stef369's review against another edition
4.0
Gelezen in originele versie - "Chien-Loup" speelt zich af in twee tijdsperiodes: in 1914-1915, net bij het aanbreken van WOI - en in 2017: Franck en Lisa, een koppel dat actief is in de filmwereld, beslissen om een vakantieadres te kiezen dat helemaal "uit" de wereld is - geen Wifi of telefoon, een haast onbereikbaar berghuis in een dorp in de Lot-streek. Eerst is dat zeer tegen de zin van Franck, maar dat blijft niet zo. Aangekomen in dat vreemde, verlaten oord, ontdekken ze een hond-wolf, die ze als vriend adopteren. De hond brengt hen naar mysterieuze plaatsen in het bos die verwijzen naar een al even bizar verleden... Het hele boek door zap je van 1914 naar 2017 en ontdek je meer en meer wat er echt gebeurde. Mooi is hoe de auteur telkens verbanden laat zien tussen beide periodes. Door op deze manier telkens in de tijd te "reizen" voel je je precies "zweven" in de geschiedenis. Uiteindelijk is de natuur altijd dezelfde natuur gebleven: woest, onverschillig, soms ook echt gewelddadig. En zo is het ook met de mens gebleven. Joncour laat ons zien hoe het "wolf-zijn" of dierlijke ook in de mens zit...
Een mooi citaat vond ik op p. 328: "Cette maison le plongeait non seulement dans un isolement radical, en haut des collines et loin de tout, mais elle le plaçait aussi en surplomb de sa propre vie, de lui-même en quelque sorte. A une altitude propre aux tours de vigie, une position qui permet de voir d'où vient l'ennemi. Il se savait lié à elle par un pacte, comme si cette bâtisse et ce chien cherchaient depuis le début à lui révéler quelque chose de lui-même. Là-haut, tout évoquait une forme de sérénité , de tranquillité immense, tout en étant au coeur d'une nature sauvage à la violence totale."
Literair ook goed geschreven, niet moeilijk, heel mooi verteld.
Een mooi citaat vond ik op p. 328: "Cette maison le plongeait non seulement dans un isolement radical, en haut des collines et loin de tout, mais elle le plaçait aussi en surplomb de sa propre vie, de lui-même en quelque sorte. A une altitude propre aux tours de vigie, une position qui permet de voir d'où vient l'ennemi. Il se savait lié à elle par un pacte, comme si cette bâtisse et ce chien cherchaient depuis le début à lui révéler quelque chose de lui-même. Là-haut, tout évoquait une forme de sérénité , de tranquillité immense, tout en étant au coeur d'une nature sauvage à la violence totale."
Literair ook goed geschreven, niet moeilijk, heel mooi verteld.
talitha2021's review against another edition
2.0
It took me a month to wade through this book. Dull, repetitive and a distinct lack of plot.
charloteh's review against another edition
3.0
2.5/2.75
Chien-Loup parle d'un couple, Frank et Lise, qui partent en vacances trois semaines dans une maison isolée, Frank est contre l'idée car il sera dépourvu de WIFI et donc ne pourra pas travailler, ou bien communiquer avec ses partenaires de travail.
Une autre histoire est racontée, elle se passe en 1917 pendant la guerre dans le même village où Frank et Lise passent leur vacances.
Ce n'est pas le genre de livre que je lis d'habitude (livre français, plus centré sur les personnages que sur l'action) mais j'ai tout de même plutôt bien aimé. Ce livre se lis tout seul, cependant j'ai beaucoup moins aimé les passages qui se déroulaient en 1917, qui sont en deçà de l'histoire principale, je ne vois pas trop leurs intérêts, certes ils nous permettent d'en apprendre plus sur le passé du village mais ils n'apportent rien d'autre, sans ses passages le livre aurait été meilleur selon moi.
Chien-Loup parle d'un couple, Frank et Lise, qui partent en vacances trois semaines dans une maison isolée, Frank est contre l'idée car il sera dépourvu de WIFI et donc ne pourra pas travailler, ou bien communiquer avec ses partenaires de travail.
Une autre histoire est racontée, elle se passe en 1917 pendant la guerre dans le même village où Frank et Lise passent leur vacances.
