Product Description

'Monsieur de Maupassant has never before been so clever.' Henry James Henry James's admiration for 'this masterly little novel' has been echoed throughout the twentieth century by readers of Pierre et Jean. It marked a turning-point in the development of French fiction, situated as it is between traditional social realism and the psychological novel. It is recognized as a classic study of filial jealousy, triggered by one of the two brothers of its title finding himself the sole inheritor of the fortune of his mother's former lover. Pierre et Jean is set in Le Havre in the 1880s and is notable for its evocation of the Normandy coastline captured by the Impressionists. But Maupassant's achievement is to have woven from this simple plot in a maritime context a brilliantly crafted exploration of the complexities at the heart of family life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #260643 in Books
• Published on: 2001-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

Customer Reviews

an understated masterpiece
a masterpiece from a master stylist -- this book has it all. beautiful prose and psychological tension combine in a rip-roaring tale that will have you thundering through the pages in a vicarious roller-coaster ride to the shattering finale. never has jealousy been explored so exactingly. although bel-ami remains my favourite de maupassant novel (pierre et jean is essentially an extended short story) this small book is immensely satisfying, to be enjoyed like a fine, french wine.

Little gem
A little gem of a short novel from this author much more renowned for his short stories. It simply concerns the jealousy between two brothers that arises when a friend of their parents dies and leaves all his money to one of the brothers, but is very simply and well told.