In Pursuit of Love: A Journey in the Footsteps of Obsession

by Mark Bostridge

From Normandy to the Caribbean Islands, this innovative biographical pursuit follows Adèle Hugo on her reckless journey of unrequited love – and the writer who chased after her more than 150 years later.

It's 1863. The daughter of the most famous writer in the world, Victor Hugo, who has ambitions as a writer and composer, suddenly leaves her family's home on the Channel Islands bound for Nova Scotia. She is in pursuit of a young British soldier, with whom she is desperately in love, but who has rejected her. Eight years later, after stalking him to the Caribbean, where he's stationed with the army, Adèle Hugo is brought back to Paris by a benevolent former slave woman who has taken pity on her. She is admitted to an asylum where she dies decades later, rich from the inheritance of the rights to her father's books.

This story of hopeless love has inspired writers, composers, and a well-known film by François Truffaut. Yet much about Adèle Hugo's tragic life has remained shrouded in mystery – not least the true character and identity of the soldier who ultimately contributed to her undoing.

Mark Bostridge was drawn to Adèle's story in his twenties, thanks in part to the François Truffaut film, and has been following her story ever since. Now he sets out in pursuit of the truth about her, travelling halfway across the world, acting as sleuth and tracking down the descendants of the soldier she loved. In so doing he recognises the source of his fascination with the aspects of Adèle's life that reflect and parallel his own. The result is a moving book about the pain of loving too much and of parents loving too little; about the ways in which we are haunted by the dead; and about our insatiable appetite for other's people's stories which possess us and invade our own lives.

In Pursuit of Love is part memoir and part travelogue, as well as an invigorating new approach to the writing of biography.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography

288 pages, Hardcover

Published September 3, 2024

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The life of Adele Hugo, the famous writer’s youngest daughter, is stranger than fiction. She fell in love with a British soldier and followed him across the world. She spent her last days in an asylum. Was her love ever returned, or was she an obsessed and unwanted stalker?

Mark Bostridge obsessively traveled across the world to track down Adele, hoping to discover the truth. He was able to dredge up new documents and photographs and insights.

Adele’s beloved older sister’s death was a shock her father never recovered from. The beautiful Adele was pursued, but she rejected marriage. Victor Hugo was forced to leave his beloved homeland, taking the family (and his mistress!) to the Channel Islands. Hugo was larger than life in his fame as a novelist–and for his sexual appetite.

Adele fell for the handsome British officer Albert Andrew Pinson. They had a love affair. She followed him from post to post, but they never married, although a marriage license has been found. In fact, he married another woman, but remained concerned for Adele’s welfare.

Bostridge story of his search for Adele mirrors Adele’s obsession. Drawing from Adele’s journal, family stories and photographs, and historical records, Bostridge teases out a story that confirms that the mysteries of the human heart are unsolvable.

Thanks to the publisher for a free book.

[Pooja Peravali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Victor Hugo was the most famous writer in the world when his daughter, Adèle, left their home in Guernsey on a years-long mad pursuit of a former lover. Centuries later, author Mark Bostridge retraces her steps and tries to understand her obsession in the prism of his own life.

I have not seen acclaimed 1975 film The Story of Adele H., so this was my first real acquaintance with the strange life of Adèle Hugo, whose story was long obscured by her own family out of the shame of her mental illness and her loss of reputation. 

Readers seemed to have mixed reactions to Bostridge's wedding of the incidents of Adèle's life to his own - I am one who comes down on the side of loving it. Without it, Adèle's story alone would have made for too slim a story, but beyond that, Bostridge's own life contextualizes hers, and encourages the reader to draw closer too. Suddenly she is not a remote historical figure but a person driven by the same kinds of impulses and obsessions as someone we may know - maybe even ourselves.

The writing is lovely and poetic, and as we trace Adèle's footsteps her story expands beyond the mere single-minded pursuit of the unprepossessing Lt. Albert Pinson. We explore her life as the recorder of her father's every pearl of wisdom, laboring under the shadow of her older sister's untimely demise, the utter isolation she faces in her family exile to Jersey and later Guernsey, and by the time she takes flight to chase her erstwhile lover across the sea you have come much closer to understanding what drove her to it. I was also impressed by how much the author was able to reveal about Albert Pinson, the object of her obsession, to learn for the first time how he might have felt about his stalker.

