Claudine s'en va

Claudine #4

by Colette

The stories that inspired the film Colette, out Jan 2019.In this final novel in Colette's famous series it is Claudine's friend Annie who tells the story in the form of a private diary.Claudine is happily settled with her adored husband Renaud, spending her time giving wide and worldly advice to despairing Annie, whose life with the boring and dominating Alain is set to dramatically change. With the help of Claudine, Annie takes steps to empower her own life, a life away from her husband.Though Colette's intoxicating series of novels emerges a portrait of Claudine an intelligent, modern woman whose life is always honest, passionate and inspiring.

Genres: Fiction, France, Classics, Romance, French Literature, Literature, Queer

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1903

About the author

Colette was the pen name of the French novelist and actress Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette. She is best known, at least in the English-speaking world, for her novella Gigi, which provided the plot for a famous Lerner & Loewe musical film and stage musical. She started her writing career penning the influential Claudine novels of books. The novel Chéri is often cited as her masterpiece.

Reviews

[Duane Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my seventh Colette novel and after each I feel I must sing her praises as a writer, a vastly underrated writer. She began her career by writing the four Claudine novels, this one being the last. She was still in her twenties when she wrote these and you can feel the youth, the vitality, and the chaste naughtiness through this wonderful character, Claudine.

[Brodolomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tužno sam frktao kada sam video da glavna junakinja u poslednjem delu tetralogije nije Klodina. Doduše, Klodin jeste i dalje važan lik u romanu, ali je ovde svedena na sporednu, pomoćnu ulogu. Umesto nje, dat nam je dnevnik Ani, poslušne i bojažljivo srećne neveste, idealiste u punoj svojoj naivnosti. I tako, dok se svi ostali oko nje trude da spasu sebe od neugodnosti (ili u boljem slučaju da udovolje svom ukusu), Ani se trudi da sačuva svoje ideale, koji su joj, kao najveći paradoks svakog idealiste, potpuno nametnuti spolja. Čuvati ideale u svetu oštrih ivica moguće je koliko i ne razbiti ništa praveći piruete u prodavnici stakla. Stoga, najvažnije postaje šta učiniti sa krhotinama dan posle.

Nije loše, ali mi je ovo bio najslabiji deo tetralogije. Kao da se autorka zaglavila između dva romana. Sa jedne strane imamo tu energiju romana o Klodini u pozadini, sa druge strane imamo elemente koji će za koju godinu izrasti u roman „Skitnica”. Razumem da je htela da prekine sa pisanjem o Klodini, ali da su mnogobrojni razlozi (pare, muž koji je zaključava i objavljuje knjige pod svojim imenom, nesigurnost) tu odluku odložili.

[Jesús De la Jara · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Ahora lo sé. El aburrimiento y la soledad, una tarde de jaqueca atroz y de éter, han hecho de mí una pecadora llena de remordimientos. Pecado que siempre amenaza, contra el que mucho desesperadamente."

El inicio es un poco confuso ya que empieza con Annie Lajarrisse y su esposo Alain Samzun. Ella se podría decir que es el nuevo personaje principal, pues aunque Claudine aparece y mucho, todo es visto a través de los ojos de Annie. También está su cuñada Marthe (hermana de Alain) y su esposo Léon. Sucede que el esposo de Annie se va de viaje y le encarga comportarse y además frecuentar algunas amistades de Marthe. Pero Annie es muy ensimismada, siempre ha hecho lo que su esposo le dice y parece bastante controlada por él. Se esfuerza en complacerlo y por este motivo tiene que acompañar sobre todo a Marthe en sus paseos y viajes donde entabla relación con el grupo de amigos de esta.
El grupo está conformado por Marthe y su esposo, Maugis (el excéntrico y a veces detestable personaje alter ego de Willy), Calliope Van Langendonck y la pareja Claudine - Renaud. Es bastante intersante cómo Annie se refiere a Claudine prácticamente como Claudine - Renaud, ya que siempre ellos paran juntos. Será para Annie el ejemplo de pareja muy enamorada ya que siempre están en consonancia y se coquetean mutuamente, algo casi desconocido para Annie. Calliope, por su parte, da risa con su poliglotismo exagerado. Dice hablar muchos idiomas pero más confunde metiendo diversas frases de distintos idiomas en su hablar cotidiano.
Annie se va a Bayreuth, en Alemania, de viaje con Marthe y el resto de la pandilla. Allí sucederán cosas muy interesantes y escabrosas como siempre sucede en los libros de Claudine. Aquí se habla más de Maugis, es un personaje bastante deslenguado, sátiro y lujurioso, sus enredos sorprenderán a más de uno. La novela, en sí, trata del despertar de Annie. De la mano en parte de Claudine, aunque como menciono ya no tiene la importancia de los anteriores libros y actúa más como orientadora. Pero las experiencias de Annie son también muchas en gran parte con su cuñada que resulta ser bastante liberal y materialista. El tema de la sojuzgación del matrimonio, del tedio de una relación y la falta de emociones se aborda aquí bastante. La parte final donde Annie habla de lo que le puede esperar a una mujer divorciada sola que huye es muy bueno. Definitivamente trae ideas novedosas para su época, pero el estilo no me llegó a encantar. Sobre todo porque al cambiar de personaje principal los diálogos y la manera de narrar (pues está en primera persona) es más lenta y menos interesante.

