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Twins Sebastian and Eleanor van Milhem, from Castle in Sweden, are idle bourgeoisie. We follow them through romantic entanglements, ennui, and other existential crises. Sagan also interrupts the narrative throughout the book with her own personal insights, such as: "Who reads Proust?" and "What about you, dear readers, what are your lives like?"
150 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1972
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1304 people want to read
About the author
Françoise Sagan
246 books1,648 followersBorn Françoise Quoirez, Sagan grew up in a French Catholic, bourgeois family. She was an independent thinker and avid reader as a young girl, and upon failing her examinations for continuing at the Sorbonne, she became a writer.
She went to her family's home in the south of France and wrote her first novel, Bonjour Tristesse, at age 18. She submitted it to Editions Juillard in January 1954 and it was published that March. Later that year, She won the Prix des Critiques for Bonjour Tristesse.
She chose "Sagan" as her pen name because she liked the sound of it and also liked the reference to the Prince and Princesse de Sagan, 19th century Parisians, who are said to be the basis of some of Marcel Proust's characters.
She was known for her love of drinking, gambling, and fast driving. Her habit of driving fast was moderated after a serious car accident in 1957 involving her Aston Martin while she was living in Milly, France.
Sagan was twice married and divorced, and subsequently maintained several long-term lesbian relationships. First married in 1958 to Guy Schoeller, a publisher, they divorced in 1960, and she was then married to Robert James Westhoff, an American ceramicist and sculptor, from 1962 to 63. She had one son, Denis, from her second marriage.
She won the Prix de Monaco in 1984 in recognition of all of her work.
She went to her family's home in the south of France and wrote her first novel, Bonjour Tristesse, at age 18. She submitted it to Editions Juillard in January 1954 and it was published that March. Later that year, She won the Prix des Critiques for Bonjour Tristesse.
She chose "Sagan" as her pen name because she liked the sound of it and also liked the reference to the Prince and Princesse de Sagan, 19th century Parisians, who are said to be the basis of some of Marcel Proust's characters.
She was known for her love of drinking, gambling, and fast driving. Her habit of driving fast was moderated after a serious car accident in 1957 involving her Aston Martin while she was living in Milly, France.
Sagan was twice married and divorced, and subsequently maintained several long-term lesbian relationships. First married in 1958 to Guy Schoeller, a publisher, they divorced in 1960, and she was then married to Robert James Westhoff, an American ceramicist and sculptor, from 1962 to 63. She had one son, Denis, from her second marriage.
She won the Prix de Monaco in 1984 in recognition of all of her work.
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February 28, 2025
Françoise assina com o pseudónimo Sagan – o seu apelido é Quoirez – em homenagem à princesa de Em Busca do Tempo Perdido, de Proust.
«Houve uma grande quantidade de aspas na minha vida, se pensar nisso, alguns pontos de exclamação (as paixões), alguns pontos de interrogação (a depressão nervosa), algumas reticências (a despreocupação)»
Um romance-ensaio, cujo título também tem reticências, «Viver não custa…». Retomando duas das personagens de uma das suas peças, Sébastian e Éleonore van Milhen, suecos, irmãos, belos, loucos, inverosímeis, fascinantes, melancólicos , alegres, incomparáveis, snobes, mas corações puros, Sagan fala de si, da vida, do amor e dos amigos. O humor é amargo, mas não atormentado.
Fala-nos ainda da Literatura Francesa, da escrita como alívio da depressão, do suicídio, dos parisienses que assistem distraidamente temerosos aos enterros daqueles que se julgaram o Robin dos Bosques ou a Joana d’ Arc das suas gerações. Há mortos bem parisienses, uma mãe e um pai na província, que não se parecem com nada a não ser com tantos outros pais e mães da província que não compreendem que o filho era pederasta, isolado, snob, e que se suicidara por isso.
Os Van Milhem tinham recebido tudo à partida: cultura, elegância e sobretudo a gratuidade ; não gostam de caviar em oposição aos últimos sobreviventes de uma geração mal alimentada para quem a palavra «caviar» e «champanhe» tinham ainda inflexões de festa.
Uma Paris de pechisbeque, que não brilha para os irmãos, corações puros e reconhecidos à gentileza.
A escrita (ou a tradução) pode parecer algo datada, mas as reflexões sobre a França do início da década de 70 são interessantes.
«Tiraram-me o gosto da água e depois o da conquista.» É um disco de Brel, julgo eu.
«Gostaria que a minha vida fosse uma longa e clássica composição escrita: citações de Proust a todo o momento, de Chateaubriand nas férias, de Rimbaud aos dezoito anos, de Sartre aos vinte e cinco, de Scott Fitzgerald aos trinta.»
«Houve uma grande quantidade de aspas na minha vida, se pensar nisso, alguns pontos de exclamação (as paixões), alguns pontos de interrogação (a depressão nervosa), algumas reticências (a despreocupação)»
Um romance-ensaio, cujo título também tem reticências, «Viver não custa…». Retomando duas das personagens de uma das suas peças, Sébastian e Éleonore van Milhen, suecos, irmãos, belos, loucos, inverosímeis, fascinantes, melancólicos , alegres, incomparáveis, snobes, mas corações puros, Sagan fala de si, da vida, do amor e dos amigos. O humor é amargo, mas não atormentado.
Fala-nos ainda da Literatura Francesa, da escrita como alívio da depressão, do suicídio, dos parisienses que assistem distraidamente temerosos aos enterros daqueles que se julgaram o Robin dos Bosques ou a Joana d’ Arc das suas gerações. Há mortos bem parisienses, uma mãe e um pai na província, que não se parecem com nada a não ser com tantos outros pais e mães da província que não compreendem que o filho era pederasta, isolado, snob, e que se suicidara por isso.
