2026 Reading Challenge
She Came to Stay

Questions About She Came to Stay

by Simone de Beauvoir

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Answered Questions (2)

This is a hidden gem! Anyone love it?
Susi R. wood Love is an understatement. I've read this book many times since I first discovered it 30 + yrs ago. It is enveloping, fierce and sympathetic. Maybe be…moreLove is an understatement. I've read this book many times since I first discovered it 30 + yrs ago. It is enveloping, fierce and sympathetic. Maybe because the human condition is timeless, maybe because somewhere in every woman is the one who was betrayed by a great love, the one who would rail against her fate and finally take matters into her own hands, I can't imagine any forthcoming era where this would not be accessible to the reader. The story only becomes richer with time in its historic backdrop.

Re-reading is immediately rewarding, the ending a small volcano of open-mouthed awe... reader is vaulted over that line of smoky rooms, not casual conversations, the lilt and lull of the heart into an abrupt finish that surprises every time. Well, the first few times. You will find yourself picking it up every 2 or 3 years after your first read, I think often because you simply miss their company. Who would not want to sit beside Simone and Sartre in the fading afternoon, bitter marc at your elbow, if for no other reason than to bear witness?(less)
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As I understand, Françoise was the one who met Xavière and brought her to Paris. What were her motives? Did she want someone to own, control, act as a mentor or patron? I don't think Francoise was manipulated into the situation by Pierre, because she herself enjoyed the benefits of an open relationship. I just don't understand why they were fixated on Xaviere, who was immature and irritating to them.
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Unanswered Questions (1)

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