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Femme Fatale
A selection of Maupassant's brilliant, glittering stories set in the Parisian beau monde and Normandy countryside. Introducing Little Black 80 books for Penguin's 80th birthday. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and diversity of Penguin Classics, with books from around the world and across many centuries. They take us from a balloon ride over Victorian London to a garden of blossom in Japan, from Tierra del Fuego to 16th-century California and the Russian steppe. Here are stories lyrical and savage; poems epic and intimate; essays satirical and inspirational; and ideas that have shaped the lives of millions. Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893). Maupassant's works available in Penguin Classics are A Parisian Affair and Other Stories, Bel-Ami and Pierre and Jean.
Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1881
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About the author
Guy de Maupassant
7,488 books3,049 followersHenri René Albert Guy de Maupassant was a popular 19th-century French writer. He is one of the fathers of the modern short story. A protege of Flaubert, Maupassant's short stories are characterized by their economy of style and their efficient effortless dénouement. He also wrote six short novels. A number of his stories often denote the futility of war and the innocent civilians who get crushed in it - many are set during the Franco-Prussian War of the 1870s.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 314 reviews
February 25, 2022
This is a shorter version of A Parisian Affair and Other Stories, itself a compilation of some of the approx. 300 short stories Maupassant published during his lifetime. The four tales presented in this slender volume (Cockcrow, Femme Fatale, Hautot & Son, Laid to Rest) are nonetheless an excellent specimen of Maupassant’s genius—on par with Chekhov’s around the same time.
These stories provide an impressionistic portrait of French society, from the Parisian haute société to the lower middle class during the Third Republic. They depict seemingly inconsequential tranches de vie, but in doing so, bring to light some of the best aspects of human behaviour, and also some of most shameful: lust and impotence, prejudice and jealousy, immodesty and greed.
There is a form of irony and cruelty, even a profound pessimism at the core of Maupassant’s narratives. Still, his style is consistently delicate, witty, incredibly sensitive, and often erotically charged. But, overall, what makes this little collection so engaging is the finesse with which the author handles his plots and characters and makes sure there is always an unexpected, bittersweet, dessert at the denouement.
See also: La Parure.
These stories provide an impressionistic portrait of French society, from the Parisian haute société to the lower middle class during the Third Republic. They depict seemingly inconsequential tranches de vie, but in doing so, bring to light some of the best aspects of human behaviour, and also some of most shameful: lust and impotence, prejudice and jealousy, immodesty and greed.
There is a form of irony and cruelty, even a profound pessimism at the core of Maupassant’s narratives. Still, his style is consistently delicate, witty, incredibly sensitive, and often erotically charged. But, overall, what makes this little collection so engaging is the finesse with which the author handles his plots and characters and makes sure there is always an unexpected, bittersweet, dessert at the denouement.
See also: La Parure.
May 19, 2025
my interest in this book was peaked by the title, and the feeling of burgundy curtains, long black hair, red lipstick and murders under chandeliers it reminds me of.
it is described on the back as:
“Four sparkling 19th century tales of Parisian high society and rural life from the father of the modern short story.”
it was drastically different from what i expected. clever and more honest than writing was at the time, but lacking passion!!
- Cockrow: was almost a pièce de vie? the idea presented but never really spun out.
- Femme Fatale: the longer story, i was pleasantly surprised by the open lesbianism, but since it was through the perspective of a man it wasn’t very interesting…
- Hautot & Son: easier to follow, but again, i’ve never understood the use of writing stories if there is no emotion, no empathy or passion or pain or beauty to be found in them?
- Laid to rest: the dull and self-absorbed perspective of a man, a hypocrite.
it is described on the back as:
“Four sparkling 19th century tales of Parisian high society and rural life from the father of the modern short story.”
it was drastically different from what i expected. clever and more honest than writing was at the time, but lacking passion!!
- Cockrow: was almost a pièce de vie? the idea presented but never really spun out.
