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27th out of 98 books
—
135 voters
Mygale
Richard Lafargue is an eminent plastic surgeon haunted by dirty secrets. He has an operating theatre in the basement of his chateau and keeps his partner Eve imprisoned in her bedroom, a room he has equipped with an intercom and 300-watt speakers through which he bellows orders. Eve is only allowed out to be paraded at cocktail parties and on the last Sunday of each month,...more
Paperback, 129 pages
Published
January 1st 2003
by City Lights Publishers
(first published 1984)
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What a beautiful monstrosity of a book! I loved it, every twisted part of it. The story centres on famed plastic surgeon Richard Lafargue who has many secrets (ones you can't even begin to imagine to know) and Eve, his partner, who he keeps looked away in her room and forces her to do unspeakable things. Obviously it's an intriguing plot however nothing can really prepare you for Lafargue's reasoning behind his actions and the final outcome. Written by Thierry Jonquet, this makes for a must rea...more
May 07, 2012
Xandra
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
transgressive,
thriller-mystery-horror,
gender,
lgbtq,
french,
favorites,
fiction-1950-1999,
reviewed
Maybe you have to be a sick and deranged individual to enjoy this. Or maybe you need to be able to detach yourself a little from your own humanity and perceive human nature with a neutral eye. One thing is clear: Tarantula is not for the faint of heart.
For me, this is hands down the best revenge book I’ve ever read! I seriously can’t imagine a more terrifying form of revenge than the one presented here (and I assure you, I have a wild imagination). Complex type of vengeance also, if you think ab...more
For me, this is hands down the best revenge book I’ve ever read! I seriously can’t imagine a more terrifying form of revenge than the one presented here (and I assure you, I have a wild imagination). Complex type of vengeance also, if you think ab...more
La historia que relata es bastante sorprendente, y a la vez está contada de manera que te tiene algo desconcertado desde el primer momento. La narración de los tres personajes principales juega contigo desde el principio para ir completando el puzzle que se desvela al final.
El único punto que no me ha acabado de convencer es la "casualidad" que hace que Alex dé con el doctor. Me parece demasiado "fantasiosa" para una historia tan cruda.
El hecho de conocer algo del argumento de la película de Alm...more
El único punto que no me ha acabado de convencer es la "casualidad" que hace que Alex dé con el doctor. Me parece demasiado "fantasiosa" para una historia tan cruda.
El hecho de conocer algo del argumento de la película de Alm...more
Take my words, This book is fascinating.
The story is a brilliant but bizarre mixture of thriller and erotica, a complicative, finely crafted tale of revenge and suffering, domination and submission, (both mental and physical) abuse and tenderness, love and hate. It shows us a heart-stoppingly violent power struggle between two 'men' and two 'women', it revealed the complicated relationship between predator and prey, prisoner and jailer.
It's difficult to comment on Mygale without spoiling the su...more
The story is a brilliant but bizarre mixture of thriller and erotica, a complicative, finely crafted tale of revenge and suffering, domination and submission, (both mental and physical) abuse and tenderness, love and hate. It shows us a heart-stoppingly violent power struggle between two 'men' and two 'women', it revealed the complicated relationship between predator and prey, prisoner and jailer.
It's difficult to comment on Mygale without spoiling the su...more
"Тарантула“, Тиери Жонке
Сред немалкото книги, които са минали през ръцете ми, има едни, които наричам „еднодневки“. Неприлично тънки, схематизиращи, а не разказващи истории. Книги, които прочиташ за минимално време, но не поради предизвикан интерес, изострящ любопитството ти, а поради щрихираността на сюжета. Малодумието на историята. Непълноценно представените герои, които вместо от плът и кръв, избуяват пред погледа като черно-бели скици.
Избягвам книгите еднодневки и никога не си ги купувам....more
Сред немалкото книги, които са минали през ръцете ми, има едни, които наричам „еднодневки“. Неприлично тънки, схематизиращи, а не разказващи истории. Книги, които прочиташ за минимално време, но не поради предизвикан интерес, изострящ любопитството ти, а поради щрихираността на сюжета. Малодумието на историята. Непълноценно представените герои, които вместо от плът и кръв, избуяват пред погледа като черно-бели скици.