Os Van Milhem tinham recebido tudo à partida: cultura, elegância e sobretudo a gratuidade ; não gostam de caviar em oposição aos últimos sobreviventes de uma geração mal alimentada para quem a palavra «caviar» e «champanhe» tinham ainda inflexões de festa.
Uma Paris de pechisbeque, que não brilha para os irmãos, corações puros e reconhecidos à gentileza.
A escrita (ou a tradução) pode parecer algo datada, mas as reflexões sobre a França do início da década de 70 são interessantes.
«Tiraram-me o gosto da água e depois o da conquista.» É um disco de Brel, julgo eu.
«Gostaria que a minha vida fosse uma longa e clássica composição escrita: citações de Proust a todo o momento, de Chateaubriand nas férias, de Rimbaud aos dezoito anos, de Sartre aos vinte e cinco, de Scott Fitzgerald aos trinta.»
July 13, 2024
The goth shop girl in Camden Town sounded surprised I'd never been corseted before. It's my first time, I said (and it would be my last). Literary conventions are another form of corset. This author doesn't just discard one. She flings it aside to my applause.
E. M. Forster warns the author who roams free from such confines. You'll lose your readers, he says. For most, it's true. Not this time. Sagan's digressions enrich the story of a brother and sister, destitute, and living by their wits among the fashionable set in France.
So, in one book, you get a good short novel and the company of a candid woman writer. Topics range from her craft to politics to suicide and drugs and driving in bare feet after going to the beach. You might not share every opinion she has, but her openness and plain speaking will, I think, be refreshing.
E. M. Forster warns the author who roams free from such confines. You'll lose your readers, he says. For most, it's true. Not this time. Sagan's digressions enrich the story of a brother and sister, destitute, and living by their wits among the fashionable set in France.
So, in one book, you get a good short novel and the company of a candid woman writer. Topics range from her craft to politics to suicide and drugs and driving in bare feet after going to the beach. You might not share every opinion she has, but her openness and plain speaking will, I think, be refreshing.
July 10, 2025
Sagan blends novel and a sort of self-portrait essay to clever effect, stopping every now and then to mull over the boredom and the distaste she now feels for life, while also talking of her characters outside of the story, and wonders whether to put herself as a character inside the story. She wonders whether or not to write at all. Like I said, it was a clever idea, and shows a confident Sagan taking her writing to the next level. For all I liked about it, it was still a frustrating read though. At it's centre are sister and brother Eleanore and Sebastian, who were plucked right out of her first hit play 'Castle in Sweden'. They could be seen as a reflection of Sagan herself - charming, pleasure-seeking and conceivably ill-fated. They are in a bit of a jam, and Sagan meditates with pen in hand how she going to get them out. In apartments in Paris, in elegant villas to the south, we can see the two central characters would be fairly tedious people in real life, but there is something touching in their innocence, and we learn that there is a mistrust of elegance throughout, as Sagan deftly probes away at love, politics, and cynicism, with style, wit and irony, resulting in tragic human comedy of sorts.
February 11, 2018
The heroes of this novel are two Swedish siblings, a brother and a sister, Eleanor and Sebastian. These two siblings have so many things in common that they sometimes seem like a single person and perhaps they even act as one, for it seems that any separation of these two is simply out of the question. The connection Eleanor and Sebastian is strong, but not incestuous in any way (I’m only stressing that because closely bonded blond twins might bright those references in mind you know because of GOT series and all that). Eleanor and Sebastian are both beautiful individuals who are used to living at other people’s expense yet they are hard not to like, because there is something incredibly attractive about their innocence.
The way that Sagan writes these two makes it impossible not to relate to them, even if their lives have nothing in common with most lives, mine own not excluded. Eleanor and Sebastian are basically idle bourgeoisie, but the kind that it is impossible not to like, the kind that makes for its laziness by its inborn sophistication and can get away with things other cannot. There is nothing pretentious about these two, nothing calculating or petty, and when you add their carelessness about common morality to the picture, these two make for great protagonists. I rather imagine Eleanor and Sebastian as Dorian Grey, perfect in their beauty, not artists or creators but capable of inspiring art and creation.
Honestly, they are quite interesting characters. Brutally honest with each other (and we as readers are privy to those candid talks), these two never seem to complain much. Despite their life devoid of any serious work, one gets an idea that they venture through life with an odd stoicism, perhaps because they never seem to feel sorry for themselves. Perhaps it even gives them an elegance of sorts and really considering some books that I have laboured through lately, I can’t stress enough how refreshing is to have characters who don’t swim in the sea of self-pity. So, what happens to our double Dorian Grey once he grows a bit older (and without the fantasy element)?
It wouldn’t be much of a story if these two just stood there, perfect in their beauty? At the start of the novel, Eleanor and Sebastian are in a predicament of some sorts. They lack money, they are getting older and one of them is even forced to work for a living. Not before long, Sebastian finds a rich lady to take him in, or should I say – to take them in? It is understood that Eleanor will follow her brother. It is also understood that one of them has to make a ‘sacrifice’ so they can continue their workless lives. At any rate sleeping with a rich lady doesn’t seem that much of a chore for Sebastian. What follows is a series of events, and a fair bit of clever social commentary, but more about that a bit later.
Interestingly, these two characters are also heroes of one of Sagan’s play. Not having read or seen it, I can’t comment on the play, but the fact they are recurring characters excites me for it means that I can meet them again- and not by rereading but in a fresh new work of art. I do plan to reread this novel, but I’m looking forward to seeing them in another form even more. How lovely is that they exist in a play! Alright, maybe I’m getting too excited about lives of literary characters but goodreads is as a good place as any to admit to something like that, probably even a better place than most social media.