- Femme Fatale: the longer story, i was pleasantly surprised by the open lesbianism, but since it was through the perspective of a man it wasn’t very interesting…
- Hautot & Son: easier to follow, but again, i’ve never understood the use of writing stories if there is no emotion, no empathy or passion or pain or beauty to be found in them?
- Laid to rest: the dull and self-absorbed perspective of a man, a hypocrite.
February 15, 2016
I really didn’t take a lot out of this one. Well, other than the fact that I won’t be reading anything by this author in the future. The stories are okay. I mean, I didn’t think there was a lot to them. They just felt rather flat. I couldn’t buy into the emotion that the author was trying to convey; it all felt too quick and too unrealistic. It was obsessive to the point of being to excessive. I just didn’t like it. I have nothing positive to say about it.
The prose was awful. When the author was describing the scenes, it felt like he was listing a load of random things. It didn’t quite work; it felt choppy and disjointed. This story was very risky when it was originally written; it openly conveys lesbianism. He doesn’t use any metaphors or euphemisms; it’s very clear that this is what the story is about. That’s achievement in itself, to openly write this in the Victorian era. But, for me, reading this today, it felt detached and dull. I much prefer Rossetti’s obscure handling of similar issues in the remarkable Goblin Market (my review)
This is not an author I'll be revisiting.
Penguin Little Black Classic- 15
The Little Black Classic Collection by penguin looks like it contains lots of hidden gems. I couldn’t help it; they looked so good that I went and bought them all. I shall post a short review after reading each one. No doubt it will take me several months to get through all of them! Hopefully I will find some classic authors, from across the ages, that I may not have come across had I not bought this collection.
The prose was awful. When the author was describing the scenes, it felt like he was listing a load of random things. It didn’t quite work; it felt choppy and disjointed. This story was very risky when it was originally written; it openly conveys lesbianism. He doesn’t use any metaphors or euphemisms; it’s very clear that this is what the story is about. That’s achievement in itself, to openly write this in the Victorian era. But, for me, reading this today, it felt detached and dull. I much prefer Rossetti’s obscure handling of similar issues in the remarkable Goblin Market (my review)
This is not an author I'll be revisiting.
Penguin Little Black Classic- 15
The Little Black Classic Collection by penguin looks like it contains lots of hidden gems. I couldn’t help it; they looked so good that I went and bought them all. I shall post a short review after reading each one. No doubt it will take me several months to get through all of them! Hopefully I will find some classic authors, from across the ages, that I may not have come across had I not bought this collection.
October 22, 2017
Cockcrow - ***
Thought-provoking tale. A teaser perfect for the late hours, preferably to be read with a glass of scotch. Be ready to laugh out loud by the end.
Femme Fatale - ****
The decadency and humiliation of mismatched love and useless infatuation. Be ready to enjoy the finely threaded prose that reads almost like poetry with vulgar subject matters that give a unique flavour to Maupassant's story.
Hautot & Son - ****
An original intake on a father-son relationship that crosses the boundaries of the correct. Empathy and open-mindedness or mocking sarcasm in a most refined way? You decide.
Laid to rest - ***
Predictable but priceless for the eerie descriptions of cemeteries in the introductory pages.
Thought-provoking tale. A teaser perfect for the late hours, preferably to be read with a glass of scotch. Be ready to laugh out loud by the end.
Femme Fatale - ****
The decadency and humiliation of mismatched love and useless infatuation. Be ready to enjoy the finely threaded prose that reads almost like poetry with vulgar subject matters that give a unique flavour to Maupassant's story.
Hautot & Son - ****
An original intake on a father-son relationship that crosses the boundaries of the correct. Empathy and open-mindedness or mocking sarcasm in a most refined way? You decide.
Laid to rest - ***
Predictable but priceless for the eerie descriptions of cemeteries in the introductory pages.
May 28, 2018
"Let him who loves me follow me."
