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Claudine #3
Claudine en ménage
Claudine et Renaud ont marié et se sont installés ensemble. Mais alors arrive Rézi, une jeune femme qui perturbe l'équilibre du couple. Quand Claudine commence une liaison avec Rési, Renaud ferme les yeux sur l'adultère.
256 pages, Pocket Book
First published January 1, 1902
23 people are currently reading
877 people want to read
About the author
Colette
886 books1,733 followersColette was the pen name of the French novelist and actress Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette. She is best known, at least in the English-speaking world, for her novella Gigi, which provided the plot for a famous Lerner & Loewe musical film and stage musical. She started her writing career penning the influential Claudine novels of books. The novel Chéri is often cited as her masterpiece.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
February 20, 2021
Sviđa mi se to što, kako Klodina sazreva, dnevničko „ja” postaje bogatije u svakom novom delu tetralogije. Stiče se utisak da ljudsko sazrevanje ne podrazumeva prevazilaženje i nestajanje prethodnih razvojnih stupnjeva, već akumulaciju svih prethodnih stadijuma izmešano sa novim perspektivama. Ima ovde i čulnosti nad svetom i radoznalosti i zadovoljstva, ali ovog puta sa dozom postkoitalne melanholije. Velike stvari se usitnjavaju; beskorisne malenkosti, pa čak i štetne, dobijaju golemo značenje, bez mogućnosti odbrane od neizlečive i zavodljive lakoumnosti. Treperenje prema mužu i treperenje prema ljubavnici, želja da se obuhvati kosmos, ali se iz sebe ne može preći u drugo. To uvek stvara tugu. Posebno ako već sve okolo priziva da mu se približi svojim titranjem.
Koga bude zanimalo da pročita nešto pametno o Koleti, Vinaver je napisao dva očaravajuća teksta: jedan o tome zašto je Kolet najbolji stilista među, u to vreme, živim francuskim piscima, a drugi u sklopu novogodišnjih želja, gde je narodu poželeo više elektrike, igranja uz džez (kako bismo isterali demone iz sebe), biti i misliti savremenim govorom, više avangardnih filmova i više čitanja i prevođenja Kolete, kako bi nas podsetila da ljudski zadremali čulni praizvori nisu „samo sirovost, brutalnost i zverski krikovi”, več i „prvobitna finoća i prefinjenost” i da su čula toliko neiskazano fina i visprena da ih nikakvo „glomazno umovanje nikad neće stići”.
Koga bude zanimalo da pročita nešto pametno o Koleti, Vinaver je napisao dva očaravajuća teksta: jedan o tome zašto je Kolet najbolji stilista među, u to vreme, živim francuskim piscima, a drugi u sklopu novogodišnjih želja, gde je narodu poželeo više elektrike, igranja uz džez (kako bismo isterali demone iz sebe), biti i misliti savremenim govorom, više avangardnih filmova i više čitanja i prevođenja Kolete, kako bi nas podsetila da ljudski zadremali čulni praizvori nisu „samo sirovost, brutalnost i zverski krikovi”, več i „prvobitna finoća i prefinjenost” i da su čula toliko neiskazano fina i visprena da ih nikakvo „glomazno umovanje nikad neće stići”.
March 16, 2023
"Quisiera que ella estuviera triste, como yo; como yo, recogida y temerosa ante los minutos que se nos escapan; que por lo menos me dejara con mis recuerdos. Ahora está deliciosamente bonita. Hace poco era apasionadamente bella."
Para efectos prácticos y evitar mencionarlo a cada rato, diré que todo lo que dice este libro le pasó realmente a Colette.
Claudine empieza recordando su boda amenizada como siempre por su sarcasmo y sus recuerdos. Poco tiempo después de haber viajado tanto con su esposo en busca de aventuras ella vuelve a extrañar su ciudad natal, donde transcurrieron las aventuras que se cuentan en el primer libro. Es así que Renaud y ella vuelven a Montigny y a su escuela (episodio totalmente real). Me resultó interesante y divertido ver que Claudine ya mayor se reencuentra con su profesora Sergent, que le había causado tantos problemas y ambas se tratan con educación ante la presencia elegante y escudriñadora de Renaud. Aquí, durante su estancia, se exhiben relaciones y flirteos de Renaud y Claudine con las niñas de la escuela, cosa que nos hace pensar lo natural que era en esa época ese tipo de situaciones. Ambos se "divierten" con las niñas en un sentido sensual.
Luego, nos encontramos con la vida que lleva Claudine con su esposo y sus amistades. Volvemos a ver al irreverente Maugis (alter ego de Willy) y a un conjunto de personajes que en parte harán sentir mal a Claudine. Ella, en verdad, se siente aún con falta de costumbre y lleva una cierta lucha por adaptarse a París ya en el ámbito más cultural. de otro lado, se siente algo avasallada por Renaud. Él es bastante exitoso, culto y siempre asediado por sus amistades masculinas y femeninas. Su tren de vida es bastante agitado y Claudine trata de adaptarse a él. Sin embargo, como ella misma reconoce, siente que es corrompida por él en ciertas cosas. Es cierto, él la ama como un padre y ella siempre está a gusto, pero al parecer Renaud quiere hacerle ver los placeres de otra forma.
