bookishwendy's review against another edition
4.0
A number of possible interpretations ran through my mind as I read Manon Lescaut. On its surface, the novel is sort of a Bonnie & Clyde romp through 18th century Paris. However, because our narrator "Clyde", the Chevalier des Grieux, relates his story with the intent of securing the money and pity of a wealthy bystander, I'm not certain just how trustworthy he is.
On the face of it, our Chevalier is a naive, lovelorn idiot. He cries a lot, falls unconscious at least three times, which is two times more than any other character in the book, to include the leading lady. If he's fishing for sympathy, he'll have a tough time with modern readers, though maybe his contemporaries took the bait. Born into a noble family, he makes the fatal mistake of falling for young Manon, a woman of a lower class. Association with her is enough for his father to cut all ties, including financial ones, from his son. Our Chevalier refuses to be fazed, and perhaps the sheer amount of crap he is willing to put up with is proof of a deeper, more touching connection between he and Manon than was at first evident.
Manon, on the other hand, is a cipher. This is where a reader's interpretation may alter the reading experience. From the outset, our Chevalier seems to lay a lot of the blame for their misfortunes on her shoulders--she's inconstant, her attention wavers, he must ply her with luxuries continuously or risk losing her. On the other hand, it's clear Manon is a practical woman of the world. She understands money as a necessity to life, a concept clearly foreign to her lover. When the young man finds himself cut off from his allowance he is clearly at a loss about how to go about making a living. Manon, however, has no compunction about wrenching the reins from her man and driving their little financial cart for a while, even if the subsequent petty crime and prostitution offends our Chevalier. At the surface, Manon might come across as an untrustworthy slut, but we never hear her side of things. An odd thought struck me, as I neared the end of the novel, that maybe the Chevalier was a stalker who relentlessly pursued Manon to the ends of the earth, while she struggled in vain to be rid of him. It's an unlikely interpretation but...as likely as all the rest, I guess.
On the face of it, our Chevalier is a naive, lovelorn idiot. He cries a lot, falls unconscious at least three times, which is two times more than any other character in the book, to include the leading lady. If he's fishing for sympathy, he'll have a tough time with modern readers, though maybe his contemporaries took the bait. Born into a noble family, he makes the fatal mistake of falling for young Manon, a woman of a lower class. Association with her is enough for his father to cut all ties, including financial ones, from his son. Our Chevalier refuses to be fazed, and perhaps the sheer amount of crap he is willing to put up with is proof of a deeper, more touching connection between he and Manon than was at first evident.
Manon, on the other hand, is a cipher. This is where a reader's interpretation may alter the reading experience. From the outset, our Chevalier seems to lay a lot of the blame for their misfortunes on her shoulders--she's inconstant, her attention wavers, he must ply her with luxuries continuously or risk losing her. On the other hand, it's clear Manon is a practical woman of the world. She understands money as a necessity to life, a concept clearly foreign to her lover. When the young man finds himself cut off from his allowance he is clearly at a loss about how to go about making a living. Manon, however, has no compunction about wrenching the reins from her man and driving their little financial cart for a while, even if the subsequent petty crime and prostitution offends our Chevalier. At the surface, Manon might come across as an untrustworthy slut, but we never hear her side of things. An odd thought struck me, as I neared the end of the novel, that maybe the Chevalier was a stalker who relentlessly pursued Manon to the ends of the earth, while she struggled in vain to be rid of him. It's an unlikely interpretation but...as likely as all the rest, I guess.
abnormalreader's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-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
3.5
evasurlafalaise's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Les personnages sans personnalités et chiants à mourir, un plot répétitif et sans grand intérêt, un rythme hyper irrégulier selon moi (un paragraphe peut aussi bien correspondre à 10 secondes ou 2ans)
Mais bref juste un jour normal à essayer d’aimer les livres qu’on fait lire en cours de français. J’attends de l’étudier pour peut être l’aimer ?
Mais bref juste un jour normal à essayer d’aimer les livres qu’on fait lire en cours de français. J’attends de l’étudier pour peut être l’aimer ?
gourdonne's review
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
viri's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
it was a very entertaining and fun read.
charliemandar's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-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
3.5
fox_thorne's review
3.0
I had to read this for school. It is old, very old, and I tend to not like old things, for some reason. The only thing that kept me reading was the obvious (to me) fact that Tiberge and Des Grieux are in love. Don't worry, this isn't a spoiler, because, like I said, it's an old book and a new interpretation that few people will share. It might solely be the way authors used to describe friendliness, but it definitely felt VERY friendly.
I had fun though, picking it apart with my modern gaze, in a way that it was DEFINITELY not meant to be.
I had fun though, picking it apart with my modern gaze, in a way that it was DEFINITELY not meant to be.
riccardocialfi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
3.75
demonikchimney's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5