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En l'absence des hommes
En cette année 1916 où la guerre dévore chaque jour sa ration de chair humaine, les survivants n'ont d'autres ressources que d'offrir leur corps en sursis à la douceur du désir et à la violence des étreintes.Vincent, le narrateur, est un très jeune homme particulièrement beau et intelligent. Il découvre la passion dans les bras d'Arthur, un jeune soldat qui tente d'échapper pour quelques jours à l'horreur des tranchées ; et dans le même moment, il noue une amitié amoureuse avec Marcel Proust que la séduction de cet adolescent trouble.Une correspondance s'établit alors entre les trois protagonistes : des lettres d'amour déchirantes entre Vincent et Arthur, qui devine que la guerre va le broyer, et des lettres troublantes entre Vincent et Marcel Proust, qui tente d'éclairer le jeune homme sur les dangers terribles que sa sexualité va lui faire courir.La dernière partie de ce roman impudique et violent est consacrée à la confession de la mère d'Arthur. Cette femme effacée a toujours travaillé chez les parents de Vincent et c'est à lui qu'elle décide de révéler le secret qui l'oppresse.
http://www.philippebesson.com
198 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 28, 2001
About the author
Philippe Besson
64 books1,410 followersIn 1999, Besson, who was a jurist at that time, was inspired to write his first novel, In the Absence of Men, while reading some accounts of ex-servicemen of the First World War. The novel won the Emmanuel-Roblès prize.
L'Arrière-saison, published in 2002, won the Grand Prix RTL-Lire 2003. Un garçon d'Italie was nominated for the Goncourt and the Médicis prizes.
Seeing that his works aroused so much interest, Philippe Besson then decided to dedicate himself exclusively to his writing.
L'Arrière-saison, published in 2002, won the Grand Prix RTL-Lire 2003. Un garçon d'Italie was nominated for the Goncourt and the Médicis prizes.
Seeing that his works aroused so much interest, Philippe Besson then decided to dedicate himself exclusively to his writing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,224 reviews
April 4, 2018
Occasionally, you pick up a book not quite knowing why you chose to read it in the first place, but then gradually, page by page, you start to realize that almost every chapter tells you a little about yourself, about your life. You find that you could send whole fragments of text to relevant people in your life because those fragments tell them precisely the things that you dare not tell them or wish to tell them. This novel will undoubtedly become one of the books that will never leave me and stay on my shelf until the day I die.
August 20, 2022
Now that I've absorbed the twist, I want to re-read this book immediately. I finished it on the beach, and could only look out across the waves in contemplation. You can feel the tragic pieces in this story prior to them happening, but the heartache still arrives.
Vincent, 16, makes a friend in Marcel, 45. They are both upper class in Paris in 1916. There are rumors about Marcel (with men), but bold Vincent is undaunted in meeting Marcel openly. Vincent, however, discovers love with Arthur, 21. But Arthur is the lower class fatherless/illegitimate son of Blanche, who is just a house-servant for Vincent's family.
Part 1 of this book has lots of intimate talk, as these friendships and love develop while Arthur is home for a week from The Great War. Neither Marcel nor Vincent have fathers that care about them, and Arthur never knew his father. Marcel greatly loved his mother while she lived; Vincent is indifferent to his mother; Arthur is the only child with a strong mother/son love.
Vincent teases Marcel with affectionate words and cheek-kisses during their daytime chats. They meet in public, or in the bedroom of Marcel. The nightly visits by Arthur to Vincent are erotic in Vincent's bed as Arthur sneaks in the window. They enjoy their first-time clumsy exploration but quickly take maximum advantage of Arthur's limited time home.
"I must remember the awkwardness, took the botched gestures, the abruptness, the missed beats, because there too are signs of love."
By the time Arthur must return to the war, Vincent realizes how far they have come:
"I realise that this is what it means to be lovers: using the same words to speak of the same things though one has never heard the other use them; these random similarities, this remarkable intimacy."
Part 2 is told with letters, as Arthur returns to battle, and Marcel travels back to his childhood home taking care of some business. Vincent greatly enjoyed both of these men in part 1, and misses them dearly through letters in part 2. Vincent reveals more and more to Marcel about Arthur, as he also reveals to Arthur how Marcel has offered advice.
Part 3 is a powerful 22 final pages. I won't say anything about these other than tell you it has profound meaning to the story.
This is my second fantastic book by Besson (first was Lie With Me). I am happy I have bought copies of both of these books to read again.
Vincent, 16, makes a friend in Marcel, 45. They are both upper class in Paris in 1916. There are rumors about Marcel (with men), but bold Vincent is undaunted in meeting Marcel openly. Vincent, however, discovers love with Arthur, 21. But Arthur is the lower class fatherless/illegitimate son of Blanche, who is just a house-servant for Vincent's family.
Part 1 of this book has lots of intimate talk, as these friendships and love develop while Arthur is home for a week from The Great War. Neither Marcel nor Vincent have fathers that care about them, and Arthur never knew his father. Marcel greatly loved his mother while she lived; Vincent is indifferent to his mother; Arthur is the only child with a strong mother/son love.
Vincent teases Marcel with affectionate words and cheek-kisses during their daytime chats. They meet in public, or in the bedroom of Marcel. The nightly visits by Arthur to Vincent are erotic in Vincent's bed as Arthur sneaks in the window. They enjoy their first-time clumsy exploration but quickly take maximum advantage of Arthur's limited time home.
"I must remember the awkwardness, took the botched gestures, the abruptness, the missed beats, because there too are signs of love."
By the time Arthur must return to the war, Vincent realizes how far they have come:
"I realise that this is what it means to be lovers: using the same words to speak of the same things though one has never heard the other use them; these random similarities, this remarkable intimacy."
Part 2 is told with letters, as Arthur returns to battle, and Marcel travels back to his childhood home taking care of some business. Vincent greatly enjoyed both of these men in part 1, and misses them dearly through letters in part 2. Vincent reveals more and more to Marcel about Arthur, as he also reveals to Arthur how Marcel has offered advice.
Part 3 is a powerful 22 final pages. I won't say anything about these other than tell you it has profound meaning to the story.
This is my second fantastic book by Besson (first was Lie With Me). I am happy I have bought copies of both of these books to read again.
December 29, 2018
As I'm doing some reading summaries of 2018, I have decided that In the Absence of Men is the greatest disappointment of the year for me. I would like to believe that Polish translation is to blame, to some extent at least but unfortunately, this is the second book by Besson and I didn’t like either of them. In both I genuinely like the idea but the execution is a little disaster.
Let’s start with the fact that the narrator of the novel, Vincent, is one of the most unpleasant characters I can think of – and in a very dull sense. He is arrogant, full of himself and at the same time there is no charm behind it, no cheekiness even or merciless honesty, anything that would make me believe in the friendship between Vincent and Proust, much older than the protagonist. The only appealing thing about the protagonist is that he is young and pretty. Maybe that’s the point, maybe it was supposed to reveal Proust’s hunger for youth he was saying goodbye to, his vanity even. But it didn’t feel like it while reading and Vincent’s extraordinariness is enhanced by another man who fell for him – a young soldier, Arthur, obsessed with death and traumatized by war from which he escaped only for a few days or hours, into Vincent’s arms. Vincent, on the other hand, expressed curiosity and fascination with sex itself and Arthur’s body than the boy himself, only to then suddenly be love-struck out of the blue. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to read about such triangle, what an open field for emotions, self-discoveries, finding your true colours it could be! But not here. Not with this writing, not with these characters, not with the predictable and rather embarrassing twist in the end. Great potential, fully wasted.
Fun fact: In the Absence of Men is a book where women do not exist at all on the pages of the book. Only mothers of the three main characters are mentioned, more or less briefly and that was it. Ah, well.
Let’s start with the fact that the narrator of the novel, Vincent, is one of the most unpleasant characters I can think of – and in a very dull sense. He is arrogant, full of himself and at the same time there is no charm behind it, no cheekiness even or merciless honesty, anything that would make me believe in the friendship between Vincent and Proust, much older than the protagonist. The only appealing thing about the protagonist is that he is young and pretty. Maybe that’s the point, maybe it was supposed to reveal Proust’s hunger for youth he was saying goodbye to, his vanity even. But it didn’t feel like it while reading and Vincent’s extraordinariness is enhanced by another man who fell for him – a young soldier, Arthur, obsessed with death and traumatized by war from which he escaped only for a few days or hours, into Vincent’s arms. Vincent, on the other hand, expressed curiosity and fascination with sex itself and Arthur’s body than the boy himself, only to then suddenly be love-struck out of the blue. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to read about such triangle, what an open field for emotions, self-discoveries, finding your true colours it could be! But not here. Not with this writing, not with these characters, not with the predictable and rather embarrassing twist in the end. Great potential, fully wasted.
Fun fact: In the Absence of Men is a book where women do not exist at all on the pages of the book. Only mothers of the three main characters are mentioned, more or less briefly and that was it. Ah, well.
May 13, 2024
Beautiful writing but far too wordy...
...which is an odd thing to say for a book of less than 200 pages.
I just didn't believe that these are the voices of real people. Constant meandering, flowery language is fine for internal thoughts, but for dialogue? Especially when the central character is sixteen? Nope.
I do wish the character of Marcel was written out completely, and it was focused solely on Arthur and Vincent. Marcel's chapters irritated me immensely, and I just found him to be a bit of a creep.
Also the twist? I mean...meh?
Honestly, I don't understand the hype, but plenty of others seem to have enjoyed this.
Three stars for the quite clearly excellent use of language, and the parts focused on Vincent and Arthur's relationship.
...which is an odd thing to say for a book of less than 200 pages.
I just didn't believe that these are the voices of real people. Constant meandering, flowery language is fine for internal thoughts, but for dialogue? Especially when the central character is sixteen? Nope.
I do wish the character of Marcel was written out completely, and it was focused solely on Arthur and Vincent. Marcel's chapters irritated me immensely, and I just found him to be a bit of a creep.
Also the twist? I mean...meh?
Honestly, I don't understand the hype, but plenty of others seem to have enjoyed this.
Three stars for the quite clearly excellent use of language, and the parts focused on Vincent and Arthur's relationship.
October 9, 2022
Philippe Besson try to write about happiness challenge
January 25, 2026
Besson’s novel begins with brilliance—sharp, tender, promising. Then the plot starts multiplying connections like a Bollywood family tree, until every character is improbably related and the melodrama swells beyond repair. By the end, even industrial-strength UHU couldn’t hold the pieces together. Memorable in flashes, but ultimately too loose to trust its own glue.
May 31, 2022
Sadly, the last of Besson's books translated into English for me to read - and probably my least favorite - although they are all good and worth reading; since it was his debut novel, we'll let him slide a bit! Maybe due to a rather lackluster translation, or the longueurs of the war-related sections, but it didn't seem to have the propulsive quality of his other two books -albeit at 166 pages it only took me a day and a half to read it. It certainly provided an interesting, and I think legitimate, portrait of Proust - and I am a sucker for epistolary novels, so the second section of just that was probably my favorite. The ending was both sad, surprising ... and appropriate. I hope others of the author's work will be translated for the enjoyment of those of us whose college French is not adequate for reading it in the original.
December 19, 2021
This was a very well written book. I enjoyed parts 2 & 3 the most. I felt there could’ve been more character building in part one or at least the author could’ve gotten us more engaged with the primary character as he came off rather unlikeable. I also wondered if the letters in part two could have been written so openly. Were letters to & from soldiers not inspected by the military during World War One? Overall, very good book and I hope more of this author’s work is translated into English in the future.
June 12, 2024
"I realise that this is what it means to be lovers: using the same words to speak of the same things though one has never heard the other use them; these random similarities, this remarkable intimacy."
✧.* If you haven't read any Philippe Besson, you must. His writing is unbearably beautiful, it hurts. I practically have every other line highlighted in my copy.
"I want to experience only the moment, not the looming certainty that I will lose that moment, not the certain awareness that, ultimately, this moment must slip from present to past, only the joy of the moment and the graze of memory."
✧.* Forever waiting for more of his novels to be translated into English 🤍
July 9, 2023
This book broke me.
There are great books I love because they are exactly that. Great. Works of genius. Things to be marvelled at, applauded and in awe of.
Then there are books I love because they completely absorb me into their world, with characters I feel drawn to, and almost feel like I care about their stories in real terms. I myself feel the emotions these characters endure. I feel I can put myself in their situation or have indeed experienced something similar in my own lifetime so that I can empathise. This is one of these books.
Set in WW1, it is the love story of Arthur Valés and Vincent de l’Étoile.
It is also the story of 16 yr old Vincent’s coming of age and loss of innocence under the most devastating of circumstances. War.
There is also an added layer in the friendship between 16 yr old Vincent and 45 yr old Marcel. (Non-sexual, to be clear.)
Besson’s prose is exquisite at conveying the emotions that accompany human desires, longings, fears and failings. The urgency, dread and gravity of the situation Arthur and Vincent live through in these pages feels real to me.
His perception of human communication, with all its flaws, awkwardness and often inadequacies, is perfect.
I would warn people though… it is a lot.
It is an important work in queer literature, and one that certainly influenced future queer books set in this period of modern history.
I also loved Lie With Me, and so it seems a great shame that not more of Besson’s work has yet been translated into English. Fitzcarraldo Editions, are you reading this?
There are great books I love because they are exactly that. Great. Works of genius. Things to be marvelled at, applauded and in awe of.
Then there are books I love because they completely absorb me into their world, with characters I feel drawn to, and almost feel like I care about their stories in real terms. I myself feel the emotions these characters endure. I feel I can put myself in their situation or have indeed experienced something similar in my own lifetime so that I can empathise. This is one of these books.
Set in WW1, it is the love story of Arthur Valés and Vincent de l’Étoile.
It is also the story of 16 yr old Vincent’s coming of age and loss of innocence under the most devastating of circumstances. War.
There is also an added layer in the friendship between 16 yr old Vincent and 45 yr old Marcel. (Non-sexual, to be clear.)
Besson’s prose is exquisite at conveying the emotions that accompany human desires, longings, fears and failings. The urgency, dread and gravity of the situation Arthur and Vincent live through in these pages feels real to me.
His perception of human communication, with all its flaws, awkwardness and often inadequacies, is perfect.
I would warn people though… it is a lot.
It is an important work in queer literature, and one that certainly influenced future queer books set in this period of modern history.
I also loved Lie With Me, and so it seems a great shame that not more of Besson’s work has yet been translated into English. Fitzcarraldo Editions, are you reading this?
March 9, 2025
We meet again месьє Бессон... 😬
Моє перше знайомство з Філіппом Бессоном відбулося минулого року з «Припини свої вигадки». Ох, скільки ж шуму наробив цей роман. Пам'ятаю, що багатьом він дуже сподобався, аж до того, що висловлення альтернативної думки сприймалося як щось надприроднє, бо це ж пан Бессон, захисник жіночих прав та ще й таку щемку автобіографічну історію кохання написав. Як ви вже могли зрозуміти, тою людиною, що вбила гвіздок поміж всіх, кому сподобалося, була я. В мене навіть кумедна ситуація трапилася навколо цієї книги - посварилася в тіктоці з якоюсь пані суперблогершою, бо бачте посміла зазіхнути на геніальність пана Бессона.
І ось Лабораторія знову перекладає й видає черговий роман цього автора. Я ж не могла собі відмовити у задоволенні й надалі знайомитися з творчістю пана Бессона. Тому пару кліків мишкою, два дні відстежування і ось скарб у мене...
Спокуслива обіцянка глибокого інтелектуального роману про юність, війну, любов і втрату. Але замість цього книга розгорнулася як дивний фанфік про Марселя Пруста, наповнений сумнівною мораллю, стереотипами й відстороненими персонажами. І чому я не дивуюся?)
Що в нас по сюжету? Літо 1916 року. У паризькому небі з’являються зловісні силуети німецьких дирижаблів, а чоловіки один за одним вирушають на фронт.
Шістнадцятирічний Венсан залишається у місті майже сам, оточений надмірною опікою жінок, але для нього це – час безмежної свободи. Усе змінюється, коли він закохується в харизматичного солдата Артюра Валеса й знайомиться з легендарним Марселем Прустом. Листи, наповнені палкими зізнаннями та чуттєвими таємницями, перша пристрасть до французького піхотинця – так починається його шлях у доросле життя.
А тепер, що ж мені не сподобалося:
📚 Найбільша проблема, що вся ця історія виглядає як фанфік про Марселя Пруста, а не самостійний літературний твір. Використання відомої історичної постаті як персонажа апріорі накладає на нього якісь певні очікування, але тут Пруст поданий настільки штучно й гротескно, що важко повірити в його справжність. Він більше нагадує карикатуру на самого себе.
Історична довідка:
Марсель Пруст був гомосексуалом, хоча ніколи відкрито цього не визнавав. Його близькі друзі й біографи підтверджують його стосунки з чоловіками, зокрема з композитором Рейнальдо Ааном та секретарем Альфредом Агостінеллі. У 1897 році Пруст навіть брав участь у дуелі через плітки про його зв’язок із Люсьєном Доде. У 1918 році його ім’я фігурувало в поліцейському рейді на чоловічий бордель. Його сексуальність знайшла відображення в «У пошуках втраченого часу», де є персонажі-гомосексуали та бісексуали.
😬 Я не змогла відчути емпатію ні до одного героя. Вони всі якісь надто відсторонені, холодні, а їхні емоції більше декларуються, ніж переживаються. Венсан, попри молодість, не викликає жодного відчуття живої людини - він радше функція, голос, що веде оповідь.
⛔️ Чітко прослідковується мізогінія в розмовах між Марселем і Венсаном. Особливо з боку Марселя - він дозволяє собі висловлювання, які відверто зневажливі щодо жінок. Це виглядає не як особливість характеру чи атмосфери того часу, а як бездумне підкреслення нібито «високого інтелектуального рівня» їхніх діалогів. Будь-яке подальше згадування жінок віддає певним презирством або байдужістю, і це залишає неприємний відбиток. Пригадаймо «Припини свої вигадки» і чітко вимовлене побажання героя свої бабці «померти, ніж жити таке життя».
🖍 Автор намагається подати Венсана як емоційно зрілого персонажа, але його вчинки говорять протилежне. Він холодний, егоцентричний і вважає, що може одночасно мати стосунки з Марселем і Артюром тільки тому, що вони з різних суспільних верств. Його дії егоїстичні, але вони не мають глибини, що зробило б їх виправданими чи хоча б цікавими.
😐 Марсель викликає огиду своєю поведінкою. Він сам ініціює контакт із Венсаном, запрошує його на зустрічі, а коли дізнається про його зв’язок з Артюром, починає тиснути на юнака, переконуючи, що це збочення і що за таке можна потрапити до в’язниці. Це класичний приклад маніпуляції, яка ніяк не осмислюється текстом критично.
🤨 Окремо варто зупинитися на тому, як у романі романтизується та фактично пропагується розбещення неповнолітніх. Головному герою Венсану всього 16 років, а його коханцем є 21-річний солдат Артюр. Ще більш проблематичним є зв’язок Венсана з 45-річним Марселем Прустом. Автор намагається подати ці стосунки як щось піднесене, інтелектуальне, але насправді вони побудовані на маніпуляціях і нездоровій динаміці влади. Марсель - зрілий чоловік, відомий письменник, який використовує свій статус і життєвий досвід для впливу на підлітка, видаючи це за «романтичне» просвітництво.
