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Apocalipse Bebê
Tida como um dos nomes mais importantes (e polêmicos) da literatura francesa contemporânea, a escritora e cineasta Virginie Despentes publicou Apocalipse Bebê em 2010, com o qual venceu o prêmio Renaudot. Nesse romance, que tem como mote o desaparecimento de uma jovem rebelde e as buscas por seu paradeiro, a autora mescla suspense e road trip para lançar um olhar crítico à sociedade contemporânea. Com personagens imperfeitas e nem sempre virtuosas, desvela temas que vão da descoberta da sexualidade às relações familiares disfuncionais.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published August 18, 2010
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3221 people want to read
About the author
Virginie Despentes
35 books2,672 followersVirginie Despentes is a French writer, novelist and filmmaker, born in Nancy, Meurthe-et-Moselle. Her most famous novel, and film of the same name is Baise-moi, a contemporary example of the exploitation films genre known as rape and revenge films. Her most recent biographical, non-fiction work, King Kong Theory has also been translated into English, and recounts her experiences working within the French sex industry, and attendant infamy and praise associated with the aforementioned Baise-Moi.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 362 reviews
August 19, 2025
When it comes to the private eye, then Parisian Lucie Toledo is one of the worst I've ever come across in literature. Had it not been for the Hyena; the badass lesbian freelancer; the one with the brains, who helps her track down a missing teen - although, even together, some of their detective work is a complete and utter joke, then this novel could have gone on for another five hundred pages. Not as frenetic or disturbing as Baise Moi, but that's not to say that Apocalypse Baby doesn't pack a punch; or in this case, an explosive edge when considering its shocking finale. There are elements here of the classic noir that have been updated to the .com world of today, but this novel reads more like a social critique on contemporary France that it does an out and out crime mystery novel. It is also very much a feminist piece. I liked how large chapters explored one female character at a time, with back stories and what not, working from both an interior and exterior viewpoint, making it easier to understand the people they would become; you really do get inside their heads. The missing teen, Valentine, the reasons for her unhappiness, destructive nature, and political beliefs, and the narrative involving her family - father, step-mum, and real mum living in Barcelona, is what gave the novel some much needed emotional depth. Whereas the two investigators, I was just like . . . 'Mhhh, whatever. Get back to your orgies and daydreaming.'
June 28, 2020
This travelogue is another special tale with the Despentes' usual obnoxious characters in abundance, but it did not sweep me off my feet as ‘Baise-moi’ did. This could be due to too many characters telling the story, which diminished the impact of what really was going on and the characters becoming a bit too unrealistic. The novel ends with a huge bang, both in reality and metaphorically speaking and that was certainly a fitting ending. Don’t get me wrong though, I did certainly enjoy another of Despentes’ provocative books!
March 25, 2020
Recently, I've come to the conclusion that, though it is not my most important desire, at some point before I die I would like Virginie Despentes to slap me in the face. Until then, I have her novels, and the effect is largely the same.
Apocalypse Baby is a sort of trial run for her later break out hit trilogy Vernon Subutex. In Apocalypse, Despentes introduces not only many of the themes and motifs she will work into a masterpiece in Subutex, she also gives us The Hyena - a sleazy and notorious debt collector / information peddler / hired rough dyke, who later goes on to become a character in the grander Subutex world.
Our narrator Lucie is an unmotivated private investigator whose job usually consists of following teenagers, until one of them gives her the slip and she has to hired The Hyena to help her track the girl down. Along the way, the two take an underground tour of the class, race, and political divides tearing apart contemporary Paris.
Despentes is at her best diving into the heads of wildly divergent characters, establishing searing political and emotional points of view that make readers on all sides have to consider carefully their own thoughts and feelings about the world. Despentes' France (like Édouard Louis') is not a France to feel good about, whether on left or right. She writes in a shout, holding nothing back in a way Anglophone readers are likely to take offence to, yet she seems to so thoroughly understand the realities of which she is writing that it is hard to refute her perspective - if you can sort it out from the conflicting perspectives of her often extreme characters.
Spit in my mouth, Virginie Despentes!
Apocalypse Baby is a sort of trial run for her later break out hit trilogy Vernon Subutex. In Apocalypse, Despentes introduces not only many of the themes and motifs she will work into a masterpiece in Subutex, she also gives us The Hyena - a sleazy and notorious debt collector / information peddler / hired rough dyke, who later goes on to become a character in the grander Subutex world.
Our narrator Lucie is an unmotivated private investigator whose job usually consists of following teenagers, until one of them gives her the slip and she has to hired The Hyena to help her track the girl down. Along the way, the two take an underground tour of the class, race, and political divides tearing apart contemporary Paris.
Despentes is at her best diving into the heads of wildly divergent characters, establishing searing political and emotional points of view that make readers on all sides have to consider carefully their own thoughts and feelings about the world. Despentes' France (like Édouard Louis') is not a France to feel good about, whether on left or right. She writes in a shout, holding nothing back in a way Anglophone readers are likely to take offence to, yet she seems to so thoroughly understand the realities of which she is writing that it is hard to refute her perspective - if you can sort it out from the conflicting perspectives of her often extreme characters.
Spit in my mouth, Virginie Despentes!
April 10, 2020
O desaparecimento de uma jovem de quinze anos são o mote para Despentes fazer uma crítica feroz à sociedade actual em que os jovens, sem objectivos e pouco apoio familiar, são facilmente manipulados.
Um enredo sombrio no qual domina o sexo e a violência.
Um enredo sombrio no qual domina o sexo e a violência.
April 21, 2025
A vida passa, uma série de capitulações.
A essência de Virginie Despentes está cá, mas “Apocalypse Baby” acaba por parecer uma obra tão amadora como a detective que a protagoniza. “Apocalypse Baby”, situado cronologicamente entre “A Teoria do King Kong” e “Vernon Subutex”, é um livro tipo cocktail, não molotov como eu desejava, mas daqueles que levam vários ingredientes para fazer uma mistura levemente inebriante: drama familiar, thriller psicológico, road movie, romance de formação, tratado sociológico e cartaz LGBT.
Lucie é uma desanimada detective privada remetida para aquilo que dá menos trabalho e tem mais procura em França, a vigilância de adolescentes…
Nenhum miúdo pode fumar tranquilamente um charro sem me ter à perna. No primeiro ano, as vigilâncias nunca incidiam em garotos com menos de 15 anos. Hoje, trabalhar no ensino primário não me surpreenderia. A vida dos putos pertence aos adultos da minha geração, que não estão dispostos a que a juventude lhes escape duas vezes.