"Trastornada, busco obstinadamente en nuestro pasado de jóvenes esposos un recuerdo que pueda engañarme de nuevo, que me devuelva al marido que “creí” tener. Nada, no encuentro nada, excepto mi sumisión de niña apaleada, su sonrisa de condescendencia sin bondad."

[Joel Van Valin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of Colette's four "Claudine" books, the last, Claudine and Annie, is the least satisfying. Here the first person nar­rator shifts from Claudine to the innocent and sheltered Annie, who is both taken aback and tempted by Claudine and Renaud’s unconventional life­style. The more she associates with Claudine, the more Annie's own staid and practical marriage to Alain, currently in South America on family business, appears a bleak failure. Moving from Paris to the Riviera and a Wagner festival, Claudine and Annie presents us with interesting scenery, but the interior story lacks the freshness and vitality of Claudine in School and Claudine in Paris, and the intense sexuality of Claudine Married.

[Jade Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last two books in this series are easily my favourite. On the whole I enjoyed them more than I thought I would and also found them more complex and beautifully written as the series went on.

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Claudine and Annie is not written in the first person by Claudine but by Annie. At first I found this rather disappointing as Annie is in so many ways the opposite of Claudine, happily the "willing slave" of her husband. But the book really describes her growth and development, and has a much more satisfactory ending! It is sweet, and lets Claudine go back to her confident and wild self, madly in love with her husband, without showing any doubt about herself. Claudine does however hint at regret over the way things ended with Rezi, and how she wishes she could have another affair with another woman, but that her husband has forbidden her this. Oddly this is the only book where it seems like Claudine and her husband are actually in love. Possibly because it just focuses on the external projection to the world and not Claudine's actual feelings. I ended up admiring Annie, despite her more moral nature; her development while quite quick seemed natural. Almost like nowadays a young woman feels when she goes away to college or university. I have to say I really loved all the Claudine books. I am filled with the desire to better my French so I can read them in the original as they were so lovely. I will definitely have to try and read more Collette.

[Réminiscence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un 4ème tome de Claudine qui n’en est au final pas vraiment un, on retrouve certes l’espiègle Claudine mais cette fois ci en personnage de second plan.
Notre heroine est révélée du point de vue d’une jeune mariée: Annie
Le journal d’Annie c’est une quête presque indirecte d’émancipation, d’abord la "petite esclave" de son mari qui deviendra au fur et à mesure une femme certes lésée mais qui doit en finir avec ce précepteur moraliste qu’elle n’aime en faite pas du tout.
La personne a l’origine de l’émancipation d’Annie eh bien c’est Claudine, d’abord femme peu fréquentable aux mœurs folles qui avec le temps devient une amie (presque amante) charmante inculquant son esprit libérée à cette jeune femme désespérée
la presque fin de Claudine reste inférieure aux 3 précédents tomes de part son détachement du personnage de Claudine même si celle ci paraît dans toute sa légèreté et son altruisme (loin de ses tourments qu’ignore Annie).

[Dvora Treisman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading Colette about 30 years ago, starting with The Vagabond and continuing on to just about everything that's been translated into English, several of them twice or more. Why on earth did I never read the Claudine books? Love, hypocrisy, independence, solitude in the midst of a crowd, it's all there in this fourth volume that some say is the final one in the series, but Colette says it isn't. She says Retreat from Love is the final volume in the series and I've read that. Will soon read it again with a new perspective. In fact, every time I reread anything by Colette it is with a new perspective. The books seem to change as I grow older.

[fiafia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Très brillant, peut-être le plus brillant des quatre romans. Très astucieuse aussi l'idée de changer de narratrice et d'avoir un regard "extérieur" (les guillements sont bien à leur place) sur Claudine. Un énorme plaisir de lecture.

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moved slowly at first, but the ending that brought on a new beginning was profound to me.

[ReemK10 (Paper Pills) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read. My only regret is that I did not read the entire series before reading the final novel.

[gaba · Rating 4 out of 5]

“All that is life, time flowing on, the hoped-for miracle that may lie round the next bend of the road. It is because of my faith in that miracle that I am escaping.”
One star substrated as I only wish for the novel to be a constant, melancholic monologue of the poetress.