Так само й Артюр, дорослий чоловік, який воює на фронті, не бачить нічого поганого в тому, щоб будувати романтичні стосунки з 16-річним хлопцем. Ба більше, його зради виправдовуються «самотністю на війні», що виглядає як чергова спроба замаскувати моральну неприпустимість їхніх відносин.
Така подача викликає сильне відторгнення. Немає жодного критичного погляду на ситуацію, жодного усвідомлення проблематики. Замість цього книга намагається зробити з цієї історії щось прекрасне й трагічне, ігноруючи те, що насправді вона проектує токсичні й небезпечні ідеї.
🩸 Ще трішки про Артюра і його зраду. Його мотивація - нудьга і самотність на війні. Серйозно? Це спрощення й применшення реального жаху військових подій. Він не переживає внутрішнього конфлікту, не проходить жодної еволюції - він просто існує в тексті як ще один штучний елемент.
🤯 Абсурдно фантастичний фінал. Якщо до цього моменту книга ще зберігала видимість серйозності, то фінал її просто руйнує. Виявляється, що Артюр - син Марселя. Це виглядає настільки награно й безглуздо, що залишається лише запитати: «Навіщо?» Цей сюжетний поворот не має сенсу і не додає нічого до загальної історії, окрім ще більшого відчуття абсурду.
Загалом пан Бессон такий Бессон. Не рекомендую!
P.S. Єдиний плюс в тому, що швидко й легко читається. На цьому в мене все. Відверто нічого не маю проти таких історій, але не в цьому випадку. Після «Припини свої вигадки» читала «Майже хороших хлопців» Дарії Чайки, і книга мені дуже сподобалася - щира, щемка історія кохання двох друзів, та ще й в чудовому українському сеттингу.
Моє перше знайомство з Філіппом Бессоном відбулося минулого року з «Припини свої вигадки». Ох, скільки ж шуму наробив цей роман. Пам'ятаю, що багатьом він дуже сподобався, аж до того, що висловлення альтернативної думки сприймалося як щось надприроднє, бо це ж пан Бессон, захисник жіночих прав та ще й таку щемку автобіографічну історію кохання написав. Як ви вже могли зрозуміти, тою людиною, що вбила гвіздок поміж всіх, кому сподобалося, була я. В мене навіть кумедна ситуація трапилася навколо цієї книги - посварилася в тіктоці з якоюсь пані суперблогершою, бо бачте посміла зазіхнути на геніальність пана Бессона.
І ось Лабораторія знову перекладає й видає черговий роман цього автора. Я ж не могла собі відмовити у задоволенні й надалі знайомитися з творчістю пана Бессона. Тому пару кліків мишкою, два дні відстежування і ось скарб у мене...
Спокуслива обіцянка глибокого інтелектуального роману про юність, війну, любов і втрату. Але замість цього книга розгорнулася як дивний фанфік про Марселя Пруста, наповнений сумнівною мораллю, стереотипами й відстороненими персонажами. І чому я не дивуюся?)
Що в нас по сюжету? Літо 1916 року. У паризькому небі з’являються зловісні силуети німецьких дирижаблів, а чоловіки один за одним вирушають на фронт.
Шістнадцятирічний Венсан залишається у місті майже сам, оточений надмірною опікою жінок, але для нього це – час безмежної свободи. Усе змінюється, коли він закохується в харизматичного солдата Артюра Валеса й знайомиться з легендарним Марселем Прустом. Листи, наповнені палкими зізнаннями та чуттєвими таємницями, перша пристрасть до французького піхотинця – так починається його шлях у доросле життя.
А тепер, що ж мені не сподобалося:
📚 Найбільша проблема, що вся ця історія виглядає як фанфік про Марселя Пруста, а не самостійний літературний твір. Використання відомої історичної постаті як персонажа апріорі накладає на нього якісь певні очікування, але тут Пруст поданий настільки штучно й гротескно, що важко повірити в його справжність. Він більше нагадує карикатуру на самого себе.
Історична довідка:
Марсель Пруст був гомосексуалом, хоча ніколи відкрито цього не визнавав. Його близькі друзі й біографи підтверджують його стосунки з чоловіками, зокрема з композитором Рейнальдо Ааном та секретарем Альфредом Агостінеллі. У 1897 році Пруст навіть брав участь у дуелі через плітки про його зв’язок із Люсьєном Доде. У 1918 році його ім’я фігурувало в поліцейському рейді на чоловічий бордель. Його сексуальність знайшла відображення в «У пошуках втраченого часу», де є персонажі-гомосексуали та бісексуали.
😬 Я не змогла відчути емпатію ні до одного героя. Вони всі якісь надто відсторонені, холодні, а їхні емоції більше декларуються, ніж переживаються. Венсан, попри молодість, не викликає жодного відчуття живої людини - він радше функція, голос, що веде оповідь.
⛔️ Чітко прослідковується мізогінія в розмовах між Марселем і Венсаном. Особливо з боку Марселя - він дозволяє собі висловлювання, які відверто зневажливі щодо жінок. Це виглядає не як особливість характеру чи атмосфери того часу, а як бездумне підкреслення нібито «високого інтелектуального рівня» їхніх діалогів. Будь-яке подальше згадування жінок віддає певним презирством або байдужістю, і це залишає неприємний відбиток. Пригадаймо «Припини свої вигадки» і чітко вимовлене побажання героя свої бабці «померти, ніж жити таке життя».
🖍 Автор намагається подати Венсана як емоційно зрілого персонажа, але його вчинки говорять протилежне. Він холодний, егоцентричний і вважає, що може одночасно мати стосунки з Марселем і Артюром тільки тому, що вони з різних суспільних верств. Його дії егоїстичні, але вони не мають глибини, що зробило б їх виправданими чи хоча б цікавими.
😐 Марсель викликає огиду своєю поведінкою. Він сам ініціює контакт із Венсаном, запрошує його на зустрічі, а коли дізнається про його зв’язок з Артюром, починає тиснути на юнака, переконуючи, що це збочення і що за таке можна потрапити до в’язниці. Це класичний приклад маніпуляції, яка ніяк не осмислюється текстом критично.
