Viou

Trilogie Viou #1

by Henri Troyat

A huit ans, Viou - de son vrai nom Sylvie - fait déjà l'apprentissage de la vie. Elle voudrait tout aimer, tout partager, mais le monde des adultes est si étrange, si effrayant, parfois. Dans cette silencieuse maison du Puy, elle grandit entre des grands-parents qui l'aiment, mais répondent mal à ses peines, à ses questions angoissées. C'est que l'ombre de deux absents enveloppe la petite fille... Son père est mort dans les combats de la Libération, deux ans auparavant Et le choc fut tel pour Viou, qu'il ne lui reste que quelques images brouillées, brisées. Sa mère très chérie vit à Paris. Mais comment lui dire, avec ses mots d'enfant, à quel point elle lui manque ?

Genres: Fiction, France, Classics

126 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Troyat was a French author, biographer, historian and novelist.

Troyat was born Levon Aslan Torossian in Moscow to parents of Armenian descent. His family fled Russia in anticipation of the revolution. After a long exodus taking them to the Caucasus on to Crimea and later by sea to Constantinople and then Venice, the family finally settled in Paris in 1920, where young Troyat was schooled and later earned a law degree. The stirring and tragic events of this flight across half of Europe are vividly recounted by Troyat in 'Tant que la terre durera'.

Troyat received his first literary award, Le prix du roman populaire, at the age of twenty-four, and by twenty-seven, he was awarded the Prix Goncourt.

Troyat published more than 100 books, novels and biographies, among them those of Anton Chekhov, Catherine the Great, Rasputin, Ivan the Terrible and Leo Tolstoy.

Troyat's best-known work is La neige en deuil, which was adapted as an English-language film in 1956 under the title The Mountain.

He was elected as a member of the Académie française in 1959. At the time of his death, Troyat was the longest serving member of the Academy.

From Wikipedia

Reviews

[Nel · Rating 4 out of 5]

new to me author. he did not disappoint. ive always had a weakness for a certain type of stories with a child protagonist. growing up with russian lit ive read a number of them. and something about viou reminded me of those books. next i wanna read Aliosha.

[Carlo Hublet · Rating 5 out of 5]

La vie dans une petite ville provinciale , ressemblant davantage à un village, vue à travers les yeux d'une petite fille, elle doit avoir 8 ans. 1947, la guerre à peine finie. Son papa médecin du maquis a été tué par les Allemands, sa maman est partie à Paris, pour y travailler, mais revient vers elle à chaques vacances. Viou vit chez ses grands parents, un grand-père rebelle et facétieux, une grand-mère bigote. Ils l'aiment tous les deux, à leur façon. Et Viou, entre bonheur et tristesse, tente de déchiffrer ce monde adulte bien étrange, ses expressions qu'elle traduit au pied de la lettre, une expression justement, il y en a plein d'autres: avoir un verre dans le nez, mettre la clé sous le paillasson, lui laver la tète. C'est drôle, délicat, délicieux. Plein d'autres personnages, Toby le chien, la vache qui donne du lait qui sent les boyaux de vache, Viou n'aime pas, sont peints avec la plume précise, délicate, riche, de véritables tableaux de maître, de Henri Troyat. Du grand art de passionner en brossant le quotidien d'une petite fille en en faisant une grande histoire.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Je l'ai lu en francais. It's a sweet and simple story about and from the point of view of an 8-year-old girl in 1946. After her father is killed in the war, she is sent to live with his parents in a small town while her mother stays in Paris to earn a living. Even though I haven't read French in years, I had no trouble following this story.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this while on holiday in France three years ago. I chose it because one of Troyat's novels was an A level set text of mine (many years ago) and I remember him being reasonably easy to read. I also wanted to find out whether I could still read a whole novel in French (my French is now pretty rusty). Pleased to say that I can, with the exception of a few words! This is not very demanding or complicated but it is a rather poignant story about a little girl, Sylvie ("Viou") whose father has been killed in the war and who is sent to live with her paternal grandparents while her widowed mother tries to build a new life for herself working in Paris. The story is told from the point of view of the child, who is trying to cope with many losses - desperately missing her mother, aware of the loss of her father whom she can hardly remember, and during the course of the year the further loss of her grandfather and his dog. She struggles at school and the reader recognises the part her bereavements, and the sometimes unsympathetic attitude of her grandmother, play in this. The story is set in the post-war period and the grandparents live in Le Puy (of the lentils, which get a mention!) The atmosphere of a provincial French town is well conveyed (the weekly ritual of visits to the cemetery is something I remember from staying with a French family). The story ends with a change of circumstances and a new beginning for Sylvie, and the end of her time in Le Puy. All nicely done, not sorry to have renewed my acquaintance with this author (and this book is not as sad as the one I studies all those years ago!)

[Kintanah · Rating 5 out of 5]

C'est une histoire particulièrement touchante.
Du haut de ses 8 ans, Sylvie m'a fait retomber en enfance, l'instant d'un récit. Sachant que la vie n'attend pas le nombre des années, ses perspectives m'ont eclairées sur la conception des choses et ont développé chez moi une meilleure compréhension et empathie envers les enfants, en l'occurrence les miens.
Et puis, la plume de Troyat a été une jolie rencontre 😊

[Lara Alvarez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Je savais pas que c'était une trilogie. Mais bon, jvais pas lire les autres. Ce livre était facile et agréable, une bonne lecture. Cependant, je reste un peu triste pour Viou, quelle malheur pour un petit enfant.

[Linus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Viou c'est découvrir le monde des adultes avec les yeux d'une enfant. Des mots simples pour découvrir la vie, même quand elle est injuste.

[Maëlys Chemin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Le début de ce livre est plus relaxant mais finalement il devient de plus en plus triste. C'est plein de mélancolie et on se met a la place de cette fillette.

[Nathalie Gélinotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'ai beaucoup aimé l'histoire de cette petite fille dans l'après guerre. L'auteur a su retrouver une âme d'enfant pour écrire tout en finesse et en drôlerie !

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sylvie, who also goes by the nickname Viou is an 8 years old little girl, who's world was turn upside down when her father died in ww2, two years ago. Since then, she's been living with her grandparents in the french countryside (Le Puy), while her mother tries to makes end meet in Paris.
In Le Puy, she surrounded by the absence of both her parents, the memory of a father she barely remembers and the strict moral of her very religious and cold grand-mother. There she will also have to deal with more sadness and loss.

A beautiful story about a little girl lost in a world of adults she doesn't understand, and who doesn't seem to understand her either.

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unremarkable story of 8yo Sylvie ('Viou') who lives with grandparents after the wartime death of her doctor father and her mother's absence earning a living in Paris. Sylvie endures many vivid trials, large (seeing her grandfather buried in the family vault) and small (lying about a school grade).

[Cindy]

i've read that book for school.

i was around 15 years old.

i'm listing the book i have and trying to remember what i read for my high schoolyears ...
i don't really remember what that book is about
Sorry ~

[Pinkgreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little book that captures the innocence of childhood in a very touching way.

[Sadoera · Rating 2 out of 5]

Il est très saai