The plot is deceptively simple. The main character (and narrator) Cecile, her father (a widower) and his mistress Elsa go for a vacation in the French Riviera. Spoiled and precocious, Cecile begins her first romance with a slightly older boy named Cyril. An old friend of her mother's, Anne, joins them in the Riviera. Elsa is soon cast off, and her father and Anne announce their engagement. Cecile begins plans, using Elsa and Cyril as pawns, to disrupt her father and Anne's engagement, so that she can return to her former relationship she had with her father.
Let's face it, Cecile is a two-faced, lying douche bag. I'm not saying that she doesn't have a discreet charm. She is absolutely lovely in many ways. She drinks too much, and loves to sail. She loves her father. She internalizes philosophy and lives simply. That said, Cecile manipulates those that love her into doing her often ill judged, ill timed bidding. Sagan manages to make us believe in Cecile's simplicity, and thus forgive her sins. I think that we could blame the douche bag a little more. It makes me wonder if any of this is autobiographical and she just doesn't believe that she herself has done anything wrong. The writing was a little lackluster, and I got a little tired of hearing "Oh, I know it's wrong, but selfish reason A and selfish reason B are my uninventive reasons for not giving a shit".
The content was provocative, and fast paced. It really was a nice novel. The subtlety of the narrator gives the somewhat cliched plot a new life, and the setting is just marvelous. First love on the French Riviera never felt so sandy. At 120 pages, it is a quick read, and it is a great introduction modern French lit.
Ta for now,
ET
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