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Flesh and Blood
Flesh and Francois Flesh and Carroll & Graf Publishers, FIRST First Edition, First Printing. Published by Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc., 1989. Octavo. Paperback. Book is like new. 100% positive feedback. 30 day money back guarantee. NEXT DAY SHIPPING! Excellent customer service. Please email with any questions. All books packed carefully and ship with free delivery confirmation/tracking. All books come with free bookmarks. Ships from Sag Harbor, New York.Seller 330580 Literature We Buy Books! Collections - Libraries - Estates - Individual Titles. Message us if you have books to sell!
190 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1920
1 person is currently reading
67 people want to read
About the author
François Mauriac
574 books411 followersFrançois Charles Mauriac was a French writer and a member of the Académie française. He was awarded the 1952 Nobel Prize in Literature "for the deep spiritual insight and the artistic intensity with which he has in his novels penetrated the drama of human life." Mauriac is acknowledged to be one of the greatest Roman Catholic writers of the 20th century.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 3, 2009
I've been on a Francois Mauriac kick for the last few months, but I have to say Flesh and Blood is my favorite so far. A few hours after finishing it this afternoon, I subconsciously went so far as to add Mauriac to my personal top five authors. He really impressed me with this one. It was one of those books which, after the last sentence, you hold against your heart.
My favorite part was that it was not one of those overly pious "Catholic" novels that so annoy me chez Graham Greene and his kind (my love of the End of the Affair notwithstanding). Flesh and Blood was not pious, or even spiritual. It was fleshly, and bloody, and sensual. It was about life, not death or the afterlife, and that was what gave it such beauty.
Balzac fans will especially enjoy this one - not only are there little references to Illusions Perdues scattered throughout, but the characters, especially Edward, are Balzacien in the best possible sense. Mauriac's Paris and Lur are like Balzac's Paris and Angouleme in that both worlds (overlapping as much as they do) are infinitely more attractive and habitable - in the end, more real - than the real world.
Read it! You might love it.
My favorite part was that it was not one of those overly pious "Catholic" novels that so annoy me chez Graham Greene and his kind (my love of the End of the Affair notwithstanding). Flesh and Blood was not pious, or even spiritual. It was fleshly, and bloody, and sensual. It was about life, not death or the afterlife, and that was what gave it such beauty.
Balzac fans will especially enjoy this one - not only are there little references to Illusions Perdues scattered throughout, but the characters, especially Edward, are Balzacien in the best possible sense. Mauriac's Paris and Lur are like Balzac's Paris and Angouleme in that both worlds (overlapping as much as they do) are infinitely more attractive and habitable - in the end, more real - than the real world.
Read it! You might love it.
January 12, 2015
This book is truly awful. Imagine an unhappy romance conducted through vague allusions to Pascal, and laughing corrections about standard misconceptions of papal infallibility and the selling of indulgences. Then imagine that this love is sacrificed and legitimatized so that the female can realize the ultimate emptiness of protestantism and can become a Catholic baby machine with another man. Even better the generic aesthete brother kills himself due to his inablity to have any kind of faith or meaningful commitment.
This was amusing in a totally unintentional way. This is probably one of the worst books that I have ever read, including that romance novel I shamefacedly checked out of the public library when I was 15 (and yes read cover to cover). It is an educational experience that this stuff could be published and that the author could be a Nobel prize winner (not that I had any delusions about that being a standard of ideal literary merit left).
This was amusing in a totally unintentional way. This is probably one of the worst books that I have ever read, including that romance novel I shamefacedly checked out of the public library when I was 15 (and yes read cover to cover). It is an educational experience that this stuff could be published and that the author could be a Nobel prize winner (not that I had any delusions about that being a standard of ideal literary merit left).
January 19, 2016
I'm sure I'd have given this 4* if I properly understood it. Mauriac is so heavy that I'm sure you could get a lot more out of it on a second read. I know I missed a lot. This is literature well worth tearing apart in a good French Lit class. Sadly, I'm not aware of any courses that study Mauriac. His novels are short (~2oo pp) but incredibly meaty. They are difficult, and in my opinion too profound to grasp fully in one or even two readings. That is why I have bought all his books that libraries don't keep. Mauriac's books provoke a lot of thought and take time to figure out. I really wish I could read them in the original French. Here's a great writing sample from this one (The punctuation is a train wreck - it reads like a script, but that is the translator's issue.):
"The instinct of self-protection, of self-preservation, develops in women who have no one but themselves to look to, a calculated savagery, a subtlety of graded spitefulness, which can progress through all the stages leading from simple backbiting to spiritual murder."
