N'oublie pas d'être heureuse

by Christine Orban

224pages. poche. Poche.

224 pages, Pocket Book

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

CHRISTINE ORBAN was born and raised in Casablanca, Morocco. An award-winning horse rider, she is also the author of twelve French novels, among them the national bestsellers Fringues and Le Silence des Hommes, are national bestsellers.
She lives in Paris with her husband and two sons.

Reviews

[Delphine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Les quelques romans de Christine Orban que j'avais lu m'avait fait poser la question, fort méchante je le reconnais, si le fait d'être "femme de" n'aidait pas à être publiée. Sur les conseils d'une lectrice, j'ai donc testé N'oublie pas d'être heureuse de Christine Orban. Et bien, je suis toujours aussi sceptique.

Ce roman s'inspire des souvenirs de jeunesse de l'auteur à Fédala, les peurs que peut avoir une petite fille, son désir de voir, de vivre à Paris, ses rêves et ses espoirs. Mais cette accumulation d'anecdotes m'a complètement laissé de marbre. L'auteur reste à la surface des choses, ne gratte pas vraiment où cela pourrait faire mal. On survole, on voit de loin, "Christine Orban enfant vue du ciel". Bref, je ne me suis jamais attachée à ses personnages.

[Birgit · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very superficial!

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Grâce au style de l'auteur, la lecture est simple. Mais cet ouvrage est aussi intéressant qu'un rat mort !

[Sophie Songe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maria-Lila grows up wrapped in the warmth of a close-knit family, steeped in traditions and oriental scents, a protective world where childhood takes root gently. Yet with each visit from Fifi, her Parisian godmother, another life appears in the background: freer, bolder, awakening a growing curiosity for elsewhere. To leave or to stay, through this intimate pull, the novel explores the stirrings of the heart and the first fractures born of choice.

The characters:
- Maria-Lila is a heroine of the in-between. An attentive child turned hesitant adolescent, she embodies the tension between loyalty to her origins and the desire for emancipation. Her sensitivity, nourished by memories and deep attachments, collides with the call of a wider world, rich in promise yet fraught with doubt.
- Fifi, the godmother, acts as a catalyst. A figure of elsewhere and of freedom, she introduces the idea that another life is possible. Through her presence, she cracks the reassuring frame of childhood and opens a breach toward imagination, ambition, and risk.

At its core, this is a story about roots and choices. This coming-of-age novel carries us through the tenderness and memories of childhood, those that shape identity and to which we cling, almost in spite of ourselves.

But Christine Orban also casts a lucid gaze on adolescence, that pivotal age that urges one toward the unknown. Doubts, contradictions, and thwarted impulses are rendered with great delicacy. We witness a sometimes turbulent dance between being and appearing, between hoped-for happiness and silent compromise.

The writing is fluid, tinged with nostalgia, and we allow ourselves to be carried along by this wave of bittersweet emotion. Carefully chosen moments of life take on a universal resonance. Within them lies a simple, precious truth, an authenticity that, ideally, should never leave us.

[Marta · Rating 2 out of 5]

N'oublie pas d'être heureuse (2009)

Deludente: non lascia nulla, il finale è forzatissimo e lacunoso (neanche viene detto cosa farà la protagonista in futuro).
Confusionario: non è chiara la dimensione temporale in cui si svolgono i fatti.
Superficiale: si riduce tutto a girare attorno all'essere snob, ma come si può ridurre tutta Parigi a questo? Se Maria-Lila non si trovava bene in un certo ambiente poteva cercare altrove, probabilmente è proprio lei la prima snob.

"Bisognava abbandonare Fédala anche per non diventare una donna che piange, che aspetta, che non controlla niente, né la sua vita né le sue emozioni, una donna che affonda. Ecco." pag. 60

[Orma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mi ha lasciato la sensazione di qualcosa d'incompiuto. Troppa fretta e superficialità, forse.

[Vale Casa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Uno dei libri peggiori mai letti. Trama noiosa e inconcludente. Frasi sconnesse le une dalle altre

[Isabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ce sont des sentiments charmants et naturels que l'on découvre dans ce petit livre : un contraste de la jeunesse façon monde adulte.

[so · Rating 3 out of 5]

- Je me dis que j'ai connu le bonheur, sans le savoir, un bonheur de dormeur.

[Leggere A Colori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una storia scritta con eleganza, attraverso una prosa sobria ed altamente introspettiva. La protagonista parla in prima persona, o meglio, le sue sono soprattutto delle riflessioni espresse ad alta voce. Si interroga, si risponde, torna a scandagliare il proprio animo che diventa tormento condiviso dalla società intera. L’illusione e la relativa disillusione che ne deriva, sono i cardini attorno ai quali ruota l’intera storia.

Continua a leggere su
http://www.leggereacolori.com/letti-e...

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am disappointed. I really thought her Silence des Hommes was very interesting and sexy and insightful, but this seems retread - been there done that thing about the fish out of water in Paris. Too bad.

[Laetitia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I live away from my country. I always dreamed to live abroad and explore the world. This book spoke to me and I was able to relate with Maria Lilla, which definitely made the book more interesting. Other than that, the style has nothing particular, but the story is worth your time :)

[Lili · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the most interesting read and then the ending was bad! But at least i read sth in French.

[Lili · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tres tres joliement ecrit. Sur le bonheur de vivre !

[Princy Stelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

senza alcun senso

[Kintanah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Malgré une belle plume, le synopsis de l'histoire n'a aucun rebondissements et manque terriblement d'originalité. Et la chute est plus que décevante.

[MauroMC · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a couple of week I did change some books with my sister. As I got this one in my hand, I didn't know anything about it and about the author. So I was going to read some reviews. Most of them has been negative. Nevertheless I decided to give the book a chance and I have to admit, I liked it!
Orban let a young woman talk about her life in a little town in Marocco. About the family, the friendships, the difficulties and the dreams. After the young lady moves to Paris we can read about this world city from a very peculiar point of view. All together it gives us an interesting perspective of 2 different worlds during the last century.
Interesting also the thoughts about the role of the woman in the different societies, the relationships between rich and poor, the role of the family and the frienships.
I do not regret to giving a chance to the book ;)

[Marfi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Je me suis laissée portée par la douceur du récit, mais je suis déçue. Il manque des ingrédients par-ci par-là qu'elle essaie de rattraper à la fin par un événement qui fait simplement grumeau à l'ensemble. Dommage.