As the Eagle Flies

by Nolwenn Le Blevennec, Madeleine Rogers (translator)

This is the story of an affair, or two. The narrator of As The Eagle Flies has been with Igor for seven years, and has two children with him – when she meets Joseph. Before long, they are deeply entangled with each other and she must decide between the life she knows with Igor and this unpredictable, and potentially destructive, affair. She is willing to start again with Joseph, but at what cost? And, does he feel the same way? With a sharp wit and a refreshing honesty, Nolwenn Le Blevennec uses literature, psychology, and popular culture to get to the heart of questions about love, family and identity. This is a book about getting lost in other people, and the lengths we go to to find ourselves again.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Literary Fiction, Translated Fiction, Contemporary, France, Love

144 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 10, 2023

Reviews

[SamB · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for anything like this - French people having affairs and spending 150 pages thinking about it a lot, yes please.

[Paul Fulcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

As you might have guessed (because if it's not forbidden, there's nothing to get so worked up about, you're just going to the cinema), we're talking about an affair. In its most widespread and tragic form: adultery with a profound disagreement over the desirable outcome. Nothing to do with conservative or religious values here, but rather two psychic structures in conflict. From the very first minute, there was no point of agreement between Joseph and me on the definitions of love, happiness or risk.

As The Eagle Flies is narrated by a woman in her mid 30s in 2019, looking back on her relationships over the last 10 years, including her marriage in 2009 with Igor, 20 years her senior and recently widowed, with whom she had two children, and Joseph who she had an affair with, starting in 2016 and eventually breaking up with in 2018.

As the opening quote suggests this is a rather banal tale of adultery and a love affair, although one that comes with heavy laced with psychology. This passage is from her analysis of her marriage to Igor, who still refers to his late first wife as 'my wife':

The difficulties of our relationship — his grief, the existence of his two grown-up children and the birth of our own two — took up all my energy for years. For a long time, I felt like some kind of thalassotherapy special offer for the bereaved. It took me a good two or three years to soothe my jealousy over the fact that I hadn't been chosen over his wife, but to take care of him in her absence (and even then, not really chosen: I just happened to be in the office next door wearing a short skirt). A further year or two to stop feeling the need to put her down in my head. And then years more to feel affection for her and, finally, to relate to her.

Most of the story though concerns her obsessive thoughts about her on-off relationship with Joseph (guilt as to her rather patient husband and young children rather absent), who himself seems a master of gas-lighting. The blurb describes this as Woody Allen meets Annie Ernaux, although Joseph reminded me more of a Houllebecq character, and the narrator herself does make that comparison towards the novel's end. Indeed this is a book also steeped in literature, Russian novels and poetry in particular.

Overall - this wasn't for me - I really didn't want to spend 200 pages in the narrator's company but it is well written and the literature and psychological references elevate it above the rather well-trodden path of the story.

[Kiara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an absolute master class in insatiable desire. The ability to describe her current state and observe the subconscious behavior Joseph continued to engage in, demonstrates such self awareness on her part. Key to this book was recognizing her own feelings after spending so much of the book (everything but the last 20 pages) engulfed in Joseph’s. While I’m not too upset about the healing aspect being rushed. There could have been more emphasis on how she did that given that she’s the other woman in both relationships but in different contexts.

However I just know this is going to be a top 5 for me this year. Loved it

[Regan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t really love the parts about the affair (this book is at least 80% about the affair) but I did end up enjoying the novel immensely overall— which just goes to say that Le Blevennec’s voice is incredible, so many clever, funny moments, so candid and full of witty & thoughtful references. Would love to see more of her work translated into English!! (Amazing job by madeleine rogers)

[rae mariella · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of my new favorite books possibly ever, i will never recover

[ady ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

loving this book is nothing about supporting or condoning cheating but i saw it more as an internal dilemma of being manipulated, not just by an all consuming love(?) affair, but also by yourself and your emotions. a witty and enticing way of portraying how people bend over backwards for passion and justify their selfishness for what they think love is—the psychoanalytical references in this only proved that. but also realizing their own pain is brought upon by themselves.

despite finding myself rereading paragraphs to comprehend it properly, the writing and prose was beautiful.

4 / 5 stars.