…até que perde de vista Valentine, uma jovem problemática, e se vê impelida a fazer parceria com a Hiena, uma figura lendária do submundo para encontrar e receber a recompensa choruda da avó ricalhaça.
Armam-se em Starksy e Hutch, mas mais decrépitas e mais tensas.
A investigação desta dupla leva-a a imergir numa sociedade polarizada, da extrema-direita à extrema-esquerda…
O pálido clarão dos seus olhos só tem alguma hipótese de se transformar em incêndio no dia em que a piromania for inscrita no programa escolar. Estão contra os grevistas, estão contra os revoltados, contra os artistas, contra os estrangeiros, contra os velhos, contra os funcionários públicos, contra os subsidiados – sem se incomodarem por receberem os subsídios de alojamento e de desemprego sempre que lhes dá jeito.
…desde os bairros burgueses de Paris até aos subúrbios habitados pelos magrebinos, com uma incursão por Barcelona, onde a recatada Lucie, a protagonista mais mortiça e baça que se possa imaginar, descobre o mundo do lesbianismo e, por conseguinte, também algo que desconhecia sobre si.
É neste underground de orgias lésbicas que Despentes inaugura uma ideia peregrina que viria a repetir em “Caro Idiota”: a de que as lésbicas, por o serem, envelhecem melhor. E as tontas das heterossexuais a gastarem dinheiro em cremes anti-rugas ou em intervenções estéticas quando a fonte da juventude está mesmo ali!
A essência de Virginie Despentes está cá, mas “Apocalypse Baby” acaba por parecer uma obra tão amadora como a detective que a protagoniza. “Apocalypse Baby”, situado cronologicamente entre “A Teoria do King Kong” e “Vernon Subutex”, é um livro tipo cocktail, não molotov como eu desejava, mas daqueles que levam vários ingredientes para fazer uma mistura levemente inebriante: drama familiar, thriller psicológico, road movie, romance de formação, tratado sociológico e cartaz LGBT.
Lucie é uma desanimada detective privada remetida para aquilo que dá menos trabalho e tem mais procura em França, a vigilância de adolescentes…
Nenhum miúdo pode fumar tranquilamente um charro sem me ter à perna. No primeiro ano, as vigilâncias nunca incidiam em garotos com menos de 15 anos. Hoje, trabalhar no ensino primário não me surpreenderia. A vida dos putos pertence aos adultos da minha geração, que não estão dispostos a que a juventude lhes escape duas vezes.
…até que perde de vista Valentine, uma jovem problemática, e se vê impelida a fazer parceria com a Hiena, uma figura lendária do submundo para encontrar e receber a recompensa choruda da avó ricalhaça.
Armam-se em Starksy e Hutch, mas mais decrépitas e mais tensas.
A investigação desta dupla leva-a a imergir numa sociedade polarizada, da extrema-direita à extrema-esquerda…
O pálido clarão dos seus olhos só tem alguma hipótese de se transformar em incêndio no dia em que a piromania for inscrita no programa escolar. Estão contra os grevistas, estão contra os revoltados, contra os artistas, contra os estrangeiros, contra os velhos, contra os funcionários públicos, contra os subsidiados – sem se incomodarem por receberem os subsídios de alojamento e de desemprego sempre que lhes dá jeito.
…desde os bairros burgueses de Paris até aos subúrbios habitados pelos magrebinos, com uma incursão por Barcelona, onde a recatada Lucie, a protagonista mais mortiça e baça que se possa imaginar, descobre o mundo do lesbianismo e, por conseguinte, também algo que desconhecia sobre si.
É neste underground de orgias lésbicas que Despentes inaugura uma ideia peregrina que viria a repetir em “Caro Idiota”: a de que as lésbicas, por o serem, envelhecem melhor. E as tontas das heterossexuais a gastarem dinheiro em cremes anti-rugas ou em intervenções estéticas quando a fonte da juventude está mesmo ali!
January 28, 2020
A gripping story told, in separate chapters, from the point of view of each of the main characters. Hard to put down.
January 11, 2023
Lo stile brillante di Virginie Despentes conduce con grande disinvoltura e dovizia di situazioni una storia nera, definita “thriller antisociale” perché la caratteristica comune alle tre protagoniste è la protesta contro la morale codificata, le convenzioni sociali, il perbenismo ipocrita e ributtante. Una protesta condotta in modi e forme diverse, potremmo dire: diversamente estreme.
Lo sguardo implacabile delle bad girls (e degli altri/altre che le circondano) si fissa su tutto e tutti compiendo un’opera concomitante di trasgressione e demolizione che assume significati più estremizzati e drastici via via che la vicenda procede e si complica. Al limite del credibile, ma non importa, perché tutta l’impalcatura narrativa regge benissimo in ogni caso.
Su tutti domina la Iena, personaggio al limite, investigatrice free lance, lesbica e aggressiva, dotata del raro dono di comprendere per istinto la verità. E allora il suo sguardo sugli umani con cui ha a che fare non può essere che tranciante, definitivo.
La narrazione è complessa: in prima persona racconta Lucie Toledo, investigatrice senza vocazione che viene assunta da un’agenzia per pedinare Valentine, quindicenne borderline col vizio del sesso e della droga. Così si definisce Lucie : “Sono l’imbecille sottopagata e che si sbatte da dieci giorni per tenere d’occhio un’adolescente ninfomane, iperattiva, e che pippa coca.”
La ragazza le sfugge, la ricca nonna che paga l’agenzia s’inviperisce, la povera Lucie si dispera...e così decide di chiedere aiuto alla Iena, nota solo per fama tremebonda e che così viene definita da un amico che invece la conosce molto bene: “La Iena è un puro disastro, quando l’hai conosciuta da vicino sai davvero cosa sono la solitudine, la tristezza e l’inadeguatezza”. Per lei “la giustizia era solo un’eccezione, un’irruzione eccezionale nella banalità della violenza.”
Si forma così la strana coppia di donne detective. Per Lucie l’impatto è frastornante, violento, ma soprattutto sarà imprevedibile il rapido processo di trasformazione a cui sarà sottoposta, affiancando la Iena nella ricerca della intemperante ragazzina, da Parigi a Barcellona.
La narrazione in prima persona viene interrotta da capitoli dedicati ad alcuni personaggi: la Iena, appunto, ma anche la madre di Valentine; il ragazzo che la ama e di cui lei si innamora; il padre scrittore vanesio e egoista; Claire, la sua attuale moglie; Elisabeth, la suora più improbabile del mondo, e infine Valentine stessa, l’adolescente perduta (in tutti i sensi), con cui la storia chiude il cerchio.
