Reviews

Bel-Ami by Guy de Maupassant

ysouillelagrenouille's review against another edition

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1.0

LE CALVAIRE EST ENFIN TERMINÉ sérieusement un des pires livres que j'ai jamais lu ne vous fatiguez pas à le lire (en particulier si vous êtes militant.e vous allez enrager)

krisandthesea's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

cec7le's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

jessicavf's review against another edition

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funny slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

vitsa's review against another edition

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4.0

It took me a long while to finish this but now that I finally have I cannot express the joy I'm feeling. Maupassant's writing style is simply masterful and everyone should read at least something of his.

Setting
Maupassant describes the world of 19th century Paris in such beautiful and captivating detail that I couldn't help but be completely enchanted by it.

Characters
Georges in his ruthless ambition grows to be a quite unpleasant individual. It seems as though he will stop at nothing to achieve greatness, and reading about his ascent is quite interesting.
The various ladies of the novel are quite likeable and sympathetic.
Madeleine seems to be making the most of a male dominated world.
Clodete is quite likeable in that she seems to be person Georges actually loves so we get a positively biased view of her.
Poor Mme Walter while slightly irritating at times is also very sympathetic.

Relationships
Georges is quite pragmatic in how he pursues his prey - it makes for an interesting read.

Plot
Quite simply it is a book about a man's desire for power and influence and about his journey towards achieving that.

jesuisfarouche's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

abnormalreader's review against another edition

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adventurous funny fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

hankersore's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced

4.75

anastassia31's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

danaabouali's review against another edition

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medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5