- Guy de Maupassant, "Cockcrow"
Vol 15 of my Penguin Little Black Classics Box Set. Contains the following of Maupassant's stories:
1. Cockcrow ★★★
2. Femme Fatale ★★★★
3. Hautot & Son ★★★★
4. Laid to Rest ★★★
Sad to say I've never read any Maupassant before. He reads a bit like Chekhov + Maugham + Flaubert. I enjoyed each of these stories. My favorite was probably Hautot & Son. It was clean and well-developed. But I liked all of them.
- Guy de Maupassant, "Cockcrow"
Vol 15 of my Penguin Little Black Classics Box Set. Contains the following of Maupassant's stories:
1. Cockcrow ★★★
2. Femme Fatale ★★★★
3. Hautot & Son ★★★★
4. Laid to Rest ★★★
Sad to say I've never read any Maupassant before. He reads a bit like Chekhov + Maugham + Flaubert. I enjoyed each of these stories. My favorite was probably Hautot & Son. It was clean and well-developed. But I liked all of them.
May 17, 2020
He felt soft and unresistant, in communion with the calm splendour of the evening and with the vague, mysterious thrill of life itself. He felt in tune with the all-embracing poetry of the moment in which plants and all that surrounded him revealed themselves to his senses at this lovely restful and reflective time of day...He looked at her and felt between them an unbridgeable abyss...They were as separate and distinct as if they had never met. His kisses had touched her lips only and nothing deeper within.
July 2, 2024
I'm not quite sure how I feel about these stories.
February 21, 2017
"One can love a friend as much as a wife. Passion has its own laws."
Oh, what it must have been like to be a French femme of the 19th century. That is the world Guy de Maupassant is inviting us to, in these four sparkling and dazzling four tales of Parisian high society and rural life.
I feel ambivalent about this Little Black Classic, because I enjoyed everything about it except for what actually happened in the stories (and one might argue that the plot is the most important thing about a short story). The tales certainly feel very French, the characters are sophisticated and have that certain elegance and awareness to them that come with money and a reputation, which I don't find relatable, but in this literary form intriguing. The women he writes about have a suave attitude to them, they are in touch with their sexuality and the effect they have on men. You imagine them painting their nails and lips red and smoking cigarettes over a glass of wine.
"He had fallen under the omnipotent and mysterious spell of the female. He was overwhelmed by this colossal force of unknown origin, the demon in the flesh capable of hurling the most rational man in the world at the feet of a worthless harlot. There was no way he could explain its fatal and total power."
The way de Maupassant tells his stories is very conversational, most of them spring from of a chat between characters, which made it easy for me as the reader to find their way into them. Having that said, none of these stories made a proper impression on me or had any long-lasting effects. So while I didn't get much about of these particular pieces of writing, I can safely say that I will be reading more of Guy de Maupassant's work in the future.
In 2015 Penguin introduced the Little Black Classics series to celebrate Penguin's 80th birthday. Including little stories from "around the world and across many centuries" as the publisher describes, I have been intrigued to read those for a long time, before finally having started. I hope to sooner or later read and review all of them!
Oh, what it must have been like to be a French femme of the 19th century. That is the world Guy de Maupassant is inviting us to, in these four sparkling and dazzling four tales of Parisian high society and rural life.
I feel ambivalent about this Little Black Classic, because I enjoyed everything about it except for what actually happened in the stories (and one might argue that the plot is the most important thing about a short story). The tales certainly feel very French, the characters are sophisticated and have that certain elegance and awareness to them that come with money and a reputation, which I don't find relatable, but in this literary form intriguing. The women he writes about have a suave attitude to them, they are in touch with their sexuality and the effect they have on men. You imagine them painting their nails and lips red and smoking cigarettes over a glass of wine.
"He had fallen under the omnipotent and mysterious spell of the female. He was overwhelmed by this colossal force of unknown origin, the demon in the flesh capable of hurling the most rational man in the world at the feet of a worthless harlot. There was no way he could explain its fatal and total power."
