Le Divorce (William Abrahams Book)

by Diane Johnson

Book Overview

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST "If one were to cross Jane Austen and Henry James, the result would be Diane Johnson."--San Francisco ChronicleThe national bestseller and inspiration for the major motion... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0452277337
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Plume
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 2.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.8" x 5.4"

Customer Reviews

Better than the movie

This beautiful book is so much better than the movie. The ending is completely different. Like Diane Johnson's other novels, she expects her reader to be educated in literature, not just Voltaire and other French writers, but American ones, too, and even ancient Greek philosophers. If you haven't read Henry James's "The Portrait of a Lady," at least watch the movie version. Also like her other books, Johnson writes about the differences between American and French laws (obviously those concerning divorce). Her portrayal of two step-sisters is poignant. In fact, their relationship is the focus of the novel. While Isabel's idealistic sister, Roxy, gives in to weeping and feeling sorry for herself, it's really Isabel who needs to weep over her destroyed childhood. Like many children of divorce, Isabel has learned to be emotionally distant (almost like an existential film) and to be the strong American girl who can take care of herself. Isabel's falling for an older man is related to her mother's failed marriage. It's explicitly stated that Isabel takes after her mother. If her mother failed at finding love and Isabel is just like her, just think what that would do to a young woman's psyche. It's no wonder that Isabel tries to find an alternative to marriage. One reads the book to see if Isabel will suceed. I love how Johnson wrote the novel from the point of view of Isabel. It's the voice of an ingenue that captures all the levity and sadness of a young woman blossoming into an adult. I also liked the ending. The big plot question is: Will Paris defeat the sisters and send them home, or will they somehow learn to stand on their own feet and defend their ground.

Not a lipstick fluff novel

I agree with the reviewer from Amherst - this is satire. The complaints of other readers largely stem, not from the writing, but from the way the book was marketed. It was made to look like a fun, rollicking exploration of two cultures - very fast-food and mindless, like the new lines of fluff books aimed at 20-30-somethings. Two of the quotes on the back cover appear to have been written for an entirely different novel ("Sparkly novel...Alluring...Delightful...Charming tale"). Le Divorce is actually an intelligent, funny book with a distinct edge. It is not a terribly good-hearted book. It focuses on a group of American, French and English characters, none of whom are entirely likeable. This includes the narrator, a pragmatic young woman who views the people around her in a clear-eyed, unromantic way and is surprised to find herself falling in love with an elder uncle of her brother-in-law's family - or is it love? "Even as a little girl, I lacked that endearing quality of female credulousness." Her entirely conscious examination of the romantic cliches she has fallen into, and her honesty about her own and others' less admirable motives throughout the book, make this an interesting story - but not one a reader should go to for a soothing, brainless read.

This is sly satire, not broad slapstick.

Le Divorce is a novel that delivers its funniest lines deadpan. Judging by some of the indignant, even morally offended, reviews, this style clearly zings over some readers' heads. The strategies of this novel remind me of the last episode of Seinfeld. Remember how many viewers didn't find it funny? That's not because it lacked humor, but because the style of humor simply was not readable by much of the audience, who objected to the "terribleness" of the characters' moral fiber and decided that the episode went "too far." The same goes here. None of the characters is what you could call lovable, and they certainly are not realistic (neither is the plot, but since when is realism the holy grail of satire? Look at Candide!), but that doesn't mean they are not funny. At least to me. What Johnson has done particularly well is create a voice for Isabel, who narrates the novel. Isabel is a unique character. Part Santa Barbara princess and part Jane Austen, Isabel navigates her way through the odd social circles and uncomfortable familial situations she encounters in France. She is selfish and rather hedonistic, but those qualities are counterbalanced by a good-natured sweetness and keen insight. Isabel's discourse is filled with many pop culture and high literary references, so she is not exactly uncultured, though she is certainly a flake and an underachiever. But she's no brain surgeon and has enough self-awareness to know that her character flaws will probably stand in the way of her ever achieving great things or winning the approval of her family. So she does things her way, with hilarious results. Many of her observations are laugh-out-loud funny, but you have to read with attention so that you don't miss these lines that are uttered with a straight face. I think some of the novel's critics are not paying attention. Or else they find satire morally offensive. In either case, their critiques say more about them, I think, than about the book. If you are light-hearted enough to laugh at the foibles of society (even Parisian society), then you will enjoy this book.By the way, the comments about the book's being poorly written have disregarded the fact that Johnson writes as Isabel. Isabel is articulate and observant, but she is basically an ordinary American early twenty-something, and her grammar, while by no means deplorable, is not that of an English professor or bestselling novelist. This is Isabel talking the way a "real" Isabel would probably talk, not Johnson unwittingly mangling the English language. Lighten up. It's funny.

I loved this book!

Despite the negative reviews..., I really enjoyed this book. I couldn't put it down and read it in about five days. I thought it was a challenging, interesting and funny read. It covers differences between the two cultures, a little history, politics and also manages to entertain an hilarious plot wherein the characters get mixed up in all kinds of funny and sometimes scary events. I definitely recommend it!

An intelligent person's beach book

I read this book each day on the train during my trek to and from the office. I loved it. I was disappointed when my morning train ride ended and could hardly wait for the evening ride to begin. For such a pleasant read, it was packed with thought provoking passages. Her characters were interesting and fresh. I thought about it long after the train ride was over, and have a long list of friends I want to send a copy of this novel.