"A él el placer le resulta gozoso, clemente y fácil, en tanto que a mí me derriba por los suelos, me avisan en una misteriosa desesperación que busco y temo"
Claudine va teniendo más relaciones, sobre todo con mujeres, y luego de una amiga ocasional, conoce a Rézi, quien es en la vida real Georgie Raoul–Duval. Ésta cuando se enteró que saldría el libro "Claudine casada" trató de evitar que se publique. Pues, aunque no estaba su nombre en él, era evidente para toda la sociedad que se trataba de ella. Rézi pues llega a tener una relación realmente importante con Claudine y de ello trata gran parte de la novela. Aquí las descripciones de Colette son muy buenas, y, como siempre, el lado de la sensualidad que siempre ella matiza y le da un gran peso en sus obras se siente aún más incluso que en las dos primeras novelas anteriores. La actitud de Renaud resulta realmente abierta e incluso induce a Claudine a dejarse llevar por sus deseos.
Es por ello quizás del título de la obra "Claudine en ménage" que quizás le quiere dar el doble sentido de "ménage a trois" (trío) con gran connotación sexual. El desenlace igual me sorprendió un poco pero más rescato la descripción de las pasiones y las actitudes de los personajes ante esta situación bastante extraña. La intimidad de Claudine, su libertinaje, sus deseos y sus caprichos son una parte bastante depurada en esta novela.
Willy cuenta que para él la mejor de las novelas era ésta, mientras que para Colette era la anterior "Claudine en París". Ésta, definitivamente la siento más madura y estructurada. Quizás tiene más del estilo de Colette que del de Willy.
"¡Sus tardíos y torpes y retrospectivos celos! Ellos constituyen mi gloria y al mismo tiempo mi irritación, mi juguete y mi tristeza"
Para efectos prácticos y evitar mencionarlo a cada rato, diré que todo lo que dice este libro le pasó realmente a Colette.
Claudine empieza recordando su boda amenizada como siempre por su sarcasmo y sus recuerdos. Poco tiempo después de haber viajado tanto con su esposo en busca de aventuras ella vuelve a extrañar su ciudad natal, donde transcurrieron las aventuras que se cuentan en el primer libro. Es así que Renaud y ella vuelven a Montigny y a su escuela (episodio totalmente real). Me resultó interesante y divertido ver que Claudine ya mayor se reencuentra con su profesora Sergent, que le había causado tantos problemas y ambas se tratan con educación ante la presencia elegante y escudriñadora de Renaud. Aquí, durante su estancia, se exhiben relaciones y flirteos de Renaud y Claudine con las niñas de la escuela, cosa que nos hace pensar lo natural que era en esa época ese tipo de situaciones. Ambos se "divierten" con las niñas en un sentido sensual.
Luego, nos encontramos con la vida que lleva Claudine con su esposo y sus amistades. Volvemos a ver al irreverente Maugis (alter ego de Willy) y a un conjunto de personajes que en parte harán sentir mal a Claudine. Ella, en verdad, se siente aún con falta de costumbre y lleva una cierta lucha por adaptarse a París ya en el ámbito más cultural. de otro lado, se siente algo avasallada por Renaud. Él es bastante exitoso, culto y siempre asediado por sus amistades masculinas y femeninas. Su tren de vida es bastante agitado y Claudine trata de adaptarse a él. Sin embargo, como ella misma reconoce, siente que es corrompida por él en ciertas cosas. Es cierto, él la ama como un padre y ella siempre está a gusto, pero al parecer Renaud quiere hacerle ver los placeres de otra forma.
"A él el placer le resulta gozoso, clemente y fácil, en tanto que a mí me derriba por los suelos, me avisan en una misteriosa desesperación que busco y temo"
Claudine va teniendo más relaciones, sobre todo con mujeres, y luego de una amiga ocasional, conoce a Rézi, quien es en la vida real Georgie Raoul–Duval. Ésta cuando se enteró que saldría el libro "Claudine casada" trató de evitar que se publique. Pues, aunque no estaba su nombre en él, era evidente para toda la sociedad que se trataba de ella. Rézi pues llega a tener una relación realmente importante con Claudine y de ello trata gran parte de la novela. Aquí las descripciones de Colette son muy buenas, y, como siempre, el lado de la sensualidad que siempre ella matiza y le da un gran peso en sus obras se siente aún más incluso que en las dos primeras novelas anteriores. La actitud de Renaud resulta realmente abierta e incluso induce a Claudine a dejarse llevar por sus deseos.
Es por ello quizás del título de la obra "Claudine en ménage" que quizás le quiere dar el doble sentido de "ménage a trois" (trío) con gran connotación sexual. El desenlace igual me sorprendió un poco pero más rescato la descripción de las pasiones y las actitudes de los personajes ante esta situación bastante extraña. La intimidad de Claudine, su libertinaje, sus deseos y sus caprichos son una parte bastante depurada en esta novela.