The way de Maupassant tells his stories is very conversational, most of them spring from of a chat between characters, which made it easy for me as the reader to find their way into them. Having that said, none of these stories made a proper impression on me or had any long-lasting effects. So while I didn't get much about of these particular pieces of writing, I can safely say that I will be reading more of Guy de Maupassant's work in the future.
In 2015 Penguin introduced the Little Black Classics series to celebrate Penguin's 80th birthday. Including little stories from "around the world and across many centuries" as the publisher describes, I have been intrigued to read those for a long time, before finally having started. I hope to sooner or later read and review all of them!
May 8, 2022
women r so sexy slay men kill themselves
March 13, 2015
3.5 stars.
I really enjoyed this little collection of stories. Guy de Maupassant is a writer I've been meaning to read for a while, but the prospect of picking up an entire collection of his short stories was a little daunting. That's why I feel these Penguin Little Black Classics are fantastic, for checking out new authors. I enjoyed the romanticism of de Maupassant's writing, and was surprised to see quite a modern and black sense of humour coming through. My favourite stories in this collection were of course Femme Fatale (lesbianism, woo!), and Laid to Rest, which took a clever turn at the end that ultimately surprised me and left me with a wry smile. I would recommend this, and I look forward to checking out more of Guy de Maupassant's work.
I really enjoyed this little collection of stories. Guy de Maupassant is a writer I've been meaning to read for a while, but the prospect of picking up an entire collection of his short stories was a little daunting. That's why I feel these Penguin Little Black Classics are fantastic, for checking out new authors. I enjoyed the romanticism of de Maupassant's writing, and was surprised to see quite a modern and black sense of humour coming through. My favourite stories in this collection were of course Femme Fatale (lesbianism, woo!), and Laid to Rest, which took a clever turn at the end that ultimately surprised me and left me with a wry smile. I would recommend this, and I look forward to checking out more of Guy de Maupassant's work.
March 14, 2015
Before reading this collection of Maupassant's short stories I haven't read any of his novels, however hard I tried to finish Bel Ami, I just couldn't stay focused. However, his prose was mesmerizing, I loved his choice of words and the romantic feel of his narration, and I'm totally on board with reading more of his work.
P.s. Laid to Rest left me utterly shocked!
P.s. Laid to Rest left me utterly shocked!
March 12, 2017
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
Femme Fatale combines the title story and three other short stories from French author Guy de Maupassant. I can only say that they felt rather explicit and openly contained lesbianism which quite surprised me since it was being written in Victorian times. Something else I notices was that it had a French-ness that I can't really explain any better.
The stories themselves were okay, but none of them left a real impression with me. Rather, they felt quite flat, but I'm not sure some of it was lost in translation. Since I don't read in French, it would have to be in translation again, so I don't think I will be reading more of this author.
Little Black Classic ~ 15
Femme Fatale combines the title story and three other short stories from French author Guy de Maupassant. I can only say that they felt rather explicit and openly contained lesbianism which quite surprised me since it was being written in Victorian times. Something else I notices was that it had a French-ness that I can't really explain any better.
The stories themselves were okay, but none of them left a real impression with me. Rather, they felt quite flat, but I'm not sure some of it was lost in translation. Since I don't read in French, it would have to be in translation again, so I don't think I will be reading more of this author.
Little Black Classic ~ 15
May 3, 2017
Cuatro pequeñas historias que, como indica el resumen del libro, retratan la vida de la Francia del siglo XIX. En un principio, pensé que era un Maupassant distinto al que había leído -historias como La Manoz o La Cabellera me marcaron y me parecen piezas estupendas del género de terror; sin embargo, luego vino a mi mente otros cuentos como Bola de Sebo, El Collar o incluso la novela de Bel-Ami y ahí estaba, el Maupassant realista. Las historias en esta colección son directas, claras, dibujando las costumbres, los sentimientos y los vicios de los seres humanos.
