cattytrona's review against another edition
4.0
halfway through this, i thought to myself 'why are people reading contemporarily-written historical romances when they could just be reading dangerous liaisons?' which obviously is facetious, and obviously ignores the other stuff both genre and book are doing. but the fact i was able to have that thought i think gives you a good sense of how drama this book is. it's so drama. not very romantic, but only because .
it's basically unbelievable that this was written in the 1700s. and some of that is the good work the victorians did at prudifying conceptions of the entire past. but it's also unbelievably readable, and fun to read. although part of that might be the translation i read - which i would recommend. it felt like a good translation, as far as i can say that without having read the french. but the ideas and relationships and modes of expression (the most horribly mean messages, ending with the equivelant of an 'xoxo') did feel very modern, beyond the 60s even. it's amazing what a true-to-vibe adaption cruel intentions is, but that's because there's something very timeless about the scandals and fallout happening here. it's not relatable, but it's recognisable.
Spoiler
the ending is so tragic - which is, actually, quite romantic, if you're into that kind of thingit's basically unbelievable that this was written in the 1700s. and some of that is the good work the victorians did at prudifying conceptions of the entire past. but it's also unbelievably readable, and fun to read. although part of that might be the translation i read - which i would recommend. it felt like a good translation, as far as i can say that without having read the french. but the ideas and relationships and modes of expression (the most horribly mean messages, ending with the equivelant of an 'xoxo') did feel very modern, beyond the 60s even. it's amazing what a true-to-vibe adaption cruel intentions is, but that's because there's something very timeless about the scandals and fallout happening here. it's not relatable, but it's recognisable.
lilasaitplus's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
sixtine_drs's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jihyeeroy's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5⭐️
Comment faire l’éloge d’une oeuvre qui survit si bien à sa postérité, voire qui a déjà méritée ses lettres de noblesse ? Les liaisons dangereuses de Pierre Choderlos de Laclos met en scène des personnages absolument dépravés qui subissent, à raison, le sort misérable de leurs actions; quoi demander de mieux d’une histoire ? C’est une œuvre choquante et étonnante pour son époque, considérant son exploration crue du libertinage, mais elle en est d’autant plus divertissante pour ces mêmes raisons. C’est une lecture qui, je l’admets, à des longueurs, or lorsque ça dérape… il devient impossible d’en détourner le regard.
Que dire aussi de la scandaleuse Marquise de Merteuil et ses multiples citations toutes aussi cinglante que satisfaites ? «Eh bien, la guerre !» déclare-t-elle comme un refus de soumission aux hommes. Son caractère froid et impétueux était si rafraîchissant; elle demeurera sans doute le personnage féminin le plus marquant que j’aurai lu dans le canon littéraire français. Tout en condamnant ses actions, il me coûte d’admettre qu’elle exécutait sa violence avec une habileté délicieuse. I support women’s right, AND women’s wrongs.
Comment faire l’éloge d’une oeuvre qui survit si bien à sa postérité, voire qui a déjà méritée ses lettres de noblesse ? Les liaisons dangereuses de Pierre Choderlos de Laclos met en scène des personnages absolument dépravés qui subissent, à raison, le sort misérable de leurs actions; quoi demander de mieux d’une histoire ? C’est une œuvre choquante et étonnante pour son époque, considérant son exploration crue du libertinage, mais elle en est d’autant plus divertissante pour ces mêmes raisons. C’est une lecture qui, je l’admets, à des longueurs, or lorsque ça dérape… il devient impossible d’en détourner le regard.
Que dire aussi de la scandaleuse Marquise de Merteuil et ses multiples citations toutes aussi cinglante que satisfaites ? «Eh bien, la guerre !» déclare-t-elle comme un refus de soumission aux hommes. Son caractère froid et impétueux était si rafraîchissant; elle demeurera sans doute le personnage féminin le plus marquant que j’aurai lu dans le canon littéraire français. Tout en condamnant ses actions, il me coûte d’admettre qu’elle exécutait sa violence avec une habileté délicieuse. I support women’s right, AND women’s wrongs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, and Misogyny
clemence16's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
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? No
3.0
adelekittey's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-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
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual harassment, Death, Murder, Miscarriage, Gaslighting, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Infidelity
inyosi's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
pbobrit's review against another edition
4.0
This was a freebie from Audible, but turned out to be a lot of fun. It was originally put together to coincide with a Domar Theatre Co. production. It is an abridged version of the book but is well acted, with Dominic West playing the role of Valmont. A fun 3 hours of entertainment.
faust1ne's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0