Willy cuenta que para él la mejor de las novelas era ésta, mientras que para Colette era la anterior "Claudine en París". Ésta, definitivamente la siento más madura y estructurada. Quizás tiene más del estilo de Colette que del de Willy.
"¡Sus tardíos y torpes y retrospectivos celos! Ellos constituyen mi gloria y al mismo tiempo mi irritación, mi juguete y mi tristeza"
January 17, 2012
‘Claudine Married’ is part of a series but perfectly sensible as a stand-alone. Set out in exquisite tones, this tale of ‘en menage’ devolves quickly into an intense ménage a trios, as Claudine, her husband Renaud and a beautiful woman aristocrat Rezi embark on a series of intimate, intertwined and intricate liaisons.
Colette is marvellous in exploring the Sapphic bond between Claudine and Rezi in dulcet, dreamy hues, as the two women give in to their senses with such delicacy of perception that their physical ecstacy is redolent of poetry, a whispered fantasy where each breath becomes a thousand sighs.
The two women are locked in a seraphic design of intricate pattern, enabled by Renaud’s conscious complicity in facilitating their rendevouz . If anything, he is titillated by their illicit moments: like a promise on a summer’s sigh, moments like tubars questing in the sensual rythm of desire.
Claudine, though, is not content. The colours of suspicion and jealousy shower the hubris of her flinching disposition and crochette her sense of morality to a withered husk, not least because she eventually discovers Renaud, in taut sinew and corded tension, strumming Rezi’s tighly puckered flesh and so yielding its a blossom.
Running back to the country side from where she hails, Claudine sets about to make sense of it all. Her final verdict? She shall remain in the country where Renaud may visit her when he chooses. Her only request: that he scold her, so that she may feel frightened of him.
What is wrong with that woman?
Colette is marvellous in exploring the Sapphic bond between Claudine and Rezi in dulcet, dreamy hues, as the two women give in to their senses with such delicacy of perception that their physical ecstacy is redolent of poetry, a whispered fantasy where each breath becomes a thousand sighs.
The two women are locked in a seraphic design of intricate pattern, enabled by Renaud’s conscious complicity in facilitating their rendevouz . If anything, he is titillated by their illicit moments: like a promise on a summer’s sigh, moments like tubars questing in the sensual rythm of desire.
Claudine, though, is not content. The colours of suspicion and jealousy shower the hubris of her flinching disposition and crochette her sense of morality to a withered husk, not least because she eventually discovers Renaud, in taut sinew and corded tension, strumming Rezi’s tighly puckered flesh and so yielding its a blossom.
Running back to the country side from where she hails, Claudine sets about to make sense of it all. Her final verdict? She shall remain in the country where Renaud may visit her when he chooses. Her only request: that he scold her, so that she may feel frightened of him.
What is wrong with that woman?
January 23, 2019
Sempre carino, pieno di immagini metropolitane e bucoliche, con inguacchi sentimental-erotici che vorrebbero essere poetici. Manca del tutto l'entusiasmo giovanile che caratterizzava i primi due volumi, ovviamente; si intravede il talento che esploderà nelle opere successive (Cheri, La gatta, Gigi eccetera).
Manca solo l'ultimo, ma non per ora.
Manca solo l'ultimo, ma non per ora.
February 18, 2017
great writing still but plot involves some 'creepy' passages involving girls below 15 and her husband 40+. social norms have changed! thank goodness I might add.
February 6, 2020
I still adore Colette's writing style, but the ending made me really sad. It was supposed to be a happy ending, but how her big realization was that she needed a man to control her is just...1900, yeah. But still unpleasant.
November 23, 2014
Oooo la la!
July 10, 2024
Alle sterren voor de Claudine-reeks ❤️
July 19, 2015
I loved this book, except for the copout ending.
Claudine is now married, but admits to feeling restless and dissatisfied. At one of her husband's "at home" days, she meets and becomes fascinated with the ultra-feminine Rezi, the wife of a Colonel Lambrook, who has left his soul in India and seems like a walking carcass. Claudine and Rezi embark on a passionate affair, with the voyeuristic cooperation of Claudine's husband Renaud, who even sources an apartment where they can meet and indulge themselves. However, Claudine never quite trusts Rezi and, when she discovers that Renaud has also been enjoying her favours, she leaves them both. One feels it is only temporary, however, as Claudine is really in love with her husband and Rezi may be captivating, but is actually quite shallow. Claudine Married is really only about an episode in Claudine's married life - about a kind of obsession. She admits she is not in love with Rezi, but can't stop seeing her.
Colette's casual acceptance of bisexuality is surprising, especially considering the book was first published in 1902. The reviewer Peter Green is quoted on the back jacket: "The Well of Loneliness looks reassuringly English by comparison". The Well wasn't published until 1928 and is nowhere near as frank as Claudine Married - yet it was considered "obscene" and banned in England until 1949 - things were very different in France! Of course Colette's husband, the notorious Henri Gauthier-Villars, known as "Willy", was behind the Claudine books and egged her on to spice them up.
I would have liked a bit more development of other relationships in an account of Claudine's married life, particularly her friendship with Renaud's gay son. Either that or call the novel "Claudine and Rezi"!