The sections in Newfoundland and Barbados did feel a little lighter on detail - understandably as Adèle's writings from this time are presumed lost, and much of the information remaining comes down as oral accounts. However, as the author hunts for the homes that Adèle was alleged to have lived in, I thought we lost a chance to peer closer into what may have been going through her mind at these times.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.

[Megan Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Victor Hugo has always been an author I've been unsure of, enjoying some of his work and disliking others. But the tale of his family has been one I've been interested in, especially his daughter, Adèle. After seeing some of the 1975 film, The Story of Adèle H, I've wanted to learn more about Adèle Hugo so when I found In Pursuit of Love it seemed like a good place to start. Mark Bostridge paints her tale very vividly, showing all sides of Adèle's tragic life after meeting a certain British soldier whom she follows almost to the other side of the world. In following her tale, Bostridge does make many reflections throughout the book, some were distracting, and some halted chapters for a bit, which I think he could have shortened or placed in different places.

As a starting point for delving deeper into the life of one of France's most famous authors, In Pursuit of Love doesn't let her famous father overshadow Adèle's tragic tale. Although I felt the pacing was a bit off with his reflections, it was enjoyable enough. Because of Adèle's parts, I recommend In Pursuit of Love, but I don't think I'll be re-reading it soon.

Thank you, NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Melanie Caldicott · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like other reviewers I thought this would be a compelling biography about a family torn apart and interesting discussions surrounding feminism, patriarchy and the use of asylums in the 19th century. However, I grew tired of the author's rambling style and the interjections he made about his own life and experiences. I lost interest in this halfway through and DNFd.
This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

While some parts of this were really interesting, I did not care for the writing style. Bostridge spends 100 words saying what could be said decisively in 10. He meshes Adèle's story with his own in a rather mismatched format that doesn't come together as polished as I believe he expects it does. I'm glad somebody investigated her story and wrote about it, but I really did not resonate with his writing.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Victor Hugo’s fame is well documented, although I have never been particularly tempted to pick up one of his novels despite his place in the literary canon. I was, however, intrigued by the life and fate of his daughter, Adele. A young woman whose life seems to have been plagued by immense loss and rejection, living in the shadow of her father a literary giant and perhaps somewhat of a suffocating presence.
Mark Bostridge was inspired to trace the history of Adele, whose historical footprint is somewhat light, having seen a film about her life, The Story of Adele H, directed by French film critic and director Francois Truffaut. Her life seems to have been marked by loss early on with the accidental death of her older sister Leopoldine in 1843. Whilst out on a boat on the Seine in Villequier, it tragically capsized and she was drowned along with her husband Charles Vacquerie. She was just 19 years old. It appears this event was to mark the lives of all the family, but Victor Hugo never recovered from the loss and this grief seems to be a reoccurring motif throughout the rest of the families lives and indeed this novel.
Adele’s personal grief seems to be less well documented however Bostridge discovers that she began to struggle with her mental health in 1856 during her 20s. She became infatuated with a solider by the name of Albert Pinson and seems to have been repeatedly rejected by him despite following him around the world to the Caribbean. Their relationship seems to have been extremely complicated and it is this complexity that Bostridge attempts to unweave by tracing the footsteps of Adele across various countries and landscapes meeting descendants of Pinson and attempting to uncover what it was about him that drove Adele’s compulsion. During this time, he also reflects on his own history and past relationships and finds remarkable parallels between himself and Victor Hugo’s daughter. This compelling aspect to the biography makes it somewhat unusual in form enabling the text to ask the reader how will history interpret our own lives and how far should one go in pursuit of love.

[Catalina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A most fascinating story that will, inevitably, leave one saddened! What Adèle's life could have been!! It really seems like a waste of a life and definitely a massive waste of talent!