As fascinating as these two characters one, my favourite character in the book was Sagan herself. You see this book is what you might call an experimental novel. Sagan goes on, writing about her own life and reflections and she even addresses us directly as readers. In that sense, Scars On the Soul makes for a very postmodernist text. There is a lot of intertextuality in this book, references to famous authors and so on. Sagan’s voice is at times very melancholic and sad. Her prose feels very intimate and real. I loved the way Sagan herself is a part of this novel, at times this book even felt like an autobiography of sorts. The way Sagan mixes genres in this one is nothing short of brilliant. Her sentences are for most part simple yet they flow so effortlessly.
I remember how curious I had been about Scars on the Soul, mostly because this was my second novel by Sagan, the first one being (perhaps predictably) her famous debate novel "Bonjour Tristesse". While Sagan’s first novel was interesting, it is always hard to judge a writer on a merit of her/his first novel, in the case even more so, because Sagan had been so young when she wrote it. I certainly liked ‘ Bonjour Tristesse’, yet I couldn’t felt feeling I that its potential was not fulfilled, that it was somehow hurried and unfinished. Moreover, I felt that Bonjour Tristesse lack depth and maturity, which I know is only natural, considering that Sagan was a teenager when she wrote it, but still it was hard to know what to expect. The question I had asked myself before reading this novel was: ‘Would Sagan rise to her potential?’
I’m happy to report that I was not disappointed in any way. This novel was everything I had hoped it to be and more. It is the reason why I continued reading Sagan. I will probably reread this novel because I have it at home. (When my husband was younger, he owned a book business and not surprisingly his book collection is as big as mine, if not even bigger. This was one of the books from his collection. I also found other works by Sagan among his books. Fingers crossed I will find even more. ) The only thing I really missed in Sagan’s first novel (the lack of maturity), was more than present in this one.
Scars On the Soul feels like an extremely mature work, perhaps even too mature in the sense there is this feeling of being a bit tired with life. I think that Sagan was 39 when it was published (correct me if I’m wrong), and while this book captures beautifully that feeling of entering full adulthood and leaving young adulthood behind, I felt it was even wiser than 39 years, if you know what I mean. Sagan sometimes sounds like she is tired with life and unless I’m reading too much into this, she also sounds a bit wise beyond her years. After all, forty is still pretty young, but I think this feeling of discontent with life often comes from the combination an intensely lived youth and certain cleverness (intellectualism) and I suspect this author of both. If Sagan is tired of life, she is tired in a melancholic, not depressed way. Her prose made me reflect life, perhaps even smile a sad smile, but this book didn’t make me feel tired in any way. It’s more about ennui, than depression or dark thoughts, at least such was my impression.
The writing is simply fantastic and when Sagan talks about the process of writing it doesn't get better than that. The form of this novel was very much to my liking. Perhaps it is the writing itself that makes this novel so amazing. As I said, I quite liked the protagonists and the story (and most of all, Sagan’s own interruptions) but if the writing wasn’t just right, this book wouldn’t have kept my interest the way it did. This somewhat unusual story following two fascinating siblings, a brother and a sister connected by ties of love and understanding, wouldn’t be so haunting (after all they are quite simple once you learn their ways) if their story wasn’t constantly interrupted by Sagan's own thoughts. Sagan is the best character in the novel.
This book could be describes a mixture of a novel, an essay and an autobiographical piece of writing. Now, isn’t that something? With its postmodernist narrative, this novel reminded me Calvino’s If On a Winter’s Night a Traveller. Sagan is not afraid to experiment with writing in this one, but what is even better is that she does manage to find and keep her own voice. While Sagan writes about what is going to happen to characters, she also explains what is happening in her life and makes clever observations (for example she will stop to make fun of literary critics and social conventions and that sort of thing).
There is something very sincere and candid in Sagan’s writing, and at the same time something very non-judgmental, and these two things are very attractive to me as a reader. Moreover, when Sagan gets philosophical, she seems to know her limits and she doesn’t push beyond what is right for the novel, that is, rather than trying to turn her writing into something unnaturally ambitious, Sagan respects her limitations and doesn't hint at too many things and concepts trying to make it seem like she is all knowledgeable (unlike some writers). For all its genre mixing and experimental writing, this book seems well executed, thought through and developed. If for nothing else, I would recommend this book because it is an extremely impressive piece of writing that defies both genre and social conventions.
The way that Sagan writes these two makes it impossible not to relate to them, even if their lives have nothing in common with most lives, mine own not excluded. Eleanor and Sebastian are basically idle bourgeoisie, but the kind that it is impossible not to like, the kind that makes for its laziness by its inborn sophistication and can get away with things other cannot. There is nothing pretentious about these two, nothing calculating or petty, and when you add their carelessness about common morality to the picture, these two make for great protagonists. I rather imagine Eleanor and Sebastian as Dorian Grey, perfect in their beauty, not artists or creators but capable of inspiring art and creation.
Honestly, they are quite interesting characters. Brutally honest with each other (and we as readers are privy to those candid talks), these two never seem to complain much. Despite their life devoid of any serious work, one gets an idea that they venture through life with an odd stoicism, perhaps because they never seem to feel sorry for themselves. Perhaps it even gives them an elegance of sorts and really considering some books that I have laboured through lately, I can’t stress enough how refreshing is to have characters who don’t swim in the sea of self-pity. So, what happens to our double Dorian Grey once he grows a bit older (and without the fantasy element)?