Claudine is now married, but admits to feeling restless and dissatisfied. At one of her husband's "at home" days, she meets and becomes fascinated with the ultra-feminine Rezi, the wife of a Colonel Lambrook, who has left his soul in India and seems like a walking carcass. Claudine and Rezi embark on a passionate affair, with the voyeuristic cooperation of Claudine's husband Renaud, who even sources an apartment where they can meet and indulge themselves. However, Claudine never quite trusts Rezi and, when she discovers that Renaud has also been enjoying her favours, she leaves them both. One feels it is only temporary, however, as Claudine is really in love with her husband and Rezi may be captivating, but is actually quite shallow. Claudine Married is really only about an episode in Claudine's married life - about a kind of obsession. She admits she is not in love with Rezi, but can't stop seeing her.
Colette's casual acceptance of bisexuality is surprising, especially considering the book was first published in 1902. The reviewer Peter Green is quoted on the back jacket: "The Well of Loneliness looks reassuringly English by comparison". The Well wasn't published until 1928 and is nowhere near as frank as Claudine Married - yet it was considered "obscene" and banned in England until 1949 - things were very different in France! Of course Colette's husband, the notorious Henri Gauthier-Villars, known as "Willy", was behind the Claudine books and egged her on to spice them up.
I would have liked a bit more development of other relationships in an account of Claudine's married life, particularly her friendship with Renaud's gay son. Either that or call the novel "Claudine and Rezi"!
July 1, 2019
Claudine books are like eating an entire bag of organic potato chips—sheer indulgence, but maybe not entirely shameful. Colette's writing really shines when she describes country landscapes and feline characters, and i breathed with as much relief as did the protagonist when Claudine finally fled the toxic social games of Parisian life to return to her beloved countryside. Sure she may be a construct to attract the attention and cash of prurient gentlemen of the 19th century, but her bold independence and unapologetic sense of self are still appealing to a feminist in the 21st century.
May 30, 2024
Gelukkig blijft er tussen alle hedendaagse schrijvers ook ruimte voor namen uit het verleden, zeker als dat gebeurt in de vorm van prachtige vertalingen, zoals de serie van vier boeken van de Franse schrijfster Colette. Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette leefde van 1873 tot 1954 en was een kleurrijke en eigenzinnige auteur. Haar eigenwijze houding straalt van de foto’s die Uitgeverij Van Maaskant Haun gekozen heeft voor de omslagen, in ieder geval die van deel twee en drie: Claudine in Parijs en Claudine getrouwd. Zelfverzekerd, kritisch en licht uitdagend kijkt ze in de camera.
Aan de ene kant word je als lezer 150 jaar terug in de tijd geslingerd. De dagen gaan traag, er wordt met paard en wagen gereden, lezen, theedrinken en theaterboek zijn de belangrijkste vormen van tijdverdrijf, inclusief praten en roddelen. Men heeft tijd om om zich heen te kijken, zeker de jonge Claudine, die met haar norse en louter op wetenschap gerichte vader in Parijs komt wonen. Ze is nog een puber als zij het dorp Montigny verruilt voor de grote stad. Claudine heeft aanvankelijk helemaal geen zin in de verhuizing, ze hangt erg aan haar klasgenoten, haar juf en het rustige plattelandsleven. De grote stad is vies en druk. En wat moet ze daar met haar tante en verwijfde neef Marcel?
Lees verder op: https://www.tzum.info/2024/04/recensi...
Aan de ene kant word je als lezer 150 jaar terug in de tijd geslingerd. De dagen gaan traag, er wordt met paard en wagen gereden, lezen, theedrinken en theaterboek zijn de belangrijkste vormen van tijdverdrijf, inclusief praten en roddelen. Men heeft tijd om om zich heen te kijken, zeker de jonge Claudine, die met haar norse en louter op wetenschap gerichte vader in Parijs komt wonen. Ze is nog een puber als zij het dorp Montigny verruilt voor de grote stad. Claudine heeft aanvankelijk helemaal geen zin in de verhuizing, ze hangt erg aan haar klasgenoten, haar juf en het rustige plattelandsleven. De grote stad is vies en druk. En wat moet ze daar met haar tante en verwijfde neef Marcel?
Lees verder op: https://www.tzum.info/2024/04/recensi...
June 18, 2021
This had some really beautiful and honest writing and is probably my favourite of the series so far.
May 19, 2016
Nie spodziewałam się, że Małżeństwo Klaudyny będzie moją ulubioną częścią serii. A jednak jest najzabawniejsza, najbardziej ironiczna, iskrząca dowcipem, dająca równie dobry wgląd w życie wewnętrzne Klaudyny, co pierwszy tom, dzięki czemu możemy też przekonać się, jak bardzo bohaterka się zmieniła, jak dojrzała, kim zdecydowała się być.
Nie będę ukrywać, że ta niezdarna poliamoria w zalążku, jaką zarysowano w małżeństwie Klaudyny i Renauda nie pozostała bez wpływu na moją ocenę. Stanowczo za mało poliamorii w powieściach, w kulturze, w życiu, Klaudynę na honorową patronkę poliamorycznych związków.
