As the title of Claudine in Paris (Claudine à Paris trans. Antonia White, 1958) suggests, Claudine has left Montigny for the capital. She is recovering from a severe illness which has seen her long hair chopped off due to matting, and she is finding it hard to adjust to her new looks and new home:
“I can’t conceive that people live in Paris for pleasure, of their own free will, but I do begin to understand that one can get interested in what goes on inside these huge six-surveyed boxes”
Some things haven’t changed: she and her father are still bonded by affection but talk at cross-purposes:
“No doubt he neglects Moliere as not being sufficiently concerned with slugs”
Claudine could be annoying: she’s precocious and pretty self-obsessed in the way teenagers can be, but I still liked her. She’s funny, she’s witty, and she’s aware of her own shortcomings:
“Claudine, old thing, will you never cure yourself of that itch to meddle in things that don’t concern you, that rather despicable little wish to show you’re artful and knowledgeable and understand heaps of things beyond your age? This urge to astonish people, this crave to disturb people’s peace of mind and upset too-placid lives will play you a nasty trick one of these days.”
Claudine finds her claims of broadminded libertarianism butting against her experience in Paris. Although she is fine with her cousin being gay, she is shocked to find an old school friend with very few prospects deciding to be kept by her old, overweight ‘uncle’.
“In your heart of hearts Claudine, you’re nothing but a common everyday decent girl.”
This short novel follows Claudine getting to know her extended family, gaining in confidence as she negotiates the city, and working out who she is growing into. It’s an affectionate portrait of someone on the brink of adulthood, showing how its possible to be childlike and a knowing adult at the same time, moving between the two in an instant.
Claudine falls in love in Paris, with someone who, as a reader, I thought wholly unsuitable. Was I right? Tomorrow I’ll let you know when I look at Claudine Married…
Ok, this is going to have a bad effect on my TBR. I *really* want to just wallow in Colette re-reads!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think that sounds like a great idea 🙂 She’s definitely a writer you can wallow in!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I so need to read more Colette, shockingly I have read just one. This sounds very appealing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s so difficult to fit in everything we want to read! I hope you enjoy Colette if you find time for her Ali – her novels are generally quite short so they can be squeezed in 🙂
LikeLike
Oooh the suspense – looking forward to tomorrow’s post. This is better than The Archers! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
😀 They are really well-paced, I think because all the Claudine novellas are short so the story just whizzes along, even though there’s plenty of descriptive writing too. Not long to wait now Liz!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I guess Colette herself chose more than one unsuitable man. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
She certainly did!
LikeLiked by 1 person