Yes - I've met one or two of those. The longer you're single, the more you meet.
"The instinct of self-protection, of self-preservation, develops in women who have no one but themselves to look to, a calculated savagery, a subtlety of graded spitefulness, which can progress through all the stages leading from simple backbiting to spiritual murder."
Yes - I've met one or two of those. The longer you're single, the more you meet.
July 14, 2018
My favorite thing about this book was the lush description of the French countryside--very beautiful, at least in the English translation. I keep wondering how it comes off in the original French. Lots of special plants to look up, like mignonette, hornbeam, and syringa, not to mention the orangery.
The story at first reminded me some of L.P. Hartley's short novels, with the limited cast of characters, the dense feeling of drama, and the relationship-across-class themes, but it soon morphed into something else, what with the religious pacts and conversions, people leaving the confines of the estate, the reversals and ultimatums. This is another book that I think I read in too disjointed a way over too long a time; the arc is surprising but tight and would probably have greatest effect when experienced in 2 to 3 sittings.
The story at first reminded me some of L.P. Hartley's short novels, with the limited cast of characters, the dense feeling of drama, and the relationship-across-class themes, but it soon morphed into something else, what with the religious pacts and conversions, people leaving the confines of the estate, the reversals and ultimatums. This is another book that I think I read in too disjointed a way over too long a time; the arc is surprising but tight and would probably have greatest effect when experienced in 2 to 3 sittings.
September 6, 2016
The book was typically French, at least to me. A lot of social climbing, a lot of leftover Victorian rejection, and a lot of pseudo-intellectual Catholic bashing.
It was ok. Not bad in the sense that it caused an emotional negative reaction in me. I just couldn't ever get into it. I suppose I was too disconnected from the work, even though it seemed obvious that I should identify with at least one character.
It was ok. Not bad in the sense that it caused an emotional negative reaction in me. I just couldn't ever get into it. I suppose I was too disconnected from the work, even though it seemed obvious that I should identify with at least one character.
November 21, 2010
I think this may be my favourite Mauriac book...
February 25, 2012
I really liked the Claude and May story/stories, and disliked Edward/Edith's. Good writing but felt rushed. Also, tons of typos in there.
Want to Read
December 2, 2015Free download available at Project Gutenberg.
April 30, 2024
DNF
Shit writing
Shit writing
August 28, 2024
A young man of peasant origins becomes infatuated with the sister of his new friend Edward, son of a wealthy landowner. The story of Flesh and Blood may seem like a typical tale of riches and poverty, of doomed love, and of an overindulgent attachment to worldly pleasures rather than the core of what really matters. In actuality, though, it raises deeper and more profound issues regarding life, death, love, and the significance of having faith in God.
Well-known, Nobel Prize-winning French novelist Francois Mauriac creates complex characters that, in spite of their disparate social classes, cultural backgrounds, customs, and beliefs, struggle with who they are and how to define their identities. A book filled with secrets, revelations, and the pursuit of elusive solutions.
Well-known, Nobel Prize-winning French novelist Francois Mauriac creates complex characters that, in spite of their disparate social classes, cultural backgrounds, customs, and beliefs, struggle with who they are and how to define their identities. A book filled with secrets, revelations, and the pursuit of elusive solutions.
September 29, 2025
Blind pull from Rizal Library. Followed the gist of the narrative, but was never fully invested in it. Most of what I cherished about this work was how its prose evoked the vivacity and lushness of the Parisian scenes. In this way is Mauriac good.
November 25, 2022
Although I read this English, I had trouble keeping the characters straight, even though they were few. Maybe re reading it would fix that but too many books and too little time. So moving on.
November 26, 2022
Nevera quite figures put the characters although they we're few. Read in English my first language.
September 19, 2025
呃朋友总共就两男两女四个主要人物你就把“女性总是越来越俗而男性总是关键时刻暴露出纯洁和精神化的内在”这个可怕的套路重复了两次是不是没完了？？………………其实还是有不少零散未定型的新东西让人觉得有什么更完整的新意即将生长出来，尤其是两个新教徒（？）以截然相反的方式接受了天主教，感觉是非常有潜力的构思，虽然最终无可救药地淹没在性别刻板印象里了。
September 21, 2023
i didnt like the ending
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews