That Mad Ache

by Françoise Sagan and Douglas R. Hofstadter

Book Overview

That Mad Ache, set in high-society Paris in the mid-1960's, recounts the emotional battle unleashed in the heart of Lucile, a sensitive but rootless young woman who finds herself caught between her carefree, tranquil love for 50-year-old Charles, a gentle, reflective, and well-off businessman, and her sudden wild passion for 30-year-old Antoine, a hot-blooded, impulsive, and struggling editor. As Lucile explores these two versions of love,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0465010989
• ISBN13: 9780465010981
• Release Date: May 2009
• Publisher: Basic Books
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.6" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Invigorating, thoughtful, truthful...

Understanding intimate entanglements of different sorts is the key, in life and in this thoughtful piece of writing. It is a ride on Sagan's wave of emotions, romantic and rational.

Prose poetry

To luxuriate in lovely language, to visit another time, another place, another mindset, check out this new translation of "La Chamade." Lucile is a one-of-a-kind character, but Sagan's writing, and Hofstadter's translation, make her accessible even to those of us who couldn't imagine, on our own, living the type of life she leads. Like the end of a good mystery, her final choice is at once surprising and predictable. A good read. (Almost as interesting is the appended 100-page essay on the art of translation.)