To my shame, despite having heard so much about Hugo, having read some of his novels, I've never bothered to learn anything about him as a person and/or his family! In Pursuit of Love has been a lovely way to acquaint myself to some of all that! Adèle really comes alive under Bostridge's pen. Which, considering the scarcity of details available, tells one a lot about Mark Bostridge's skill as an author. What I find really fascinating is the whole process: how an author becomes interesting in a person, a subject, and how they follow that through! And let me tell you that In Pursuit of Love has been so very satisfying. from that point of view. The author hasn't left anything out of his narrative, and I loved, loved, loved following him in pursuit of Adèle! Needless to say I have added all those place and museum to my list of places to visit!

*Book from NetGalley with many thanks to the publisher for the opportunity!

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good book. I’m intrigued by other reviews which dislike it. It’s true that I’ve been wary of other “biographies” which interweave personal experiences of the author with the story of the subject. However, this one really works for me. Bostridge manages to pull off a delicate balance between his own reflections and Adèle’s story, always making sure that his personal musings are in respectful service to her life. It really isn’t, as some reviewers suggest, just rambling or meandering interjections. His mini-discourses on the experiences of his travels in search of Adèle, as well as little vignettes on unrequited obsessions, mental health, his relationship with his father and so on, provide a deeply empathetic reflection on Adèle’s experiences, which we unfortunately cannot know much about for sure.

The book also gave me a good insight into Victor Hugo and his family and personal life, none of which I had any clue about previously. I had no idea, for example, that he spent so much of his middle age in political exile in Guernsey. Nor did I know that he was such a womaniser well into his 70s, though as a C19th literary French bigwig, I guess this is no surprise.

I came to this book via the 1975 Truffaut film The Story of Adèle H, starring the amazing young Isabelle Adjani as Adèle and the wooden but beautiful Bruce Robinson as her obsession. I was pleased to see the film referenced in this book, as it’s a little known gem in my view.

When describing events Bostridge sometimes has rather an old fashioned style, with lots of commas and clauses (unless this is the intervention of an overly left-brained editor). But when he describes place, atmosphere, nature and feeling, he really is a very beautiful writer, who I don’t hesitate to recommend.

[Penelope · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of Adele Hugo, daughter of the author of "Les Mis." It's a sad tale of unrequited love leading to madness of a kind. Using journals, records and photos, the author reconstructs her life and that of her family. Perhaps they were all slightly eccentric! But it's a sad story, of early death, Victorian morals and strictures, desperate love and an almost missing person who left very little trace. And of both the family's and Adele's voyages and travels.

The author has travelled in Adele's footsteps, investigating her life and that of Pinson, the man she doted on, and trying to find any traces of them, either from location or from ambience. And as he does so, he draws parallels with his own life, his own unrequited (gay) love and of choices made and impacts that followed.

While I was interested in the lives of the Hugo family in general and Adele's in particular, I found the interspersed reflections on the author's own life interrupted the flow of the main story and frankly added little to it. A kind of spiritual navel gazing that I personally thought unnecessary and of no merit in the re-telling of Adele's experiences. They also added to the already long book. So I began to flick through those episodes very quickly or even ignore them, and concentrate on the main story of the hapless Adele and her sad life.

I have honestly to say that while I appreciated reading about Adele, this is not a book I shall read again.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, for the advance copy in return for my honest review.

[Lady Fancifull · Rating 4 out of 5]

Discursive, satisfying weaving of observer and observed 4.5 rating

Personally, if the writer themselves engages me, I really like this style of biography, which merges autobiography or memoir, reminding us that ‘biographies’ can never be fully objective as an author’s own view of their subject matter will be the lens of interpretation they create.

So, this biography of Victor Hugo’s youngest daughter - about whom I knew nothing at all, and indeed, knew little of the life of Hugo himself – absorbed me because Bostridge brought in so many other subjects. These included his own life and personality, as these explained why he was drawn to his subject. His magpie subject hopping into, for example, spiritualism, and an examination of Truffaut, whose film, starring Isabelle Adjani, ‘Adele H’, also put another spin on obsession, prevents the kind of dryness some autobiographies lean into.

Indeed, Bostridge himself puts his own history of a certain relationship under the microscope, recounting his undergraduate days, and the pain of earlier breakup of his parent’s marriage. Parallels could be drawn (though were not overstated) with the somewhat complex history of Hugo’s marriage and infidelities. Also under the microscope, some of the changing thinking about mental illness and PTSD, and the debates around causation, - neurochemistry and inheritance, neurochemistry and the influence of events.