La primera, Cockcrow me dejó un poco confundida (y tuve que recurrir a una reseña en internet), pero básicamente retrata las aventuras entre la aristocracia francesa. Es una historia un tanto irónica -al final, la larga espera de la consumación amorosa no resulta lo esperado. Es irónica, de hecho.
El segundo cuento, Femme Fatale, como su nombre lo dice, es la historia de un joven aristócrata que se enamora de la mujer equivocada. Madeline había sido una prostituta a quien Paul conoce y lleva a vivir con él. Es verano y todo alrededor de la pareja es fiesta, celebración, amor. Sin embargo, Paul está más enamorado de la chica que ella de él y la joven, conocedora de su poder y seducción, lo amenaza cada vez que él intenta tenerla solamente para él. Madeline no está dispuesta a dejar la vida que conocía antes y sabe que Paul no va a dejarla. Mientras el verano francés regala paisajes de postal, tardes que se prestan a la ensoñación y a la paz, Paul va cayendo en un abismo de celos y desesperación al no poder tener en su totalidad, el amor de la mujer. Mejor indicado no puede estar:
"The fact was that despite himself, without knowing why or how it had happened and very much against his better judgment, he had fallen hopelessly in love. He had fallen as if into some deep and muddy hole" .
Podemos adivinar el final.
Hautot & Son me pareció una historia tierna, sobre dos almas que se encuentran en medio de una tragedia y que, si bien no conocemos si permanecerán unidas, se entiende que se acompañarán en momentos difíficiles. Y por último Laid to Rest me pareció extremadamente divertida y una mirada sarcástica de Maupassant de cómo los seres humanos pueden sacar provecho de las situaciones más extrañas. En esta historia en particular, también tuve simpatía por el narrador -¿quién diría que existimos personas a las que nos gusta pasear por los cementarios? Y no de noche, ni para encontrar fantasmas ni cosas del más allá, sino para pensar y, en una especie de ensoñación, imaginar la historia de vida detrás de tumbas ya olvidadas por siempre. ¿No es imaginando como se mantiene viva la memoria nuestra y de los demás?
La primera, Cockcrow me dejó un poco confundida (y tuve que recurrir a una reseña en internet), pero básicamente retrata las aventuras entre la aristocracia francesa. Es una historia un tanto irónica -al final, la larga espera de la consumación amorosa no resulta lo esperado. Es irónica, de hecho.
El segundo cuento, Femme Fatale, como su nombre lo dice, es la historia de un joven aristócrata que se enamora de la mujer equivocada. Madeline había sido una prostituta a quien Paul conoce y lleva a vivir con él. Es verano y todo alrededor de la pareja es fiesta, celebración, amor. Sin embargo, Paul está más enamorado de la chica que ella de él y la joven, conocedora de su poder y seducción, lo amenaza cada vez que él intenta tenerla solamente para él. Madeline no está dispuesta a dejar la vida que conocía antes y sabe que Paul no va a dejarla. Mientras el verano francés regala paisajes de postal, tardes que se prestan a la ensoñación y a la paz, Paul va cayendo en un abismo de celos y desesperación al no poder tener en su totalidad, el amor de la mujer. Mejor indicado no puede estar:
"The fact was that despite himself, without knowing why or how it had happened and very much against his better judgment, he had fallen hopelessly in love. He had fallen as if into some deep and muddy hole" .
Podemos adivinar el final.