It wouldn’t be much of a story if these two just stood there, perfect in their beauty? At the start of the novel, Eleanor and Sebastian are in a predicament of some sorts. They lack money, they are getting older and one of them is even forced to work for a living. Not before long, Sebastian finds a rich lady to take him in, or should I say – to take them in? It is understood that Eleanor will follow her brother. It is also understood that one of them has to make a ‘sacrifice’ so they can continue their workless lives. At any rate sleeping with a rich lady doesn’t seem that much of a chore for Sebastian. What follows is a series of events, and a fair bit of clever social commentary, but more about that a bit later.
Interestingly, these two characters are also heroes of one of Sagan’s play. Not having read or seen it, I can’t comment on the play, but the fact they are recurring characters excites me for it means that I can meet them again- and not by rereading but in a fresh new work of art. I do plan to reread this novel, but I’m looking forward to seeing them in another form even more. How lovely is that they exist in a play! Alright, maybe I’m getting too excited about lives of literary characters but goodreads is as a good place as any to admit to something like that, probably even a better place than most social media.
As fascinating as these two characters one, my favourite character in the book was Sagan herself. You see this book is what you might call an experimental novel. Sagan goes on, writing about her own life and reflections and she even addresses us directly as readers. In that sense, Scars On the Soul makes for a very postmodernist text. There is a lot of intertextuality in this book, references to famous authors and so on. Sagan’s voice is at times very melancholic and sad. Her prose feels very intimate and real. I loved the way Sagan herself is a part of this novel, at times this book even felt like an autobiography of sorts. The way Sagan mixes genres in this one is nothing short of brilliant. Her sentences are for most part simple yet they flow so effortlessly.
I remember how curious I had been about Scars on the Soul, mostly because this was my second novel by Sagan, the first one being (perhaps predictably) her famous debate novel "Bonjour Tristesse". While Sagan’s first novel was interesting, it is always hard to judge a writer on a merit of her/his first novel, in the case even more so, because Sagan had been so young when she wrote it. I certainly liked ‘ Bonjour Tristesse’, yet I couldn’t felt feeling I that its potential was not fulfilled, that it was somehow hurried and unfinished. Moreover, I felt that Bonjour Tristesse lack depth and maturity, which I know is only natural, considering that Sagan was a teenager when she wrote it, but still it was hard to know what to expect. The question I had asked myself before reading this novel was: ‘Would Sagan rise to her potential?’
I’m happy to report that I was not disappointed in any way. This novel was everything I had hoped it to be and more. It is the reason why I continued reading Sagan. I will probably reread this novel because I have it at home. (When my husband was younger, he owned a book business and not surprisingly his book collection is as big as mine, if not even bigger. This was one of the books from his collection. I also found other works by Sagan among his books. Fingers crossed I will find even more. ) The only thing I really missed in Sagan’s first novel (the lack of maturity), was more than present in this one.
Scars On the Soul feels like an extremely mature work, perhaps even too mature in the sense there is this feeling of being a bit tired with life. I think that Sagan was 39 when it was published (correct me if I’m wrong), and while this book captures beautifully that feeling of entering full adulthood and leaving young adulthood behind, I felt it was even wiser than 39 years, if you know what I mean. Sagan sometimes sounds like she is tired with life and unless I’m reading too much into this, she also sounds a bit wise beyond her years. After all, forty is still pretty young, but I think this feeling of discontent with life often comes from the combination an intensely lived youth and certain cleverness (intellectualism) and I suspect this author of both. If Sagan is tired of life, she is tired in a melancholic, not depressed way. Her prose made me reflect life, perhaps even smile a sad smile, but this book didn’t make me feel tired in any way. It’s more about ennui, than depression or dark thoughts, at least such was my impression.
The writing is simply fantastic and when Sagan talks about the process of writing it doesn't get better than that. The form of this novel was very much to my liking. Perhaps it is the writing itself that makes this novel so amazing. As I said, I quite liked the protagonists and the story (and most of all, Sagan’s own interruptions) but if the writing wasn’t just right, this book wouldn’t have kept my interest the way it did. This somewhat unusual story following two fascinating siblings, a brother and a sister connected by ties of love and understanding, wouldn’t be so haunting (after all they are quite simple once you learn their ways) if their story wasn’t constantly interrupted by Sagan's own thoughts. Sagan is the best character in the novel.
This book could be describes a mixture of a novel, an essay and an autobiographical piece of writing. Now, isn’t that something? With its postmodernist narrative, this novel reminded me Calvino’s If On a Winter’s Night a Traveller. Sagan is not afraid to experiment with writing in this one, but what is even better is that she does manage to find and keep her own voice. While Sagan writes about what is going to happen to characters, she also explains what is happening in her life and makes clever observations (for example she will stop to make fun of literary critics and social conventions and that sort of thing).
There is something very sincere and candid in Sagan’s writing, and at the same time something very non-judgmental, and these two things are very attractive to me as a reader. Moreover, when Sagan gets philosophical, she seems to know her limits and she doesn’t push beyond what is right for the novel, that is, rather than trying to turn her writing into something unnaturally ambitious, Sagan respects her limitations and doesn't hint at too many things and concepts trying to make it seem like she is all knowledgeable (unlike some writers). For all its genre mixing and experimental writing, this book seems well executed, thought through and developed. If for nothing else, I would recommend this book because it is an extremely impressive piece of writing that defies both genre and social conventions.
January 10, 2012
Beautiful, poetic and wonderfully sad novel. This is the second novel I've read by Sagan, the first one being her first "Bonjour Tristesse". While I liked her debut novel, I felt that its potential was not fulfilled. Moreover, I felt that it lack dept and maturity. (Nothing strange since she was 17 when she had written it).On the contrast " Des bleus à l'âme (Scars on the soul)" is almost too mature. I loved this novel, really loved it. It's mature, literal, philosophical...a work of art.
