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Au Revoir, Tristesse: Lessons in Happiness from French Literature
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37/99
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16/99
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About This Book
A lighthearted look at how to bring more humor, happiness, and joie de vivre into our lives through French literature Like many people the world over, Viv Groskop wishes she was a little more French. A writer, comedian, and journalist, Groskop studied the language obsessively starting at age 11, and spent every vacation in France, desperate to escape her Englishness and to have some French chic rub off on her. In Au Revoir, Tristesse, Groskop mixes literary history and memoir to explore how the classics of French literature can infuse our lives with joie de vivre and teach us how to say goodbye to sadness. From the frothy hedonism of Colette and the wit of Cyrano de Bergerac to the intoxicating universe of Marguerite Duras and the heady passions of Les Liaisons dangereuses, this is a love letter to great French writers. With chapters on Marcel Proust, Victor Hugo, Gustave Flaubert, Stendhal, Honoré de Balzac, Albert Camus, and of course Françoise Sagan, this is a delectable read for book lovers everywhere.
Reviews
"I'm damned if I've met three recreational readers as astute and amusing as she is about everyone from Flaubert to Françoise Sagan."
"Well, there's definitely lots of irreverent laughter."
"You don't have to be a savant to enjoy this book, though a little schoolroom French will go a long way."
"Groskop provides thoughtful interpretations...but the book's purpose reflects its title, to find happiness."
"The book's greatest asset lies in Groskop's restating of insights derived from literature ..."
"An exuberant yet superficial celebration of French classics."
"offers the reader a handy shortcut through the hard graft of learning these lessons for oneself ..."
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