748. The Lover

The Lover
Marguerite Duras
1984
Around 120 pages

Thank you Marguerite Duras for giving me hope. Duras published this novel when she was 70. That means I have at least 42 years to come up with something worthwhile to put on the page. Of course, she had a long and successful career before this, but that's irrelevant.

There are two published versions of The Lover: one written in the form of an autobiography, the other, called The North China Lover and released in conjunction with the film adaptation. I read the first version, because that version felt more self-contained. In 1929, a 15-year-old girl is traveling by ferry across the Mekong Delta, returning from a holiday to her boarding school in Saigon. She attracts the attention of a 27-year-old son of a Chinese business magnate, the heir to a fortune. He strikes up a conversation with the girl, and she becomes his lover.

Duras is a beautiful writer, but I found myself largely unmoved by the action of the story. Maybe we have seen this plot one too many times. Teenage girl gets seduced by much older man, and nobody is really asking why the man is attracted to a child in the first place. But I love some of her phrases, with one of my favorite quotes coming from the very first page: "very early in my life it was too late."

So another story about a loss of innocence that didn't make much of an impression, but passed enjoyably enough.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Translated into 43 languages.

UP NEXT: The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis by Jose Saramago

591. The Vice-Consul

The Vice-Consul
Marguerite Duras
1965
Around 170 pages

Almost at the big 6 hundo. I'm looking forward to the reaching that milestone, even if we have to get through some dreck first. Ahem. Georges Perec.

The novel is set in Calcutta, and Duras does an excellent job making us feel that steamy monsoon heat that would make me completely miserable. Our main squeezes here are Anne-Marie Stretter, the beautiful wife of a French ambassador, and the former Vice-Consul of Lahore, an awkward, loner guy who likes to throw tantrums. Oh, and there's a mysterious beggar whose presence in India intrigues all the Europeans.

I wasn't that impressed with The Ravishing of Lol Stein, and I felt similarly here. It felt like the book promised more than it delivered, although like I said, she nailed the setting very well. Not offensive, just not particularly memorable.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Duras signed the Manifesto of the 343, thereby publicly announcing that she had had an abortion.

UP NEXT: The Magus by John Fowles

578. The Ravishing of Lol Stein

The Ravishing of Lol V. Stein
Marguerite Duras
1964
Around 180 pages

Well, this is certainly a more intriguing title than what we got with Herzog, or simply the letter V. This wasn't fantastic, but it still made for a refreshing change of pace.

Lol Stein is engaged at the age of 19 to Michael Richardson (no, not that Michael Richardson). He ends up leaving her for an older woman, proving that the name is cursed with douchebaggery. She bounces back with a musician and has three kids, but she's not exactly over it, and returns to her hometown.

I was hoping there would be a bit more ravishing in this. I thought the point of view was intriguing, but the style was a bit mystical and detached for my taste, particularly when you are dealing with such emotional characters. 

We won't have another female author for awhile, so enjoy this while you can!

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Samuel Beckett regarded first hearing the radio play "The Square" as a significant moment in his life.

UP NEXT: Arrow of God by Chinua Achebe