The writing is fantastic. I have to stress that because it is what makes a novel like this great. The story follows two fascinating siblings, a brother and a sister connected by ties of love and (to some point) understanding. Their story is constantly interrupted by Sagan's own thoughts. She thinks (and writes) about what is going to happen to characters, she explains what is happening in her life, she makes fun at literary critics (very successfully if I may notice unlike some-that is Paulo Coelho who just seems to be desperately eager to be praised and upset when he's not). Anyway Sagan even goes that far as admiting at how annoying it can be when readers feel they need to comment your works to yourself. I love her for being so sincere and at the same time not least judgemental.
I would compare "Scars on the soul" (in form mostly) to Calvino's "Se una notte d'inverno un viaggiatore. " In addition, she reminds me on Calvino or he reminds me at her (as you wish to take it) for writing about writing, questioning the process of writing. This novel is a mix of essay, autobiography and novel- very interesting. Now that I think of it, there is another novel I would compare it with, Irena Vrkljan's " Marina: or about Biography". It is not that similar in general, but more in form... and in that they are both written great.
There is some link with "Bonjour Tristesse". I had a sense of deja vu, but not in a bad way. There was no feeling of repetition or anything like that... Perhaps the author wanted to reflect on her novel of youth. Whatever she did or for whatever reasons, I immensely enjoyed reading it. With me and Sagan, it’s going to be love at second sight.
The writing is fantastic. I have to stress that because it is what makes a novel like this great. The story follows two fascinating siblings, a brother and a sister connected by ties of love and (to some point) understanding. Their story is constantly interrupted by Sagan's own thoughts. She thinks (and writes) about what is going to happen to characters, she explains what is happening in her life, she makes fun at literary critics (very successfully if I may notice unlike some-that is Paulo Coelho who just seems to be desperately eager to be praised and upset when he's not). Anyway Sagan even goes that far as admiting at how annoying it can be when readers feel they need to comment your works to yourself. I love her for being so sincere and at the same time not least judgemental.
I would compare "Scars on the soul" (in form mostly) to Calvino's "Se una notte d'inverno un viaggiatore. " In addition, she reminds me on Calvino or he reminds me at her (as you wish to take it) for writing about writing, questioning the process of writing. This novel is a mix of essay, autobiography and novel- very interesting. Now that I think of it, there is another novel I would compare it with, Irena Vrkljan's " Marina: or about Biography". It is not that similar in general, but more in form... and in that they are both written great.
There is some link with "Bonjour Tristesse". I had a sense of deja vu, but not in a bad way. There was no feeling of repetition or anything like that... Perhaps the author wanted to reflect on her novel of youth. Whatever she did or for whatever reasons, I immensely enjoyed reading it. With me and Sagan, it’s going to be love at second sight.
April 11, 2018
Ce livre-ci était le premier livre de Sagan qui m’a surpris! D’abord, c’est tellement drôle. Moitié romain, moitié essai, Sagan écrit hyper franchement toutes les pensées, et parfois je voulais rire, parfois j’étais étonné parce qu’elle était vicieuse! Encore d’autres fois c’était triste, mais toujours bien écrit. Il y a plusieurs parties que j’ai relues parce que l’écriture était tellement beau et les descriptions ou des phrases intéressantes. L’histoire des Van Milhelms était moins intéressante, franchement, mais les essais étaient toujours bien! Quand même, je me sens que l’histoire jouait avec l’idée de « Saganisme » et je me sens que Sagan était un peu contre ces héros vers la fin! En tout cas, j’ai bien aimé ce livre!
March 23, 2020
« Des bleus à l’âme » de « Françoise Sagan » est le premier roman que je lis de cet auteur. Avec un style poignant, elle nous emporte dans son univers, ses pensées. Elle nous raconte l’histoire de deux personnages « Les Van Milhem » qu’elle construit au fur et à mesure de ses humeurs et de ses coups de gueule. Ils sont porteurs de ses désirs mais aussi de ses frustrations.
J’ai aimé la façon intime avec laquelle l’auteur nous présentait les personnages et les faisait vivre et mourir au gré de ses humeurs.
J’ai aimé la façon intime avec laquelle l’auteur nous présentait les personnages et les faisait vivre et mourir au gré de ses humeurs.
July 27, 2024
O scriitura extrem de proaspata ca tehnica, dar decadenta ca subiect si personaje! Acest melanj este, in sine, o realizare! Amestecul de subiectiv si asa-zis obiectiv (nu dau spoilere) este surprinzator si reconfortant. E prima carte de Sagan pe care o citesc; desi o aveam in biblioteca, am ocolit-o mult timp, poate din cauza ca mi s-a parut ca se facuse prea mult tam-tam in jurul cartii ei iconice (scrisa la 18 ani) ‘Bonjour, tristesse’, pe care poate ca am s-o citesc pana la urma…
November 25, 2023
Life sometimes has his own truces. When it can look itself in the mirror, half smiling, loosened, half partnered, not asking for anything but to be alive and feel good in it's own skin, while listening the sound of the night bird. But those truces are rare: tigers, which live in various machines of our beings, wake up soon and start to tear each other apart.
March 27, 2016
I don't think she has written anything I will ever dislike. Radiguet, Balzac....welcome Sagan to your club of french geniuses.