Impossibile non sentirsi drammaticamente in linea con certe affermazioni drastiche, come questa: “La patria per la quale aveva sempre considerato di essere pronta a morire, reclutava degli imbecilli espansivi e instabili per le cariche di alta responsabilità, le redini del mondo erano in mano a esseri inetti.”
Un romanzo durissimo, avvincente, impavido.
Lo sguardo implacabile delle bad girls (e degli altri/altre che le circondano) si fissa su tutto e tutti compiendo un’opera concomitante di trasgressione e demolizione che assume significati più estremizzati e drastici via via che la vicenda procede e si complica. Al limite del credibile, ma non importa, perché tutta l’impalcatura narrativa regge benissimo in ogni caso.
Su tutti domina la Iena, personaggio al limite, investigatrice free lance, lesbica e aggressiva, dotata del raro dono di comprendere per istinto la verità. E allora il suo sguardo sugli umani con cui ha a che fare non può essere che tranciante, definitivo.
La narrazione è complessa: in prima persona racconta Lucie Toledo, investigatrice senza vocazione che viene assunta da un’agenzia per pedinare Valentine, quindicenne borderline col vizio del sesso e della droga. Così si definisce Lucie : “Sono l’imbecille sottopagata e che si sbatte da dieci giorni per tenere d’occhio un’adolescente ninfomane, iperattiva, e che pippa coca.”
La ragazza le sfugge, la ricca nonna che paga l’agenzia s’inviperisce, la povera Lucie si dispera...e così decide di chiedere aiuto alla Iena, nota solo per fama tremebonda e che così viene definita da un amico che invece la conosce molto bene: “La Iena è un puro disastro, quando l’hai conosciuta da vicino sai davvero cosa sono la solitudine, la tristezza e l’inadeguatezza”. Per lei “la giustizia era solo un’eccezione, un’irruzione eccezionale nella banalità della violenza.”
Si forma così la strana coppia di donne detective. Per Lucie l’impatto è frastornante, violento, ma soprattutto sarà imprevedibile il rapido processo di trasformazione a cui sarà sottoposta, affiancando la Iena nella ricerca della intemperante ragazzina, da Parigi a Barcellona.
La narrazione in prima persona viene interrotta da capitoli dedicati ad alcuni personaggi: la Iena, appunto, ma anche la madre di Valentine; il ragazzo che la ama e di cui lei si innamora; il padre scrittore vanesio e egoista; Claire, la sua attuale moglie; Elisabeth, la suora più improbabile del mondo, e infine Valentine stessa, l’adolescente perduta (in tutti i sensi), con cui la storia chiude il cerchio.
Impossibile non sentirsi drammaticamente in linea con certe affermazioni drastiche, come questa: “La patria per la quale aveva sempre considerato di essere pronta a morire, reclutava degli imbecilli espansivi e instabili per le cariche di alta responsabilità, le redini del mondo erano in mano a esseri inetti.”
Un romanzo durissimo, avvincente, impavido.
July 28, 2024
Neverovatna vožnja do poslednjeg pasusa. Možda sam kraj nije bio ono što sam očekivala kao krešendo svega što je prethodilo, ali i njime je autorka želela da prenese svoje viđenje francuskog društva kao bombe u rukama onih čije motive nikada neće biti dokučeni. Velika preporuka za čitatelje koji vole živopisne likove i ideju da su ljudi u suštini misterija bez jasnog odgovora.
October 14, 2016
Wow this book was not exactly what I was expecting. It was described to me as a feminist road trip with a kick ass lesbian P.I. and yes it is exactly that. But it also a much darker side to it.
Lucie is a somewhat inept investigator who gets paid to watch rich kids and report back to their parents. When one of assigned kids disappears on her things get interesting. She really has no idea how to go about a missing person investigation so she invests the help of The Hyena. Enter the kick-ass lesbian P.I. They set off on a road trip from Paris to Barcelona and back to find Valentine. What they discover is that Valentine isn't your typical runaway and her motives are not at all what they seem. Things get really hectic in the last few chapters. This was a really fun read but it did have it's heavy moments. Really glad I read it.
Lucie is a somewhat inept investigator who gets paid to watch rich kids and report back to their parents. When one of assigned kids disappears on her things get interesting. She really has no idea how to go about a missing person investigation so she invests the help of The Hyena. Enter the kick-ass lesbian P.I. They set off on a road trip from Paris to Barcelona and back to find Valentine. What they discover is that Valentine isn't your typical runaway and her motives are not at all what they seem. Things get really hectic in the last few chapters. This was a really fun read but it did have it's heavy moments. Really glad I read it.
October 12, 2016
Wow! This book was quite a ride!
Lucie is a somewhat hapless private detective, paid by rich parents to keep tabs on their teenage kids. When one of her charges goes missing, she hires a legendary unhinged lesbian detective named The Hyena to help her find the girl. Their quest to find Valentine takes them from Paris to Barcelona, and the stories of those who knew the missing girl are gradually revealed. The story is told partly in first person from Lucie's POV, but also via chapters from the point of view of other characters. I thought this was really effective as the reader is constantly challenged to question their opinion on the various players.
I was pretty taken aback by the ending, not having known it was coming, and it did add a whole new dimension to this thriller. I won't put any spoilers here but do be warned that many of the reviews of this book do contain them!
My overall impression of Apocalypse Baby was that it was a highly readable and exciting novel, written with biting humour but also great empathy. I will definitely be seeking out more from this author.
Lucie is a somewhat hapless private detective, paid by rich parents to keep tabs on their teenage kids. When one of her charges goes missing, she hires a legendary unhinged lesbian detective named The Hyena to help her find the girl. Their quest to find Valentine takes them from Paris to Barcelona, and the stories of those who knew the missing girl are gradually revealed. The story is told partly in first person from Lucie's POV, but also via chapters from the point of view of other characters. I thought this was really effective as the reader is constantly challenged to question their opinion on the various players.
I was pretty taken aback by the ending, not having known it was coming, and it did add a whole new dimension to this thriller. I won't put any spoilers here but do be warned that many of the reviews of this book do contain them!
My overall impression of Apocalypse Baby was that it was a highly readable and exciting novel, written with biting humour but also great empathy. I will definitely be seeking out more from this author.
October 20, 2010
Apocalypse bébé, énorme.
C'est rare que je finisse un livre en me disant que, en sachant autant à quel point, j'ai pris du plaisir à le lire.
J'adore son style, précis, affuté, à la fois sans détour et sophistiqué. Immanquablement, cette langue qui claque, la bonne phrase, la bonne tournure au bon moment. Fulgurance de la pensée ultra débridée et pourtant, ultra maîtrisée
Despentes est également une super portraitiste : ses personnages sont attachants, retiennent très vite l'entière attention du lecteur. On passe de narrateur en narrateur, explorant différentes visions du monde, d'un même monde vue de personnages très différents, et au final, tout s'emboîte, s'imbrique, trouve son sens sans qu'il y en ait réellement besoin d'un.