Избягвам книгите еднодневки и никога не си ги купувам....more
Jul 29, 2012
Mircalla64 (free Liu Xiaobo)
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
thriller
intrighi affrettati
non sarebbe neanche brutto, se non fosse che lascia molto al caso
e che i personaggi hanno lo spessore di una sottiletta...
la storia è ovviamente iperbolica, vorrebbe essere morbosa, ma non centra del tutto il punto, mentre l'evoluzione sembra sparata in faccia, come fosse una vendetta dello scrittore contro il lettore stesso, curioso direi
il film è di gran lunga superiore, ma Almodovar sa sempre quello che fa
sotto la mia rece del film
Il dottor Robert Ledgard è un brillan...more
non sarebbe neanche brutto, se non fosse che lascia molto al caso
e che i personaggi hanno lo spessore di una sottiletta...
la storia è ovviamente iperbolica, vorrebbe essere morbosa, ma non centra del tutto il punto, mentre l'evoluzione sembra sparata in faccia, come fosse una vendetta dello scrittore contro il lettore stesso, curioso direi
il film è di gran lunga superiore, ma Almodovar sa sempre quello che fa
sotto la mia rece del film
Il dottor Robert Ledgard è un brillan...more
Clocking in at around 120pp., Jonquet’s Mygale is a fast read indeed with a few twists and turns, one which in particular is a bit incongruous with what has happened before but which the movie totally ignored.
There were two main characters in the novel: Richard Lafargue, a renowned plastic surgeon, and Eve, who may or may not be his girlfriend. Lafarque has a weird penchant for humiliating Even when it suits him. He finds Johns for her and he watches from a distance and vicariously lives off thi...more
There were two main characters in the novel: Richard Lafargue, a renowned plastic surgeon, and Eve, who may or may not be his girlfriend. Lafarque has a weird penchant for humiliating Even when it suits him. He finds Johns for her and he watches from a distance and vicariously lives off thi...more
1 like · like · see review
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Este es el libro en el que está inspirada La Piel Que Habito de Almodóvar. Le di 3 estrellas más por la historia que por el libro completo. Desde la película, la historia me cautivó, y aunque en el libro es muy distinta, mantiene la misma esencia y los diferentes caminos llevan al mismo final. Sin embargo, no fue un libro que me cautivó al leerlo. Lo terminé por compromiso, no porque me llamara la atención. No te atrapa. La forma en que escribe Thierry Jonquet es muy dispersa y fría, el lector d...more
i seriously have no idea what to say about this book. i have no idea how i feel about it. i didn't even know how many stars to give it, so i erred on the side of caution. fucked up and exploitative? interesting comment on revenge and gender? neither? both and more? i already knew the "big twist," since one of my students had to be taught the phrase "spoiler alert" during class one day, unfortunately too late, but that may have been why i read it. i would have liked to have had fresh eyes going i...more
Two stars doesn't do justice to what I thought about this. It's an average (or should that be mean?). One star for writing (clumsy), plotting (ludicrous), characterisation (non-existent). Three stars for an element of suspense that I'll grudgingly allow to the book, and for moments of genuine queasiness and revulsion as my own imagination went to work on what the book offered. But I'm not sure I'd credit a Rorschach test with creativity. On the other hand, as raw material for an Almodovar film,...more
1 like · like · see review
Kitapta üç ayrı olay dönüyor.. Bunlar birbirinden bağımsız gibi duruyor ve kitabın sonuna kadar ne okuduğunuzu bilmiyorsunuz resmen :P Ama olayları güzel bağlamış birbirine yazar. Doktor intikam için neler yapmış şaşırdım valla :S Ama tüm herşey açıklığa kavuştuğunda kitap çok saçma bitti bence :P Tam tersi olmalıydı.. Ama tabi kafayı yemişti o kişi mazur da görüyorum açıkçası :)
Anlatım tarzı da sıkıcıydı :P Sadece bir bölümü, sanki olaylar bizim başımıza geliyormuş gibi anlatmıştı yazar oralar...more
Anlatım tarzı da sıkıcıydı :P Sadece bir bölümü, sanki olaylar bizim başımıza geliyormuş gibi anlatmıştı yazar oralar...more
As twisted and disturbing as this book is, I found it too compelling to put down. There were twists and turns that combined in an 'aha' moment. I wish I could read French as I'm sure that some skilled writing may not have translated effectively. In other words, the writing was dull and unimaginative at times.