[Lexi Maycunich · Rating 5 out of 5]

how can such a short book be so profound? i don’t even know if i can put into words how i’m feeling, this book made me contemplate life and love in a whole new light, how detrimental and all consuming a relationship can be, how it can take so much out of you but you still crave the connection, no matter how it damages you.
there’s a line in the book, “you can be in love with people who don’t make you happy” and that really makes you realize how toxic and tumultuous a relationship can be but you still crave it, even though it’s bad for you because of an unfathomable pull to another person
this also makes you realize how selfish a person can be and how much you take for granted the good things that are right in front of you, but also that no relationships are perfect and we all grow old in the end

[ria]

dnf 21% deeply insufferable people and i really dont care. also not sure if its the writing style or the translation, but it reads very empty

[ninfa ☽ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4’75 ⭐️ ‘i thought about him 145 minutes per day. two to five times per hour. he was the first thing i thought of in the morning. when I walked down the street I imagine him watching me walk down the street. when I passed the places where we stopped even for a second to kiss or whatever i was assaulted by a series of flashbacks (…) many evenings I realised that night had fallen without me thinking of him all day, but that still counted as thinking about him’

llibre absolutament perfecte. suposo que toca acceptar que la literatura que fa mes per mi es la francesa que parli de relacions complicades, tumultoses i en general purament humanes, perque es la que mes feliç em fa llegir. quina tiaza, la nolwenne leblenc!!!! m’ha encantat la seva prosa i la seva manera de parlar de relacions, no us la perdeu 💔

pd: llibre acabat a dos llocs, al avio cami a praga i al tren praga-viena

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the kind of book I really have no interest in. It is French, about an illicit affair, and uses a lot of social science theory. The kind of love described - destructive, passionate, hurtful - just seems very melodramatic to me.

Nevertheless, I liked the book much more than I would have thought from its bones, and that is due to Nolwenn Le Blevennec's prose. While the narrative started to drag after the first third, I really enjoyed the narrative voice. The observations are intelligent and some descriptions just read very true.

So - it's okay. It is a good book, but I will not read it twice, prose be damned.

[Inessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Our narrator has the absolute WORST taste in men. She’s married to a man twenty years her senior who she has CLEARLY fallen out of love with and given up hope on and whom also is still in love with his dead ex-wife. The fact she got with him just after the passing of his wife just screams this wasn’t meant to be. It was all rushed and new and exciting for both but she admits she essentially was his caregiver and his grown children view her as a pest.

Fast forward to her affair. At work, she meets Joseph, who is an arrogant, smug loser. She falls for him because she enjoys their conversation which leads to years of on and off again affairs. I do not approve of her marriage or her affair - I just wish she divorced her husband and actually found a nice man for herself. She was never put forth in either relationship and it’s heartbreaking because she’s got no self awareness or respect in regards to her love and needs.

The book describes the madness she goes through as Joseph (her affair) is constantly on then off. He’s a mega flirt to ask for sex but claim it’s forbidden only to give in then pull back … yet he will then start up again then stop due to having children within his own relationship and so on and so forth. I enjoyed the constant second guessing and psychotic thinking of our main character but it just was an endless loop.

For being with such a doorknob you’d think she’d have realized he’s not a catch much sooner. I find the fact that her husband is so old, calls her ugly in passing, drags her by the feet around the house and is quite critical and cold to her and constantly bringing up his deceased wife a major reason she engages in this affair. Yes, attention is great but when you’re married that love comes from your partner. I think our woman just wanted to be loved and appreciated which is upsetting as she was better than both the men in the story.

Overall, I MOSTLY enjoyed the writing but found the comparisons and in-depth summaries of similar movies or books to completely take me out of the writing. While this is a short book I feel the intensity and whirlwind up and downs of this affair could’ve been more effective if all the cinema and novel talk were out of it. As I’ve never had an affair I couldn’t relate much but some parts brought back the intensity of when I’d have a crush on a boy and be awaiting his messages. Curious if he liked me or others. Just the excitement but madness of it all. The author does a really great job at explaining it all. 3.5 stars.

[T'Jae Freeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I thought with this novel I would get more of a traditional fictional story, but instead the work reads (and is written) as a post-reflective journal. The main subject is of an all consuming affair and the work reminded me a lot of Annie Ernaux's Simple Passion. I think this author had interesting observations and reflections to share and added a bit of humor in the mix. I don't know when I'll stop reading (and wanting to read) books about affairs. I am itching to start Madonna in a Fur Coat after this.