J'aime également comment, d'une situation simple ou alors glauque, vécue par ses personnages, elle place très justement ses réflexions, au-delà de la narration, sur la société actuelle, les femmes, les classes sociales... entre autre !
L'intrigue est quant à elle plutôt palpitante, bien ficelée à mon goût. Même si elle laisse toujours au lecteur des pistes et que ses révélations ultérieures résonnent parfois d'un "je t'avais prévenu", on est rapidement emporté par l'envie de dévorer les pages de ce livre jusqu'au bout pour tout découvrir, chercher le "vrai" sens, et au final ça n'est même plus si important que ça.
Reste un style terriblement efficace, une vision, une empreinte de V. Despentes dans l'esprit de son lecteur. L'envie que le livre ne s'arrête jamais ?
C'est rare que je finisse un livre en me disant que, en sachant autant à quel point, j'ai pris du plaisir à le lire.
J'adore son style, précis, affuté, à la fois sans détour et sophistiqué. Immanquablement, cette langue qui claque, la bonne phrase, la bonne tournure au bon moment. Fulgurance de la pensée ultra débridée et pourtant, ultra maîtrisée
Despentes est également une super portraitiste : ses personnages sont attachants, retiennent très vite l'entière attention du lecteur. On passe de narrateur en narrateur, explorant différentes visions du monde, d'un même monde vue de personnages très différents, et au final, tout s'emboîte, s'imbrique, trouve son sens sans qu'il y en ait réellement besoin d'un.
J'aime également comment, d'une situation simple ou alors glauque, vécue par ses personnages, elle place très justement ses réflexions, au-delà de la narration, sur la société actuelle, les femmes, les classes sociales... entre autre !
L'intrigue est quant à elle plutôt palpitante, bien ficelée à mon goût. Même si elle laisse toujours au lecteur des pistes et que ses révélations ultérieures résonnent parfois d'un "je t'avais prévenu", on est rapidement emporté par l'envie de dévorer les pages de ce livre jusqu'au bout pour tout découvrir, chercher le "vrai" sens, et au final ça n'est même plus si important que ça.
Reste un style terriblement efficace, une vision, une empreinte de V. Despentes dans l'esprit de son lecteur. L'envie que le livre ne s'arrête jamais ?
March 8, 2025
E con questo si conclude la mia gdl personale in ROSA
E per elogiare la donna in questa giornata di "festa" come farlo se non leggendo la Despentes?
I suoi personaggi in questa storia sono praticamente solo donne.
Donne normali, all'apparenza forti e indipendenti, ma realmente fragili e bisognose d'amore.
Una storia che mette a nudo la società parigina, una sorta di punk-noir dove gli inganni della società, la smania del denaro mettono a rischio l'innocenza di un'adolescente.
Trama avvincente, ogni capitolo racconta la storia di tutte le donne che recitano in questa pseudo commedia grottesca.
L'emancipazione, la voglia di scoprirsi, di formarsi questi i tratti caratteristici di Apocalypse Baby.
Un viaggio dalla grigia Parigi alla colorata Barcellona.
Anche qui non mancano le scene belle toste....guanti in lattice, gambe divaricate e via di orgia prettamente lesbo.
E per elogiare la donna in questa giornata di "festa" come farlo se non leggendo la Despentes?
I suoi personaggi in questa storia sono praticamente solo donne.
Donne normali, all'apparenza forti e indipendenti, ma realmente fragili e bisognose d'amore.
Una storia che mette a nudo la società parigina, una sorta di punk-noir dove gli inganni della società, la smania del denaro mettono a rischio l'innocenza di un'adolescente.
Trama avvincente, ogni capitolo racconta la storia di tutte le donne che recitano in questa pseudo commedia grottesca.
L'emancipazione, la voglia di scoprirsi, di formarsi questi i tratti caratteristici di Apocalypse Baby.
Un viaggio dalla grigia Parigi alla colorata Barcellona.
Anche qui non mancano le scene belle toste....guanti in lattice, gambe divaricate e via di orgia prettamente lesbo.
May 18, 2023
Dajem 5⭐️, najviše iz razloga što je ova knjiga bar 100 puta bolja od izvikane Trodon trilogije, a onda i zato što mi je, nakon svega što se dešava već danima i mjesecima kod nas, došla kao još jedan šamar otrežnjenja, koji svakodnevno preguramo, ali koji je u pisanoj formi možda i bitniji! Objektivno 4, subjektivno 5⭐️ i to je to za gospođicu Depent! Vidi se da ova knjiga dolazi iz njenog unutrašnjeg i to joj je najveća vrijednost!
January 12, 2015
Well, my timing for reading this book was pretty good, I must say. >_>
I was not quite sure whether to give Apocalypse Bébé 3 or 4 stars, but I settled for 3, since I found the book a little bit too long. Even though I really enjoyed reading it, there was something missing -- and a little bit too much of something else, notably side characters.
Despentes always has interesting characters, perhaps just a couple too many this time around? I particularly like La Hyène and Valentine. It's just a shame that for quite a long time, you don't understand what the thing about Valentine is. Since the book is narrated through the eyes of all the different characters (in turns), it takes a hell of a long time until it's Valentine's turn to show her side of the story. For the longest time, I just saw her as a chubby misfit, and then it turns out that's not at all what she is.
Partly, I think the whole story with the world's worst private detective, Lucie, is a bit funny. She's just plain worthless, knows she's worthless, and has more or less given up... everything. But - she occupies a whole lot of space, space that could have been better used on Valentine and on the grand finale.
At times, I was confused by all the different characters, and having seen some other reviews, it seems there are some errors with the names? That would explain a lot. However, what's most confusing in this book is why everyone is helping Lucie in the end, and why she inspires sympathy in people in general.
I was not quite sure whether to give Apocalypse Bébé 3 or 4 stars, but I settled for 3, since I found the book a little bit too long. Even though I really enjoyed reading it, there was something missing -- and a little bit too much of something else, notably side characters.
Despentes always has interesting characters, perhaps just a couple too many this time around? I particularly like La Hyène and Valentine. It's just a shame that for quite a long time, you don't understand what the thing about Valentine is. Since the book is narrated through the eyes of all the different characters (in turns), it takes a hell of a long time until it's Valentine's turn to show her side of the story. For the longest time, I just saw her as a chubby misfit, and then it turns out that's not at all what she is.
