I liked this less than bonjour tristesse, and I think I just found myself experiencing way more discomfort and secondhand embarrassment throughout this storyline. the writing was once again incredible, and the same way as with anne in bonjour tristesse, i am fascinated by francoise's character, her subtlety entwined with her constant presence in the plot. sagan writes just the most interesting characters.

There is something so brutally honest about Sagan’s writing that I have not seen from any other authors that I have so far read. The way she expresses the inner thoughts of her characters seems so absolutely true that it makes her novels a pleasure to read. While the overall story is not perhaps as satisfying as it could be, Sagan’s beautiful writing easily makes this a four star. The scene between Dominique and Bertrand in Part Three, Chapter Two is one of the best passages I have ever read in literature.

3.5⭐

I managed to read this little book by accident due to not realising that my copy of 'Bonjour Tristesse' also contained it (that was not made clear by the front cover).

Anyway, it took a few chapters before I even realised because... well, because it's more of the same. The only thing that actually changed was the character's name. Otherwise, it's the same girl, the same life, an alter ego for Sagan and her experiences. The character is simply Cecile but a few years on, with the same spoiled entitled outlook, the same apparent boredom with people who don't marvelously entertain her, the same selfishness, the same ignorance of other human beings being as important as her. Nonetheless, the book is well written and easy to read, this time the story being focused on Dominique's affair with a married man (Luc). It's all very French and (ooh look how little I care about things and how shockingly liberal I am) and it plods along nicely but I never really cared.

This is ultimately the problem with literature by teenagers; it's like a 50-year-old reading what he tweeted when he was 20. CRINGE!! It's made even worse when it's a young girl bragging about her love affair with an older man as though this is an accomplishment. Shooting fish in a barrel, love. But the banal, self-obsessed narrative aside, she can certainly write and I would actually say I enjoyed this more than Bonjour Tristesse. Both end with a somewhat unconvincing moment of realising that other people matter too. That there are consequences to your actions. But I never really belived Sagan actually learnt that lesson, she simply needed an ending.

Overall, it was fine.

4.5 stars

Så fransk

This was a sweet little book about a young girl in fifties Paris who's bored with school and her boyfriend and instead embarks on a small affair with his uncle. It was very short and was realistically portrayed young illusions of love.