[Dominique · Rating 3 out of 5]

consider this my head start for women in translation month lol

not so much a book about an affair but moreso the narration on the internal descent into madness while having one LOL i think i might have laughed out loud a few times during this! interesting how guilt is not a predominant theme, it was more a story on insatiable desire and the lengths selfishness will go as a result (which i think is what made the read interesting despite how insufferable these characters were). was a big fan of our narrator’s acceptance of the end of her affair and how she was satisfied by knowing she’d branded herself into his life…. hell yeah

“i looked at the apartment walls and thought about how they would outlive me a thousand times over. i was so insignificant that even the partitions would outlast me. fear returned. fear of giving up, of drowning in my own banality”

“she could, upon waking, raise her arm in the air and let it fall on Joseph. Watch him stand up to choose a book, while I only knew his back from watching him walk away”

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

yasss psychoanalyse that man!

'I couldn't stop myself from drawing a parallel between what I'd put Igor through with Joseph, and what he'd done to me by bringing me into his life too quickly. I found what we'd done to each other to be of the same nature, just part of a life lived to the full. We are monsters who love each other.'

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just brilliant and hilarious skewering of an affair in 150 pages.

[Adrian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just feel exhausted with these tales of multiple complicated relationships - how does anyone have the time!

[Nicola]

As The Eagle Flies is an introspective study of an affair. Our unnamed narrator has been with the much older, widowed Igor for seven years and they share two children, but a conversation with Joseph, a colleague at her magazine, catapults her into a passionate, intoxicating affair: “My face felt like it was sizzling; sparks were falling into my plastic cup of red wine. The conversation lasted twenty minutes, and it was like something was gently squeezing my insides the whole time.”

Their relationship overtakes every aspect of her life, although she is with him so little. For all the highs, there is much pain, anxiety and waiting: “When Joseph, fresh from the hairdresser’s, broke up with me by the Assembleé nationale, I felt like a drugged-up dog abandoned by the side of the road after crossing Spain in the back of a dealer’s speeding car.” Like any drug, Joseph takes time to recover from, and the relationship still limps along, off and on, for a few further years.

Beautifully written, witty and entertaining, this novel explores the inner experience and dynamics of passion (I hesitate to call it love), and explores how someone can lose themselves in another, even if they only ever see and experience a tiny part of them (hence, perhaps, why the narrator is unnamed). Of course we only ever really hear one side of the story, but we maybe see more than the narrator that it is Joseph who always dictates the terms of the relationship. What understanding she has only comes much later: “… his technique involves showing the worst of yourself at a point when the other person isn’t yet susceptible to getting upset about it. You can then consider them to have been warned. Declare all future complaints null and void. Wash your hands of it. In short, what I had taken for flirtatiousness was in fact part of his modus operandi.”

This intelligent, perceptive and evocative story was a wonderful read.

[Francesca · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s three characters in the book, the narrative lead, Joseph, the cool, art curator whomst she’s having an affair with, and Igor, her mentally unstable husband.

The first time I read this book I related to the narrator in a way I hadn’t experienced in a book since reading Annie Ernaux last year. It was so candid, so open, and such an exciting experience when it’s clear the author shares similar traits of toxicity with yourself. ( this is something that always happens with French female writers) But it’s funny because on this read I was half disgusted with how selfish and self wallowing the narrator is.

This time around I saw a lot of myself in Joseph, with his effacious avoidance and inability to take any real responsibility when things get more serious. Joseph has a placating type of romantic whimsy that’s very easy to adopt but so annoying to be on the receiving end of. Where issues raised immediately dissolve into false resolutions and then eventually met with passing blame and avoidance.

I also feel very empathetic with Igor, a devoted, quiet life, academic who struggles with bouts of paranoia and ocd which he eases by oscillating through cycles of emotional eating locking himself indoors. In reality I probably relate to him the most.

The book is just excellent and definitely one of my favourite of all time.

[wati bogosse · Rating 3 out of 5]

J'ai passé la dernière moitié du roman à me demander si j'allais le noter 2 ou bien 3 étoiles. Peut être que la petite vanne raciste sur le viol page 120 y est pour quelque chose 🤷‍♀️ Je suis mitigée : c'est très bien écrit, ça déchire et ça fait sourire. Je n'ai pas vraiment réussi à me laisser attendrir par l'héroïne bourgeoise, mais je ne regrette pas ma lecture pour autant.

[Mandi Fast · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

“That was my evening ration, my daily bread, his Christmas wishes.”

“My problems that I was terrorized by the thought of my actions defining my character. The concern he was showing numbed me. He was standing in front of me; I wanted to warm my hands up in his hair. I did nothing.”

