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Marc Marronnier #2-3
Holiday in a Coma & Love Lasts Three Years
One night in a Parisian nightclub and the aftermath of a marriage provide the stories for these two novels by Frederic Beigbeder, award-winning author of ‘Windows on the World’.
In ‘Holiday in a Coma’, Marc Marronnier, a shallow, superficial, rich Parisian who works as an advertising executive, is invited by his old friend to the opening of a new nightclub called The Shitter (a satirical take on the famous Paris nightclub Les Bains Douche). Taking place over a single unforgettable night, the novel documents everything from the pit-bull bouncer on the door, to the drugs, cocktails and wannabes who frequent the club, and Marc’s attempts to seduce a catwalk model – any one will do. A catalogue of degeneracy, drugs, sex and decibels, ‘Holiday in a Coma’ is written with a fury and passion that reflect the author's own relationship with a world and he both loves and loathes.
In ‘Love Lasts Three Years’, Marc Marronnier has just been divorced and – shallow opportunist that he is – has decided to write a book about it. He has a theory that love lasts no more than three years, and here – recounting the highs and lows of his marriage and taking us through brash nightclubs, vainglorious offices and soulless designer apartments – he brings to bear the theoretical and the empirical to prove his point. Both frightening and funny, the book reads like a diary: sometimes tender and real, sometimes fantastical and cruel, peppered with Beigbeder’s acerbic one-liners and trademark wit.
In ‘Holiday in a Coma’, Marc Marronnier, a shallow, superficial, rich Parisian who works as an advertising executive, is invited by his old friend to the opening of a new nightclub called The Shitter (a satirical take on the famous Paris nightclub Les Bains Douche). Taking place over a single unforgettable night, the novel documents everything from the pit-bull bouncer on the door, to the drugs, cocktails and wannabes who frequent the club, and Marc’s attempts to seduce a catwalk model – any one will do. A catalogue of degeneracy, drugs, sex and decibels, ‘Holiday in a Coma’ is written with a fury and passion that reflect the author's own relationship with a world and he both loves and loathes.
In ‘Love Lasts Three Years’, Marc Marronnier has just been divorced and – shallow opportunist that he is – has decided to write a book about it. He has a theory that love lasts no more than three years, and here – recounting the highs and lows of his marriage and taking us through brash nightclubs, vainglorious offices and soulless designer apartments – he brings to bear the theoretical and the empirical to prove his point. Both frightening and funny, the book reads like a diary: sometimes tender and real, sometimes fantastical and cruel, peppered with Beigbeder’s acerbic one-liners and trademark wit.
307 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2008
57 people are currently reading
343 people want to read
About the author
Frédéric Beigbeder
64 books1,727 followersBeigbeder was born into a privileged family in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. His mother, Christine de Chasteigner, is a translator of mawkish novels ( Barbara Cartland et al.); his father, Jean-Michel Beigbeder, is a headhunter. He studied at the Lycée Montaigne and Louis-le-Grand, and later at the Institut D'Etudes Politiques de Paris. Upon graduation at the at the age of 24, began work as an advertising executive, author, broadcaster, publisher, and dilettante.
In 1994, Beigbeder founded the "Prix de Flore", which takes its name from the famous and plush Café de Flore in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. The prize is awarded annually to a promising young French author. Vincent Ravalec, Jacques A. Bertrand, Michel Houellebecq are among those who have won the prize. In 2004, the tenth anniversary of the prize, it was awarded to the only American to ever receive it, Bruce Benderson. Two of Beigbeder's novels, 99 Francs (Jan Kounen, 2007) and L'amour dure trois ans (Beigbeder, 2011), have been adapted for the cinema.
In 2002, he presented the TV talk show "Hypershow" on French channel Canal+, co-presented with Jonathan Lambert, Sabine Crossen and Henda. That year he also advised French Communist Party candidate Robert Hue in the presidential election.
He worked for a few years as a publisher for Flammarion. He left Flammarion in 2006.