Definitely not something I'd recommend to most people as this plot comes from a dark and deranged part of the mind. But if you have a fascination with the psychotic, this book will enthrall...more
Definitely not something I'd recommend to most people as this plot comes from a dark and deranged part of the mind. But if you have a fascination with the psychotic, this book will enthrall...more
B+ After Andrew and John made me watch this incredibly demented and horrifying movie, I saw there was a book it was based on. Great, I would read it. EVEN MORE MESSED UP, if that's possible. You have to put the pieces together, it takes you a while to figure things out and it's confusing - but then suddenly, WOW, it all makes sense and it's so messed up. Interesting writing. Basically, this guy keeps this woman and abuses her and you can't figure out the situation....but wow. Twists and twists a...more
Twisted, demented, disturbing and fascinating.
Tarantula/The Skin I Live In is a story of a supremely messed-up relationship between two people who hate each other. Except they come to "love" each other because they're trapped in a messy situation together for so long together, who can understand it but each other?
Jonquet does an impressive job showing the sort of hatred-slash-dependence that happens in a truly awful home. Similar can be seen in real-life abusive, violent families. However cont...more
Tarantula/The Skin I Live In is a story of a supremely messed-up relationship between two people who hate each other. Except they come to "love" each other because they're trapped in a messy situation together for so long together, who can understand it but each other?
Jonquet does an impressive job showing the sort of hatred-slash-dependence that happens in a truly awful home. Similar can be seen in real-life abusive, violent families. However cont...more
This book was crazy. And creepy. It's well-written, admittedly, with particularly evocative and lovely descriptions in the beginning. However - and I fully concede that this may have been Jonquet's intention - it just gets away from him in the end. There's such a jarring distinction between Jonquet's matter-of-fact, extremely detached prose and the extremely extreme hijinks of the plot. Also, the eye-f--k descriptions of Eve, Richard's victim, made me deeply uncomfortable -- perhaps that was the...more
J'ai attendu avant d'écrire cette note de lecture... non pas par scepticisme, mais plutôt par manque de temps et de motivation scribale (euh, oui ça vient de mon dico perso). Et plus j'y repensais- parce que je pensais souvent à la manière de présenter cet bouquin- plus sa note augmentait dans mon esprit. C'était vraiment terrible ce livre! Et je pense bien suivre les conseils reçus en commentaire et me laisser tenter par d'autres titres. Je ne sais toujours pas comment en parler sans tout dévoi...more
Защо Ришар Лафарг е толкова жесток към красивата Ева? Каква е тайната, която свързва богатия лекар с тази фатална жена? Кой е плененият младеж, който трепери пред своя мъчител Тарантула? И какво е общото между всички тях и един банков обирджия?
Задъханата и заплетена фабула на романа ту обърква читателя, ту го настървява да гадае как ще се подредят накрая фигурите и какви са движещите сили на стремителното действие. Това е книга, която несъмнено остава в паметта на всеки, който я прочете.
Задъханата и заплетена фабула на романа ту обърква читателя, ту го настървява да гадае как ще се подредят накрая фигурите и какви са движещите сили на стремителното действие. Това е книга, която несъмнено остава в паметта на всеки, който я прочете.
Wow is all that I can say. Now this book was very good. I liked how the book was short but it was very strong. It took me about an hour to read, I simply could not put it down. I was so caught up into the book that when it got to the part when Eve was struck, I will say no more not to spoil the book, I finally put two and two together, although I think I knew in my mind, I started saying oh my gosh out loud to the point where my brother-in-law was like... ok? Loved it.
I'd actually probably give this 3 and a half stars-I've rounded up. I liked it, but the short story/novella structure doesn't very often do it for me. For the genre, it was decent but I'd have preferred a more thorough treatment. That's just a matter of personal taste though.
I had seen the film too which was hugely different and far more developed-that probably hasn't helped.
Overall though it was a creepy, sinister piece which I whizzed through-an 'enjoyable' read!
Really enjoyed this page turner. I was attracted to the book in part because I wanted to see what was behind Almodovar's movie, and I wasn't at all disappointed. I started the book and finished it in basically one sitting. I like the nonlinear plot structure. I would have appreciated a greater invitation into the protagonists psyche. All in all a great read. Wish that it didn't end.