August 28, 2025
4.5
«Да и как не узнать себя под этой прелестной маской, несколько примитивной, конечно, но соответствующей тому, что я действительно люблю: скорость, море, полночь, все сверкающее и все погруженное во мрак, все то, что теряешь, а потом позволяешь себе найти»
«Но так хочется хоть немного надеяться, что протянется чья то рука, в перчатке, а не из железа, и мы вцепимся за нее»
«А я бы хотела, чтобы моя жизнь была похожа на длинную классическую французскую композицию: цитаты из Пруста и Шатобриана на каникулах, из Рембо - в восемнадцать лет, из Сартра - в двадцать пять, из Скотта Фицджеральда - в тридцать»
и сцена в апреле 1972 🙏🏻
«Да и как не узнать себя под этой прелестной маской, несколько примитивной, конечно, но соответствующей тому, что я действительно люблю: скорость, море, полночь, все сверкающее и все погруженное во мрак, все то, что теряешь, а потом позволяешь себе найти»
«Но так хочется хоть немного надеяться, что протянется чья то рука, в перчатке, а не из железа, и мы вцепимся за нее»
«А я бы хотела, чтобы моя жизнь была похожа на длинную классическую французскую композицию: цитаты из Пруста и Шатобриана на каникулах, из Рембо - в восемнадцать лет, из Сартра - в двадцать пять, из Скотта Фицджеральда - в тридцать»
и сцена в апреле 1972 🙏🏻
July 3, 2016
Sagan’s authorial presence is perceptible in all of her novels, but in this one, she actually inserts her persona as well as her own stream-of consciousness commentaries as part of the novel itself—her thoughts on her characters, feminism, on being a writer, on the literary criticism she has received in the past, etc., are interwoven between the novels regular chapters. To be honest, I would have preferred a more traditional structure for the novel because I thought Sagan’s personal interventions into the story, besides being a little rambling and bizarre, detracted from the plot, which was simplistic enough as it was. Briefly, a glamorous, but poor, Swedish brother-sister couple (yes, there are hints along the way of incest or near-incest between them) arrives from Stockholm to Paris, penniless as always, but confident, as always, that they will be able to subsist on the kindness of strangers. Both are allergic to work. Fortunately, they get away with it. Sébastien and Eléonore Van Milhem, though they are nearing age 40, are so gorgeous and full of natural seductive charm that they basically write their own ticket wherever they go as long as they will submit to a little sex along the way. “De plus, le frère et la sœur semblaient un peu trop intimes. Bref, ils ne ressemblaient pas à tout le monde; bref, ils étaient dangereux, donc séduisants” (31). Naturally, there will be some love triangles and hetero- and homosexual jealousies along with the way with some tragic consequences. It would not be revealing too much to say that Sébastien and Eléonore always land on their feet. The publisher's description calls the book “une très grande œuvre.” I won’t argue against this being a fine work, but I maintain that I have enjoyed many of Sagan’s other novels a lot more.
March 28, 2014
Me ha gustado la intervención de más de una voz para contar la historia, primeramente un locutor neutro y por otros momentos la propia voz de Sagan, es así como la novela tiene unos cuantos toques bibliográficos -aunque la autora haya aclarado que no es una novela bibliográfica- creo que aún cuando se diga que es de las novelas más flojas, carentes de descripciones y detalles en sus escenarios y personajes, a mí me parece sincera. Pude contemplar que había cierta carga sarcástica, supongo que Sagan estaba algo harta de lo que le acontecía en ese momento en vida, y por eso decidió que sus protagonistas dejaran ver en ellos, su reflejo. Quizá cierta actitud que en algún tiempo tuvo de la vida, y simplemente estas personalidades confusas son parte de los cimientos de su propio caos, en parte también influye mi gusto por este tipo de personajes, rebeldes, problemáticos, burgueses, flojos, pero con cargados con una peculiar delicia y atractivo a través de sus matices. Además he marcado más de una cita en donde Sagan hace reflexión sobre la vida, el despilfarro de una actitud juvenil e indisciplinada, de la muerte, entre otros temas.
August 17, 2013
Des Bleus à l'Âme, ou Viver Não Custa em Portugal, é um romance que fala sobre tudo o que aflige e magoa a alma. Ele divide-se em dois: ora versa sobre a vida e alma de um casal de irmãos suecos, as personagens do romance propriemente dito, ora versa sobre as considerações muito acertadas e poéticas da autora sobre a vida, morte, amor, erotismo, sociedade, etc e sobre a vida e alma de todos nós. As partes intercalam-se, mas a mais interessante é parte filosófica e directa da autora, que tanto questiona o leitor na primeira pessoa, como menciona algo eloquente como Proust ou uma banalidade de artigo da revista Marie Claire...
É um livro que proporciona boas horas de leitura, onde existem muitas belas linhas para sublinhar. Para aqueles que se colocam questões existencialistas, ou simplesmente para as pessoas que ainda possuem uma alma, este livro é um bom ponto de visita.
É um livro que proporciona boas horas de leitura, onde existem muitas belas linhas para sublinhar. Para aqueles que se colocam questões existencialistas, ou simplesmente para as pessoas que ainda possuem uma alma, este livro é um bom ponto de visita.
November 9, 2023
„Blaue Flecken auf der Seele“ hat mich begeistert. Das Buch ist eine Mischung aus Roman und Autobiografie. Sagan schreibt über ein schwedisches Geschwisterpaar und vor allem auch über sich selber. Das Entstehen der Geschichte widerfährt Sagan irgendwie zufällig und beiläufig. Monatelang schreibt sie nicht, weil das Leben anderes fordert und dann haucht sie den Figuren wieder Leben ein und stellt sich die Frage, was die Protagonisten wohl in ihrer Abwesenheit erlebt haben könnten. Dieses Switchen hat mir sehr gut gefallen. Sagan stellt viele Bezüge zur französischen Literatur her, zitiert und ordnet ein. Ihr Schreibstil und das kreative Entwickeln der Geschichte mit Hilfe von zum Teil skurrilen Sprachbildern, erinnert mich ein bisschen an die Bücher von Amélie Nothomb, die ich ebenfalls sehr mag - ein tolles Buch.