[Maren · Rating 2 out of 5]

this wasn’t bad, just wasn’t my cup of tea. even if a book is short, I should allow myself to dnf it.

it was interesting hearing the thought process of an experience I’ve never and hope to never relate to — being in love with a self-important man baby when I have a husband and two kids at home (craaaazy). also important note: my lack of enjoying this book wasn’t because of the cheating aspect. it’s because the guy she cheated with had no redeeming aspects and was so boring.

idk I just feel there is a genre of books lately where the plot is character-focused but there’s no character development or truly fleshed out characters. it’s just unhappiness and bad decisions.

still had some pretty good quotes though, sooooo…

quotes!!

Since he liked the shape of my nose and my way of expressing myself, he was already daydreaming about us living together in a big, light-filled apartment.

The day after that, he demands that we rediscover the ‘bees’ in our respective stomachs. The butterflies, you mean? He replies, ‘Yes, I want passion, jealousy and sex if you want me to put up with your hare-brained pseudo-artistic projects.’ I wonder if we’re going to have to sleep together every day for me to go to Ouessant. If that’s how it is, maybe I can’t be bothered.

On the train, at his suggestion, I read The Man Without Qualities by Robert Musil, just like I’d once read Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman to please Igor. Every relationship comes with homework.

It’s funny–that’s the only thing he’s ever been interested in: knowing whether I’m angry or annoyed with him. He couldn’t care less about the rest.

Every interaction between us ended badly for me.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant short story. Only 150 pages, but all of the characters are so intimately presented it is so easy to get to know them. Overall, it is a convoluted justification of an emotionally destructive affair, with the narrator psychoanalysing the gaslighting by Joseph, and the forgiveness showed by her husband Igor - and why she fell in love with the both of them.

In my opinion, the narrator is simply looking to understand the broken heart of her husband (who lost his first wife not long before meeting the narrator). The presence (absence) of the first wife causes Igor great pain, expressed by losing himself is trivial focused and habits.

The narrator longs for Igor to love her as she loves him, and their four children. Hence, I think she got in to the relationship with Joseph to try and understand how Igor can love her, with a broken and occupied heart, by filling and breaking her own. Spoiler - not possible.

Whilst the relationship with Joseph is initially exciting, hyper-sexual and passionate, it quickly transpires that he doesn’t care at all for the narrators feelings. Desperate attempts to control how the narrator thinks, feels and interacts with her family spiral in intensity. Part of his emotional abuse is the public humiliations, always associated with an area of Paris - and moving his family nearer and nearer to the narrator. This way, there is no escape physically or emotionally. The narrator being a passionate videographer only serves to intensify this method of control. The important distinction in this book is that it is not the adultery that is presented as destructive per se, just the wrong choice of accomplice. This is probably my only gripe about this book.

Still massively recommend it, and very impressive translation in the sense that all of the characters have retained their unique voices and representations.

[Zoe Epple · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this quick read! It held my attention, and particularly my curiosity, the entire time. This woman and her affair partner are flawed. Duh. I kept thinking how is this going to end? Our narrator acts a bit like how I would expect a teenager to. For the record, I think all past versions of ourselves live inside of us. Joseph brings out an insecure, overthinker part of the narrator (I think she tells us her name once? Tatiana?) (Also lemme just say again, Joseph is no angel, it’s not all on her for the way she feels)

⚠️Here is the spoiler part of the review: Her journey to leave Joseph was a rollercoaster. Just as she was starting to act level headed, she takes two steps backwards. I winced at some of her decisions to reach out to joseph.

But I thought it to be very cinematic. Could def see this being an indie movie screened at cannes lol.

Ok I feel like I’m rambling and I’m also not well versed enough in my own taste in books or good books in general so I’m just gonna quit while I’m ahead 😝 But I’ll say this is the first book in a while that I would recommend! Also I can’t believe it was my first little free library find!?

P.S: If I understood all the references, I would probs rate this 4.5 ⭐️

[Abeer K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book. Everything from the witty, evocative, and raw tone, to the persona’s internal dilemma, this book was one I’ll definitely remember. It serves as a reminder for how we can easily become the worst version if ourselves when we allow people to have that much control over us, in addition to how they can simultaneously not bat a a single eye. An ongoing affair for 150 pages might sound boring, but the pages basically turned themselves with this one! Relatable and humorous, this was so refreshing and frankly quite reassuring to read.

I also might be biased as I just got back from a trip to Paris (where the story is set)! I thoroughly enjoyed making connections between all the Parisian references. I picked this book up in Paris whilst on a hunt for translated French literature. I’ve got absolutely 0 regrets. Brilliantly translated, I cannot wait to read more!

