Dans le jardin de l'ogre (French Edition)

…continues the traditions of Mrs. Bovery.“It is the moment that she prefers. That which precedes the first kiss, the nudity, the intimate caresses. The floating moment when all is still possible and where she is mistress of the magic.” Leila Slimani provides a beautiful description of that glorious prelude, when the hook has been set, deep in his brain. Leonard Cohen added the icing-on-the-cake detail, one that tinkles and is much appreciated: “…many men have loved the bell that you have fastened to the rein…”.The first work of Leila Slimani that I read was “Sexe et Mensonges” (Sex and Lies), which I reviewed in December 2020. It concerned the sexual morals in Morocco today, so heavily marinated in stunning hypocrisy, as the title indicates. There were strong parallels with my own Catholic upbringing in the United States in the 1950’s and early ‘60’s, Although I only gave the book 4-stars in my review, I indicated I would read another of Slimani’s work, and thus I started with her first novel, “Dans Le Jardin de L’Ogre,” which was published in 2016, when Slimani was 35.Slimani commences with a rapid succession of touchstones that resonated: two epigraphs, one from Anna Akhmatova, and a quote from Milan Kundera’s “The Unbearable Lightness of Being.” These are followed by a mention of la place de Clichy on the novel’s first page, though no connection was made with dear ol’ Henry, who, I know, I’ve never learned to appreciate, or so I have been told. Adele, Robinson, that is, who is married to an oblivious, hard-working doctor, Richard Robinson, stops by Adam’s place, at 8 am, on her way to work, to grab a “quickie,” (remember those?) on her way to work. As Slimani says: “Their hug was neither obscene enough, nor tender enough.” Yes, a fair critique of the downside to those visceral quickies. Adele and Richard have a three-year-old daughter, Lucien.This Kindle edition of the novel contains the following one-sentence summation by the critic Leonard Billot writing in “Stylist”: “A novel fierce and visceral on sexual addiction and its implacable consequences.” I question the word “implacable” since there are numerous denouements, including a long continuation. But as for “addiction,” there is no question. The fellow-travelers for such a life include “joyless,” subterfuge by many a “mensonges,” and that continued search for “…that card so high and wild she’d never have to draw another,” to paraphrase Leonard.Slimani alternates a lot of couplings with Adele’s life as a journalist, often making up stories citing “anonymous sources,” a skill transfer from her sexual life. Flashbacks are provided that detail Adele’s hardscrabble life and loss of virginity at 15 in grim Boulogne-sur-mer. Richard’s more affluent parents live in Liseaux, Normandy, so close to Bovary’s old homestead. The Noel holiday period is depicted in both locales. Can village life in Normandy provide rehabilitation and relief from the many temptations in Paris?A most memorable movie cover tried to capture that moment that precedes… the one of magic, when Mrs. Robinson is demonstratively pulling on her stocking, and that very young, befuddled Dustin Hoffman is standing in the door, pondering the possibilities. “…stroll around the grounds until you feel at home…it’s a little secret just the Robinson’s affair, most of all you’ve got to hide it from the kids…”Slow Food is a movement in France. May the same be true of slow sex con brillo et joie. Can those Normandy “grounds” provide that same rehab for our latest Mrs. Robinson? 5-stars for Slimani’s debut novel.

Je continue à ne pas quitter ’’Dans le jardin de l’Ogre’’ de Leila Slimani’’. Cette auteure nous décrit divinement bien Adèle, et toute sa souffrance de nymphomane. On peut lire : ‘’ Adèle a fait un enfant pour la même raison qu’elle s’est mariée. Pour appartenir au monde et se protéger de toute différence avec les autres. En devenant épouse et mère, elle s’est nimbée d’une aura de respectabilité que personne ne peut lui enlever. Elle s’est construit un refuge pour les soirs d’angoisse et un repli confortable pour les jours de débauche.’’

Great book -

Excellent read. Looking forward to Chanson Douce. Very good. Atmospheric. Would have preferred it never. Left me empty of emotion. Wasted!

Leïla Slimani entre dans la peau, le cœur, la chair et les entrailles de nous, pauvres êtres humains perdus dans cette univers sans début et sans fin.

Un tres bon livre qui donne toutes sortes d'explications sur la sexualite...

Easy read. Not a satisfying story in my opinion.

Slimani's style is extremely precise, fast, and psychologically profound. However, I don't understand the very motivation for the construction of such a wrotten character. The totally negative superficiality of the main person Adèle makes me ask why that should be of any interest. Adèle is a catastrophic construction. Does she reflect Leila's own potential pathologies? I adore Leila's prose, but the contents are at best a case for psychiatry, although Leila in her interview calls the novel a love story. She seemingly has no idea about love.

And then you’ll know what you’re up against. A very interesting study of what it means to be a woman in the 21st-century.

Very gripping. The author doesn't always take the reader where she/he wants to go but it is impossible not to follow and is always rewarding. I am now looking forward to reading the next book

Impossible de le lâcher, on vit l’histoire avec elle, chaque mot, chaque phrase est une addiction. Bravo pour un livre si réel

Roman envoutant !

She’s one of the most exciting and intelligent writers today