Niezwykle irytująca była znamienna hipokryzja Renauda, który w związku Klaudyny i Rezi widzi coś pozytywnego (że już nie wspomnę o tym, że jego zdaniem kobiety powinny być z kobietami, aby bardziej kochać mężczyzn, bo przez to zdanie niemal nie dostałam wylewu z czystego wkurwu, jaki mnie zalał), a własnego syna uważa za zwyrodniałego sodomitę. I stanowczo za mało było Marcela w ich życiu rodzinnym. Podejrzewam, że miał ciekawsze rzeczy do roboty, kiedy Klaudyna pielęgnowała swoje ognisko rodzinne. Szkoda, bo on mógłby tam narozrabiać nie mniej niż Rezi.
Ciężko jest pisać o tym tomie bez zdradzania szczegółów. Atmosfera jest lekka i przytulna, można zrozumieć, czemu paryska socjeta postrzegała związek Renauda i Klaudyny jako ekscentryczny. Za dobrze im ze sobą było. Jakie małżeństwo może to o sobie powiedzieć?
Nie będę ukrywać, że ta niezdarna poliamoria w zalążku, jaką zarysowano w małżeństwie Klaudyny i Renauda nie pozostała bez wpływu na moją ocenę. Stanowczo za mało poliamorii w powieściach, w kulturze, w życiu, Klaudynę na honorową patronkę poliamorycznych związków.
Niezwykle irytująca była znamienna hipokryzja Renauda, który w związku Klaudyny i Rezi widzi coś pozytywnego (że już nie wspomnę o tym, że jego zdaniem kobiety powinny być z kobietami, aby bardziej kochać mężczyzn, bo przez to zdanie niemal nie dostałam wylewu z czystego wkurwu, jaki mnie zalał), a własnego syna uważa za zwyrodniałego sodomitę. I stanowczo za mało było Marcela w ich życiu rodzinnym. Podejrzewam, że miał ciekawsze rzeczy do roboty, kiedy Klaudyna pielęgnowała swoje ognisko rodzinne. Szkoda, bo on mógłby tam narozrabiać nie mniej niż Rezi.
Ciężko jest pisać o tym tomie bez zdradzania szczegółów. Atmosfera jest lekka i przytulna, można zrozumieć, czemu paryska socjeta postrzegała związek Renauda i Klaudyny jako ekscentryczny. Za dobrze im ze sobą było. Jakie małżeństwo może to o sobie powiedzieć?
September 28, 2021
There was a lot of sexualizing of teenage girls which was disconcerting to say the least. I thought this was going to be a fun period drama about a bisexual woman but so far it's mostly about how her old husband (who is in his 40's?) is basically creeping on a bunch of 15 year old girls at her former school (which is a weird location to stop on your honeymoon tour tbh).
This was in a collection of stories and I remember some of Colette's other works being better than this. I read two or three of her other works a few years ago. Her style was still here even if the content was dubious.
To this story I say; No, Thank you. I have way too many other books to read to waste any more time on this one. DNFed around page 35.
This was in a collection of stories and I remember some of Colette's other works being better than this. I read two or three of her other works a few years ago. Her style was still here even if the content was dubious.
To this story I say; No, Thank you. I have way too many other books to read to waste any more time on this one. DNFed around page 35.
February 4, 2023
“That gesture, which revealed her downy armpits whose warmth I so often inhaled, unleashed a hurricane in me.”
Sensual, extravagant, sapphic snapshot of the Belle Époque.
Sensual, extravagant, sapphic snapshot of the Belle Époque.
June 16, 2021
it is hard to review this book. i felt like i could see the ending coming from halfway through, and it did still devastate me on claudine's behalf. i struggled with the last couple pages, it does feel as though the author does not quite know what to do with claudine next, what she cares about, and what kind of woman she will become. such is that place between girlhood and womanhood though, and i think this book is one of the greatest depictions of it.
you are never quite given closure on who renaud is, and if he truly has claudines best interests at heart, if he has been deceiving her longer than she finds out. it is an incredibly unsatisfying ending and couple, but that only speaks to colette's talent as a writer of girlhood than as a detraction.
you are never quite given closure on who renaud is, and if he truly has claudines best interests at heart, if he has been deceiving her longer than she finds out. it is an incredibly unsatisfying ending and couple, but that only speaks to colette's talent as a writer of girlhood than as a detraction.
April 7, 2023
Had a long conversation with Abram about how literature seems so bent on exploring how sad and fallen the world is, without looking for any kind of solution. I don’t like reading books about people who feel so lost, especially when I like the characters so very much.
February 13, 2023
Sí a todo
March 2, 2022
A hilarious, wild ride through the life of a Parisian bisexual. A very interesting read, particularly in the biographical context of Colette's own first marriage. Sparkling.
October 2, 2021
(This review assumes you've read at least up to the end of this book + some comments on the next two...)
I recently read all the Claudine books in the original French. The first book is charming, and reminded me in places of my own education in France, though the 15-year-old Claudine's habit of beating up Luce, a girl who has a crush on her, is a little disturbing (and gets worse in hindsight when you learn Luce's ultimate fate as the 17-year-old sex slave of her 60-year-old uncle).
The second book is sad, as a 16/17-year-old Claudine loiters unhappily in Paris with literally nothing to do with her life. Having decided not to become a teacher, her only choice is apparently to do what she does in that book and wait for some man 22 years old than her to come along and marry her (their relative ages are explicitly mentioned in the final book of the series). I'd have put up with this 'romance' - presumably inspired by Colette's own marriage to an older man - if Renaud had any personality. I swear all I knew about him by the time Claudine agrees to marry him is that his gay son is older than her, he has blonde hair and a greying mustache, and smells of tobacco all the time. And presumably that he fancies teenage girls.
In Claudine Married, Renaud's previous lack of personality is somewhat fleshed out beyond being the inexplicable target of his teenage bride's devotion ... into that of a full-on, mustache-twirling middle-aged creep. Although Claudine suggests that their sex life gives her plenty of satisfaction, she also says that even after two years of marriage, intercourse reminds her of one of her school friends who insisted on stuffing her hands into gloves that are too small (ugh, that image is going to stay with me), and mentions that she gets "more than she wants". So the now 40-something Renaud is presumably getting the most out of his teenage bride. He then pervs on 15-year-old girls, offering them bags of sweets in their dormitory, and encourages his confused, immature wife to have an affair with a trashy blonde, before having an affair with her himself while his wife is ill.
I was hopeful when Claudine, after two books full of homesickness and inexplicable adoration for this perv, grew up a little and went back to her home in the country, dumping her daddy-husband (she actually calls him that, and did I forget to mention that she says "vous" to him as you do to a respected elder, while he says "tu" to her like a child and calls her his daughter...). Anyway, alas, Renaud's reward for being simultaneously creepy and boring is for his still only 19-year-old wife to beg him to return to her and... boss her around? I was left hoping that her final words in the book about them needing to be honest would mean that he would at least treat her with respect from then on...
Wrapping what happens in the next books in spoiler text in case you'd rather find out for yourself...
I recently read all the Claudine books in the original French. The first book is charming, and reminded me in places of my own education in France, though the 15-year-old Claudine's habit of beating up Luce, a girl who has a crush on her, is a little disturbing (and gets worse in hindsight when you learn Luce's ultimate fate as the 17-year-old sex slave of her 60-year-old uncle).
The second book is sad, as a 16/17-year-old Claudine loiters unhappily in Paris with literally nothing to do with her life. Having decided not to become a teacher, her only choice is apparently to do what she does in that book and wait for some man 22 years old than her to come along and marry her (their relative ages are explicitly mentioned in the final book of the series). I'd have put up with this 'romance' - presumably inspired by Colette's own marriage to an older man - if Renaud had any personality. I swear all I knew about him by the time Claudine agrees to marry him is that his gay son is older than her, he has blonde hair and a greying mustache, and smells of tobacco all the time. And presumably that he fancies teenage girls.
In Claudine Married, Renaud's previous lack of personality is somewhat fleshed out beyond being the inexplicable target of his teenage bride's devotion ... into that of a full-on, mustache-twirling middle-aged creep. Although Claudine suggests that their sex life gives her plenty of satisfaction, she also says that even after two years of marriage, intercourse reminds her of one of her school friends who insisted on stuffing her hands into gloves that are too small (ugh, that image is going to stay with me), and mentions that she gets "more than she wants". So the now 40-something Renaud is presumably getting the most out of his teenage bride. He then pervs on 15-year-old girls, offering them bags of sweets in their dormitory, and encourages his confused, immature wife to have an affair with a trashy blonde, before having an affair with her himself while his wife is ill.
I was hopeful when Claudine, after two books full of homesickness and inexplicable adoration for this perv, grew up a little and went back to her home in the country, dumping her daddy-husband (she actually calls him that, and did I forget to mention that she says "vous" to him as you do to a respected elder, while he says "tu" to her like a child and calls her his daughter...). Anyway, alas, Renaud's reward for being simultaneously creepy and boring is for his still only 19-year-old wife to beg him to return to her and... boss her around? I was left hoping that her final words in the book about them needing to be honest would mean that he would at least treat her with respect from then on...
Wrapping what happens in the next books in spoiler text in case you'd rather find out for yourself...
April 30, 2023
Yeah no, not here for the pedophilia. *vomit emoji*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 30, 2017
Claudine Married (1902) is the third in Colette's early series about a young French girl, which is based loosely on her own experiences.
Following Claudine at School and Claudine In Paris, the young ingénue is now married to the older but devoted Renaud. Following a long honeymoon around Europe, the married couple return to France to settle into married life. After a short visit to Claudine's home town and school in Montigny, the take up residence in Paris.
To Claudine, Renaud is a combination of father figure, lover and husband, and Claudine would have preferred him to remain a lover than husband. But Renuad is devoted to his little Claudine.
Renaud is worldly, wealthy and has a wide range of contacts, and at one of his regular parties, Claudine is introduced to her married female neighbour, Rezi.
