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Moi, Olympe de Gouges
« Face aux reflets du soleil levant, au rose noyé des brumes sur l’étang, je fais le serment de chercher à m’élever, à progresser toute ma vie et d’en payer le prix. » Marie Gouze, une jeune provinciale née en 1748, mariée contre son gré, devient veuve et monte à Paris avec son petit garçon.
Ni courtisane ni soumise, elle prend le nom d’Olympe de Gouges.
En élargissant ses enjeux personnels à ceux de la Révolution française, elle rejoint le courant d’une époque et s'illustre dans la défense des droits des femmes.
La plupart des faits historiques cités sont exacts. Mais ceci est un roman. Le chemin qui mène une jeune fille soumise à devenir une femme libre est de tous les temps.
Ni courtisane ni soumise, elle prend le nom d’Olympe de Gouges.
En élargissant ses enjeux personnels à ceux de la Révolution française, elle rejoint le courant d’une époque et s'illustre dans la défense des droits des femmes.
La plupart des faits historiques cités sont exacts. Mais ceci est un roman. Le chemin qui mène une jeune fille soumise à devenir une femme libre est de tous les temps.
268 pages, Paperback
First published March 4, 2009
8 people want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
September 30, 2024
DNF.
At first, this book seemed like it would be right up my alley. I love reading historical fiction biographies to better get to know different people from the past, and then follow up with comparing fact vs fiction.
The book is written in clear, easy-to-understand French, rather than heavy academic language, which is also nice. But this is also part of what ultimately killed my interest in it.
The author writes in such a contemporary-feeling way that you lose all sense of the past. And worse still, she writes in a sort of abstract way that makes you feel more like you're reading a poem about Olympe de Gouges rather than having her speak to you and share her story.
There was also a bit of weirdness with events; at one point, the author mentions a fire at the Palais Royal - something that did take place, but a few years earlier than it does in her story. Still, okay, many writers and filmmakers play with time a bit when it comes to historical fiction. But then, Grimm writes that the entire Palais Royal burnt down and had to be rebuilt, which is absolutely not true. It made me wonder if this was some sort of alternate reality. I don't think that was Grimm's goal, but I can't for the life of me think of any other reason she'd do this. It doesn't seem particularly important to the plot, and it also seems to throw away the important role the Palais Royal would play in the lead-up to the French Revolution. Very, very strange.
I only got through about 60 or so pages of this before I decided it just wasn't for me. It was ultimately the disconnected feeling I had - I cannot for the life of me tell you anything that seems real or true or known about Olympe de Gouges based on this book. I might not have minded it if this were some little-known historical figure or maybe if the author had a different style or context for the book. For example, the novel "Little" is a fictionalized biography of Madame Tussaud's life, but it's presented that way.
I also just didn't like the writing style.
That doesn't mean this isn't a book worth reading, just that it wasn't something I felt like I wanted to continue reading.
At first, this book seemed like it would be right up my alley. I love reading historical fiction biographies to better get to know different people from the past, and then follow up with comparing fact vs fiction.
The book is written in clear, easy-to-understand French, rather than heavy academic language, which is also nice. But this is also part of what ultimately killed my interest in it.
The author writes in such a contemporary-feeling way that you lose all sense of the past. And worse still, she writes in a sort of abstract way that makes you feel more like you're reading a poem about Olympe de Gouges rather than having her speak to you and share her story.
There was also a bit of weirdness with events; at one point, the author mentions a fire at the Palais Royal - something that did take place, but a few years earlier than it does in her story. Still, okay, many writers and filmmakers play with time a bit when it comes to historical fiction. But then, Grimm writes that the entire Palais Royal burnt down and had to be rebuilt, which is absolutely not true. It made me wonder if this was some sort of alternate reality. I don't think that was Grimm's goal, but I can't for the life of me think of any other reason she'd do this. It doesn't seem particularly important to the plot, and it also seems to throw away the important role the Palais Royal would play in the lead-up to the French Revolution. Very, very strange.
I only got through about 60 or so pages of this before I decided it just wasn't for me. It was ultimately the disconnected feeling I had - I cannot for the life of me tell you anything that seems real or true or known about Olympe de Gouges based on this book. I might not have minded it if this were some little-known historical figure or maybe if the author had a different style or context for the book. For example, the novel "Little" is a fictionalized biography of Madame Tussaud's life, but it's presented that way.
I also just didn't like the writing style.
That doesn't mean this isn't a book worth reading, just that it wasn't something I felt like I wanted to continue reading.
Displaying 1 of 1 review