Hautot & Son me pareció una historia tierna, sobre dos almas que se encuentran en medio de una tragedia y que, si bien no conocemos si permanecerán unidas, se entiende que se acompañarán en momentos difíficiles. Y por último Laid to Rest me pareció extremadamente divertida y una mirada sarcástica de Maupassant de cómo los seres humanos pueden sacar provecho de las situaciones más extrañas. En esta historia en particular, también tuve simpatía por el narrador -¿quién diría que existimos personas a las que nos gusta pasear por los cementarios? Y no de noche, ni para encontrar fantasmas ni cosas del más allá, sino para pensar y, en una especie de ensoñación, imaginar la historia de vida detrás de tumbas ya olvidadas por siempre. ¿No es imaginando como se mantiene viva la memoria nuestra y de los demás?
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February 4, 2017
Guy de Maupassant, 19th century French short story writer was considered the father of the modern short story with his macabre tales full of black comedy.
Unfortunately, they did not interest me in the slightest. They were quite amusing in places and I enjoyed the black comedy, but altogether they were patronising and unremarkable. It was interesting to see that people have not changed in over one hundred years, however. Still drunk, bawdy, relentless and pretty pathetic.
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Unfortunately, they did not interest me in the slightest. They were quite amusing in places and I enjoyed the black comedy, but altogether they were patronising and unremarkable. It was interesting to see that people have not changed in over one hundred years, however. Still drunk, bawdy, relentless and pretty pathetic.
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May 30, 2017
I've been a fan of Maupassant ever since I read The diamond necklace back in high school and there are still passages from it that I can vividly recall verbatim. He maintains his beautiful sense of writing in these short stories which showcase the Parisian society in all its naked reality. Well written and a pleasure to read.
April 2, 2016
Not to everyone's taste. The most interesting are the title story (which is at once anti and pro lesbian) and "Cockcrow" which was really great (though guys might not like it).
September 9, 2018
pls ignore the low goodreads average, this tiny short story collection is a real gem of beautiful prose, sapphic glory and badass seductresses, maupassant we stan
October 26, 2022
Devious lesbian mankillers
April 13, 2024
I really enjoyed this short collection. These are pithy stories - brief, but effective. de Maupassant seems to have an instinct for short stories similar to Chekhov's. These stories do not contain superfluous characters or superfluous complexities - they work with minimal resources, driving to their point, which is never explicitly spelled out, and usually too nuanced to express as a simple statement.
Of these stories, Cockcrow is the shortest and most ephemeral. It's more like fairytale, with a dash of humour. The next two stories are more serious and emotional. Femme Fatale tells the story of a mishandled love affair. Hautot & Son is probably the best story here. It tells the story of a man who must meet his father's mistress after his father's death. It has something rich and perennial about it, and its central mystery unravels excellently. Laid to Rest is also about a mystery and a love affair, and also unravels excellently, never really being resolved at all.
All of these stories consist of some complicated thing slowly coming into focus. They all centre on a love-affair. Usually, the male character has been played in some way. I've never read de Maupassant before, so I don't know if that's a common theme of his, or just a recurring theme in these stories, but he writes about love and lust powerfully and effectively.
Of these stories, Cockcrow is the shortest and most ephemeral. It's more like fairytale, with a dash of humour. The next two stories are more serious and emotional. Femme Fatale tells the story of a mishandled love affair. Hautot & Son is probably the best story here. It tells the story of a man who must meet his father's mistress after his father's death. It has something rich and perennial about it, and its central mystery unravels excellently. Laid to Rest is also about a mystery and a love affair, and also unravels excellently, never really being resolved at all.
All of these stories consist of some complicated thing slowly coming into focus. They all centre on a love-affair. Usually, the male character has been played in some way. I've never read de Maupassant before, so I don't know if that's a common theme of his, or just a recurring theme in these stories, but he writes about love and lust powerfully and effectively.
May 27, 2020
... "One can love a friend as much as a wife. Passion has its own laws"...
September 20, 2015
This book consists of 4 short stories which are:
1. Cockcrow: A very short among the shorts, it was quite confusing for me at first but then I kind of make my own assumption if the tale of the story might just be a dream tale of a man. Perhaps?
2. Femme Fatale: I really like this story very much. It deals with lesbianism issue and how this man loathed it and tried to 'persuade' his lover to 'get away' from her same sex relationship friends.