An immediate and powerful mutual fascination develops between these young and beautiful women, the sleek and pale blonde Rezi, and the lithe, nutty brown Claudine with her short and curly dark hair. But the morally cautious and uncertain Claudine resists, for a while at least, what must be inevitable.
Renaud, far from being jealous, encourages and even materially assists the liaison between the two women. This peculiar ménage a trois brings joy, love and mutual satisfaction to all participants, until a betrayal destroys the idyll.
The story is written by Colette from Claudine's perspective with the usual cosy charm and joie de vivre that is apparent in the whole series. The underlying latent eroticism with its hints of forbidden love is ramped to another level in this instalment. The passion and the sexual congress is raised completely to the surface here, although it is never graphic or smutty.
This is not even vaguely close to being porn, but it is brave to have written so openly about homosexual love, both female and male, in this era. The British didn't come to this level of openness more many years to come.
I rated this novel just ever so slightly below it predecessors, just because I think I preferred having that sexual tension just below the surface rather than it being more apparent. But that is a mere personal quibble, and others may prefer the more adult Claudine over the tentative teenage girl.
Following Claudine at School and Claudine In Paris, the young ingénue is now married to the older but devoted Renaud. Following a long honeymoon around Europe, the married couple return to France to settle into married life. After a short visit to Claudine's home town and school in Montigny, the take up residence in Paris.
To Claudine, Renaud is a combination of father figure, lover and husband, and Claudine would have preferred him to remain a lover than husband. But Renuad is devoted to his little Claudine.
Renaud is worldly, wealthy and has a wide range of contacts, and at one of his regular parties, Claudine is introduced to her married female neighbour, Rezi.
An immediate and powerful mutual fascination develops between these young and beautiful women, the sleek and pale blonde Rezi, and the lithe, nutty brown Claudine with her short and curly dark hair. But the morally cautious and uncertain Claudine resists, for a while at least, what must be inevitable.
Renaud, far from being jealous, encourages and even materially assists the liaison between the two women. This peculiar ménage a trois brings joy, love and mutual satisfaction to all participants, until a betrayal destroys the idyll.
The story is written by Colette from Claudine's perspective with the usual cosy charm and joie de vivre that is apparent in the whole series. The underlying latent eroticism with its hints of forbidden love is ramped to another level in this instalment. The passion and the sexual congress is raised completely to the surface here, although it is never graphic or smutty.
This is not even vaguely close to being porn, but it is brave to have written so openly about homosexual love, both female and male, in this era. The British didn't come to this level of openness more many years to come.
I rated this novel just ever so slightly below it predecessors, just because I think I preferred having that sexual tension just below the surface rather than it being more apparent. But that is a mere personal quibble, and others may prefer the more adult Claudine over the tentative teenage girl.
July 22, 2022
Honnêtement, j'étais très gênée par le personnage de Renaud qui n'a littéralement rien pour lui : il se qualifie lui-même de "mari-papa" 🤢, il est odieux avec son fils, il fétichise presque la relation entre Claudine et Rézi, a une relation avec Rézi pendant que Claudine est malade (?!). J'avais peur que, comme dans le tome précédent, Claudine reste complètement béate d'admiration et d'amour devant lui, ce qui pouvait se comprendre dans ce tome mais serait insupportable dans celui-ci. Heureusement, ce n'est pas le cas et on sent assez régulièrement que Claudine est méfiante sur sa fétichisation et sa ration avec Rézi. Je reste en revanche consternée au sujet de la partie dans le dortoir de Montigny. Les interactions malsaines avec les camarades, ça passait quand Claudine était encore lycéenne, pas quand elle vient avec son vieux mari obsédé par les enfants!! En fait, j'ai détesté tout ce que j'ai lu sur Renaud mais je ne baisse pas trop la note pour ça car la plupart du temps c'était traité intelligemment.
Par contre, j'ai adoré chaque passage qui racontait la relation entre Rézi et Claudine, c'était vraiment beau et touchant, dommage qu'elle ait été écourté j'en aurais bien repris une couche.
Aussi, j'aurais bien aimé un peu plus de Marcel.
Pour finir, l'écriture de Colette est parfaite. Elle a du caractère, elle est honnête et belle, ça coule tout seul.
J'ai beaucoup apprécié ma lecture, c'était dense.
Par contre, j'ai adoré chaque passage qui racontait la relation entre Rézi et Claudine, c'était vraiment beau et touchant, dommage qu'elle ait été écourté j'en aurais bien repris une couche.
Aussi, j'aurais bien aimé un peu plus de Marcel.
Pour finir, l'écriture de Colette est parfaite. Elle a du caractère, elle est honnête et belle, ça coule tout seul.