🤨 Окремо варто зупинитися на тому, як у романі романтизується та фактично пропагується розбещення неповнолітніх. Головному герою Венсану всього 16 років, а його коханцем є 21-річний солдат Артюр. Ще більш проблематичним є зв’язок Венсана з 45-річним Марселем Прустом. Автор намагається подати ці стосунки як щось піднесене, інтелектуальне, але насправді вони побудовані на маніпуляціях і нездоровій динаміці влади. Марсель - зрілий чоловік, відомий письменник, який використовує свій статус і життєвий досвід для впливу на підлітка, видаючи це за «романтичне» просвітництво.
Так само й Артюр, дорослий чоловік, який воює на фронті, не бачить нічого поганого в тому, щоб будувати романтичні стосунки з 16-річним хлопцем. Ба більше, його зради виправдовуються «самотністю на війні», що виглядає як чергова спроба замаскувати моральну неприпустимість їхніх відносин.
Така подача викликає сильне відторгнення. Немає жодного критичного погляду на ситуацію, жодного усвідомлення проблематики. Замість цього книга намагається зробити з цієї історії щось прекрасне й трагічне, ігноруючи те, що насправді вона проектує токсичні й небезпечні ідеї.
🩸 Ще трішки про Артюра і його зраду. Його мотивація - нудьга і самотність на війні. Серйозно? Це спрощення й применшення реального жаху військових подій. Він не переживає внутрішнього конфлікту, не проходить жодної еволюції - він просто існує в тексті як ще один штучний елемент.
🤯 Абсурдно фантастичний фінал. Якщо до цього моменту книга ще зберігала видимість серйозності, то фінал її просто руйнує. Виявляється, що Артюр - син Марселя. Це виглядає настільки награно й безглуздо, що залишається лише запитати: «Навіщо?» Цей сюжетний поворот не має сенсу і не додає нічого до загальної історії, окрім ще більшого відчуття абсурду.
Загалом пан Бессон такий Бессон. Не рекомендую!
P.S. Єдиний плюс в тому, що швидко й легко читається. На цьому в мене все. Відверто нічого не маю проти таких історій, але не в цьому випадку. Після «Припини свої вигадки» читала «Майже хороших хлопців» Дарії Чайки, і книга мені дуже сподобалася - щира, щемка історія кохання двох друзів, та ще й в чудовому українському сеттингу.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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October 7, 2025DNF
Philippe Besson admira obviamente Marguerite Duras, e este pastiche LGBT até podia ser interessante se o protagonista não fosse tão irritante e se a situação não fosse tão inverosímil.
Vincent, que já disse umas dez vezes em 50 páginas que tem cabelo preto, olhos verdes e pele de menina, encontra-se com Marcel Proust (30 anos mais velho, nada creepy) à tarde e dorme com o filho da empregada (sim, esse cliché) à noite. Primeiro, diz: "Já não sou inocente. Já não sou uma criança", mais à frente afirma: "Sou uma criança despreocupada". Decida-se...
Estamos em 1916 e toda a gente reage com a maior naturalidade quando vê Proust com este jovem. Estamos em 1916 e Vincent dorme a noite toda, até ser manhã, com o filho da empregada, com a maior das descontracções. Idealmente, a realidade seria mesmo assim, mas não me parece, portanto, exige-me uma suspensão da descrença que não possuo.
Philippe Besson admira obviamente Marguerite Duras, e este pastiche LGBT até podia ser interessante se o protagonista não fosse tão irritante e se a situação não fosse tão inverosímil.
Vincent, que já disse umas dez vezes em 50 páginas que tem cabelo preto, olhos verdes e pele de menina, encontra-se com Marcel Proust (30 anos mais velho, nada creepy) à tarde e dorme com o filho da empregada (sim, esse cliché) à noite. Primeiro, diz: "Já não sou inocente. Já não sou uma criança", mais à frente afirma: "Sou uma criança despreocupada". Decida-se...
Estamos em 1916 e toda a gente reage com a maior naturalidade quando vê Proust com este jovem. Estamos em 1916 e Vincent dorme a noite toda, até ser manhã, com o filho da empregada, com a maior das descontracções. Idealmente, a realidade seria mesmo assim, mas não me parece, portanto, exige-me uma suspensão da descrença que não possuo.
December 13, 2020
"In the Absence of Men" is the latest of Philippe Besson's gay tales to be translated into English.
Vincent is an upper-class Frenchman coming of age during World War I. One summer, while Paris is empty of men, who have all gone off to war, Vincent happens to meet and strike up a friendship with a renowned author, Marcel. Marcel, a middle-aged homosexual, helps Vincent as he processes his first time being in love with another man, a soldier he has known since childhood who is on leave from the Front. This friendship and mentorship helps him grow more confident in his love for the soldier until news breaks about the true connections between these Parisian gay men.
Though an interesting tale of gay love and gay friendship, the form of this book is odd - the middle section is communicated through an exchange of letters that leaves much to be desired in terms of character development and plot. For that reason, the book was much less interesting than it should have been.
Vincent is an upper-class Frenchman coming of age during World War I. One summer, while Paris is empty of men, who have all gone off to war, Vincent happens to meet and strike up a friendship with a renowned author, Marcel. Marcel, a middle-aged homosexual, helps Vincent as he processes his first time being in love with another man, a soldier he has known since childhood who is on leave from the Front. This friendship and mentorship helps him grow more confident in his love for the soldier until news breaks about the true connections between these Parisian gay men.
Though an interesting tale of gay love and gay friendship, the form of this book is odd - the middle section is communicated through an exchange of letters that leaves much to be desired in terms of character development and plot. For that reason, the book was much less interesting than it should have been.
January 4, 2022
Never judge a book by its cover. That appears to be very true for a lot of modern fiction: advertising produces covers that are more persuasive than the writing inside. The new edition of In the Absence of Men is a handsome edition, compact, seductive and elegantly type-faced. Besson's prose, however, is thin, and its narrative borders on the absurd. Part One is a sort-of-notebook in which the adolescent Vincent L'Etoile, a victorious star, attracts the love of two men: Arthur, an older soldier, and Marcel, a much older writer (Marcel Proust). The novel is a Platonic discourse on love, which never really reaches any great depths because Vincent is such a superficial young lover. In Part Two, conveniently, both adult lovers are separated from Vincent. This allows for an epistolary section in which the three characters, via a trialogue, speculate on love and war. The letters from Arthur are reminiscent of the liebestod struck by poets in the First World War. And the letters from Marcel are an odd mix of Barthes spiced with Wilde -- not at all convincing. Part Three offers the inevitable tragic conclusion and a sting in the tail that is so contrived that it strikes the reader as ridiculous. The result is a novel not so much in the absence of men as in the absence of believable writing.
