A review by lanternheart
Dangerous Liasons, by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
4.0
I read this novel through Dangerous Liasons Daily, where it was sent to me in real time through its epistolary form to my email. Though it took some time to ensnare me, I was surprised to see its end when the tale of Cécile and those about her landed its final editor's note in my inbox. I was at turns fascinated, appalled (largely at Valmont, who else?), sympathetic and truly surprised!
The tale is a moral one, but the revenge of those morals truly only comes at the story's end — with the fates of Valmont, his Madame, Cécile, and her Danceny. For all the ridicule she faced earlier in the text, the death of de Tourvel really is moving once you get to her death — raped and strung along and violated and betrayed, she can't cope under the weight of Valmont's influence. I can't say I blame her, since the fates of most lovers in this story are deeply unhappy ones.
It was truly sickening to see Cécile's grooming and rape by Valmont, and I'm grateful that I read the book in a format where I could see content warnings beforehand. The contrast between Cecile's writing and Valmont's of the same incidents speaks volumes to how young women were and are expected to handle violations of their bodies and rights by adults they are told to trust, and it was as sickening as it was moving.
The tale is a moral one, but the revenge of those morals truly only comes at the story's end — with the fates of Valmont, his Madame, Cécile, and her Danceny. For all the ridicule she faced earlier in the text, the death of de Tourvel really is moving once you get to her death — raped and strung along and violated and betrayed, she can't cope under the weight of Valmont's influence. I can't say I blame her, since the fates of most lovers in this story are deeply unhappy ones.
It was truly sickening to see Cécile's grooming and rape by Valmont, and I'm grateful that I read the book in a format where I could see content warnings beforehand. The contrast between Cecile's writing and Valmont's of the same incidents speaks volumes to how young women were and are expected to handle violations of their bodies and rights by adults they are told to trust, and it was as sickening as it was moving.