Customer Reviews: Read 8 more reviews...
 A must, must, must. August 22, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I echo the sentiments of most of the earlier reviewers. If you dislike this book, there is something very wrong with you. It is NOT the best French novel of the 20th century, but it's not far off. Essential to read, to know, to encourage others to buy. It is NOT for the young : it is for all ages. When one considers the millions of readers who've spent good money on derivative, simplistic tosh like J K Rowling's books, it makes one want to weep.
A romantic tale February 26, 2007
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
This book begins with the narrator Francois thinking back to the time of his adolescence and recalling the great adventure which began with his friendship with Le Grand Meaulnes. This book is beautifully written and was captivating throughout.
"But now it is all over, now that nothing is left but the dust of so much that was evil, so much that was good there is no reason why the strange story should not be told" These beautiful lines evoke the sadness of the story about to be told. A story that deals with friendship, love and loss.
The plot centres around Meaulnes who is trying to find his way back to a hidden 'domain' in which he met and fell in love with the beautiful Yvonne de Galais. His desperte longing to find Yvonne and marry her is beautifully evoked, and deeply saddening. Unlike other adolescent novels, this book follows Francois and Meaulnes into adulthood as their friendship grows and changes and passages describing the love and bond they share is deeply moving. Overall this is a book about the deepest of adolescent emotions and about two friends who never really grow up and hold on to the dream of happiness they have envisioned since Meaulnes first discovered the hidden domain.
As a huge fan of 'adolescent' fiction i found this book really exciting, although very different from the American fiction i am used to reading. It has a slower pace to it somehow, and describes emotions which we can truly believe in, its a book about love and dreams which can be held onto and has two characters who do not loose their passion for this dream with age, it is not cynical like much other adolescent fiction.
Reading a French Classic was a first for me but i will definitely be hoping to read more in the future and would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a beautifully written, honest story about friendship and love and the power these things hold above all else.
 Romantic, implausible, perhaps better in French December 4, 2006
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is a very romantic tale, although later in the work there are implied criticisms of romanticism, at least if that implies a refusal to mature. Although the central relationship is based on the author's own experience, some of the devices used to keep the plot going are unlikely, so you need to suspend your disbelief. There are lengthy descriptive passages about the French countryside, which were enjoyable, but might have been better in the original. The ending is sad.
The most mesmerizing novel of adolescence, youth, and love November 21, 2006
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
This is perhaps the greatest French novel of the 20th century, a stunning tour de force by a young author soon to die in the trenches of world war I; yet it remains relatively little known in the UK. I first read it at a slightly old age of about 20, but its impact on me was unforgettable. Indeed, no older reader should shy away from it, for age brings even greater appreciation of such matters as the finding and loss of love. Youth itself becomes a 'lost domain', for which we remain in constant search. The wonderful and evocative film of the book by Albicoco did the rounds of arts cinemas in this country for many years in the 70s and 80s, but has now vanished. There is a DVD, but for some reason it has no English subtitles, which will dissuade many from watching it. But if your French is up to it and you know the story from the book, it retains its beauty. This should be near the top of anyone's list of books to read; and if you are in your teens or early twenties, it should be at the top.
to be quick... November 14, 2006
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
...simply the most beautiful book ever written. Nothing more to be said.
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