Reviews

She Came to Stay by Simone de Beauvoir

yarnmaus's review against another edition

dark reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.25

katu's review against another edition

dark emotional tense

• Loveable characters? No

4.5

cindylikestoread's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This is the third De Beauvoir novel I have finished, after first reading The Woman Destroyed and then The Inseparables. If I had to, they would be ranked in the same order they were read. I have grown fond of De Beauvoir's writing, despite its flaws, she is able to speak the thoughts women (especially in her time) were taught to suppress and that I, myself, often don't find the words for. With all of this said, a few of the things in the book did bother me; it felt redundant at times, as if it could have been shorter because the same plot line would happen time and time again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm

Moderate: Drug abuse and Suicide

san_dra's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Abandonment and War

flower's review against another edition

just wanted to shake francoise and tell her to just remove herself from the situation with pierre and xaviere and let them hash it out themselves but oh well 😭 girl, it's not worth the emotional tumult tbh.

tomleetang's review against another edition

3.0

Tyrannies of love, Tyrannies of society, Tyrannies of life generally. Everything is suffocating and lays a claim to our freedom.

I initially whizzed through this book, but the last third was a slog - and I think it comes down to this: the 'love' triangle was completely incomprehensible to me. The older intellectual elites, Pierre and Francoise (said to be modeled on Sartre and Beauvoir), dote on country bumpkin Xaviere, but even if she was the most gorgeous girl alive, her continuous tantrums and abrupt mood changes, while not unrealistic in themselves, are unrealistically made lovable.

In the general way the novel ponders how one depends on love and attention as a crutch to self-worth, the shifting power dynamics contained within relationships and (more broadly) how to attain meaning in life, I was enthralled. But within the specific context of these individuals, I found the whole affair unconvincing.

bookstabulous's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

4.0

r0sem4rie's review against another edition

4.0

So elegantly pretty, a little long and boring but the prose was stunning

rhysdri's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

kumipaul's review

dark emotional 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

Sometimes insufferable Xaviere just seemed too....well, insufferable. But people like that actually exist. The trio of main characters were intellectually interesting, and each of them had their overly annoying moments. But de Beauvoir's writing went straight to my heart, and I felt that I was right there in the room with them. Finally, a rather unexpected ending, which I can't really disagree with.