Okay, this book gave me the heebie-jeebies, and I often wanted to take a shower every time I put it down. It was Disturbing with a capital "D". But holy twist a lot! I loved that the author took me on a ride. By the time I reached the end of the book, I completely changed my perception of the main character. Overall, it was extremely well-written. But man, disturbing. Be prepared.
A synthesis of elements from crime fiction coupled with the hint of science fiction; always pulling back at just the right point before it goes too far. There are shades of de Sade, but the sexual violence is not eroticized in quite the same manner. Almodovar's The Skin I Live in is an excellent, if independent, adaptation. Mygale is a fast read, perfect for an afternoon of dark escape.
Man, too many reviews and jacket covers of this book give wayyy too much away. It's best to go into it pretty blind. All you need to know is that it's dark and twisted, but so good. It unfolds and reveals in such a good way. That was what made it such a good read. And so much story for such a short book! I totally enjoyed it.
"Mygale" de Thierry Jonquet a inspiré "La Piel que habito" de Almodovar. C'est un petit polar fichtrement machiavélique dont la lecture a pour effet paradoxal de relativiser le talent d'Almodovar. Ceux qui ont vu le film y trouveront moins de plaisir que les autres : dès lors qu'on connaît le dénouement, l'intérêt décroît
I had the privilege of reading the book first and watch the movie later and all I have to say is that the book is so much more brilliant than the movie it really shows the history in a more exciting way and It's so realistic that I don't think that his film adaptation would have hit the road at all.
Although the story is quite interesting, there just seems to be something lacking in the text. One wonders how different it might have been if it was just a little longer. Some problems might just be in the translation. Anyway, I think Pedro Almodovar did a better job with his adaptation.
Ho letto questo libro incuriosita dal film che ne è tratto, "La pelle che abito", forse sono partita troppo entusiasta o carica di aspettative perché, che io ricordi, è la prima volta che preferisco un film al libro.
Mi ha un pó delusa e il finale non mi è piaciuto per niente.
Mi ha un pó delusa e il finale non mi è piaciuto per niente.
In questo noir perfetto le parole corrispondono alle cose - niente aggettivi superflui, niente figure retoriche, paratassi (senza ombra di sciatteria, però) - e le cose si mettono in fila una dopo l'altra con esattezza inevitabile. Inevitabile come l'odi et amo che lega vittima e carnefice.
Strange. The prose is nice and I enjoyed the style, and the explorations of gender, revenge, obsession. An unsettling book, but if you've read and liked Genet, the films of David Lynch, or other poetically strange violent obsessive works you may and enjoy it understand it.
Dec 25, 2011
Brendan
added it
This book was the basis of Almodovar's "The Skin I Live In" Almodovar made it a lot better by incorporating his usual concerns: sexual identity and fluidity, and a beautiful visual identity. I am reminded of what I always disdained about bloodless french literature and theory.
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Thierry Jonquet was a French writer who specialised in crime novels with political themes. he was born in Paris; his most recent and best known novel outside of France was Mygale (2003), which was published in English translation as Tarantula in 2005 (Serpent's Tail). He wrote over 20 novels in French, including Le bal des débris, Moloch and Rouge c'est la vie.
Jonquet died aged 55 in hospital in P...more
More about Thierry Jonquet...
Jonquet died aged 55 in hospital in P...more
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“Tu n’étais plus qu’un insecte prisonnier d’une araignée repue, qui te gardait en réserve pour un repas à venir. Elle t’avait capturé pour te savourer en toute quiétude, quand l’envie lui viendrait de goûter ton sang. Tu imaginais ses pattes velues, ses gros yeux globuleux, implacables, son ventre mou, gorgé de viande, vibrant, gélatineux, et ses crocs venimeux, sa bouche noire qui allait te sucer la vie.”
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“Tu as compté les heures, observant avec ravissement la course des aiguilles. Le temps était fictif : était-il dix heures ou vingt-deux heures, mardi ou dimanche ? Cela n’avait pas d’importance ; de nouveau tu pouvais régulariser ta vie, à midi j’ai faim, à minuit sommeil. Un rythme, quelque chose à quoi se raccrocher.”
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