J'ai beaucoup apprécié ma lecture, c'était dense.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 16, 2012
Claudine married sees Miss Claudine once again filled with self-doubt. After travelling for a couple years with her husband, and visiting the countryside once again she settles in Paris and is rather discontented with her marriage. She finds herself falling in love with the beautiful Rezi, who is also in love with her back. It's a very sweet romance, and the two being young turn of the century women find themselves at great difficulty finding anywhere to get together, so enlist the help of Claudine's husband to secure themselves a room. It's probably the most drama ridden of the Claudine stories and feels quite honest, up until the end. I found the ending to be very dissatisfactory (in fact it felt like Collette apologised for it in a paragraph in Claudine and Annie as the literary ending even though it wouldn't be the popular one). Even with the forced ending and the sudden shift in characterisation I think this is one of the most lovely novels I've read in a long time. To read a story about a queer/bi woman that is written so openly and honestly at this time is such an amazement. The conversation when she discusses with her husband his hypocrisy in encouraging her relationship with Rezi while condemning his own son for his homosexuality is great.
July 3, 2024
Such an interesting portrait of female same-sex desire in Belle Époque Paris. I loved how Claudine also expressed discomfort and disdain for the way men, particularly her husband, fetishised her desire for women. The sexual dynamics at play between Renaud, Claudine and Rézi were surprising and complicated.
I wish the beginning wasn’t so fucking creepy and noncey with school girls, my rating here doesn’t really take that into account because as the novel went on I kind of forgot about it. I remain unsure how I feel about ‘problematic’ novels staying in print and being celebrated because they do teach you about attitudes in the past but they also shouldn’t be normalised. The relationship between Rézi and Claudine feels important in the history of sapphic literature but I also don’t think Colette should be romanticised and the problematic elements of her novels should be equally discussed.
The ending is also weird and patriarchal, I’m assuming that was some of Willy’s influence and some of Colette’s frequently expressed desire to be cared for by a man (see Gigi).
I wish the beginning wasn’t so fucking creepy and noncey with school girls, my rating here doesn’t really take that into account because as the novel went on I kind of forgot about it. I remain unsure how I feel about ‘problematic’ novels staying in print and being celebrated because they do teach you about attitudes in the past but they also shouldn’t be normalised. The relationship between Rézi and Claudine feels important in the history of sapphic literature but I also don’t think Colette should be romanticised and the problematic elements of her novels should be equally discussed.
The ending is also weird and patriarchal, I’m assuming that was some of Willy’s influence and some of Colette’s frequently expressed desire to be cared for by a man (see Gigi).
June 14, 2012
I did very much enjoy this book, I know its the time talking and it was very brave of Colette to write about lesbianism at all, but lesbianism is seen here as by the husband- as an entirely sexual endeavor which doesn't count as cheating, he becomes excited at the prospect of the two ladies entwined. By the main character it is a surreal thing, she becomes initially ill at the thought of it before succumbing entirely yet believing she is not in love and still she calls Rezi her mistress. But throughout the only character with any sexual sincerity is Rezi- and she is written here as a predator, who eventually needs Claudines husband to fulfill her sexual fantasies in a twist that really makes little sense, then Rezi is cast aside, never written about again, and Claudines husband is forgiven entirely.
It was very beautifully written, a lot of references to cats and feline behavior which I adored but I wish it could have been written later.
It was very beautifully written, a lot of references to cats and feline behavior which I adored but I wish it could have been written later.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 25, 2015
Claudine Married is my favorite of the Claudine series so far. She has developed into an adult and has started to realize that instead of an uneven relationship, in which one partner controls and another is subservient and often abused, she needs more. Part of the joy and agony of this story is that she is honest with herself in seeing that she doesn't know what she wants. Her mind is pretty confusing, but it's not always easy for anyone to define what they need and what they're missing. I also love her relationship with nature and the countryside. Her descriptions are lavish but not long-winded and Walt Whitman-y. I look forward to reading Claudine and Annie after this, in the hopes of seeing Claudine find someone she understands and respects, and who understands and respects her.
October 4, 2018
The smallest part of Claudine's youthful effervescence is lost in this installment, as she moves into her newest role of married lady. Much of her musings on her new state feel very much like just that, however - a role. Her new husband is taken to be shown off to old school chums, and it seems that the couple never really settle in to life at home. A complex new relationship will throw this whole scenario into even further doubt. Perhaps the most affecting parts of this novel are those in which Claudine's sincerity of love not for her husband or her new life but for her familiar home and natural landscape of Montingy manage to poke through the facade she creates for those around her.
March 3, 2019
One fine day i watched the film Colette (2018), which i've been kind of anticipating. I mean it's based on a true story about an author, of course i was curious. I can't say it was my absolute favorite movie, but overall i liked it enough to develop an interest to read some of her works. I haven't heard about Colette before, i was surprised some of her works were translated to my language.
Anyways, i understand why these books were ground breaking and i apriciate their existance. I rate them low only because these type of narration isn't my cup of tea.
Anyways, i understand why these books were ground breaking and i apriciate their existance. I rate them low only because these type of narration isn't my cup of tea.
January 21, 2014
I’d give this book 1,5 star. I didn’t like it really, it was bit of a waste of time to reading it. And I think it should have been called “Claudine and Rezi”… Most of the book was about how they love each other. Or not. I enjoyed chapter somewhere around the end of the book, when Claudine talked about things other then love. I enjoyed previous books about Claudine more, especially the first one. That one annoyed me mostly.
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