[Stephen Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply stunning. A truly beautiful and deeply moving book, passionate, gripping, searingly honest and frankly unputdownable. Bostridge renders the sad and ultimately tragic story of Adele Hugo with great compassion, while the strange - and boldly executed - resonances with his own life add a fascinating insight into just what it means to experience, and suffer, unrequited love. If Adele is a stalker, she nevertheless fully engages our (or my) sympathies, as also does the object of her obsessions, the mysterious English army lieutenant she followed half way round the world. At one level this is a detective story (as any great biography should be) replete with unexpected twists and turns as Bostridge tenaciously tracks the paths of its central players. But at a deeper level it is also a detective story of the mind, a route map of a kind of psychosis, and in that sense so much more than a biography. I loved it. Brilliant.

[Laura Spira · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was deeply disappointed by this book. Bostridge is apparently an acclaimed biographer. I have not read any of his other books. I had expected a well researched account of Adele Hugo's life which sounded interesting. It seems that the information available about her is relatively thin so the book is bulked out with tedious accounts of the author's research trips, rambling irrelevant anecdotes about the author's life and much speculation about Adele, as well as some diversions into comparisons between her experience and those of fictional characters from well-known novels, not even by her famous father. I should have given up early on when he describes his mother as wearing a one piece bikini: a good editor might have corrected that.

I should thank Netgalley for the ARC, not their fault that it's so unappealing.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

There seems to be a bit of a trend lately for authors combining memoir and biography. One I read and enjoyed recently, for example, was In Pursuit of Jefferson by Derek Baxter, who does what Mark Bostridge does here, that is follow in the footsteps of the subject whilst interjecting their own experiences and thoughts as they travel. Here the subject is Adele Hugo, Victor Hugo’s daughter, who left her home to pursue the great love of her life. A combination of memoir, travelogue and biography, the threads knit together satisfactorily and satisfyingly and I very much enjoyed the reading. The book doesn’t pretend to be just a straightforward biography of Adele Hugo, and I can see that some readers have been frustrated by Bostridge inserting himself so much into the narrative, but it worked for me and I found the book absorbing, entertaining and enjoyable.

[Lubybel · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Pursuit Of Love tells the sad story of Victor Hugo's daughter Adèle, told by Mark Bostridge.

The author travels around the world tracking down the places in which the Hugo family lived, finding as much information that is at all possible.
He visits museums in pursuit of this information, the buildings where the family would have lived, and with disbelief that these have been demolished and believes that they should have been preserved for Hugo Victor is the most famous writer in the world.

Mark Bostridge exchanges and explores aspects of his life that mirror those of Adèle, adding a richness to this much untold tale.

The details are many and a surprising novel and one that will grip the many readers of biography

A sad but compelling story of Victor Hugo's daughter, and includes many facts of the Hugo family.

It is a story of unrequited love that ends for Adèle in an asylum.

My thanks go to NetGalley and the publishers Bloomsbury Publishing Plc ( UK & ANZ) for my advance copy in return for my honest review.

[Heather Trevis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Adele Hugo (daughter of famous poet and novelist, Victor Hugo) is fascinating and, while I expected this book to be more focused on its primary subject, it did not disappoint. Mark Bostridge, with exceptional honesty and vulnerability documents how he goes about researching her life. Retracing Adele’s travels in pursuit of the object of her obsessive love, Albert Pinson, Mark Bostridge attempts to immerse himself in her story and conveys to the reader a personal perspective. Some primary sources of evidence, like letters, are uncovered but much about Adele Hugo must remain a mystery. An intriguing and haunting account of the destructive force of unrequited passion and obsessive love.

[Kathryn Ecclestone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came to ‘In Pursuit of Love’ knowing Mark Bostridge’s other work, notably his superb biography ((with Paul Berry) of Vera Brittain.

He is an excellent writer, in my opinion. I like the combination of what one reviewer here called his ‘old fashioned’ phrasing with a readable lightness of touch.

I knew absolutely nothing about Adele Hugo before reading this book and now I have learned more.

