Litsy

How Proust Can Change Your Life | Alain de Botton

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Gently humorous short book on how Proust viewed topics like suffering, expressing emotions, being a friend, seeing beauty in ordinary things, etc. Very readable.

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KCofKaysville

How Proust Can Change Your Life | Alain de Botton

I am still not actually reading Proust but books that refer to it. Also I am trying to learn some French in case I can do it that way, but I like the language anyway since English is so much made from it.

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KCofKaysville

In Search of Lost Time: Swann's Way: A Graphic Novel | Marcel Proust

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It has great art and gives a pretty good idea of what the first book in Proust‘s epic novel is about. Time and memory and lost chidhood and people known and what love is about. Not sure if I will read the whole thing. Anyone read it?

Dilara I did: 3 decades ago when I was pregnant & at home with free time. I loved Swann's Way. I liked the first half of La recherche better than the later books. It makes sense to read the whole thing because it's built as a whole, with the second half mirroring the first, but at the time I found getting to the end a bit of a slog because, inevitably given its construction, it became a bit repetitive, and its presentation of homosexuality was dated. 2mo

KCofKaysville @Dilara Thanks. I may just read the first one, Swann‘s Way, since I have a copy. 2mo

AnneCecilie I have and finished a couple of years ago. My favorites was the first book and the third book. The first book had a lot of references to different places in Paris and I love Paris. The third book focused more on art. 2mo

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Dilara @KCofKaysville Let us know how it goes! 😁 2mo

KCofKaysville @AnneCecilie Thanks for the comment! 2mo

CarolynM I read it a long time ago, but I didn‘t make it all the way through, I gave up somewhere in the 5th book when I got really irritated with Marcel. I enjoyed the first 4, though. 2mo

KCofKaysville @CarolynM I may just stick with the first one! Thanks. 2mo

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KCofKaysville

In Search of Lost Time: Swann's Way: A Graphic Novel | Marcel Proust

Started a graphic novel of Proust. This will help me know if I should read the whole series or not or give me a taste of it.

Tkimsal I almost purchased this a few times. Will look for your review. 2mo

KCofKaysville @Tkimsal I found it at a local Library. Was thinking there may be a graphic novel on Proust and there was! (edited) 2mo

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Mattsbookaday

In The Absence Of Men | Philippe BESSON

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In the Absence of Men, by Philippe Besson (2007, transl. 2025)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Premise: In 1916 Paris, a queer teenager experiences love for the first time in very different relationships with a middle-aged writer and a soldier on leave from the War.

Review: Once again, Philippe Besson has demonstrated his knack for exceptional, short, melancholic, queer fiction. Cont.

Mattsbookaday This excels in evoking both a moment—Paris during WWI—and a time in life—the first experience of real adult relationships. I have to say the ending involves a revelation that felt unearned and silly to me, but overall this was a great success.

Bookish Pair: Besson‘s previous book translated into English was Lie with Me (2017, transl. 2019) (edited) 4mo

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Dilara

Proust, roman familial | Laure Murat

Literary memoirs are my favourite: I am halfway through Laure Murat's essay on Proust's In Search of Lost Time, which she realised when she read it aged 20, described her milieu (the French aristocracy), was partly based on members of her family, & is as relevant now as it was then. She walks us through the parallels & is pitiless about their flaws. She was rejected when she came out as lesbian & feels a kinship with Proust, who was gay.
#LGBTQ

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