Presque Mort

by Blaine Ray, Pablo Ortega López (Illustrator)

The third novel in the easiest series of French novels in ex­istence for 1st- or 2nd-year students with a vo­cabulary of only 400 words. An engaging story, with a taste of romance, about an American girl who goes to high school in Brittany and two French boys, a nice one and a mean one. The mean one turns nice. Eight short chapters. Short and sweet!

Genres: France, Realistic Fiction, School

59 pages, Paperback

First published October 31, 2002

Reviews

[Sean R_C2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that I have started in French class. It talks about a girl called Ann Henry who is a normal and smart kid. She goes to Billerica Memorial High School. Her parents mainly do jobs related to hospitals. Ann and her friends saw a boy named Paul lying on the floor of the cafeteria. Choked. By meat. He was calling for help, but only Ann saw him..... This book then talks about how a mean person who treats Paul really badly, turns nice. It tells me how important it is to treat people with respect. Whether you are familiar with them or not. Compassion. Kindness. Those are all qualities that everyone will need. Not only will it help you with getting into the top schools in US, it will also make your life seem more enjoyable. Learn when your brain is still developing!!!!!

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Presque Mort is a book I was reading in French class. It's supposed to not be difficult, so this would not be suitable for native speakers! Presque Mort (which means Almost Death, by the way) is about an American girl named Ann Henry who loves French and travels to Brittany, France, as a foreign exchange student. Ann makes friends with a boy named Paul and saves him from choking to death (hence the title) while trying to change the school bully for the better. She leaves France with the understanding that goodbyes hold a lot of weight and with the hope that she sees her friends again, which I think is something we could all relate to (in terms of parting ways and leaving). I'd say the plot was not very well-developed, but I understand this is for teaching/learning French and not a novel. I would recommend this to eager French learners.

[RJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Best book ever written

[Viktoriya · Rating 1 out of 5]

Me and my French teacher have beef over this

[Jackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The French novel, Presque Morte, by Blaine Ray is about an ordinary girl named Ann Henry who is sixteen years old and lives in Massachusetts. Ann becomes a foreign exchange student in Brittany, France for three months where she makes new friends and encounters a bully causing a man against man conflict. When getting on the plane, Ann thinks about her experiences and realizes the true meaning of goodbye: “Elle comprend vraiment ce que les mots ‘au revoir’ et ‘adieu’ veulent dire” (Ray 42). Ann’s adventures taught her that farewell was more than just a parting word. She has grown close to her friends and leaving brings her sorrow along with hope to see her friends again. My favorite part of this book is when Ann saved Paul from choking which allows them to become good friends. Presque Mort is a good beginning novel for people learning French.

[Ivy Indictor · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read it for French class. I personally despised this book, it has almost zero plot, and has a ton of word repetition. It's so annoying and easy and it drove me insane for 3 months. If you are a French teacher considering this book, pick something that your students will have fun reading.

[micah · Rating 1 out of 5]

read it for french class

[Sophia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to read this for French class, and there is absolutely no plot, and overall, I just hated reading it

[Gloria L. 8D]

Tres bien!