Not to mention the plethora of quotes that were literal food for thought.

The ending did definitely leave me pondering though. I had to reread the page a few times. Did it end the way I think it ended?!

[orva · Rating 4 out of 5]

J’ai aimé découvrir les personnages et leur fonctionnement du point de vue de la narratrice (qui est le personnage de l’histoire). Certains mécanismes des relations humaines sont très bien décrits et explorés. Les questionnements psychologiques et émotionnels sont très justes et la prise de recul amène une légèreté. J’ai également apprécié les références et métaphores. De plus, la structure du récit est intéressante (les 4 parties sont métaphoriques et liées au titre) et cohérente.

Le seul bémol reste pour moi la fin qui ne m’a pas satisfaite et qui ne me semble pas si cohérente… Évidemment le symbole fait « sourire » mais je n’ai pas trouvé la fin à la hauteur du récit. De plus, ce fil conducteur autour du projet vidéo ne m’a pas spécialement transporté. J’ai tout de même beaucoup apprécié cette lecture dont il ne manque pas grand chose pour que ce soit un véritable coup de cœur.

[Nyah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I never condone cheating but omg this was crazy… her husband is twenty years older, has two adult children, and they got together a month after his first wife’s death. The setting up and specifics of starting an affair really icked me out despite how much I hated her husband. Having an affair with a coworker is just asking for trouble. Joseph clearly has mommy issues and cheating on your girlfriend while actively trying to have a baby is just psycho. Admitting your affair to your husband, working through it in therapy, and then still continuing to cheat… speechless. Her friends are crazy for encouraging an affair, especially one in which they clearly don’t care for the other person and just have a kink for being secretive and cheating. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the French are too sexually liberal for my taste.

[Chantal Ladias · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read it in English . I should have read it in French . Donc , je vais me permettre de repasser en Français . L’histoire d’une parisienne dans le monde de Paris et entourée par des Parisiens .. un style , un mode de vie et une idéologie Parisienne , plutôt intellectuelle avec une analyse détaillée d’une histoire amoureuse, une infidélité incontrôlable .. mais avec une conclusion philosophique .. bien parisienne … en fait , je crois que l’auteur Bretonne se dégage et se démarque en reconnaissant cette différence , ces différences entre cette manière de vivre Parisienne à ce jeune âge et les autres modes de vie dans d’autres univers …

[Ember · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Ahhh man this lady is a cheater I don’t condone cheating” blah blah you knew that when you picked up the book but is this book interesting? And I say yes, yes it is. This book follows this woman and her affair with her coworker and the inner grapple she faces during and after the affair. Honestly it’s interesting to get into the mind of someone else and I was rooting for her because that dude SUCKED!


“If you think you're in danger of being destroyed by someone, before you assign them the full blame, ask yourself how long you were searching for a person like that.”

[Francisco J · Rating 5 out of 5]

votre reviews sociaux-feministes sont loin du suject ( go to the sociology section to talk insipid cliches). Ici on a un auteur qui ecris sur l'adicction amoureuse out of control de cette femme avec une famille qui retrecit dans une preadolescente pathetique et c'est pour ca que ce roman est genial mil fois et que Nabokov aurai ete surpris de voir cette enfant a lui, Nolwenn, tomber dans le sinistre comme seulement lui pouvai le faire il y a 50 ans. Nolwenn n'ecoute pas ces moralistes , ecoute a tes siblings ( que je suis sure sont pas an moraliste) et dechire ton estilo parce que tu est un super ecrivaine. Ton roman m'a fais revivre tellement des souvenirs terribles et marabillosos d'experiences de desespoir amoreux , c'est incroyable. Je suis aussi un peut middle class et nous on soufre aussi sous nos manteaux tres chers et dans nos voitures japonaise , en fait je crois qu'on general on soufre plus que ce qui viennent des familles modestes. Tu a une personnalité( dans ton estil) super, rien que envier aux auteurs anglosaxons.( perdon por mi frances).Merci

[Johan D'Haenen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gepubliceerd als "As the eagle flies" in de Peirene Novella Series, "La trajectoire de l'aigle" is de kroniek van een liefdesverslaving en onderzoekt het meest absurde gedrag dat door passie wordt veroorzaakt, vooral als het in termen van burgerlijk fatsoen verboden is.
Nolwenn Le Blevennec schrijft zeer vlot en dat maakt deze psychologische roman absoluut goed verteerbaar. En ook al heeft het verhaal zelf als dusdanig weinig om het lijf, toch is en blijft het een interessant werk.