. L'auteur analyse les conséquences de l'arrivée d'une telle somme dans une famille, notamment à travers le psychologie des personnages. Ce livre me fait d'ailleurs un peu penser à un policier mais de l'esprit.
thèmes : le contraste (blanc/noir), la pêche, l'argent.
thèmes : le contraste (blanc/noir), la pêche, l'argent.
May 22, 2010
Karen
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Another from the 1001 list, but I really love Maupassant. His characters are so real and so human. One brother receives a large inheritance and the other gets nothing - wouldn't you want to know why. Money and envy always lead to bad things, but don't we all think that life would be perfect is only we had money. This shows us the danger in that belief.
Sep 03, 2009
So far, the vocabulary and grammar seem to be at a decent level for me. There are a fair amount of words I don't know, but I can usually puzzle out the basics of what's going on. Much better than the french book I checked out of the library, which was way too abstract and complex, syntactically.
Aug 03, 2011
Sebas
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It was hard to read this book, as I read it in French and my French is still not very good.
I think the idea is fine, but some of the descriptions are too long and detailed. Some of them use specific language, boat details for example, and at some points the book becomes quite boring.
Apart from those parts where I got lost and couldnt understand what was happening, because of my French, it was a good book.
I think the idea is fine, but some of the descriptions are too long and detailed. Some of them use specific language, boat details for example, and at some points the book becomes quite boring.
Apart from those parts where I got lost and couldnt understand what was happening, because of my French, it was a good book.
Dec 31, 2011
Portia
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This was lovely. I immediately found the relation between Maupassant and Maugham, it was wonderufl, really. this story depicts the way in which the subtle jealousy between two brothers exploded with the coming of the death of a family friend. I really enjoyed this, good work.
Jul 19, 2009
Linny
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Jul 20, 2010
Ris
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Loving me some de Maupassant. His short stories are probably the best, but this was a delightful read. The story flows in such a natural way, but I really couldn't tell how it would end.
Nov 15, 2011
Janet
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A gem of a novella...well drawn characters, sense of place, and period. The family tale of tragedy is written in deMaupassant's clean, beautiful prose to it's poignant end.
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Feb 10, 2012
Lisa
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Outstanding story of love, jealousy, suspicions and intrigue within a family. Extraordinary descriptions to the physical surroundings, beautiful.
May 13, 2009
Tara
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I read this because it's on my 100 Books list, and found myself v.much enjoying it. The style (at least in translation) is both readable and elegant and I found the content pleasantly reminiscent of Zola, in that there is a strong focus on human nature and failings.
Aug 10, 2011
Matthieu
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Mon premier Maupassant! C'est un roman naturaliste très épuré (peu de personnages, peu d'à-côté, peu de pages). J'ai bien aimé.
Dec 04, 2011
Margaret
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Enjoyed reading this book. An inheritance from out of the blue sends a family tumbling. Good stuff.
Dec 31, 2010
Frenchreader
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La bourgeoisie française de XIXè siècle et ses travers...
Un délice!
Un délice!
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Mar 20, 2011
Zhuoshi
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Mar 23, 2010
Marthe
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Ach! I'm reading it in English, but I could only link to the French edition somehow. . .
