Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #79355 in Books
• Published on: 2001-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 640 pages

Customer Reviews

Insight
I came across these novels in my early teens as an excellent BBC television drama, and was very moved by them. I have since read the text, and to this day I find they are emotive, intelligent, descriptive and have creative power and suggestion. It is a shame that these pieces of work are not celebrated nor recognised for their insight into the 'female condition'. They are a portrait of their time, a reflection on the developing consciousness of feminine politics and still (I believe) have relevance for modern women today, who wish to explore context, history and sensibility. From a spiritual perspective they question and explore further issues that we are still working through and questioning.

A Victorian era rebellious coming of age story.
I came across this collection by mistake, just recently. I was shocked that I had not read or even heard of it before. "The Complete Claudine" consists of four books. The first, "Claudine at School" was the first of Colette's novels and was an immediate success when released between 1900 and 1907. It is followed by "Claudine in Paris", "Claudine Married", and "Claudine and Annie". The books are semi-autobiographical and depict the life of a young girl (Claudine) through to adulthood. The first book shapes Claudine into a daring and sometimes naughty, sometimes mean, girl. A perfect start to a character that, as a reader, you grow to love for her sheer audacity. If you put the book/s in to the context of the period (early 20th Century ) they really are shocking. As Mme Claudine mixes with the Parisian socialites of the period, she so shamelessly shuns the dictates of social propriety that she manages to gain the attentions of both men and women, effortlessly - she is merely being herself. By the end of this book, if you haven't fallen in love with Claudine and her little Fanchette, or, laughed out loud at the scenes at Arriege (a health spa), I'd be surprised. I thought this collection was great and will definitely make an effort to read some of Colette's other works.

Exquisite stories of a woman's coming of age
I first read the Claudine novels when I was at school and so was delighted the find them re-issued and in one volume. This is an exquisite collection and wonderfully translated. Claudine grows from a schoolgirl with her first crushes to a married woman coming to terms with her own sexuality and independence while struggling to keep her marriage to her adored and adoring husband together.

With so much trash being published, these books are a reminder of what literature should be.