Partly, I think the whole story with the world's worst private detective, Lucie, is a bit funny. She's just plain worthless, knows she's worthless, and has more or less given up... everything. But - she occupies a whole lot of space, space that could have been better used on Valentine and on the grand finale.
At times, I was confused by all the different characters, and having seen some other reviews, it seems there are some errors with the names? That would explain a lot. However, what's most confusing in this book is why everyone is helping Lucie in the end, and why she inspires sympathy in people in general.
August 1, 2015
This book just whacks you on the head and takes you for one hell of a ride, sparing nothing and no one about French society (even Catalan society) in the process. Quite an exhilarating experience, though I tend to prefer my novels more measured and less direct.
February 20, 2019
"Viņai nav bail. Viņa zina, ka dara to, kas jādara.
Viņa negrib pieaugt par tādu kā viņas tēvs: melis un gļēvulis, kurš domā tikai par to, kā iespraust savu daiktu kādā pežā, bet pie galda tēlo tiklo, tēlo pareizo. Viņa negrib pieaugt par tādu kā viņas vecmāmiņa, niknumā lamāties un runāt tikai par kristīgo žēlsirdību, sprāgt nost vientulībā un neapmierinātībā. Viņa negrib pieaugt par tādu, kāda ir viņas māte, - būt spiesta apprecēties un melot par to, kas viņa ir. Viņa neredz sev apkārt nevienu pieaugušo, kas zina, kurp dodas, kas saglabājuši cieņu. Viņi pavada dzīvi kompromisos, lien ārā no ādas, lai to visu attaisnotu. Viņi saka, tā ir izvēle. Visus sūdus, kas jāapēd, viņi norij bez kurnēšanas. Viņi prot tikai paklausīt jebkādai pavēlei. Viņa nospiedīs bremzes. Un ieviesīs nedaudz kārtības viņu būvētajā pasaulē."
Nezinu, kādos mazohisma uzplūdos es tomēr izlasīju grāmatu no vāka līdz vākam. Labs darbs, bet nomācošs. Neviens man neizsauca līdzpārdzīvojumu. Tāda izvirtusi (fiziski un morāli) pasaule. Tēli kā puzles gabali. Katram veltīta gandrīz nodaļa -meitenes Valentīnas tēvs, pamāte (3.sieva,laikam), brālēns, māte, māsa Elizabete un pati Valentīna. Viņu attēlojums man patika vislabāk, palīdzēja noturēt uzmanību. Savukārt, manis pēc tās abas privātdetektīves tur varēja arī vispār nebūt.
Anotācija nepasaka neko par grāmatas būtību. Es jau arī ne. Krietni labāk ir sanācis šim cilvēkam: https://gramatasirmanilabakiedraugi.w...
Viņa negrib pieaugt par tādu kā viņas tēvs: melis un gļēvulis, kurš domā tikai par to, kā iespraust savu daiktu kādā pežā, bet pie galda tēlo tiklo, tēlo pareizo. Viņa negrib pieaugt par tādu kā viņas vecmāmiņa, niknumā lamāties un runāt tikai par kristīgo žēlsirdību, sprāgt nost vientulībā un neapmierinātībā. Viņa negrib pieaugt par tādu, kāda ir viņas māte, - būt spiesta apprecēties un melot par to, kas viņa ir. Viņa neredz sev apkārt nevienu pieaugušo, kas zina, kurp dodas, kas saglabājuši cieņu. Viņi pavada dzīvi kompromisos, lien ārā no ādas, lai to visu attaisnotu. Viņi saka, tā ir izvēle. Visus sūdus, kas jāapēd, viņi norij bez kurnēšanas. Viņi prot tikai paklausīt jebkādai pavēlei. Viņa nospiedīs bremzes. Un ieviesīs nedaudz kārtības viņu būvētajā pasaulē."
Nezinu, kādos mazohisma uzplūdos es tomēr izlasīju grāmatu no vāka līdz vākam. Labs darbs, bet nomācošs. Neviens man neizsauca līdzpārdzīvojumu. Tāda izvirtusi (fiziski un morāli) pasaule. Tēli kā puzles gabali. Katram veltīta gandrīz nodaļa -meitenes Valentīnas tēvs, pamāte (3.sieva,laikam), brālēns, māte, māsa Elizabete un pati Valentīna. Viņu attēlojums man patika vislabāk, palīdzēja noturēt uzmanību. Savukārt, manis pēc tās abas privātdetektīves tur varēja arī vispār nebūt.
Anotācija nepasaka neko par grāmatas būtību. Es jau arī ne. Krietni labāk ir sanācis šim cilvēkam: https://gramatasirmanilabakiedraugi.w...
July 8, 2013
Like a number of her contemporaries (Anna Gavalda, Amelie Nothomb, etc.) in present-day French literary fiction,Virginie Despentes is incredibly talented. Her prose flows without a snag, the characters, losers one and all, frustrated would-be authors, PIs, teachers, adolescent rebels, draw us in instantly. There's a great love of fiction here, and a look of compassion and humor at humantiy with all its failings. These people are us, we so understand them. Great book
June 14, 2023
A Virginie Despentes tem um efeito bem curioso sobre a gente, começamos achando ruim, depois bom, depois muito bom, depois péssimo e alternando todas essas sensações, tanto no seu cinema quanto nos livros. Acho que a única obra dela que consegui gostar 100% de cabo a rabo foi Teoria King Kong, mesmo com essas oscilação sou bem fã dela, acho sua crueza muito bem vinda tanto no cinema quanto na literatura e em Apocalipse Bebê ela expõe com maestria a cloaca que esse mundo é.
January 17, 2023
Hace años que no leía a Despentes, cuando la leí por primera vez fue con un estilo parecido a este thriller y logró gustarme mucho.
Es un buen libro, el plot es complicadito, un poco retorcido y con muchos personajes algunos muy buenos, la historia se torna oscura y misteriosa y se me hizo extensa sin embargo el final promete.
Despentes siempre es ambiciosa con la fuerza de sus personajes femeninos y esta vez le añadió a la sátira feminista el ingrediente LGBTQ+ y el resultado es una mezcla de ruido sexualizando y una heroína que encontró su brillante identidad para después ir de incógnita (si es complicado) 3.5 ⭐️
Es un buen libro, el plot es complicadito, un poco retorcido y con muchos personajes algunos muy buenos, la historia se torna oscura y misteriosa y se me hizo extensa sin embargo el final promete.
