Aimez-vous Sagan?

Another amazing novel by Francoise Sagan left me speechless. As I already mentioned, her works are so intoxicating, so light and enjoyable, yet deep, emotional, and provocative. It took me exactly two days to finish Aimez-vous Brahms and bear in mind I have enough exams to study for.

Sagan has the rare talent to portray a rather simple and everyday story, which we have encountered several, maybe hundreds of times, in a way that raises questions  we never thought of asking ourselves.

Paula is 39 years old with a wonderful job and in a relationship with a man, who values his freedom and his affairs more than her. Feeling lonely, unappreciated, and unsatisfied, Paula decides to start a relationship with 25-year-old Simon. He is everything her boyfriend Roger is not - available, caring, devoted, at times even obsessive. Simon lives for Paula, to satisfy her needs, to make her happy, and to behave in every way she expects him to. Yet, as Sagan ingeniously points out, love is much more complex, irrational, and unpredictable. Paula believes she always wanted a man like Simon, yet she finds it hard to build a life with him. Is his perfection going to be enough for her or is his child-like devotion and obsession too much to bear? Does Paula feel as his lover, his beloved, or his mother?

I love the novel because it stresses on several important issues. Sometimes what we believe we want in love is not what we really need. Even if the white knight comes along, ready to be our servant, our slave, our most devoted lover, if that spark and that connection is missing, the affair is predestined to a tragic end. Sagan once again astonishes with her profound understanding of the human nature and emotions. A novel that will shake you to the core, make you ask questions about love, life, happiness, and desires, but never leave you indifferent.

Bonjour Paris!

If you are fascinated with French culture, literature, or simply Paris like me, I would definitely recommend checking out Francoise Sagan's novels.

Sagan is an icon in contemporary  world literature. Her novels encompass the easy, bourgeois lifestyle in Paris, where love is passionate, possessive, but often fleeting. Her characters are young and egoistic, used to the idle and carefree Paris life. However, their love affairs are troubled, complicated by marriage, betrayals, lies, age, and social status. The novels are light and easy to read but at the same time they deeply analyze the nature of human character when standing in front of sophisticated choices. To add, the author was only 18 when she wrote her first novel Bonjour Tristesse. One might easily be mistaken it is written by a woman with years of love experience, as Sagan describes complicated love stories with maturity, sensibility, and often scrutiny.

So far I have read Bonjour Tristesse, Dans un Mois, dans un An and Un Certain Sourire. Francoise Sagan's style is recognizable in all of these novels, yet each and every one of them is different and special, raising yet another issue about love, loyalty, responsibility, and betrayal. Aimez-vous Brahms is her next piece, which is expecting me on my bookshelf right after I finish Rhett Butler's People.

Her novels are usually short, about 150-200 pages. I assure you that if they grab you from the beginning, you won't let go until you read them cover to cover. Personally, I finished those 3 in about 4-5 days. It is that obsessing!. If only I could read them in French, I believe the experience would be much more valuable. Sadly, my French is as good as to say BONJOUR PARIS!