In May 2007 he spent time in the United States to shoot a film about the reclusive American author, J.D. Salinger.
In 1994, Beigbeder founded the "Prix de Flore", which takes its name from the famous and plush Café de Flore in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. The prize is awarded annually to a promising young French author. Vincent Ravalec, Jacques A. Bertrand, Michel Houellebecq are among those who have won the prize. In 2004, the tenth anniversary of the prize, it was awarded to the only American to ever receive it, Bruce Benderson. Two of Beigbeder's novels, 99 Francs (Jan Kounen, 2007) and L'amour dure trois ans (Beigbeder, 2011), have been adapted for the cinema.
In 2002, he presented the TV talk show "Hypershow" on French channel Canal+, co-presented with Jonathan Lambert, Sabine Crossen and Henda. That year he also advised French Communist Party candidate Robert Hue in the presidential election.
He worked for a few years as a publisher for Flammarion. He left Flammarion in 2006.
In May 2007 he spent time in the United States to shoot a film about the reclusive American author, J.D. Salinger.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
May 17, 2011
Absolute shit
December 13, 2011
Without trying to offend anyone i think its a men's book. I found it very interesting and some of the character's questions went through my mind a few times during my life. I enjoyed it very much.
January 24, 2014
Прочетох "Любовта трае три години" за една нощ,не защото книгата е толкова завладяваща та не те оставя да я пуснеш,а просто защото е малка лесно четима и някак въздушна- и в това е може би най-големия и плюс.Какво да кажа-модното не винаги е стойностно...Да,в книгата има много неизказани на глас истини, които преминават през главата на всеки един от нас в даден момент,но това прави книгата да прилича повече на дневник на някой пораснал и не съвсем тинейджър от колкото на роман...Това е книга която е идеална за някой мързелив следобед на плажа или след края на една от онези книги които наистина оставят следа в теб и те карат да се връщаш отново, и отново към тях в мислите си.
Това е моят втори опит да чета Фредерик Бегбеде,преди време се бях пробвала и с "Разкази под екстази" и вече със сигурност знам,че не е за мен.Толкова много хубави книги ме чакат,че мисля да спра с опитите до тук.
В заключени ще цитирам любимото си изречение от книжката:
„Най-прекрасните празници са тези, които се случват вътре в нас.“-кратко,точно и красиво...като сентенция от лексикон.
Това е моят втори опит да чета Фредерик Бегбеде,преди време се бях пробвала и с "Разкази под екстази" и вече със сигурност знам,че не е за мен.Толкова много хубави книги ме чакат,че мисля да спра с опитите до тук.
В заключени ще цитирам любимото си изречение от книжката:
„Най-прекрасните празници са тези, които се случват вътре в нас.“-кратко,точно и красиво...като сентенция от лексикон.
July 11, 2014
Though 'Love Last Three Years' starts off on a very depressing note, it picks up toward the end. I didn't like the narrator because he seemed very selfish and arrogant, and was too self-loathing and suicidal at one point. I kept reading because he was occasionally funny and his voice was honest--though I disagreed with plenty that he said. The other reason I didn't like the beginning is because it reads like his personal essay on 'why love lasts only three years' and other introspective mental wanderings rather than an actual story. It's called a novel on the cover and I expected a novel. His writing doesn't even resemble a story until the last third of the text. By the end of it, he's in a new, promising relationship, but it left me quite concerned for his new girlfriend's well-being and future with him.
August 9, 2017
2 stars for "Holiday in a Coma," and 4 stars for "Love Lasts Three Years" brings this to a 3 star rating overall. This book is pretty easy to read, and he does have some deep thoughts amidst all of the chauvinistic ramble. It's definitely not a book for everyone, and it's filled with controversial musings-but I appreciated some of his melancholic epiphanies.
January 11, 2011
Two electrifying short novels from a witty and provocative Frenchie. The first is a gruesome satire about single life in celeb Paree, the second a lovesick rant about doomed romance. For all their spume and bile and fight, both books turn out to be surprisingly touching.