Despentes siempre es ambiciosa con la fuerza de sus personajes femeninos y esta vez le añadió a la sátira feminista el ingrediente LGBTQ+ y el resultado es una mezcla de ruido sexualizando y una heroína que encontró su brillante identidad para después ir de incógnita (si es complicado) 3.5 ⭐️
August 18, 2022
Ce qui compte dans ce livre, ce sont davantage les personnages (très travaillés) et l’écriture que le scénario. Et là, je suis partagée. D’un côté, je trouve cette écriture percutante. Elle bouscule, elle se contre fout du « qu’en dira-t-on » et du politiquement correct, et ça, à l’heure des livres gentiment polissés (voire mièvres), ça fait du bien. Mais Virginie Despentes ne sait pas s’arrêter et va souvent trop loin, du moins à mon goût.
October 12, 2025
mira que jo al 2010 ja coneixia unes quantes lesbianes deranjades (visca lleida!!) però algú me pot explicar per què el zeitgeist que imperave llavors era el del hype per lesbianes amb superpoders informàtics conductuals i intuïtius que semblaven el leonardo da vinci però amb les faccions de l'uma thurman i la testosterona espiritual de tots els mojinos escozios junts?? perquè entre la millennium i la detectiu lesbiana éad (aka, és a dir) la hiena pos nose...
singui com singui...he arribat aquí força anys després (sis??) d'haver llegit teoria king kong perquè en guardave un record vague però bo. pel que he llegit, vec que moltes ratolinetes hem seguit la mateixa flauteta i que totes mos hem acabat sentint part d'un krisseig piramidal?? aquest llibre és una mica plof (flop)!!!
ok la virginie despentes podria organitzar una orgia sadomasoquista en directe i retransmetre-la en nous formats?? ella haurie adorat l'oriol mitjà parlant de la festa de poltres i eugues (googlegeu-ho si no us atreviu a fer-vos-en una idea però ja us aviso que no us podeu refiar mai d'un mar i cel que vol ser barbamec passats els 35). la virginie despentes voldrie ser la segona marquesa de sade?? la virginie despentes ha anat a kit kat o matrix a berlin?? nouse es que admesament ella no es precisament la mes reposada però....
.....crec que la crítica social tan complerta i visceral, a més, deslligada de frança (i de fet no para de qüestionar els bobo com a pilars del xovinisme francès) és un objectiu massa ambiciós per a un llibre tan curt sobre una adolescent de quinze anys problemàtica que, al revés que l'effy stonem, cap mar i cel de 25 anys voldrie imitar.
suposo que sí que l'obra és interessant en tant que agafa diversos individus i els relaciona i contraposa i sobretot els ubica en una societat però tot aquest nihilisme que beu de personatges que sembla que estiguin predestinats a només complir un rol en una societat...nose....per citar un exemple les novel·les victorianes presentaven conflictes més locals i menys ambiciosos però amb uns personatges molt més complexos. en aquest llibre el personatge més realista i menys caricaturitzat és l'estèreo avorrida que se fa menjafigues prèmium.
on sí que hem de donar propines a la virginia despentinada aquesta és en l'aspecte lingüístic. jo seré damnat però la plasticitat neològica i diastràtica del gabacso me provoquen una enveja enorme i me fa molta curiositat de veure si vernon subutex manté el mateix joc lingüístic buscat de contraposar parlars segons l'edat, la formació i el rerefons socioeconòmic dels personatges i si, en cas afirmatiu, s'ha mantingut en català.... en fi visca les lesbianes però no cal que les tractem com unicornis gòtics omnipoderosos. les les vis també són humanes i també tenen mals dies a la feina i també se'ls enganxe la truita a la paella
singui com singui...he arribat aquí força anys després (sis??) d'haver llegit teoria king kong perquè en guardave un record vague però bo. pel que he llegit, vec que moltes ratolinetes hem seguit la mateixa flauteta i que totes mos hem acabat sentint part d'un krisseig piramidal?? aquest llibre és una mica plof (flop)!!!
ok la virginie despentes podria organitzar una orgia sadomasoquista en directe i retransmetre-la en nous formats?? ella haurie adorat l'oriol mitjà parlant de la festa de poltres i eugues (googlegeu-ho si no us atreviu a fer-vos-en una idea però ja us aviso que no us podeu refiar mai d'un mar i cel que vol ser barbamec passats els 35). la virginie despentes voldrie ser la segona marquesa de sade?? la virginie despentes ha anat a kit kat o matrix a berlin?? nouse es que admesament ella no es precisament la mes reposada però....
.....crec que la crítica social tan complerta i visceral, a més, deslligada de frança (i de fet no para de qüestionar els bobo com a pilars del xovinisme francès) és un objectiu massa ambiciós per a un llibre tan curt sobre una adolescent de quinze anys problemàtica que, al revés que l'effy stonem, cap mar i cel de 25 anys voldrie imitar.
suposo que sí que l'obra és interessant en tant que agafa diversos individus i els relaciona i contraposa i sobretot els ubica en una societat però tot aquest nihilisme que beu de personatges que sembla que estiguin predestinats a només complir un rol en una societat...nose....per citar un exemple les novel·les victorianes presentaven conflictes més locals i menys ambiciosos però amb uns personatges molt més complexos. en aquest llibre el personatge més realista i menys caricaturitzat és l'estèreo avorrida que se fa menjafigues prèmium.
on sí que hem de donar propines a la virginia despentinada aquesta és en l'aspecte lingüístic. jo seré damnat però la plasticitat neològica i diastràtica del gabacso me provoquen una enveja enorme i me fa molta curiositat de veure si vernon subutex manté el mateix joc lingüístic buscat de contraposar parlars segons l'edat, la formació i el rerefons socioeconòmic dels personatges i si, en cas afirmatiu, s'ha mantingut en català.... en fi visca les lesbianes però no cal que les tractem com unicornis gòtics omnipoderosos. les les vis també són humanes i també tenen mals dies a la feina i també se'ls enganxe la truita a la paella
January 2, 2024
Forget all the neo-academic, jargony clichés and tags — this is just a hoot of a book. 6-stars!
March 15, 2024
Una novela negra clásica, con su detective antisocial y un caso por resolver que sirven como estructura para retratar las contradicciones de de una sociedad. En eso Despentes es ácida, divertida.
Se lee muy bien, rápido, con interés.
Pero es imperfecta: los cambios de punto de vista no terminan de funcionar. Y la resolución final parece bastante sacada de la manga.
Se lee muy bien, rápido, con interés.
Pero es imperfecta: los cambios de punto de vista no terminan de funcionar. Y la resolución final parece bastante sacada de la manga.
October 30, 2015
For several years I've been following a couple blogs that deal solely in translated literature: Three Percent and The Complete Review. This year I set myself a challenge to read more novels translated from other languages by writers that live in other countries than the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, and Australia. How have I done so far?
