Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

The Lover by Marguerite Duras, was selected as our Monthly Short Story for April 2020. The discussion thread is located in the Monthly Short Story Folder:

Beware Short Story Discussions will have Spoilers.

I started the book yesterday, am I missing something - I don’t find the thread ?? Thanks

Wow... Just wow...

[Here my very short review.]

I wanted to participate in this one but since my library is closed I'll have to read it later unless anyone knows where to get a free copy,

Sue wrote: "I wanted to participate in this one but since my library is closed I'll have to read it later unless anyone knows where to get a free copy,"

Does your library have a digital collection? I’ve placed a hold on my library’s eBook edition and hope it becomes available soon!

Erin wrote: "Sue wrote: "I wanted to participate in this one but since my library is closed I'll have to read it later unless anyone knows where to get a free copy,"

Does your library have a digital collection..."

It does, but they don't have a digital version of this book : (

Sue wrote: "I wanted to participate in this one but since my library is closed I'll have to read it later unless anyone knows where to get a free copy,"

You can buy a used copy online for as low as $4.50; that's what I did (try betterworldbooks.com). I think Amazon's are about a $ more. If that's not in your budget Sue, I could send you my copy when I've finished if you like.

I have read about a third of it, just reading a little in between my long books- will read more today. I've liked it quite a bit so far.

Sue wrote: "Erin wrote: "Sue wrote: "I wanted to participate in this one but since my library is closed I'll have to read it later unless anyone knows where to get a free copy,"

Does your library have a digit..."

If you use Open Library, there is a digital version.

https://openlibrary.org/books/OL28634...

Sue wrote: "I wanted to participate in this one but since my library is closed I'll have to read it later unless anyone knows where to get a free copy,"

https://archive.org/details/nationale...

I'll join in for this one.

I’m enjoying the book so far, I am about a 1/3 of the way in.
Her writing style is interesting, unique and for me I like it.

There is an introduction by Maxine Hong Kingston in my edition where she says that she imagines the book to be about Duras.

I first learned about Duras when I saw the movie La Douleur (War: A Memoir) and wanted to delve deeper into her work. I’m glad for the group read as it gives me incentive to read, also I’m interested in how others feel about the book, I always get more out of a read with other’s views.

Just as a note, the reason for reading this work in the group's bookshelf currently says 'April 2030 Short Story/Novella'.

While free is best, In addition to George’s suggestion, I can usually find a copy of our chosen books from Thrift books for $4 - 6. If you order $10 worth of books, shipping is free. I can easily find those!

Left my copy at work, so I won’t be getting to this for a while. But I look forward to reading the discussion about it. :)

I already read this story in January and really enjoyed it. Her writing style is very unique. She often jumps between scenes and thoughts and memories and does not give much background informations. Sometimes it was hard to follow and I did not understand everything she was telling us. So I'm glad we're reading it in the group. I will follow the discussion and see, if it makes me understand more details of the story.

Thank you for your suggestions George, Laurie, Marlyn & Terry!

Unfortunately, the free e-versions didn't work on my phone - too small and I'd prefer to hold off on any used books right now. I will get to this eventually though and will check this thread.

Fee, I agree with you that she jumps around and the story is erratic at times. I’m only at the point where she meets the Chinese man so I’m curious now how it goes.

Given some of the background she provided on her family it probably isn’t out of the realm that she possesses some of the same character traits even if a much lesser degree, or even different forms, from growing up around the shall we say “mania”.

She’s only 15 and already knows about how certain men may look at her, and the whole revelation on her mother’s attitude towards it and more was to me heartbreaking.

This book just didn't do anything for me. It felt confusing. The timeline jumped around so I never knew if the events were happening in the past or present. The author didn't use any names so I didn't know if "he" meant one of her two brothers, her father, or her lover. She has a very particular style of writing, and that's probably what made her popular. But it's just a style that I don't enjoy :/

Terris, I agree, it just wasn't for me.

Mela wrote: "Wow... Just wow..."

Just started, and it starts out with a Wow too.

Well done. Almost like listening to an older woman's (who has been drinking wine) musing on what were the defining moments of her life. And as she speaks, she is realizing the sadness of those moments.

I read this years ago and really don't remember much of the plot, but I wasn't enthralled by the book.

I think it is a hit or miss type of book for people. Not really plot driven.

Katy- I like your take on it.

I’m about halfway through and wondering if my initial impression of the book, from the title, was off. Perhaps I had a romantic notion of the Lover? Lol So I’m curious as I read on if she actually falls in love with him, or by lover she means in the more “friends with benefits” way.

I’m hoping to finish tonight and see...

I’ve finished the book. I still liked it despite her quirky writing style. I think she lived a very interesting life. Her family seems like they were extremely dysfunctional, she grew up in a foreign land and in poverty. I liked how she pieced in many areas of her life, it wasn’t just about the Lover. And even that was a dysfunctional relationship, but I really liked the ending. After so much time, they each have not forgotten. I thought that was touching.

Katy wrote: "Well done. Almost like listening to an older woman's (who has been drinking wine) musing on what were the defining moments of her life. And as she speaks, she is realizing the sadness of those mome..."

I think that sums it up very well. These are not really the "adventures" of a teenager. But rather the memories and reflections on these adventures by an elderly woman. As far as I know, the book is partly autobiographical. I wonder which parts were real and what she invented or exaggerated for the sake of the story.