December 26, 2016
Minor celebrity/journo goes to a glitzy b-list party in the first novella and suffers from a marriage breakup in the second.
Odd little pieces. Don't outlast their welcome, which would have been quite easy to do had they been longer. Some wisdom (of sorts) to be found in the second part, but nothing much you couldn't find (in a more entertaining way) in a Nick Hornby book.
Rated M for sex, drugs and rocknroll. 2/5
Odd little pieces. Don't outlast their welcome, which would have been quite easy to do had they been longer. Some wisdom (of sorts) to be found in the second part, but nothing much you couldn't find (in a more entertaining way) in a Nick Hornby book.
Rated M for sex, drugs and rocknroll. 2/5
December 29, 2010
A book that drags a bit in terms of (a bit redundantly) describing a high profile page3 party. But then the tempo builds towards the end.The climax comes with a twist that is radical and scary.
Not for the boring. Not for the sedentary. Not for the meek hearted.
Not for the boring. Not for the sedentary. Not for the meek hearted.
September 27, 2018
The first is a "funny" if slightly tiresome satire of upper crust partiers, a la Tom Wolfe or Bret Easton Ellis.
The second is much better, an utterly believable love story presented as a monologue in an actually funny, compelling voice.
The second is much better, an utterly believable love story presented as a monologue in an actually funny, compelling voice.
June 10, 2009
an incredibly witty, cynical take on love, both hilarious and wise. though occasionally over-the-top, most of his commentary is right on point.
September 25, 2011
Fast and interesting read, but too chaotic, too absurd and nonlikable in the end.
August 24, 2014
Whilst "Love lasts three years" did offer points to take away and I would have gladly given it a 4-star rating because of it, I can hardly say the same about "Holiday in a Coma"
September 19, 2014
Очаквах нещо повече от тази книга. Толкова хвалби чух за нея, че сега се чувствам "измамена " :) Сега остава да а прочета и "50 нюанса сиво" и съвсем ще загубя добрия си вкус за книги...
May 18, 2016
provoking story told with such intensity it's hard to pause once you start
August 9, 2016
"Holiday in a coma" was pretentious to the point of unreadable. "Love lasts three years" was much better in comparison, but still does not quite live up to the hype.
May 17, 2019
Muy entretenido, fino sentido del humor
May 11, 2025
Holiday in a Coma
💭 Why the book stayed with me:
Because it fried my brain — and I loved it. I read Holiday in a Coma with Google permanently open. Beigbeder doesn’t let you skim or get too comfortable. He’s like a noisy, complicated guest at a party: loud, provocative, impossibly clever. Even when you close the book, he doesn’t leave — he lingers, muttering in your head during barbecues, interrupting real-life conversations with one-liners about existential dread in Prada.
This isn’t just satire in high heels and barbed wire corsets (yes, literally) — it’s theatre, grotesque performance, and biting commentary. Somewhere between the club called SHIT in Place de la Madeleine (yes, that address), the DJ with gastritis, the chandeliers dripping with push-up bras, and the guests namedropped like NFT collections — fictional celebrities, fictional murderers, vapid nightlife presenters, models, designers, journalists with smooth lies and sharp jawlines — I had to ask: am I watching a circus, or am I in it too?
The food? Oysters with real pearls. Main? Rack of lamb with Smarties. The drink? A carafe of “Lobotomy.” Drug of the night? “Shit.”
This isn’t just style — it’s a scream wrapped in sequins.
💥. Ideas that make you wonder:
• This was published over 20 years ago — and not much has changed. The absurd performances of the rich, the pursuit of stimulation, the glossy detachment — it’s still here, just with better filters.
• “Love is a punnet of radishes, bought from Tarascon and eaten with a pinch of salt on a park bench.”
• “Joy is a simple thing. The day breaks. You hold someone’s hand. You walk. You breathe. You are grateful.”
• Can we lose ourselves by trying too hard to stand out?
• The fear of failing when we really try. So instead… we don’t.
• “Making people happy gets old very quickly.” So what’s left? Apathy? Detachment? A shrug?