Counting up I found that out of 92 books read this year, eight were originally written and published in another language. That is almost 9%, so not too bad.
Of those eight books, three had already become hot sellers in America: From Italy Elena Ferrante's The Story of a New Name and Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay; Nina George's The Little Paris Bookshop, written in German but set in France. Three are classics written and translated long ago: Independent People by Haldor Laxness from Iceland, Dead Souls from Russia by Nikolai Gogol, and The Marioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki from Japan. I also read Yannik Grannet's The Goddess of Small Victories, written in French but set in Vienna and America because it is about the wife of Kurt Godel.
Reading those books has been a good experience though what I really want is more books being written and set in the 21st century so I can get a grasp of what life is like now in countries I have not traveled to. Apocalypse Baby fit the bill.
It was written in French and set in Paris and Barcelona in about 2008 or 2009. Though I have been to Paris two times in my life, I only had the tourist experience. The two female private investigators searching for a missing teenage girl are beyond streetwise and operate far outside the tourist milieu.
Valentine, the missing teen, is from a somewhat privileged family but her mother Vanessa is of North African Arab descent, being the one sister who clawed her way out of the ghetto to marry a French novelist. After Vanessa deserted the novelist and her daughter, Valentine grew up to be a full participant in the naughtiest of youth culture pastimes.
One of the investigators is Lucie, over 30, a bit of a non-motivated loser who tends to do the least work possible. The other is a force of nature called The Hyena, a feminist lesbian with a secret agent for hire past which has pretty much caught up with her.
As they troll through Parisian youth culture and the Arab slums of Barcelona, the book presents a view of these cities not seen in tourist brochures or even on the news. Valentine is one of the more depraved teens I've found in a novel: groupie, slut, fearless narcissist. But as the reader is dragged through this miasma of lust and violence, an even more deadly political scene rears its head and leads to an almost unbelievable climax.
I found Apocalypse Baby an exciting read full of complex characters, wise commentary on current topics, humor, and nail biting suspense. For me, it painted a gritty picture of 21st century life in two European cities. I realized that any modern country has its own unique mix of situations made up of economic, ethnic, and other cultural factors.
Possibly the book should come with a warning sticker although the cover illustration may act as its own warning. I recommended it to one of my reading groups and it was just too much for two of the ladies. Virginie Despentes is an award-winning author and filmmaker in France. She has written nine novels, only three of which have been translated into English.
One more thing: I found this book through Three Percent's 2015 World Cup of World Literature. I am working my way through the list.
Counting up I found that out of 92 books read this year, eight were originally written and published in another language. That is almost 9%, so not too bad.
Of those eight books, three had already become hot sellers in America: From Italy Elena Ferrante's The Story of a New Name and Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay; Nina George's The Little Paris Bookshop, written in German but set in France. Three are classics written and translated long ago: Independent People by Haldor Laxness from Iceland, Dead Souls from Russia by Nikolai Gogol, and The Marioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki from Japan. I also read Yannik Grannet's The Goddess of Small Victories, written in French but set in Vienna and America because it is about the wife of Kurt Godel.
Reading those books has been a good experience though what I really want is more books being written and set in the 21st century so I can get a grasp of what life is like now in countries I have not traveled to. Apocalypse Baby fit the bill.
It was written in French and set in Paris and Barcelona in about 2008 or 2009. Though I have been to Paris two times in my life, I only had the tourist experience. The two female private investigators searching for a missing teenage girl are beyond streetwise and operate far outside the tourist milieu.
Valentine, the missing teen, is from a somewhat privileged family but her mother Vanessa is of North African Arab descent, being the one sister who clawed her way out of the ghetto to marry a French novelist. After Vanessa deserted the novelist and her daughter, Valentine grew up to be a full participant in the naughtiest of youth culture pastimes.
One of the investigators is Lucie, over 30, a bit of a non-motivated loser who tends to do the least work possible. The other is a force of nature called The Hyena, a feminist lesbian with a secret agent for hire past which has pretty much caught up with her.
As they troll through Parisian youth culture and the Arab slums of Barcelona, the book presents a view of these cities not seen in tourist brochures or even on the news. Valentine is one of the more depraved teens I've found in a novel: groupie, slut, fearless narcissist. But as the reader is dragged through this miasma of lust and violence, an even more deadly political scene rears its head and leads to an almost unbelievable climax.
I found Apocalypse Baby an exciting read full of complex characters, wise commentary on current topics, humor, and nail biting suspense. For me, it painted a gritty picture of 21st century life in two European cities. I realized that any modern country has its own unique mix of situations made up of economic, ethnic, and other cultural factors.
Possibly the book should come with a warning sticker although the cover illustration may act as its own warning. I recommended it to one of my reading groups and it was just too much for two of the ladies. Virginie Despentes is an award-winning author and filmmaker in France. She has written nine novels, only three of which have been translated into English.
One more thing: I found this book through Three Percent's 2015 World Cup of World Literature. I am working my way through the list.
November 26, 2015
C'est un excellent livre pour peupler vos insomnies : vraiment, je vous le recommande. On s'ennuie moins.
Virginie Despentes, que j'avais certainement mal comprise la première fois que j'ai lu Baise-moi, et qui me plaît tellement dans King kong théorie et Mutantes (le documentaire sur la pornographie, que je recommande encore et encore), reprend ses images de road trips et de rencontres lesbiennes, pour donner le cadre d'un polar décalé et débridé.
Une enquêtrice, Lucie, perd la trace de Valentine, une jeune bourgeoise parisienne qu'elle était chargée de filer. Pour la retrouver, elle doit s'allier avec la Hyène, détective clandestine star et lesbienne, avec qui elle devra cohabiter tout le long d'une enquête déconcertante, qui les mènera de Paris à Barcelone. Une intéressante galerie de personnages hauts en couleurs, que la narration nous permet de découvrir, en passant sans cesse de l'un à l'autre. C'est agréable, ça se lit bien, il y a une ambiance colorée qu'on a envie de retrouver dès que le livre est fermé, j'aime ses vues sur le monde, et les milieux et bouts de paysages qu'elle choisit de décrire.
Nous avons besoin de plus d'auteures comme Virginie Despentes.
Maintenant, et brièvement, du côté de ce qui m'a un peu déçue : la Hyène en personnage omniscient. Déjà vu, un peu facile. Elle sait toujours tout, on ne sait pas comment, et on doit se le tenir pour dit.
Le discours de certains personnages, parfois trop nourris d'écrits théoriques pour que ça sonne vrai : par exemple, ce jeune de banlieue qui analyse si clairement que sa tante Machinchose a renoncé à sa culture d'origine pour adopter la culture blanche parce qu'elle bosse dans une université. Ou alors, à rebours, la mère au foyer qui considère qu'enfanter est la seule joie, et qui le répète, et le répète, et le... Oh, cliché ?