[Antonio Fanelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finalmente Claudine vista con gli occhi degli altri, in particolare della protagonista, moglie devota e sottomessa di un uomo farfallone.
La scrittura ha fascino ed eleganza, la storia della emancipazione della protagonista è un po' troppo frettolosa, ma ci può stare :)
Rimpiango i film che trassero dalla quadrilogia negli anni settanta, chissà se li trasmetteranno mai in tv.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A study in the manners and intrigue of the turn of the last century. revealing the thoughts and yearning beneath the very 'proper' exteriors and the almost constant sexual undertones prevalent in upper class society at that time.

[Pablo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leed a Colette!! No tiene un libro malo!!! Esta colección de Claudine me estaba gustando y no paraba de sorprenderme lo rápida que se hace la lectura y lo divertida e ingeniosa que es, pero es que además llega este libro y le da otra vuelta; parece que lo escribieron anteayer!!!

[Li Sian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Claudine is weakly unconvincing in her new role as saviour and inspiration to the meek Annie, who's been subjugated by her marriage to a very dull, yet domineering man. 'And then Claudine came and showed me what a real love marriage is, as between Claudine and Renaud! They loved each other so - that Claudine didn't even have sex with me!' Blech. No thanks. Poor Annie's weak as water here, which makes her a spectacularly uncompelling narrator, and although it was a fun conceit early in the novel - 'I promised Alain that I would never spend any time with unsuitable Renaud and Claudine, but they kept TURNING up where I was and my sister-in-law is ever so friendly to them, I am too meek to walk away, this is TERRIBLE' - this got really old fast.

Who was it that said Colette was a contradiction of both (sexual) independence and the desire to be erotically dominated by men? So, I feel like this novel is, Colette does straightforward feminist liberation and she's naaawt good at it.

[Marjorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leí este libro sin saber que era el último de una serie de libros. Pero lo amé ❤️. Muy entretenido, además de que está lleno de descripciones bellísimas sobre los salones y la vida en sí en París y sus alrededores. Me parece fenomenal el trabajo hecho por Colette, el libro es tan actual y por eso mismo tan disruptor para la época en que fue escrito.
Amé la voz de Anita, la evolución a causa de la escritura de su diario, las contradicciones en las que se fue hallando y finalmente la toma de decisiones propias.
Buscaré definitivamente los tres anteriores libros, porque me lo he pasado muy bien además del deleite por la forma en que está escrito.

[Charlotte · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a one-star read until annie started being her own person and turned out to also like women lol. Read for class!!

[Lobo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Klaudyna bez Klaudyny. Zmiana formuły w (przez długi czas) ostatnim tomie serii stanowi ciekawy zabieg. Wprowadzenie nowej bohaterki, której oczyma mamy widzieć Klaudynę jest ryzykowane. Czy czytelnik zdoła utożsamić się z Annie równie mocno, co z Klaudyną, czy zdąży ją na tyle polubić, aby być zainteresowanym jej punktem widzenia? Widać, w którym momencie powieści przestały być erotyzującym opowiastkami, a nabrały własnego sensu i logiki. Klaudyna odchodzi to pożegnanie, sumiennie zaplanowane, pozwalające nam rozstać się z Klaudynką stopniowo, ale nieubłaganie.
Sama historia Annie, wyzwalającej się z przemocowego związku (nawet jeśli ta przemoc odbywała się w wymiarze emocjonalnym i psychologicznym, a nie fizycznym, to dalej jest związek przemocowy) to dosyć, aby przykuć moją uwagę. Annie uświadamiająca sobie, w co zmienił ją mąż, jak bardzo nie jest sobą, jak wiele traci, Annie zmagająca się ze swoim strachem i żalem, aby wreszcie zaryzykować, Annie zdobyła mój podziw. Jest wspaniałą postacią i cieszę się, że miała okazję poznać Klaudynę i zdobyć trochę jej siły i determinacji, a nawet wygodnictwa, dość, żeby zawalczyć o siebie. Oglądanie paryskiej socjety oczyma Annie to rozrywka sama w sobie, biorąc pod uwagę, jak wiele się przed nią odsłania tylko dlatego, że wszyscy ją lekceważą. I znowu, komiczne wpadki i skandale z życia dobrego paryskiego mieszczaństwa opowiedziane z cudowną ironią, bawiły mnie do łez. Okazuje się, że Klaudyna i Renaud wcale nie są najbardziej ekscentrycznym czy wyuzdanym małżeństwem w Paryżu. Szwagierka Annie, uwikłana w komiczny czworokąt, to cud sam w sobie. Jak zwykle Colette nie zawodzi, nawet jeśli tak potwornie mało Klaudyny w tej Klaudynie.

