Point Books During A Very Long Engagement
| Original Title: | Un long dimanche de fiançailles |
| ISBN: | 0452272971 (ISBN13: 9780452272972) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Literary Awards: | Prix Interallié (1991) |
Sébastien Japrisot
Paperback | Pages: 327 pages Rating: 3.9 | 5819 Users | 533 Reviews
Present Containing Books A Very Long Engagement
| Title | : | A Very Long Engagement |
| Author | : | Sébastien Japrisot |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 327 pages |
| Published | : | September 1st 1994 by Plume (first published September 6th 1991) |
| Categories | : | Historical. Historical Fiction. Fiction. Cultural. France. War. World War I. Romance |
Commentary Supposing Books A Very Long Engagement
In January 1917, five wounded French soldiers, their hands bound behind them, are brought to the front at Picardy by their own troops, forced into the no-man's land between the French and German armies, and left to die in the cross fire. Their brutal punishment has been hushed up for more than two years when Mathilde Donnay, unable to walk since childhood, begins a relentless quest to find out whether her fiancé, officially "killed in the line of duty," might still be alive. Tipped off by a letter from a dying soldier, the shrewd, sardonic, and wonderfully imaginative Mathilde scours the country for information about the men. As she carries her search to its end, an elaborate web of deception and coincidence emerges, and Mathilde comes to an understanding of the horrors, and the acts of kindness, brought about by war.A runaway bestseller in France and the winner of the 1991 Prix Interallié, this astonishing novel is many things at once: an absorbing mystery, a playful study of the different ways one story can be told, a moving and incisive portrait of life in France during and after the First World War, and a love story of transforming power and beauty.
Rating Containing Books A Very Long Engagement
Ratings: 3.9 From 5819 Users | 533 ReviewsJudgment Containing Books A Very Long Engagement
Oh my, explaining why I have rated this three stars is complicated, just as complicated as the book is. When it ended, I liked it a lot. Very much in fact, so it should get four stars! Right? Except that if you have been following the comments I have been making about it at diverse places at GR you will have noted that I have been annoyed, exasperated and at wits' end as I read this book! So what is going on? As I stated, the book is complicated. If you are adept at solving mysteries and loveA story of WW I translated from the French. Just before the war begins, a young woman who is confined to a wheelchair meets the love of her life. Of course he goes off to war and perishes in the trenches. Little by little, over ten years, she learns odds and ends of details of what actually happened to him.We learn right at the beginning of the novel that so many soldiers were deserting and getting self-inflicted wounds that army officers decided to make an example of five such men. Instead of
I recall being profoundly moved by this book, and the turmoil of its characters. I read it many, many years ago (likely around the time of the film release) and enjoyed it so much more than I expected. It's well written and creates a really beautiful story.
Can't believe I actually finsihed this book. Several times I wanted to give up but I kept thinking/hoping it was going to get better. The plot itself was interesting and had potential. In a nutshell this book is about France and post WWI and young woman looking for her fiance who is delcared MIA. Some of the little stories and flashbacks were interesting but this book was long and boring at times. Also the characters were confusing. I give it two stars for not being terrible but could have been
I LOVED this book. And I loved the main character, Mathilde, more than just about any character in any book I've ever read. She is strong, sarcastic, always gets what she wants, and has a good sense of humor. Mathilde, despite her sarcasm and pig-headedness seems to inspire devotion in everyone she meets. How could you not admire someone who accomplishes as much as she does despite being in a wheelchair? How can you not admire her devotion to Manech? She would not rest until she got to the
Can't believe I actually finsihed this book. Several times I wanted to give up but I kept thinking/hoping it was going to get better. The plot itself was interesting and had potential. In a nutshell this book is about France and post WWI and young woman looking for her fiance who is delcared MIA. Some of the little stories and flashbacks were interesting but this book was long and boring at times. Also the characters were confusing. I give it two stars for not being terrible but could have been
A Very Long Engagement tells the story of Mathilde, a woman who has been told that her fiance, Manech, died in the war. Something seems fishy about his death so she begins to investigate. She wants to know what happened to him, and something keeps telling her that he is still alive somewhere. She soon learns of five soldiers condemned to death for self-mutilation, one of them was Manech. The reader unravels the clues along with Mathilde as she receives more and more information about her
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