July 27, 2024
4,5⭐
Inconsciamente questa volta ho scelto di leggere la sua opera prima. Non sembra. Perfetta padronanza delle parole, dolcezza intrisa di sofferenza da far allagare un cuore indurito come il mio. Strabiliante.
Inconsciamente questa volta ho scelto di leggere la sua opera prima. Non sembra. Perfetta padronanza delle parole, dolcezza intrisa di sofferenza da far allagare un cuore indurito come il mio. Strabiliante.
July 28, 2024
A complex story, not in its telling or phrases but in its cultural setting. It is a first novel and has the flaws of a first novel, particularly in the unnecessary 'twist' at the end. I have always thought that those of us from English speaking countries really do not grasp what WWI meant for France. Although we cling to our 'Dulce et Decorum est' school of war poetry and thrill to the horrors of the first of the Somme I do not believe you can understand the full horror of that war until you wander along the Douaumont Ossuary at Verdun where you can glimpse the remains of 130,000 unidentified dead of a battle that was not to capture ground or for strategic advantage but to win victory purely by killing so many of Verdun's defenders that victory would come by the exhaustion of death. It was a horrible pressage of the 20th and, it seems, the 21st centuries.
Without understanding that grim reality, which is the backdrop to Vincent de l'Etoile, sixteen, black haired, almond shaped, green eyes and girl's complexion (an incantatory phrase that recurs again and again) blossoming relationship with two new friends, Marcel (Proust) and Arthur Vales, the son of a servant in his parents house and a soldier on leave from Verdun. Over the course of a week Vincent enters into a deep love based on the friendship of the mind and heart with Marcel and a relationship of the heart, mind and body with Arthur.
Vincent is sixteen, he is not a child, but he is without experience. All he has to offer and learn with are his youth and good look and via them he embarks on his 'sentimental education. Do not imagine for a moment that the novel, or I, are promoting some pederastic man-boy love agenda. Vincent is an aristocratic and haute bourgeois of the Parisian of the belle epoque. His parents are delighted with Vincent's apparent conquest and favour with Marcel the notorious pedes but appalled that he seems to allow undue familiarity with his social inferior Arthur. Caste is all that matters to his parents milieu.
But Vincent is trying to learn how to live under the shadow of a war which he could well join Arthur at the same war whose bombs fall on Paris as Marcel works tirelessly to complete his masterpiece which, until that war ends, will never see the light of day.
This is a novel about life surrounded by death. That the novel is flawed in construction matters less then the ambitions it manages to pull off. It is utterly French, I wish I could read it in the original and, though I have read complaints of the translation I would suggest anyone with complaints look at Frank Wynne's extraordinary oeuvre of magnificent translations of French literature.
This is a beautiful novel about a young man search for mentors. Do I need to remind everyone that until the end of the 20th century there was no one for the young pedes, 'T'es un sale pédé', like Vincent to turn to for guidance knowledge or assurance then those who are older. He could discover a crude guide to plumbing of his body with another boy but he can only discover what it might do, and more importantly, what it might mean with the 21 year old Arthur and the 45 year old Marcel (least you be in any doubt the relationship between Marcel and Vincent is not in any way physical).
That Vincent learns not only of love but of death is not a spoiler or revelation, at least to a French person. You do not have one of your characters on leave from Verdun, again think the Douaumont Ossuary 130,000 unnamed dead, and expect a happy ending. The novel should have ended with Vincent's emotionally over-the-top exclamation of despair to Marcel:
"...I am leaving because I must, because I cannot do otherwise...to shake off the deafening silence, the slow death, the terrible mediocrity; to escape the war which is the cause of my grief...everything that holds one back...I dream that I might think of nothing, searching in the emptiness for a kind of peace...I can guess what troubles await me...accepting the vilest occupations simply to love one day more, wandering among beggars in the foul alleys of strange cities..."
Those are the words of a 16 year year old black haired beauty with almond green eyes and the skin of a girl who is definitely no longer a child because he has loved and lost but who has yet to become an adult and accept the compromises that life brings; most particularly that you will not forever be a a beautiful black haired green eyed beauty with a broken heart. The heart is perhaps resiliently healable of all organs. Long before the lustrous hair fades and recedes, the eyes grow dim or that fresh skin is coarsened Vincent will return to his family home and take his place amongst his class and family and Arthur will recede to a memory which is best avoided.
This is a wonderful novel and, despite its flawed construction and unnecessary 'twist' I regarded it as a moving masterpiece which never fails to move me.
Without understanding that grim reality, which is the backdrop to Vincent de l'Etoile, sixteen, black haired, almond shaped, green eyes and girl's complexion (an incantatory phrase that recurs again and again) blossoming relationship with two new friends, Marcel (Proust) and Arthur Vales, the son of a servant in his parents house and a soldier on leave from Verdun. Over the course of a week Vincent enters into a deep love based on the friendship of the mind and heart with Marcel and a relationship of the heart, mind and body with Arthur.
Vincent is sixteen, he is not a child, but he is without experience. All he has to offer and learn with are his youth and good look and via them he embarks on his 'sentimental education. Do not imagine for a moment that the novel, or I, are promoting some pederastic man-boy love agenda. Vincent is an aristocratic and haute bourgeois of the Parisian of the belle epoque. His parents are delighted with Vincent's apparent conquest and favour with Marcel the notorious pedes but appalled that he seems to allow undue familiarity with his social inferior Arthur. Caste is all that matters to his parents milieu.
But Vincent is trying to learn how to live under the shadow of a war which he could well join Arthur at the same war whose bombs fall on Paris as Marcel works tirelessly to complete his masterpiece which, until that war ends, will never see the light of day.
This is a novel about life surrounded by death. That the novel is flawed in construction matters less then the ambitions it manages to pull off. It is utterly French, I wish I could read it in the original and, though I have read complaints of the translation I would suggest anyone with complaints look at Frank Wynne's extraordinary oeuvre of magnificent translations of French literature.
This is a beautiful novel about a young man search for mentors. Do I need to remind everyone that until the end of the 20th century there was no one for the young pedes, 'T'es un sale pédé', like Vincent to turn to for guidance knowledge or assurance then those who are older. He could discover a crude guide to plumbing of his body with another boy but he can only discover what it might do, and more importantly, what it might mean with the 21 year old Arthur and the 45 year old Marcel (least you be in any doubt the relationship between Marcel and Vincent is not in any way physical).
