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Taylor's Reviews > The Lover
The Lover
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by
Taylor's review
bookshelves: awards-and-accolades, golden-years, hey-shorty, made-for-the-screen, in-a-land-far-away, in-a-time-long-ago, just-like-a-woman, not-by-a-white-guy, own, real-people, the-power-of-love, translations, wheres-the-bedroom, women-writers, its-a-family-affair, non-fiction, fiction
Jan 31, 2016
bookshelves: awards-and-accolades, golden-years, hey-shorty, made-for-the-screen, in-a-land-far-away, in-a-time-long-ago, just-like-a-woman, not-by-a-white-guy, own, real-people, the-power-of-love, translations, wheres-the-bedroom, women-writers, its-a-family-affair, non-fiction, fiction
I already want to reread this, in one sitting, which is how it feels like it should be read. As it was, I read it in piecemeal chunks before bed, because life happened to be busy at that particular moment in time. It worked for that, too - light and airy and not too mentally taxing, like wafting through someone else's old family albums.
Duras' prose is the real star here. She could write about a garbage can or a dumpster and probably still fill it with evocative language and incredible emotion. And her life, her incredible, fascinating life. For a book called The Lover, I actually thought the titular romance was the least interesting part of the whole thing. Older men with younger women - it's all so old hat, you know? Which I don't mean as a slight to Duras at all - just that that story has been told in so many different ways, and as someone who was also once a teen girl interested in an older man (which never went anywhere, thankfully!), there's nothing about that situation that intrigues me or appeals to me. The stories of Duras' family, though, were incredible, and I would've gladly read hundreds of more pages on that.
Duras' prose is the real star here. She could write about a garbage can or a dumpster and probably still fill it with evocative language and incredible emotion. And her life, her incredible, fascinating life. For a book called The Lover, I actually thought the titular romance was the least interesting part of the whole thing. Older men with younger women - it's all so old hat, you know? Which I don't mean as a slight to Duras at all - just that that story has been told in so many different ways, and as someone who was also once a teen girl interested in an older man (which never went anywhere, thankfully!), there's nothing about that situation that intrigues me or appeals to me. The stories of Duras' family, though, were incredible, and I would've gladly read hundreds of more pages on that.
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Quotes Taylor Liked
“It’s not that you have to achieve anything, it’s that you have to get away from where you are.”
― The Lover
― The Lover
“I know it's not clothes that make women beautiful or otherwise, nor beauty care, nor expensive creams, nor the distinction of costliness of their finery. I know the problem lies elsewhere. I don't know where. I only know it isn't where women think.”
― The Lover
― The Lover
Reading Progress
January 31, 2016
–
Started Reading
January 31, 2016
– Shelved
February 1, 2016
– Shelved as:
awards-and-accolades
February 1, 2016
– Shelved as:
golden-years
February 1, 2016
– Shelved as:
hey-shorty
February 1, 2016
– Shelved as:
made-for-the-screen
February 1, 2016
– Shelved as:
in-a-land-far-away
February 1, 2016
– Shelved as:
in-a-time-long-ago
February 1, 2016
– Shelved as:
just-like-a-woman
February 1, 2016
– Shelved as:
not-by-a-white-guy
February 1, 2016
– Shelved as:
own
February 1, 2016
– Shelved as:
real-people
February 1, 2016
– Shelved as:
the-power-of-love
February 1, 2016
– Shelved as:
translations
February 1, 2016
– Shelved as:
wheres-the-bedroom
February 1, 2016
– Shelved as:
women-writers
February 11, 2016
–
51.28%
""My elder brother can't bear not being able to do evil freely, to be boss over it not only here but everywhere.""
page
60
February 16, 2016
– Shelved as:
its-a-family-affair
February 16, 2016
– Shelved as:
non-fiction
February 16, 2016
– Shelved as:
fiction
February 16, 2016
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-6 of 6 (6 new)
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message 1:
by
Kelly
(new)
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rated it 4 stars
Jul 11, 2016 05:06AM
You should read her book "On Writing". There are flaws, she is older, but from what you say here I think you would find it interesting.
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Kelly wrote: "You should read her book "On Writing". There are flaws, she is older, but from what you say here I think you would find it interesting."Good to know - was definitely wondering what other titles of hers I should look to, so will have to add that one to the list!
Lots of people also love The Ravishing of Lol Stein and Hiroshima Mon Amour is a classic, for what its worth.
Kelly wrote: "Lots of people also love The Ravishing of Lol Stein and Hiroshima Mon Amour is a classic, for what its worth."I was looking at Hiroshima Mon Amour but I may do the movie instead of the screenplay... I've been reading more screenplays/plays as of late (my book club is fond of them for whatever reason) and it's notttttt my favorite format for reading.
Yeah, I read it. It was kind of meh on the page, came off kinda flat, so probably a good call.
I can see the appeal of reading this in one sitting, but as the narrative is so fragmentary and chronologically disjointed, maybe it wouldn't make much difference?I think you're right to mention the family. That is the sadder, more compelling story in some ways.