3. Hauntot & Son: My favourite of a bunch. An unwritten will of a dying father to his 24 years old son to look after his secret mistress.
4. Laid to Rest: Interesting tale about a friend of five people telling a tale about how he met a heartbroken young woman in the cemetery and she persuaded him to go back to her house. The funeral fling ended briefly. A month later, he stumbled upon the same woman at the cemetery with the same tactic but in the arm of other mourner.
Very good read and quite interesting.
1. Cockcrow: A very short among the shorts, it was quite confusing for me at first but then I kind of make my own assumption if the tale of the story might just be a dream tale of a man. Perhaps?
2. Femme Fatale: I really like this story very much. It deals with lesbianism issue and how this man loathed it and tried to 'persuade' his lover to 'get away' from her same sex relationship friends.
3. Hauntot & Son: My favourite of a bunch. An unwritten will of a dying father to his 24 years old son to look after his secret mistress.
4. Laid to Rest: Interesting tale about a friend of five people telling a tale about how he met a heartbroken young woman in the cemetery and she persuaded him to go back to her house. The funeral fling ended briefly. A month later, he stumbled upon the same woman at the cemetery with the same tactic but in the arm of other mourner.
Very good read and quite interesting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 20, 2023
Is it really love if it is so cruel and unreciprocated?
Side note: Madeleine is an inspiration, sprinkle sprinkle.
Side note: Madeleine is an inspiration, sprinkle sprinkle.
April 22, 2020
The novels are plain without very much action. They are focused on a certain situation or a specific event from character's life, spreaded with some details now and then. However, it catches you and you are reading until the end to see what will happen. The final, at least for me, was suddenly and unexpectedly coming letting me wonder what happened afterwards.
March 5, 2023
არ ვარ კმაყოფილი გი დე მოპასანის მოუხეშავი ოცნებებით
January 19, 2021
What is the significance of such love relation where one only got humiliated by the partner.. Femme fatale is the story of infidelity, lesbian love and human emotions. Useless infatuation, dissipation and contumelious of mismatched affair.. Maupassant is so sublime with every emotion he created with each and every line in the story. His masterfully threaded prose has given me an unique flavour of his dark and scandalous writing..
My first encounter with Maupassant and I'm impressed by his writing. All in all, worth reading.
#femmefatale
#aleafunturned
My first encounter with Maupassant and I'm impressed by his writing. All in all, worth reading.
#femmefatale
#aleafunturned
September 21, 2025
Four short stories. The title story Femme Fatale is probably the highlight, about a young man with his lover on the banks of the River Seine, his lover, Madeleine takes an interest in a well known lesbian and the young man can't stand the depravity. The images conjur up Seurat or Renoir's paintings of rowers and others relaxing and dancing by the river. Hautot and Son is about a young man searching for his father's lover after a hunting accident. Laid to Rest is about an encounter between a wealthy middle aged man and a young woman who appears to be a greiving widow in the Montparnasse Cemetery. These stories might have appeared in yellow covers to audiences in Victorian England as they were far more salacious than those the Victorians were writing about at the time.
August 8, 2018
These 4 stories are all about men who fall deeply in love with girls that are not socially appropriate for them. I love the witty remarks of the females characters and the strong personalities they evoke. For a 19th century book it is pretty rare.
The 4 stories have a similar beginning and a similar ending which shows the author's interest in the structural correlation.
It was extremely funny and highly recommendable. It's a quick read and it assures you an agreeable reading time.
The 4 stories have a similar beginning and a similar ending which shows the author's interest in the structural correlation.
It was extremely funny and highly recommendable. It's a quick read and it assures you an agreeable reading time.
April 17, 2017
These short stories humor caught me by surprise, I wasn't expecting to enjoy them so much.
I'm looking forward to read more from the author.
I'm looking forward to read more from the author.
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