Ce n'est pas le genre de livre que je lis d'habitude (livre français, plus centré sur les personnages que sur l'action) mais j'ai tout de même plutôt bien aimé. Ce livre se lis tout seul, cependant j'ai beaucoup moins aimé les passages qui se déroulaient en 1917, qui sont en deçà de l'histoire principale, je ne vois pas trop leurs intérêts, certes ils nous permettent d'en apprendre plus sur le passé du village mais ils n'apportent rien d'autre, sans ses passages le livre aurait été meilleur selon moi.
literarylucie's review against another edition
4.0
Wild Dog alternates between 1914, where a small village was struggling to cope with the effects of WW1, and 2017, where Lise and Franck take a three week holiday to a cottage in the French hills, the Mont d'Orcières, with no WiFi connection and signal. These are the same hills that many years ago a German lion tamer took refuge with his big cats, and hundreds of sheep mysteriously fell off the cliff. Their stories interweave and echoes of the past haunt the present, putting the couple under the brutal power of nature.
In 1914 the war broke out and all the healthy men and animals were requisitioned, leaving only the women, children and elderly to fend for themselves. This was except for the German lion tamer whose presence, along with his cats, haunted the villagers below. Up on the hills the German and Joséphine, a recently widowed woman, discovered and indulged in their primal attraction to each other, however, danger wasn’t far away. In 2017 Lise chooses this location so she can focus on herself and reconnect with nature. All she wants to do is meditate, paint, and take in the beauty she sees in her surroundings. Franck however is a film producer and feels like he should be reachable at all times, so immediately struggles at the thought of complete isolation. He is so reliant on his technology that he goes to the next town in search for signal, or any form of communication with the modern world. To Lise the isolation was perfect; to Franck it was hell. This is until Franck gets chosen by a wild dog he names Alpha, who is half dog, half wolf. Alpha obeys his every word and seems to know what Franck wants him to do. It is Alpha who reconnects him with nature and introduces him to its sinister and savage side.
Nature, as I’ve mentioned before, is one of my favourite themes, especially when it has such an immersive and domineering quality as it does in this book. The landscape is described as being so picturesque and that you can see for miles; no connection to the modern world in sight. Some characters, like Lise, are escaping to the solitude of nature; some are escaping from the brutality of nature. Nature appears to have contagious animalist qualities that infect those who are in it, which consequently makes them wild, for example Franck rediscovering his love of meat, and his savage revenge plot. Along with nature comes both an abundance of sound and silence. Sounds come from the big cats roaring through the night, or the circle of life happening in the darkness of the shadows. Silence comes from the lack of industrialisation, and human connection. The silence to the villagers was a constant reminder of the men they have lost to the war, to Lise it was perfect for her mediation; to Franck it meant complete isolation.
Wild Dog immerses us deep within nature, a beautiful vastness of space but with hidden oppressive danger. The writing is rich and beautiful, albeit slightly repetitive, with long descriptions of the French hills and of human nature. The main take away from the book however is the duality within us; there is a thin line between man and beast.
In 1914 the war broke out and all the healthy men and animals were requisitioned, leaving only the women, children and elderly to fend for themselves. This was except for the German lion tamer whose presence, along with his cats, haunted the villagers below. Up on the hills the German and Joséphine, a recently widowed woman, discovered and indulged in their primal attraction to each other, however, danger wasn’t far away. In 2017 Lise chooses this location so she can focus on herself and reconnect with nature. All she wants to do is meditate, paint, and take in the beauty she sees in her surroundings. Franck however is a film producer and feels like he should be reachable at all times, so immediately struggles at the thought of complete isolation. He is so reliant on his technology that he goes to the next town in search for signal, or any form of communication with the modern world. To Lise the isolation was perfect; to Franck it was hell. This is until Franck gets chosen by a wild dog he names Alpha, who is half dog, half wolf. Alpha obeys his every word and seems to know what Franck wants him to do. It is Alpha who reconnects him with nature and introduces him to its sinister and savage side.
Nature, as I’ve mentioned before, is one of my favourite themes, especially when it has such an immersive and domineering quality as it does in this book. The landscape is described as being so picturesque and that you can see for miles; no connection to the modern world in sight. Some characters, like Lise, are escaping to the solitude of nature; some are escaping from the brutality of nature. Nature appears to have contagious animalist qualities that infect those who are in it, which consequently makes them wild, for example Franck rediscovering his love of meat, and his savage revenge plot. Along with nature comes both an abundance of sound and silence. Sounds come from the big cats roaring through the night, or the circle of life happening in the darkness of the shadows. Silence comes from the lack of industrialisation, and human connection. The silence to the villagers was a constant reminder of the men they have lost to the war, to Lise it was perfect for her mediation; to Franck it meant complete isolation.
Wild Dog immerses us deep within nature, a beautiful vastness of space but with hidden oppressive danger. The writing is rich and beautiful, albeit slightly repetitive, with long descriptions of the French hills and of human nature. The main take away from the book however is the duality within us; there is a thin line between man and beast.
viri's review against another edition
4.0
*granpa’s recommendation* i really enjoyed this book it had some great topics like vegetarianism, humanity and yeah... i liked the two time line thingy. and the characters as well. just a good book.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
3.0
Disclaimer: I won an ARC via a giveaway on Librarything. I am also reading the book in translation.
