A Life by Guy de Maupassant

We will be meeting at the usual place, upstairs at The Shakespeare Hotel (200 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills) on March 4 at 7:00pm to discuss A Life by Guy de Maupassant.

In the English-reading world, A Life is sometimes known as A Woman's Life or by its original French title, Une Vie. Published in 1883, it is Guy de Maupassant’s debut novel, typically running between 220 and 250 pages in standard English editions.

The novel is about an innocent young aristocrat who leaves her convent education full of romantic dreams, only to encounter the harsh realities of adulthood. She enters a cold and unfaithful marriage, is betrayed by friends and her son brings financial ruin. Her loss of youthful illusion is followed by practical advice by her faithful maid, and she ultimately finds a quiet, stoic acceptance.

A Life is a foundational masterpiece of 19th-century French realism; Tolstoy regarded this novel as Maupassant's greatest achievement.

Available through bookshops and Amazon. Hard copies can be borrowed through local libraries, including Randwick, Central West [Orange], Newcastle, Wollongong and Sheffield. A soft copy can be found on Guthenberg, but is difficult to find. Copy and paste the following link with no spaces:

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/17457:~:text=%7C%2017457%20%7C%20%7C%20ISBN%20(HTML)%20%7C,%7C%20Project%20Gutenberg%20eBooks%20are%20always%20free!

We are a friendly lot and newcomers are welcome. Contact Dale at [email protected] for more info.