Someone I Loved

I read this book after seeing the move with Daniel Auteuil. I read it in French withfrequent peaks into the English version. Interestingly the author has Pierre consistentlyuse the familiar "tu" form when addressing Chloe while Chloe consistently uses the"vous" form when addressing Pierre. On the one hand this simplifies the job of thereader in keeping track of who said what. On the other hand I would have thoughtthat this asymmetry in formality was more from an era that has long passed. Maybe not.While I agree that the book is worthy from the point of view of packing a lot ofmaterial in a short space, from the point of view of spinning an elaborate tale,and from the interesting use of language, and finally by the ability to createinteresting atmospherics (which the movie faithfully rendered), in the end I findmyself not liking the book.Maybe it's just me but I find a tawdry undercurrent of incestuousness in the wayPierre relates to Chloe, in many, many ways. The whole premise of the book isa bit questionable to me - would a father-in-law really spirit away a jilteddaughter-in-law to some country retreat where they would sit by the fire whilehe gets drunk and tells her about his past romantic life? Not bloody likely,in my opinion.Also Pierre's self-pity on the one hand, and passivity on the other hand, arethings I find myself really not liking.You don't have to like the characters in a book in order to like the book, butit certainly doesn't hurt.Basically if you accept all the premises and promises the book makes, it's a fineeffort, but that's a big "if" in my opinion. I found myself wanting to take a showerafter reading it. Maybe I'm just too prudish to appreciate such fine literature, butI don't think so. I think this might be a triumph of form over substance.

Adrien leaves his wife and his father takes her to the family's country home with her children. He tells her a story of falling in love with a woman while he was married. He does not want her to leave the family.I believed the father-in-law was sincere in his desire to help his daughter-in-law through her husband's leaving. With his story he draws comparison between him and his son. He had to open himself up and shows a man that his children have never seen. He also had to take a hard look at himself. I also believe he wanted to show her she wasn't losing much but that happier times would come.This is a fast read. I enjoyed the characters. I would read more of her.

The translation was seamless. The story moved forward with the dialogue of the parties, read smoothly and delved deeply into the relationships between family and loves that enter the mix.

The theme is adultery and it's consequences for the family. Guilt ridden Pierre comes out of his shell when he feels he must defend his son's action. He maintains a very "macho" attitude that gives us a very unsatisfactory ending. I found it boring at times.

I don't care what other reviewers said. I absolutely adored this book! I love Anna Gavalda's writing. I liked this book so much that I purchased two more of her books. I have finished a second book by her and am reading a third. I've enjoyed them very much.

She is a very interesting writer.

Fast read. I had to slow myself down so I could enjoy it more. Loved the characters. Kind of dark with some great meaning.

Very good book, I truly loved it! A must read for anyone who enjoys literature, anywhere anytime >>>>>just great... bye

This book is a depiction of both sides in a break up. Certainly leaves you thinking.

A strange beginning but once I got into its rythmn, I couldn't put it down. Realistic description of human nature.