Franck and his wife Lise go the middle of nowhere to spend time away, and as always in these situations, thing happen. Some of the things are tied to what happened in the same area over 100 years, during the first World War. That is the start of the novel which unfolds in 2017 and 1915.
The book has strong promise, yet doesn’t quite live up to it. The biography of Joncour indicts that he is a screenwriter, and this book does almost beg to made into a film or mini-series. To be honest, for a thriller, the book isn’t that thrilling. While I never want to not finish the book, it was a book you could quite easily put down and walk away from for quite a bit. (In half the amount of time it took me to read this 300+ page book, I made 200+ pages into different book).
Part of this is the structure. While the dual narratives do provide or provoke curiosity, the two timelines are not equally interesting. The 1915 narrative was the strong of the two. Part of this has to do with the better sense of setting and place. Another reason is that the characters and the situation were more compelling. The 1915 narrative concerns the town during the war as well as the strange German who takes shelter in the area. He has five big cats. And how exactly does he feed them?
The 2017 narrative about Lise and Franck pales a bit in comparison. Part of this is because the sense of place is not as acute. This could be in part because such a strong sense is done in the 1915 sections. However, given the 100 years difference in time period, the sense of place would have changed somewhat, gotten spookier or something. Yet this does not get much description. Additionally, the modern narrative at first sounds like it is going to be Lise’s, but than it becomes almost solely Franck’s. Lise becomes a presence, not even a Muse, though it almost seems like she was/is intended to be one.
This isn’t to say that Josephine, the woman from the 1915 narrative is much better. If Joncour had mention her attractiveness one more time, especially in how she thought about it, I was going to smack the nearest person up side the head. Despite this, Josephine is still more of a character than Lise, who just seems to be there.
Franck who controls and dominates the modern narrative, isn’t all that developed either. The change in him doesn’t quite work, though it is central to the plot. And the dog. I get the dog and the symbolism. But the dog doesn’t quite work either, even if you see it has a symbol of the half wild state that we should be.
That said, it isn’t a bad book. There are good passages. You do have some curiosity about what happens. The 1915 sections are very good. The idea has promise. It just doesn’t quite gel.
Franck and his wife Lise go the middle of nowhere to spend time away, and as always in these situations, thing happen. Some of the things are tied to what happened in the same area over 100 years, during the first World War. That is the start of the novel which unfolds in 2017 and 1915.
The book has strong promise, yet doesn’t quite live up to it. The biography of Joncour indicts that he is a screenwriter, and this book does almost beg to made into a film or mini-series. To be honest, for a thriller, the book isn’t that thrilling. While I never want to not finish the book, it was a book you could quite easily put down and walk away from for quite a bit. (In half the amount of time it took me to read this 300+ page book, I made 200+ pages into different book).
Part of this is the structure. While the dual narratives do provide or provoke curiosity, the two timelines are not equally interesting. The 1915 narrative was the strong of the two. Part of this has to do with the better sense of setting and place. Another reason is that the characters and the situation were more compelling. The 1915 narrative concerns the town during the war as well as the strange German who takes shelter in the area. He has five big cats. And how exactly does he feed them?
The 2017 narrative about Lise and Franck pales a bit in comparison. Part of this is because the sense of place is not as acute. This could be in part because such a strong sense is done in the 1915 sections. However, given the 100 years difference in time period, the sense of place would have changed somewhat, gotten spookier or something. Yet this does not get much description. Additionally, the modern narrative at first sounds like it is going to be Lise’s, but than it becomes almost solely Franck’s. Lise becomes a presence, not even a Muse, though it almost seems like she was/is intended to be one.
This isn’t to say that Josephine, the woman from the 1915 narrative is much better. If Joncour had mention her attractiveness one more time, especially in how she thought about it, I was going to smack the nearest person up side the head. Despite this, Josephine is still more of a character than Lise, who just seems to be there.
Franck who controls and dominates the modern narrative, isn’t all that developed either. The change in him doesn’t quite work, though it is central to the plot. And the dog. I get the dog and the symbolism. But the dog doesn’t quite work either, even if you see it has a symbol of the half wild state that we should be.
That said, it isn’t a bad book. There are good passages. You do have some curiosity about what happens. The 1915 sections are very good. The idea has promise. It just doesn’t quite gel.
rhirhireader's review against another edition
1.0
Wild Dog... anyone read this? Now It's quite difficult to get into I won't lie. It's a translated book and sometimes I could just feel that barrier from its original language.
