On ne peut plus dormir tranquille quand on a une fois ouvert les yeux

by Robert Bober

C'est le mercredi 24 janvier 1962 que Jules et Jim, dans lequel Bernard Appelbaum avait fait de la figuration, sortit sur les écrans, et c'est le vendredi soir qu'avec sa mère, il est allé le voir au cinéma Vendôme, avenue de l'Opéra.
Après la séance, malgré le froid, sa mère lui donnant le bras, ils sont rentrés à pied jusqu'à leur domicile.au 7 de la rue Oberkampf, tout près du Cirque d'Hiver. «As-tu lu le livre d'où a été tiré le film ?» Non, il ne l'avait pas lu. «J'aimerais bien le lire», lui a-t-elle dit, et ce fut le commencement de ce qu'il allait apprendre de ses parents.
Cette histoire de Jules et Jim et Catherine - un pur amour à trois, avait dit François Truffaut - était comme l'écho de ce que sa mère avait vécu. Ainsi, il avait fallu un film pour que cette histoire - un peu de son histoire - lui parvienne enfin.

«Si la vie est éphémère, disait Vladimir Jankélévitch, le fait d'avoir vécu une vie éphémère est un fait éternel.»

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction

284 pages, Broché

First published August 26, 2010

Reviews

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

There was nothing significantly wrong with this book, but the fact that the plot jumped around made it hard to follow at times. An interesting plot point would surface, only to be abandoned two chapters later. Characters mentioned in the beginning would seemingly drop out of the main character's life (which is pretty realistic), and when mentioned again toward the end, it would be difficult to remember why they were important. Sometimes I wondered why some characters were even necessary.
Despite all this, the last chapter redeemed the book in my eyes. Throughout the story, Bernard is searching for his father. In the midst of everything else, this plot holds strong. The way the book resolves this was the best part of the story IMO

[Bridget · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was not a fan of this book. Granted, I needed to get it read for book club and procrastinated, so it's possible that I didn't give it due time and effort. Given that, I thought the book would be much more mysterious or adventurous. The story was non-linear, with little stories dispersed throughout that I couldn't make a connection between. There were too many references I didn't get - to movies, to works of art, to musicians, to streets in Paris. I love reading historical books that make me want to learn more about the era, but I couldn't connect with this book enough to want that. I finished and thought, "What just happened? Is that all?" Maybe it was the translation?? Anyway, bleh to this book.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't thrilled with the disorganized plot of a man in the early 60's trying to find the story behind his father's disappearance during WWII. This is the 3rd translation I've read recently. Maybe I need a break. What was interesting was the culture detailed during that time in post-war France.

[Dawn Petersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to read a european account of the 60's

[Béatrice · Rating 1 out of 5]

Décevant!