That Vincent learns not only of love but of death is not a spoiler or revelation, at least to a French person. You do not have one of your characters on leave from Verdun, again think the Douaumont Ossuary 130,000 unnamed dead, and expect a happy ending. The novel should have ended with Vincent's emotionally over-the-top exclamation of despair to Marcel:
"...I am leaving because I must, because I cannot do otherwise...to shake off the deafening silence, the slow death, the terrible mediocrity; to escape the war which is the cause of my grief...everything that holds one back...I dream that I might think of nothing, searching in the emptiness for a kind of peace...I can guess what troubles await me...accepting the vilest occupations simply to love one day more, wandering among beggars in the foul alleys of strange cities..."
Those are the words of a 16 year year old black haired beauty with almond green eyes and the skin of a girl who is definitely no longer a child because he has loved and lost but who has yet to become an adult and accept the compromises that life brings; most particularly that you will not forever be a a beautiful black haired green eyed beauty with a broken heart. The heart is perhaps resiliently healable of all organs. Long before the lustrous hair fades and recedes, the eyes grow dim or that fresh skin is coarsened Vincent will return to his family home and take his place amongst his class and family and Arthur will recede to a memory which is best avoided.
This is a wonderful novel and, despite its flawed construction and unnecessary 'twist' I regarded it as a moving masterpiece which never fails to move me.
June 28, 2025
Дочитав «За відсутності чоловіків» Філіпа Бессона. Дуже поетична й чуттєва книга. Це історія кохання, дорослішання й спроби зрозуміти себе на фоні страшної війни, яка наче далеко, але водночас постійно відчувається й пробивається крізь мирне життя.
Мене зачепив стиль — ніжний, сповідальний, атмосферний. Сподобалась ця особлива тиша й крихкість моментів, які Бессон так гарно передає. Читаючи, постійно відчував контраст між тим, що відбувається в тилу, й тим, що зовсім поруч — війна. Це особливо відгукується зараз.
Було цікаво побачити Пруста не як відомого автора, а як звичайну людину, зі своїми слабкостями, турботами й добротою.
Але разом із тим, залишились дивні й неоднозначні враження. Напевно, через деякі судження та думки героїв, які для мене звучали суперечливо. Але напевно це відбиток часу, суджень початку 20 сторіччя. Це книга, яка більше про настрій і відчуття, ніж про події — і, можливо, саме тому вона залишає такий післясмак.
Мене зачепив стиль — ніжний, сповідальний, атмосферний. Сподобалась ця особлива тиша й крихкість моментів, які Бессон так гарно передає. Читаючи, постійно відчував контраст між тим, що відбувається в тилу, й тим, що зовсім поруч — війна. Це особливо відгукується зараз.
Було цікаво побачити Пруста не як відомого автора, а як звичайну людину, зі своїми слабкостями, турботами й добротою.
Але разом із тим, залишились дивні й неоднозначні враження. Напевно, через деякі судження та думки героїв, які для мене звучали суперечливо. Але напевно це відбиток часу, суджень початку 20 сторіччя. Це книга, яка більше про настрій і відчуття, ніж про події — і, можливо, саме тому вона залишає такий післясмак.
January 14, 2024
starting 2024 with this book that broke me and left me shattered on the floor ; I do not wish to be collected, I wish to stay there, with all my sharped emotions and I invite you to come and step on them so you could feel too
June 3, 2022
Philippe Besson é um autor que tenho vindo a descobrir. Tenho sempre uma relação algo ambivalente com os livros que vou lendo dele. “Deixa-te de Mentiras” - o seu livro mais conhecido em Portugal - é um livro que me encanta e que pontualmente me irrita com a mesma intensidade.
Neste “Em tempos de guerra” essa dicotomia volta a surgir. A construção narrativa, algo entre as “entradas de um diário” e a narração epistolar com cartas trocadas entre as três personagens masculinas, é particularmente interessante. A linguagem, muitas vezes poética é intensa e bela.
Ainda assim a trama parece-me algo “forçada” e as personagens perdem-se em múltiplos estereótipos. O amor - e as cenas de sexo - entre um adolescente - filho da alta burguesia -, de 16 anos e um professor de 21 anos (soldado na frente de batalha da I Guerra Mundial e filho da empregada da casa) está construído de uma forma pouco realista para o quotidiano da burguesia parisiense do início do século. Diferentemente a amizade entre esse mesmo adolescente e Marcel Proust está marcada por inúmeros sinais da obra e da vida “proustiana” que me encantaram como leitor.
Como conclusão diria que o modelo da obra e a escrita me encantou, a história ficou um pouco aquém mas foi um bom início de leituras neste mês do Orgulho LGBTI.
Neste “Em tempos de guerra” essa dicotomia volta a surgir. A construção narrativa, algo entre as “entradas de um diário” e a narração epistolar com cartas trocadas entre as três personagens masculinas, é particularmente interessante. A linguagem, muitas vezes poética é intensa e bela.
Ainda assim a trama parece-me algo “forçada” e as personagens perdem-se em múltiplos estereótipos. O amor - e as cenas de sexo - entre um adolescente - filho da alta burguesia -, de 16 anos e um professor de 21 anos (soldado na frente de batalha da I Guerra Mundial e filho da empregada da casa) está construído de uma forma pouco realista para o quotidiano da burguesia parisiense do início do século. Diferentemente a amizade entre esse mesmo adolescente e Marcel Proust está marcada por inúmeros sinais da obra e da vida “proustiana” que me encantaram como leitor.
Como conclusão diria que o modelo da obra e a escrita me encantou, a história ficou um pouco aquém mas foi um bom início de leituras neste mês do Orgulho LGBTI.
March 9, 2025
Oh to be a beautiful muse to tragic men in war torn early 1900s Paris. This book was all about the passions of first relationships, and it was so beautifully written. The last act plot twist did make me bark laugh though.
January 29, 2024
C’était magnifique. Rien d’autre à dire.
November 30, 2025
З другою прочитаною книгою Філіппа Бессона упевнююсь, що це мій автор.
Таке сентиментальне й щемке - це чтиво.
Але одночасно й дуже красиве і чуттєве.
Точно буду читати його книги й надалі.
Таке сентиментальне й щемке - це чтиво.
Але одночасно й дуже красиве і чуттєве.
Точно буду читати його книги й надалі.