The vibe of the book has a subtle eerie undertone that I enjoyed. There are two story lines that alternate between chapters.. one is a French village and the effects it has on the residents and wild life at the beginning of WW1. The other is the same location but the village is gone, a house or 'gîte' stands alone in the wilderness, and a modern couple in late 2000's take a small vacation to get away from the hussle of life. Here they are faced with something extra ordinary, something wild and calm. It watches and follows their every move. .
Not an easy read, I found the chapters in 2017 easier to follow. For me the plot wasn't solid enough and i felt it moved too slowly. This would look good on the big screen i think. Thank you kindly to @gallicbooks for this #gifted
The vibe of the book has a subtle eerie undertone that I enjoyed. There are two story lines that alternate between chapters.. one is a French village and the effects it has on the residents and wild life at the beginning of WW1. The other is the same location but the village is gone, a house or 'gîte' stands alone in the wilderness, and a modern couple in late 2000's take a small vacation to get away from the hussle of life. Here they are faced with something extra ordinary, something wild and calm. It watches and follows their every move. .
Not an easy read, I found the chapters in 2017 easier to follow. For me the plot wasn't solid enough and i felt it moved too slowly. This would look good on the big screen i think. Thank you kindly to @gallicbooks for this #gifted
silverliningsandpages's review against another edition
5.0
This is an intelligent, elegant and sensual literary thriller, which I think has great potential to be a bestseller and also adapted for the screen.
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The narrative is told in dual timeline, which often frustrates me as I tend to prefer one story line over the other, but I enjoyed both equally.
.
A Parisian couple rent a run down holiday cottage in a French hillside, an area nicknamed “the Black Triangle” for its remoteness. Its isolation is exactly what Lise craves after recovering from serious illness. Her husband Franck is unsettled by the primeval forest, its dark secrets and the lack of phone signal especially now he suspects his younger business partners are plotting against him. There is a brooding, menacing atmosphere; the locals are hostile and superstitious, and a powerful beast, half-wolf, half-dog emerges from the woods, seeking a new master. The scars on the land and dark past of the local village become more inherent as the couple discover what happened during WW1, when an enigmatic lion tamer took refuge in the hills.
.
This is a haunting story which interweaves with folklore; it is an elegy to the fallen during WW1 and homage to the mystery and transformative power of nature. It’s also a study of duality, the conflict of tenderness versus cruelty, and the characters’ self-discovery in overcoming isolation.
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Last few points - the translation is wonderful and I liked how this male author explores and reveres the subtle strength of women during and after wartime.
- excellent book, and just the right side of disquieting eeriness for me!
.
Thank you very much @gallicbooks for this #gifted review copy.
.
The narrative is told in dual timeline, which often frustrates me as I tend to prefer one story line over the other, but I enjoyed both equally.
.
A Parisian couple rent a run down holiday cottage in a French hillside, an area nicknamed “the Black Triangle” for its remoteness. Its isolation is exactly what Lise craves after recovering from serious illness. Her husband Franck is unsettled by the primeval forest, its dark secrets and the lack of phone signal especially now he suspects his younger business partners are plotting against him. There is a brooding, menacing atmosphere; the locals are hostile and superstitious, and a powerful beast, half-wolf, half-dog emerges from the woods, seeking a new master. The scars on the land and dark past of the local village become more inherent as the couple discover what happened during WW1, when an enigmatic lion tamer took refuge in the hills.
.
This is a haunting story which interweaves with folklore; it is an elegy to the fallen during WW1 and homage to the mystery and transformative power of nature. It’s also a study of duality, the conflict of tenderness versus cruelty, and the characters’ self-discovery in overcoming isolation.
.
Last few points - the translation is wonderful and I liked how this male author explores and reveres the subtle strength of women during and after wartime.
- excellent book, and just the right side of disquieting eeriness for me!
.
Thank you very much @gallicbooks for this #gifted review copy.
westwords's review
3.0
Novelist and screenwriter Serge Joncour brings us a dual narrative set in a small, rural town high up in the French mountains with Wild Dog, his first novel to appear in English.
Full review on my blog - https://wanderingwestswords.wordpress.com/2020/04/13/wild-dog-serge-joncour/ and Crime Fiction Lover https://crimefictionlover.com/2020/04/wild-dog-by-serge-joncour/
Full review on my blog - https://wanderingwestswords.wordpress.com/2020/04/13/wild-dog-serge-joncour/ and Crime Fiction Lover https://crimefictionlover.com/2020/04/wild-dog-by-serge-joncour/