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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
"There seems nothing particularly French about these life lessons, and, in the end, the author admits that her Francophilia came from needing 'a pretend foreign identity in order to feel happy'—a need she has happily outgrown."
"Every chapter boasts amusing personal anecdotes ..."
"She isn't trying to unearth new gems or evangelize for the overlooked; this is a star show about books and writers so famous that Groskop can compare them to celebrated films ..."
"The personal story that Groskop presents as a backdrop to this cultural exploration is not, however, in any way, exceptional."
"Groskop wrote a weekly commentary for the Guardian on the Poldark television series, her columns were more entertaining than their subject."
"The book's greatest asset lies in Groskop's restating of insights derived from literature ..."
"Well, there's definitely lots of irreverent laughter."
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