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Part 2 ch. 9-10 - very long chapters. R. (main character, "Robin Hood" type) is a nobleman but nobody knows that yet...but the reader does! (dramatic irony). He is going to rent an apt in a building to get more information about "people of interest". The concierge (M/Mme Piplet) tell him stories about the other renters. R. is listening closely. What is he going to do...help some of these poor people later?

A trend is appearing: Sue writes several "simple chapters" with dialogue, robberies, meetings in thieves dens...then we get a INFO bomb! This suspense device is often called a "serial hook" or "episode hook." This technique was especially popular in feuilleton novels. It works...I can't wait for the next chapter!

Every time I open the book a feeling of exhaustion invades me not even having read a word! 1067 pages that is quite a challenge. I push myself to read 50 pages a day but it is not an easy task . Petit à petit, je progresse.

Finished part 1/10 - Feuilleton novels chapters and parts always ends with cliffhangers...and Eugène Sue did not disappoint in part one ch XXI!

"When Malraux asked him which historical
character he would compare himself to – Joan of Arc, Napoleon, Louis XIV?
– de Gaulle replied: ‘My only rival is Tintin!
We are the small who refuse to allow ourselves to be cheated by the big.
Only, no one notices the similarity because of my size.’"

I did not realise how much De Gaule "ruffled many feathers" internationally 1966-1967. He threatened to leave NATO, created an"issue" but announcing in 1967 at the World Fair in Quebec "Vive Le Quebec libre"! De Gaulle still vetoed UK's 2nd attempt to enter European Common Market. Even his advisors were whispering that De Gaulle is "cinglë"....off his rocker!

Chapters are filled with moments that keep the reader curious: people whisper in sb's ear...(?) Rudolph mentions smth important..."... but I'll tell you about it later." Often there is a fight scene, I read it. Then one of the characters repeats the scene telling it to another character. This makes for chapters that tell us nothing new. No wonder the book has 1037 pages!

Charles de Gaulle and Jacques Foccart:
In Africa "...everything had to change so that everything would remain the same."

Speed bumps in the first few chapters but now the narrative has become familiar
It is a roman feuilleton so the chapters end with cliffhangers.
To be honest the story is very simple and
...I'm having difficulty staying engaged with the book,
...un  peu 'ennuyeux"  (boring)
I definitely must read other books.
I feel with MdP I'm just plodding along and am getting the job done
...no great 'reading joy'.

Book is excellent and I've learned more about history/diplomacy in the years 1960s-1968s France, UK, Germany and USA:
bitter history b/t UK and France W II still solders -- UK is desperate to enter European Common Market...De Gaulle is implacable, NO! Nuclear weapons...who has them? who wants them?

The Algerian Crisis + Independence in a nutshell pg 480-560.

The May 1958 crisis (French: Crise de mai 1958), also known as the Algiers putsch or the coup of 13 May, was a political crisis in France during the turmoil of the Algerian War (1954–1962). Many saw in de Gaulle, who had not held office since 1946, the only public figure capable of rallying the nation and giving direction to the French government in the Fifth Republic.

Re-read ch 1 - I spent the entire day just in chapter 2 underling the worlds in italics (31 words/expressions). I’ve ONLY finished looking up and understanding 7 words !! This is a VERY LONG project.

I’m glad I selected this book for my challenge #ParisInJuly…but I’ll be reading at least until Oct/nov! TOO tired to even think about any entries today on tab THEMES/COMMENTARY…tomorrow is another day!

Description on “Lapin-Blanc, Portraits of main characters Le Chourineur, La Goualeuse, Rodolph. (Clothes, physical attributes).New characters were mentined (see tab characters) Rodolphe starts to “build” his personal profile pretending to be a simple worker, in order to gain the trust of the Chourineur and the Goualeuse. Rudolph is telling them and the reader some “whopper” lies!

This will be a monumental read for me. 1367 pages in French, maximum 8-10 pages a day will bring me to a target date 01.10.2026! I'm using a NUMBERS spreadsheet to record my daily progress and thoughts. This is what critical reading is all about!

Churchill vs De Gaulle (25.05.2026) - De Gaulle was tense and wary, Churchill warm on the surface but apprehensive underneath.
Churchill vs De Gaulle (25.05.2026) - Churchill sent for Morton to order him to send de Gaulle forcibly back to Algiers – ‘in chains if necessary’. Harvey commented: ‘PM is almost insane at times in his hatred of de Gaulle,

Churchill: ‘I am no more enamoured than you (Roosevelt) of de Gaulle but I would rather have him on the Committee than strutting about as a combination of Joan of Arc and Clemenceau.”

Churchill vs De Gaulle: “…felt that there had been a ‘good atmosphere’. Good atmosphere’ meant that the two men had not actually screamed at each other.

Trivia: Do you know where the decision for D-Day was taken? Tehran, Iran!

2 more days of racing if I can mange 40 pages a day.

After a bumpy start this book has become readable! Intrigue has become clearer and today I ended up with 15 pages (167-179) all about Laurence's difficulty trying to decide which on the her twin cousins to marry! I know who she chooses....and love is in the air...but the choice of a fiancé is still a surprise!

October 1942 De Gaulle and Churchill have a HUGE argument...De Gaulle returned from a Middle East tour. Churchill was livid that De Gaulle used the trip to whip up anti-British sentiments!

Stuggled with the first 4 chapters: The Gondreville Mystery (Une ténébreuse affaire) is about: French politics: La Fronde (1648-1653) – The Catholic League of France (1576–1595) French nobles: Maision de Lorrain, Les Guises, Les Valois filled with past/present grievances Mystery: kidnapping plot, hiding places (cachette) and the famous “Balzacian reversal”…people are NOT who they seem! That took time to sort out!

Review....soon!

Well, after reading part 1….De Gaulle was quite a character! He had no oratory or diplomatic skills. It was his way….or the highway!

This novella is 126 pages. The book in French is very easy to read after struggling with "La Fille aux yeux d'or". This is not a Balzac book that most readers will like. Theme: genius vs society - Lambert’s inwardness, voracious reading, metaphysical curiosity are constant (...at times very difficult to understand!) but the tension is in his capacity to function in the social world. Strange...and autobiographical ?

This novella is 126 pages. The book in French is very easy to read after struggling with "La Fille aux yeux d'or". This is not a Balzac book that most readers will like. Theme: genius vs society - Lambert’s inwardness, voracious reading, metaphysical curiosity are constant (...at times very difficult to understand!) but the tension is in his capacity to function in the social world. Strange...and autobiographical ?

I thought this novella would be an easy read...how wrong I was!

Part 1 (40 pages) feels disjointed, no narrative style...more like one of Balzac's favorite pastimes "rant" essays! He paints a very bleak portrait of Paris and its people. Why? He wants us to get a sense fo the place which produced our "love triangle" in part 2. So I have to grin and bear it.

What a love story !!