April 3, 2015
"Asta-i sarea pamantului si a acestei existente blestemate.Nu plajele care se-mpart in decoruri de vis, nu Club Mediterranee, nu prietenii, ci ceva fragil, ceva pretios pe care in vremurile astea il distrugem cu buna-stiinta si pe care crestinii il numesc "suflet".(Chiar si ateii,desi nu folosesc acelasi termen).Si, daca nu suntem atenti, intr-o zi o sa ne trezim cu acest suflet in fata noastra, rasufland din greu,cerand mila si fiind plin de vanatai...Si vanataile astea le-am meritat fara doar si poate."
January 24, 2015
Même si assez difficile (pour moi, au moins) à lire, ce livre projette un univers rempli de luxe, de débauches, de grandes dépenses qui fait rêver - une atmosphere spécifique, ineffable. On peut observer, dans ce récit, une Françoise Sagan très authentique.
Read
June 9, 2016Pas question ici d'histoire mièvre bien écrite mais de regard vif, tranchant et jouissif de l'auteur sur la société. Une introspection géniale. Mon Sagan préféré.
October 12, 2016
One of the best surprises of 2007
April 11, 2024
‘Life sometimes offers such breathing spaces, when one can look at oneself in the mirror with a slight smile, half condescending, half conspiratorial, without demanding anything more than to be alive and at ease with oneself, while the evening bird goes
'hulihuli-a'. But these breathing spaces are rare: the tigers in our different engines are quick to come to life and tear one another apart.’
I appreciate the simplicity of Sagan, but I am afraid this novel may have been too simple.
As an “experimental novel”, it does well in transitioning from fiction to her own thoughts. The lines between the two blur very intricately throughout, until they ultimately merge during the final chapter, where Sagan herself is a character in the story she created.
However, her thoughts, at times, were either of no great revelations/nothing novel, or too bitter. It seemed to me that she wanted to sound clever and different to writers at her time but just sounded like she was trying too hard. Of course, she is also controversial in some of her beliefs because of the time period…
Nevertheless, the story itself failed to serve any meaningful message as a Sagan novel usually does. I will definitely credit her on her satisfying conclusions, but this one was quite… meh. The story had no purpose, so the end had no purpose. I would have actually preferred it if she wrote an autobiography/ a book of solely her thoughts so then she could also develop them further.
'hulihuli-a'. But these breathing spaces are rare: the tigers in our different engines are quick to come to life and tear one another apart.’
I appreciate the simplicity of Sagan, but I am afraid this novel may have been too simple.
As an “experimental novel”, it does well in transitioning from fiction to her own thoughts. The lines between the two blur very intricately throughout, until they ultimately merge during the final chapter, where Sagan herself is a character in the story she created.
However, her thoughts, at times, were either of no great revelations/nothing novel, or too bitter. It seemed to me that she wanted to sound clever and different to writers at her time but just sounded like she was trying too hard. Of course, she is also controversial in some of her beliefs because of the time period…
Nevertheless, the story itself failed to serve any meaningful message as a Sagan novel usually does. I will definitely credit her on her satisfying conclusions, but this one was quite… meh. The story had no purpose, so the end had no purpose. I would have actually preferred it if she wrote an autobiography/ a book of solely her thoughts so then she could also develop them further.
January 29, 2022
"Kurittomuuden ikoni" Françoise Sagan kirjoitti Mustelmia sielussa 37-vuotiaana, remuttuaan 20 vuotta Ranskan Rivieran kosteissa seurapiireissä Sartren, Grécon ja muiden kulttuurihenkilöiden parissa, harrastaen nopeita autoja, auto-onnettomuuksia, huumausaineita ja uhkapelejä. Kirja seuraa ihanien van Milheimin sisarusten, Sébastienin ja Eléonoren, maagisen huoletonta elämää Pariisissa, mutta kirjan kertoja, 38-vuotias kirjailija Françoise Sagan, ei osaa pitää oman elämänsä ongelmia erossa romaanihahmojensa elämästä.
Saganilta muistetaan usein hänen ensimmäinen teoksensa, Tervetuloa ikävä, jonka hän kirjoitti vain 18-vuotiaana. Mustelmia sielussa on kypsempää ja rehevämpää kerrontaa, josta kuultaa edelleen läpi jotain ihanan kuritonta, eksistentialistista ja nautinnollista, mutta mukana on myös tummempia, kriittisiä sävyjä.
"Ja miksen olisi kiitollinen tuolle herkulliselle naamiolle, joka tietenkin on hiukan pinnallinen, mutta joka vastaa kiistattomasti mielihalujani: vauhti, meri, keskiyö, kaikki mikä on välkkyvää, kaikki mikä on mustaa, kaikki mikä tuhoaa ja tekee siis mahdolliseksi itsensä löytämisen. Sillä minulta ei koskaan riistetä ajatusta, että vain tarttumalla itsensä äärilaitoihin, ristiriitoihinsa, mielihaluihinsa, inhoihinsa ja vimmoihinsa, voi ymmärtää hiukan, aivan niin, edes hiukan mitä on elämä. Ainakin omani."
Saganilta muistetaan usein hänen ensimmäinen teoksensa, Tervetuloa ikävä, jonka hän kirjoitti vain 18-vuotiaana. Mustelmia sielussa on kypsempää ja rehevämpää kerrontaa, josta kuultaa edelleen läpi jotain ihanan kuritonta, eksistentialistista ja nautinnollista, mutta mukana on myös tummempia, kriittisiä sävyjä.