Got my Kindle edition from the library and started reading it this evening (at 20%). So far, not a fan of the style, and while tangents can be interesting, the number and subjects here try my patience. Although entirely different in many respects, in some ways, I am reminded of another French book I read recently, Free Day by Inès Cagnati; that story was told from the girl’s perspective rather than an adult looking back, but both have repetitiveness and are more remembrances and opinions than anything. That wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing except when tangents seem unrelated to anything (too soon for me to make that judgement here, I know) and I feel a certain aggravation with the characters. Perhaps I judge too harshly. I was hoping for something lyrical, maybe even romantic to draw me in, pull me outside of my own head. I will endeavor to continue with a more open mind...

Finally got a chance to start this. Very stream of consciousness and unreliable narrator (only in the fact that it’s semi-autobiographical and not fully fiction or autobiography). I’m enjoying it, but I’m also not. This will require much thought on my part.

Well, just over halfway through, and my opinion is not changed. I did not expect the story to focus so much on the narrator’s family; it wouldn’t be a bad thing, except I abhor them all. And the author seems to like melodrama, especially to end a paragraph or better a section with some reference to a “night of the hunter”, her younger brother being “martyred” etc.

The only one I can feel any sympathy for is the Chinese lover. I can only think he must be seeking, subconsciously perhaps, to punish himself, that he endures insult and extortion for a girl who doesn’t even respect, much less love him.

We are talking about a 15-year old young woman here (and a lover 12 years her senior), this is not a romance.

Katy wrote: "We are talking about a 15-year old young woman here (and a lover 12 years her senior), this is not a romance."

I know, but it seems to me that she is more confused by the conflicting messages from her mother than that she is seduced by an older man. Perhaps I should pity her for that, but to me she feels too mercenary and something else... detached, superior, I’m not quite sure. I can’t sympathize with her viewpoint or motivations.

Edit: I should add too that I wrote what I did after reading about her family being treated to expensive dinners and how they all treated him, including the narrator herself, had incensed me.

On the topic of age, I was surprised that there was fear of legal repercussions if they were found out. I don’t know what the legal age of consent was in French Indochina but isn’t it 15 in France (as long as the other person is not in a position of authority)? I would be surprised if it were higher in the past and would have expected, if anything, there to be laws against “interracial” relations rather than a fifteen-year-old be considered underage at that time.

Katy wrote: "We are talking about a 15-year old young woman here (and a lover 12 years her senior), this is not a romance."

It's a stretch, admittedly, but not impossible. It depends on the people involved.

Have to admit, this was not one of my favorites. Glad I gave it a try, but will probably not pick up this author again.

Jen wrote: "Have to admit, this was not one of my favorites. Glad I gave it a try, but will probably not pick up this author again."

Agreed. I was hoping I would like it better upon finishing or further reflection but no. At least it was short and at least now we’ve read it.

3.5 stars for me. A somewhat rambling poetic tale - is it based on or fairly accurately depicting (?) the author's experiences when she was a teen in Vietnam, while it was still a French colony. My suspicion is that it's directly autobiographical in some things and less so in other respects.
She was definitely a skilled writer, and has some great pages- the emotion in the protagonist's internal thought processes drew me in. It also has a very unfocused, "dreamy" quality in much of the story.

It reminded me of Michel Tournier's The Ogre (1970) and especially of by Louis-Ferdinand Céline's Journey to the End of the Night (1932), both predecessors. It seems that some French works have similarities of style and mood.

I enjoyed this one-- like Katy mentioned above, it was like listening to an older woman sifting through her memories. Aside from the too-obvious similarity of the too-young girl partnered with the older man, the little French girl reminded me of Nabokov's Lolita. They seemed to share a voice, and an emotional remove from the lovemaking. Both girls were missing something within their families, and it seemed to have closed them off, into themselves.

I don't normally enjoy broken narratives or stream-of-consciousness types of writing, but I did enjoy this book. I guess it caught me in the right mood. If you have ever spent time in hot, humid places, you can see how the construction of the book really captures the feeling of a tropical malaise. Days blur together when your nights are suffocatingly uncomfortable. It's hard to keep your memories straight when your mind is enveloped in a sleepless fog.

I was interested in the bisexuality of the MC. She mentioned several women she was drawn to. And her feeling empowered when she put on a man's hat.... it reminded me of a scene in A Tale for the Time Being, when Nao (a young teenage girl) has sex with a Japanese businessman, and they both become sexually excited when she wears his clothes.

Didn't exactly love it, glad it wasn't any longer. I often had to backtrack to figure out who she was talking about and at times I found it hard to follow, (and I don't believe that it was because I was reading it in French), yet some sections seemed to flow well. Reading between the lines it seemed to be a highly dysfunctional family to say the least.

This one didn't work all that well for me. Glad it was short, or I may have DNFd it.

I am struggling with this. Duras reminds me very much of Jean Rhys. They both have phrases that seem to be pretty, but immediately I realize they are empty, nonsensical or not fitting. It is the small phrases that make up a book. With Rhys I just wished she would try to make some sense. Same with this book. She says silly things like (paraphrase) the great rivers were flowing into the cave of the ocean. Really? Really? This is just nonsense. I suppose it is meant to have an emotional value, but the only emotion I can get is a sense that the writer is somehow befuddled. Oh and there will be sex, but so what? It is a sad tale. Why do we think sadness = great literature? I could think perhaps the translation is just poor, but I really doubt that is the issue.