[Ostap Bender · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘Claudine and Annie’ (1903), the fourth and final installment in Colette’s ‘Claudine’ series, starts off interestingly enough, with a new narrator, Annie, a young woman recently married to a man who has just gone away to Argentina to tend to family business. He’s on the domineering and serious side, and has left her with detailed instructions, among which are to minimize visits with Claudine and her husband, Renaud. It’s interesting to see Claudine from another’s perspective and in glimpses, but the character who shows up more in the novel is Annie’s sister-in-law Marthe, who is meant to help take care of her, but who has her own shortcomings.

There is the customary titillation, Mathe having a ‘shapely, provocative behind’ (which I giggled at later when it was described as ‘impudent and deeply-dimpled’), Renaud observing of Annie, ‘When she raises her eyelids it’s as if she were taking off her clothes’, and Claudine ‘dazzling me with her eyes, bright as a wild animal’s and suddenly so dominating that I closed my own, overwhelmed…’, but the book is a little more tame than the others. It’s interesting to read about Annie taking ether for migraines (yikes), and the ‘douche/spa’ treatment Marthe undergoes. It’s a short novel but drags a little in the middle. I did like how Claudine helps Annie to find her own voice, and to realize she has control over her life. As Colette would separate from Willy two years later, the book seems meaningful and a good way of ending the series.

[Kelly Buchanan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a somewhat jarring but illuminative shift, we leave behind Claudine's voice in this installment for that of Annie, a naive, anxious wife with a controlling and often absent husband. As Annie dives further into the whirl of holiday society life, her travels through her together often with Claudine. Glimpsing our former narrator from the outside leaves the reader with a brilliantly unsettling feeling. Colette plays with our expectations and perceptions of our heroine and forces us to see her in a different light. She has become the experienced party rather than the ingenue (if, indeed, Claudine could ever have been called this). A fascinating turn in this collection of short novels by a woman at the top of her form.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than the third book but not nearly as good as the first two. There was actually very little of Claudine in this book - mostly Annie who was a frustrating young woman who was struggling with finding her own voice and persona. Her struggles were a little overwhelming and probably could have been covered in a short story. So now I finished the 1st four books - probably won't continue although the insight to the time period and culture was interesting and entertaining and made me really glad to have not lived during that time frame.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A spicy read, full of French manners at the peak of the 'Belle Epoque' by a writer with a style all of her own. I was engaged by this short novel's humour & spirit, by turns endearing & cruel, the main characters living in their self-admiration & self-doubts too. It has a erotic edge too...hinting at deeper, more instinctual motives which define every one if us...if we could but admit it!

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Claudine books make for good Pretentious Beach Reads.

[Tinquerbelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Colette
The Complete Claudine

In compilation only.

[patrycja polczyk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I liked it most from the series. Nice change of perspective. And nice ending. Overall decent book.

[Hallie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this. This and the first Claudine novel are the best.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need to read more collette

[Meeeee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still a bit hard for me to understand but we love women that dump their husbands because they're trash !

[Mori Bereko · Rating 3 out of 5]

goodread liste ce titre comme écrit uniquement par Colette et non "Colette et Willy", ce qui me fait plaisir.

ce volume, qui suit "Claudine en menage", est raconté du point de vue d'Annie, femme soumise à un mari tyrannique qui la laisse quelques mois pour entreprendre un long voyage d'affaires.

D'abord perdue sans le contrôle constant de son époux, elle finit par s'épanouir et par goûter la compagnie de Claudine dans ce qui pourrait être une romance lesbienne si Claudine, repentie après l'échec de sa relation avec Rézi, ne se l'interdisait pas.
la malheureuse Annie va de déconvenue en déconvenue alors que, partie en vacances avec sa belle-soeur, elle découvre l'étendue de la pourriture de la bonne société que son mari l'enjoint à fréquenter. Adultères non par amour mais par intérêt, mariages malheureux, addiction au jeu et à l'alcool, tout le monde autour d'elle semble déchu et cynique à l'exception de Claudine et Renaud qui vivent dans un état perpétuel de folie douce.
Colette décrit des femmes mesquines et méchantes et des hommes corrompus, benêts ou contrôlants.
cette satyre sociale est suffisamment drôle pour rendre la lecture agréable mais la fin, encore une fois, surprend :
au lieu de demander le divorce en s'appuyant sur les lettres d'amour incriminantes qu'elle a découvertesdans le bureau de son mari, Annie s'achète une arme à feu et prend la fuite.
Claudine, enfant gâtée protégée de tout, se montre impuissante et peu encline à la retenir et la conseiller.

l'avenir semble bien sombre pour Annie et j'espère que le tome suivant que je m'apprête à lire, La maison de Claudine, apportera un meilleur dénouement pour elle.
Cependant telle que je découvre Colette dans cette série, à la fois lucide sur la condition des femmes et indifférente au sort de ses personnages féminins à l'exception de Claudine, son alter ego, je doute que ce soit le cas.
Je souhaite que mes lectures à venir me prouvent que j'avais tort.