Stephanie Jane reviewed Bonjour tristesse by Françoise Sagan
Hasn't dated well
3 stars
I can imagine how shocking Bonjour Tristesse must have been to a 1950s audience, but I don't think that it has dated well. It is essentially a very early Young Adult novella. Its protagonist, our narrator Cecile, is such a spoilt hedonist that I couldn't empathise with her at all and the other characters are disappointingly shallowly portrayed. The storyline did hold my interest, but I couldn't help repeatedly wondering if this book was written now whether it would even get to publication, let alone become such a classic. Its reputation means I am glad to have finally read Bonjour Tristesse, but to the claims for its brilliance that usually centre around Sagan only having been seventeen when she wrote this I would reply that yes, that shows!