August 25, 2025
4.25 stars. IN THE ABSENCE OF MEN reinforces Philippe's masterful way with words and his ability to convey a depth of emotion in under 200 pages. Just like LIE WITH ME, Besson infuses this story with sensuality, yearning, heartbreak, tension, and everything that comes with a gay man coming of age. Set in France during WWI, the story revolves around an affluent twink named Vincent, his budding friendship with an older writer named Marcel, and his unforgettable tryst with a soldier named Arthur. Besson explores classicism, the psychological effects of war, and the frustration of high society choosing to ignore the horrors on the battlefield. Amidst all this chaos, Vincent's world starts revolving around these two men he forms a bond with over a week - one that's platonic, and one that's sensual and all encompassing.
I could easily see some readers call the age gap icky and reminiscent of CALL ME BY YOUR NAME because Vincent is 16 and Arthur is 21. That said, and maybe it's my own trauma as a gay man myself...but I had an Arthur of my own growing up and I feel like many of us did so I understood a lot of Vincent's motivations. I'm not saying that an age gap like this is always kosher, but I didn't find this particular one to be a grooming situation or predatory. The passionate moments weren't overly detailed and salacious, but were instead filled with longing, sweetness, and a desire for human connection. In a time where everything felt like it was going to hell for Arthur, Vincent became his salvation and it all felt so damn poetic and intimate. Knowing that these two only have a week together made it all the more heartbreaking at the end, and I was enthralled by the love letters they sent to each other after Arthur leaves for the battlefield again.
I was worried that the age gap would be with Marcel, the 45 year old writer, but thankfully that becomes a wonderful friendship that gets Vincent through a very difficult time and opens his eyes up to the real world. Vincent also teaches Marcel many lessons and represents Marcel's last connection to what remains of his youth. Through both platonic and romantic dynamics, Besson reminds us that your life can change in the course of a week because of the people you meet and the effects they have on both your internal and external world. I found myself missing Arthur as much as Vincent did, I found myself terrified that their love letters wouldn't get to each other, and I found myself gobsmacked at a surprise twist of fate at the very end. I can always rely on Philippe Besson to deliver a beautifully written queer coming of age story that's succinct and leaves me in shambles. Special thanks to Scribner Books for a physical copy of the book.
I could easily see some readers call the age gap icky and reminiscent of CALL ME BY YOUR NAME because Vincent is 16 and Arthur is 21. That said, and maybe it's my own trauma as a gay man myself...but I had an Arthur of my own growing up and I feel like many of us did so I understood a lot of Vincent's motivations. I'm not saying that an age gap like this is always kosher, but I didn't find this particular one to be a grooming situation or predatory. The passionate moments weren't overly detailed and salacious, but were instead filled with longing, sweetness, and a desire for human connection. In a time where everything felt like it was going to hell for Arthur, Vincent became his salvation and it all felt so damn poetic and intimate. Knowing that these two only have a week together made it all the more heartbreaking at the end, and I was enthralled by the love letters they sent to each other after Arthur leaves for the battlefield again.
I was worried that the age gap would be with Marcel, the 45 year old writer, but thankfully that becomes a wonderful friendship that gets Vincent through a very difficult time and opens his eyes up to the real world. Vincent also teaches Marcel many lessons and represents Marcel's last connection to what remains of his youth. Through both platonic and romantic dynamics, Besson reminds us that your life can change in the course of a week because of the people you meet and the effects they have on both your internal and external world. I found myself missing Arthur as much as Vincent did, I found myself terrified that their love letters wouldn't get to each other, and I found myself gobsmacked at a surprise twist of fate at the very end. I can always rely on Philippe Besson to deliver a beautifully written queer coming of age story that's succinct and leaves me in shambles. Special thanks to Scribner Books for a physical copy of the book.
June 25, 2019
I'm still processing this novel a couple of days after finishing it. As someone who writes, I simply marvel at Philippe Besson's command of his craft. Often he packs more meaning into one sentence than I will have in an entire chapter. The writing is so exquisite. The translation is flawless. I realize that Besson's newest novel, Lie With Me, is getting all the press at the moment (partly due to Andre Aciman's correct praise, and Molly Ringwald's translation). But when you have finished reading Lie With Me, I would urge you to dig deeper into Besson and enjoy prose as you rarely find it nowadays. In the Absence of Men may be, at least to me, the best indictment of both war and class distinctions I have encountered. It is certainly the best love story I have had the pleasure to read.
May 9, 2022
‘Call me by your name’ meets ‘Brokeback mountain’ meets ‘The absolutist’. Short, sharp, sweet, intense little novel. I enjoyed it very much
August 30, 2025
I can't say that I enjoyed this one as much as Lie With Me, but it was still interesting to read one of Besson's earliest books. Book One is told in first person via the protagonist, and I often found the writing to be quite wordy and overwritten at times. Book Two switches things to an epistolary form, while Book Three bounces us back to the protagonist's pov. There are some really beautiful moments and turns of phrase, but there's something off about the effectiveness of the delivery at times (I think it goes back to the wordiness for me).
All that being said, kudos to Besson for writing this in the homophobia of the early aughts. I'm also curious if "In the Absence of Men" served as partial inspiration for something like In Memoriam, as there are a ton of similarities (though Besson is able to keep the tone very consistent and clear in his book; and of course, kudos to a queer man writing a queer WWI story before it became fashionable).
All that being said, kudos to Besson for writing this in the homophobia of the early aughts. I'm also curious if "In the Absence of Men" served as partial inspiration for something like In Memoriam, as there are a ton of similarities (though Besson is able to keep the tone very consistent and clear in his book; and of course, kudos to a queer man writing a queer WWI story before it became fashionable).
December 14, 2024
DNFed
Sometimes you just have to choose your battles.
Sometimes you just have to choose your battles.
June 15, 2025
2.75⭐️
Написано гарно, але це все
На жаль, інша книжка автора мені набагато більше зайшла, а ця мені була нудною, взагалі не торкнуло, хоча я думала, що воно відгукнеться мені, бо була тема війни
Фінальний плоттвіст, звісно, здивував, але не більше
Написано гарно, але це все
На жаль, інша книжка автора мені набагато більше зайшла, а ця мені була нудною, взагалі не торкнуло, хоча я думала, що воно відгукнеться мені, бо була тема війни
Фінальний плоттвіст, звісно, здивував, але не більше
August 8, 2025
2.5 stars, rounding down to 2. I've read Besson before and found his books interesting and absorbing, but this one wasn't either for me. I thought having Marcel Proust as a major character would keep me engaged, as well as the fact that the book takes place during WWI, but I never took to any of the characters, who all rang rather false to me. I still look forward to reading other books from Philippe Besson, but while I can see myself recommending this book to others, both as a librarian and as an avid reader, I was left unsatisfied.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publishers for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publishers for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.
March 26, 2023
Mr Besson I will once again be sending you my therapy bill
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