"Ja miksen olisi kiitollinen tuolle herkulliselle naamiolle, joka tietenkin on hiukan pinnallinen, mutta joka vastaa kiistattomasti mielihalujani: vauhti, meri, keskiyö, kaikki mikä on välkkyvää, kaikki mikä on mustaa, kaikki mikä tuhoaa ja tekee siis mahdolliseksi itsensä löytämisen. Sillä minulta ei koskaan riistetä ajatusta, että vain tarttumalla itsensä äärilaitoihin, ristiriitoihinsa, mielihaluihinsa, inhoihinsa ja vimmoihinsa, voi ymmärtää hiukan, aivan niin, edes hiukan mitä on elämä. Ainakin omani."
April 6, 2025
Dans la même veine que Gatsby le Magnifique, Des bleus à l'âme reflète la quête de liberté, de bonheur et d'amour pour Sébastien et Eléonore, frère et sœur complices, désargentés, vivant dans des meublés de hasard. Leur seul décor n'est autre que leur bonheur.
Les personnages, amoraux, trichent, transgressent, sont des bourreaux en amour qui engendrent d'autres bourreaux.
Au sein même de l'histoire, Sagan se met en scène, parle de sa vie et de des personnages qui semblent lui échapper : les êtres de papiers deviennent autonomes, n'ont pas besoin d'elle pour exister, ce qui leur confère un caractère d'autant plus réel et palpable. C'est également un meta discours poétique et réflexif sur la littérature, sur ses œuvres, et des réflexions qui touchent à tous, comme la mort.
J'ai apprécié cette œuvre, tant tendre que cruelle, bien qu'elle traite de lieux communs vus et revus en littérature : l'amour et ses trahisons, la vie -qui doit être libre, notre solitude face à la mort.
Lors de la scène de l'enterrement de Robert, il se retrouve enfermé dans "un carcan de bois". La Mort emprisonnerait-elle plus que la vie ? La Mort libère de la Vie, mais qu'est ce qui nous libère de la Mort ? Sagan en profite pour rappeler à ses lecteurs que "ce n'est pas parce que la vie manque d'élégance qu'il faut se conduire comme elle", et c'est bien là "le sel de la terre et de cette fichue existence. (...) C'est quelque chose de fragile, de précieux que l'on saccage délibérément ces temps-ci et que les chrétiens appellent l'âme (...) Et cette âme, nous n'y prenons pas garde, nous la retrouverons un jour devant nous, essoufflée, demandant grâce et pleine de bleus... Et ces bleus, sans doute, nous ne les aurons pas volés".
Ainsi, Des bleus à l'âme n'est pas tant une ode à la liberté qu'une ode à la vie elle-même.
Les personnages, amoraux, trichent, transgressent, sont des bourreaux en amour qui engendrent d'autres bourreaux.
Au sein même de l'histoire, Sagan se met en scène, parle de sa vie et de des personnages qui semblent lui échapper : les êtres de papiers deviennent autonomes, n'ont pas besoin d'elle pour exister, ce qui leur confère un caractère d'autant plus réel et palpable. C'est également un meta discours poétique et réflexif sur la littérature, sur ses œuvres, et des réflexions qui touchent à tous, comme la mort.
J'ai apprécié cette œuvre, tant tendre que cruelle, bien qu'elle traite de lieux communs vus et revus en littérature : l'amour et ses trahisons, la vie -qui doit être libre, notre solitude face à la mort.
Lors de la scène de l'enterrement de Robert, il se retrouve enfermé dans "un carcan de bois". La Mort emprisonnerait-elle plus que la vie ? La Mort libère de la Vie, mais qu'est ce qui nous libère de la Mort ? Sagan en profite pour rappeler à ses lecteurs que "ce n'est pas parce que la vie manque d'élégance qu'il faut se conduire comme elle", et c'est bien là "le sel de la terre et de cette fichue existence. (...) C'est quelque chose de fragile, de précieux que l'on saccage délibérément ces temps-ci et que les chrétiens appellent l'âme (...) Et cette âme, nous n'y prenons pas garde, nous la retrouverons un jour devant nous, essoufflée, demandant grâce et pleine de bleus... Et ces bleus, sans doute, nous ne les aurons pas volés".
Ainsi, Des bleus à l'âme n'est pas tant une ode à la liberté qu'une ode à la vie elle-même.
August 4, 2025
Sagan has yet to disappoint. Here she mixes a novel about a down at heel brother and sister (and hints at an incestuous relationship at least emotionally) who navigate a lack of funds and a desire to work by establishing relationships which suit them materially and somewhat emotionally. Along comes Sagan who inserts herself autobiographically. So you get her musings on the difficulties of writing, driving fast cars, politics and other Sagan humorous bon mots. Its's a delicious potpourri of fiction and autobiography.
August 1, 2022
С Франсуазой в этот раз не сложился разговор. Я читала ее "Здравствуй, грусть" и хотелось чего-то схоже лирического, но тут прямо через край ливануло. Под стать названию, впрочем, все честно. Сюжета нет, сплошь пересуды, кто кому что сказал и как теперь со всем этим жить, книга-то якобы о любви.
August 22, 2022
Ніколи б не подумала, що простежуватиму нотки Уельбека в Саган
November 17, 2024
"La verdad siempre era yo, sólo yo, que, unas veces, me odiaba por existir, desde que abría los ojos por la mañana, y otras, me sentía en paz, consciente de vivir, de respirar y de alargar la mano sobre la sábana. Pero siempre, sola."
September 30, 2025
A masterful description of what it means to be a writer. So different from her first book, yet the signature style remains. No notes.
March 21, 2022
ТАК надо, что бы Оливье Ассаяс снял экранизацию этого произведения
September 24, 2021
I picked this up at a communal library box and I ended up really enjyoing it. I love the ways in which Sagan breaks the fiction to talk about the process and her own thoughts on her work, I loved how the two blended together in the end, I loved all the characters desperately chasing fulfilment but ending up in apathy, a very solid entry to the postmodern genre.
February 5, 2025
sagan forever
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