Un peu de cliché peut-être aussi dans la description de la vie des milieux queer : la moindre scène de sexe détaille l'intégralité du kama sutra queer. Comme si.
La fin : je sais bien que l'apocalypse est dans le titre. Mais j'ai juste du mal à l'expliquer. L'effet est saisissant, vous me direz. En plus, c'est d'actualité.
Coming soon : les Jolies choses, de Despentes. Nourriture sucrée pour insomniaque.
Virginie Despentes, que j'avais certainement mal comprise la première fois que j'ai lu Baise-moi, et qui me plaît tellement dans King kong théorie et Mutantes (le documentaire sur la pornographie, que je recommande encore et encore), reprend ses images de road trips et de rencontres lesbiennes, pour donner le cadre d'un polar décalé et débridé.
Une enquêtrice, Lucie, perd la trace de Valentine, une jeune bourgeoise parisienne qu'elle était chargée de filer. Pour la retrouver, elle doit s'allier avec la Hyène, détective clandestine star et lesbienne, avec qui elle devra cohabiter tout le long d'une enquête déconcertante, qui les mènera de Paris à Barcelone. Une intéressante galerie de personnages hauts en couleurs, que la narration nous permet de découvrir, en passant sans cesse de l'un à l'autre. C'est agréable, ça se lit bien, il y a une ambiance colorée qu'on a envie de retrouver dès que le livre est fermé, j'aime ses vues sur le monde, et les milieux et bouts de paysages qu'elle choisit de décrire.
Nous avons besoin de plus d'auteures comme Virginie Despentes.
Maintenant, et brièvement, du côté de ce qui m'a un peu déçue : la Hyène en personnage omniscient. Déjà vu, un peu facile. Elle sait toujours tout, on ne sait pas comment, et on doit se le tenir pour dit.
Le discours de certains personnages, parfois trop nourris d'écrits théoriques pour que ça sonne vrai : par exemple, ce jeune de banlieue qui analyse si clairement que sa tante Machinchose a renoncé à sa culture d'origine pour adopter la culture blanche parce qu'elle bosse dans une université. Ou alors, à rebours, la mère au foyer qui considère qu'enfanter est la seule joie, et qui le répète, et le répète, et le... Oh, cliché ?
Un peu de cliché peut-être aussi dans la description de la vie des milieux queer : la moindre scène de sexe détaille l'intégralité du kama sutra queer. Comme si.
La fin : je sais bien que l'apocalypse est dans le titre. Mais j'ai juste du mal à l'expliquer. L'effet est saisissant, vous me direz. En plus, c'est d'actualité.
Coming soon : les Jolies choses, de Despentes. Nourriture sucrée pour insomniaque.
December 7, 2022
La novela negra le va muy bien a Virginie Despentes. Asuntos turbios, sordidez, una sociedad enferma, etc. Empieza a repartir su crítica desde las primeras páginas. No se escapa nada ni nadie. Es precisamente esa actitud, mamporrera y nada mordaz, la que ha terminado por cansarme. Un cinismo absoluto que se va apoderando de la historia hasta hacerla desaparecer. Hasta llegar al final, en el que ya estás harto de diatribas, con un giro de guión grotesco, resuelto mal y contado a toda prisa.
February 12, 2025
Lecture cool, assez prenante. J'ai bcp aimé le style, très vif et cru, et le fait d'alterner entre les narrateurs donne bcp de rythme et l'occasion d'offrir des visions différentes des évènements et du monde de façon générale (clairement un moyen pour Virginie Despentes de critiquer environ tout ce qui existe, c'est toujours bien écrit et intéressant mais parfois ça fait un peu comme un cheveu sur la soupe dans l'histoire).
Pas hyper convaincue par la fin honnêtement, ça vient trop brusquement à mon goût, mais bon en même temps c'était dit dans le titre jsp à quoi je m'attendais
Pas hyper convaincue par la fin honnêtement, ça vient trop brusquement à mon goût, mais bon en même temps c'était dit dans le titre jsp à quoi je m'attendais
August 9, 2017
Il s'agit ici de mon premier livre de Virginie Despentes. A en avoir trop entendu parler j'ai préféré pendant des années me réserver, attendre la fin de vague, mais celle-ci ne s'arrête pas et a fini par attiser ma curiosité.
Apocalypse Bébé est une fable sociale noire, peuplée de divers personnages qui rythment le livre et s'approprient un à un les chapitres. Les détails des personnalités de chacun sont dévoilés, le sentiment d'une noirceur et d'un malaise ambiant s'empare de nous au fil du roman, pour nous envahir complètement à la fin de la lecture. On est tenu en haleine jusqu'à la fin, qui pourrait sembler facile, ou "déjà vu", mais elle n'est qu'une pièce au milieu du puzzle de l'étrange mis en place ici par l'autrice.
Je comprends que l'on puisse dire d'elle qu'elle prend aux tripes par ses romans, Apocalypse Bébé en a été la belle illustration.
Apocalypse Bébé est une fable sociale noire, peuplée de divers personnages qui rythment le livre et s'approprient un à un les chapitres. Les détails des personnalités de chacun sont dévoilés, le sentiment d'une noirceur et d'un malaise ambiant s'empare de nous au fil du roman, pour nous envahir complètement à la fin de la lecture. On est tenu en haleine jusqu'à la fin, qui pourrait sembler facile, ou "déjà vu", mais elle n'est qu'une pièce au milieu du puzzle de l'étrange mis en place ici par l'autrice.
Je comprends que l'on puisse dire d'elle qu'elle prend aux tripes par ses romans, Apocalypse Bébé en a été la belle illustration.
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May 12, 2023Je crois que je n'ai rien compris à ce roman. C'est très trash. Despentes écrit bien mais mon cerveau n'a pas trouvé de sens à ce récit policier.
À la fin, je ne connais pas mieux l'héroïne Valentine qu'au début. Je me demande si je suis débile ou si c'est fait exprès.
Je vais lire d'autres romans de Despentes maintenant.
À la fin, je ne connais pas mieux l'héroïne Valentine qu'au début. Je me demande si je suis débile ou si c'est fait exprès.
Je vais lire d'autres romans de Despentes maintenant.
December 24, 2021
Pas trop sûre du rythme de la fin mais amoureuse du reste et de la manière dont Virginie Despentes décrit la vie lesbienne et le lesbianisme vraiment merci d'écrire des lesbiennes si revendicatives et stylées et en bande !!!
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