I enjoyed how Bostridge interweaves the twists and turns of trying to trace an elusive subject, and the frustrations of that process. I was initially unsure about the idea of putting himself into the narrative (since, for me, there’s far too much ‘therapeutic’ introspection in contemporary literature) but I thought he did it well in this book.

[Georgina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love is an extraordinary thing that can affect us all in different ways and Adele Hugo, the daughter of the famous writer Victor Hugo became obsessed with the soldier who stole her heart, following him to the other side of the world only to be rejected.
1863 was the year this began and she would follow him for eight years, the result was to end her days in a mental institution which was the tragic ending of Adele.

It is an utterly moving piece of writing and a side of love that we may all recognize in some form or other—a compelling read.

[Jood · Rating 2 out of 5]

A somewhat rambling book which seems more about the author than the subject, one Adele Hugo. I came to this book knowing absolutely nothing about her, but wanted to know more, but in the end I was disappointed. I've no doubt the author is an accomplished biographer – I haven't read any of his other books – but this failed to please this reader. There is very little information to be found about Adele Hugo and maybe this is why this book is so unsatisfying.


My thanks to Netgalley for an ARC download

[Gayla Bassham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great authors have a very mixed record as parents (see also Lucia Joyce; Susy and Jean Clemens; all ten of Charles Dickens's children). Was Adele Hugo the victim of a famous father who could not bear her ambition and independence? Or was she mentally ill, stalking a man she'd become obsessed with? This book presents Adele as a fascinating riddle and although I could have done without some of Bostridge's reflections on his own life, I was captivated by the mystery of Adele's pursuit of her soldier. (I've also added Truffaut's film about Adele to my Letterboxd watchlist.)

[Sarah Burton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately this book wasn't for me and I gave up half way through (this is a rare occurence for me). I was intrigued to find out more about Adele Hugo but halfway through all I had read seemed to be about the life of Victor Hugo and the author and his obsession with Adele, Adele herself a side note. The second half of the book could reveal more about her but sadly my interest was lost.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read In Pursuit of Love.

[Dinah Burston · Rating 5 out of 5]

A remarkable book, so beautifully written, exploring Adele Hugo's tragic story as a metaphor for biographical pursuit itself. Fascinating to watch Bostridge reveal his own connection to the story. Yes, it's not a conventional biography, and maybe Bloomsbury should have made that clearer for readers who read with their eyes half open. But it is something innovative and sensitive that as one reviewer says results in a piece of writing of haunting beauty.

[Jayne Southern · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adele Hugo’s story is sad, fascinating, and intriguing, which is why I was keen to read this book. Whilst the author was impressively diligent in his search for the truth of Adele’s life, I confess I found the extensive interruptions of his travels (however enviable) and his personal revelations intrusive, distracting and ultimately difficult to continue reading – a deal of page flipping took place.
It is beautifully written, but perhaps somewhat self-indulgent on the part of the author.

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw Adele H long long time ago but it's her fist biography I read. It was a fascinating and intriguing read.
She remains a mystery but I appreciated the research and the style of writing even if it drags a bit at time
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Cherry Bear · Rating 3 out of 5]

slipping back and forth between the narrator (who is somewhat whiny and uninteresting) and the story of Adele which was what I actually wanted to read about created a confusing jumble of a mysterious historic figure (of course, interesting inspired by Trauffaut's famous 1970s movie) and a personal story (of a hopeless romantic with money for pet projects and endless travel).

[Lynseygibs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to #NetGalley for an #ARC of #InPersuitOfLove.
Not a usual genre for me to read, however it is an interesting read to follow Adele Hugos life through the years. Little inputs from the authors own life add to the story but maybe make it a little long

[Doug Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

A haunting, clever book that needs to be read a couple of times over to understand its complexities and its thematic layers. Perhaps not a conventional biography. Perhaps an innovative one that makes you wonder about the boundaries between biographer and subject. I won't forget it.

[Ophelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have not read any Victor Hugo books and yet identify as French and a reader! Bizarre to read this book but I am always compelled to learn more about great authors. Like many of his contemporaries and other notable authors, I am left disappointed by their dubious life decisions. This was no exception.
Interesting book and I liked knowing what drew the author to being obsessed with uncovering Adele’s story.