• Emotional numbness: Joss and Clio in the same room, worlds apart. He could kiss her. He doesn’t. She finishes her drink alone.
• That 10-franc tip for the cloakroom girl vs. 500 francs to a beggar outside — guilt money, image maintenance, or both?
• Beigbeder’s world is loaded with satire but also truth: people as commodities, “I discovered her” types, commodified love.
• Watching someone spiral into existential dread while wearing designer glasses and sipping Moët. That’s the energy.
🖋️ Who will love this book:
Fans of Bret Easton Ellis, Michel Houellebecq, lovers of biting satire, postmodern absurdity, and anyone who has danced at 3am and felt empty by 6. If you like your books dazzling and damning, ridiculous and razor-sharp — this is it.
❓A question to make you curious:
Is this book a fantasy — or a diary in drag?
💭 Why the book stayed with me:
Because it fried my brain — and I loved it. I read Holiday in a Coma with Google permanently open. Beigbeder doesn’t let you skim or get too comfortable. He’s like a noisy, complicated guest at a party: loud, provocative, impossibly clever. Even when you close the book, he doesn’t leave — he lingers, muttering in your head during barbecues, interrupting real-life conversations with one-liners about existential dread in Prada.
This isn’t just satire in high heels and barbed wire corsets (yes, literally) — it’s theatre, grotesque performance, and biting commentary. Somewhere between the club called SHIT in Place de la Madeleine (yes, that address), the DJ with gastritis, the chandeliers dripping with push-up bras, and the guests namedropped like NFT collections — fictional celebrities, fictional murderers, vapid nightlife presenters, models, designers, journalists with smooth lies and sharp jawlines — I had to ask: am I watching a circus, or am I in it too?
The food? Oysters with real pearls. Main? Rack of lamb with Smarties. The drink? A carafe of “Lobotomy.” Drug of the night? “Shit.”
This isn’t just style — it’s a scream wrapped in sequins.
💥. Ideas that make you wonder:
• This was published over 20 years ago — and not much has changed. The absurd performances of the rich, the pursuit of stimulation, the glossy detachment — it’s still here, just with better filters.
• “Love is a punnet of radishes, bought from Tarascon and eaten with a pinch of salt on a park bench.”
• “Joy is a simple thing. The day breaks. You hold someone’s hand. You walk. You breathe. You are grateful.”
• Can we lose ourselves by trying too hard to stand out?
• The fear of failing when we really try. So instead… we don’t.
• “Making people happy gets old very quickly.” So what’s left? Apathy? Detachment? A shrug?
• Emotional numbness: Joss and Clio in the same room, worlds apart. He could kiss her. He doesn’t. She finishes her drink alone.
• That 10-franc tip for the cloakroom girl vs. 500 francs to a beggar outside — guilt money, image maintenance, or both?
• Beigbeder’s world is loaded with satire but also truth: people as commodities, “I discovered her” types, commodified love.
• Watching someone spiral into existential dread while wearing designer glasses and sipping Moët. That’s the energy.
🖋️ Who will love this book:
Fans of Bret Easton Ellis, Michel Houellebecq, lovers of biting satire, postmodern absurdity, and anyone who has danced at 3am and felt empty by 6. If you like your books dazzling and damning, ridiculous and razor-sharp — this is it.
❓A question to make you curious:
Is this book a fantasy — or a diary in drag?
November 24, 2021
շատ հավանեցի։ Սիրում եմ ֆրանսիական գրելաոճը։ Հաճույք եմ ստացել կարդալուց 🤍
February 1, 2022
funny and depressing but in a light hearted way
May 18, 2023
I have tried to shape my destiny, but destiny isn’t Plasticine.
March 10, 2024
My god fuck this book, miss F., Rest in peace but why did you recommend me to read this. Only finished it out of respect other than any actual enjoyment of this book.
September 21, 2011
Well it was nice to read it before sleep.. But it wasn't something SO :)
March 30, 2016
assez sympa, oui :)
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews