Cover Image

Daughters beyond command

by Olmi, Véronique,

Format: Print Book 2022
Availability: Unavailable 0 of 2 copies

Unavailable (2)
Location Collection Status
CLP - Allegheny Fiction IN TRANSIT
Location  CLP - Allegheny
 
Collection  Fiction
 
Status  IN TRANSIT
 
 
CLP - Main Library First Floor - World Fiction ON HOLDSHELF
Location  CLP - Main Library
 
Collection  First Floor - World Fiction
 
Status  ON HOLDSHELF
 
 

Summary

An absorbing bildungsroman that tells the story of three sisters during a decade of radical societal transformation

Three sisters were born into a modest Catholic family in Aix-en-Provence. Sabine, the eldest, dreams of an artist's life in Paris; Hélène, the middle girl, grows up divided between the bourgeois environment of Neuilly-sur-Seine and the simple life led by her parents; Mariette, the youngest, learns the secrets and silences of a dazzling and crazy world.

In 1970, French society is changing. Women have emancipated themselves whilst men have lost their bearings, and the three sisters, each in their own way, find ways to live a life of their own--a strong life, far from the morality, education, and the religion of their childhood.

This family chronicle, which takes us from the May 1968 protests to the 1981 elections, is as much a tender and tragic stroll through the 20th century as it is the chronicle of an era, where consciousnesses are awakening to the upheaval of the world, and heralding the chaos to come.

Published Reviews
Booklist Review: "In this poignant, emotionally engrossing coming-of-age story set in the 1970s, noted French playwright and novelist Olmi chronicles the impact of rapidly changing cultural mores on a modest Catholic family in Aix-en-Provence. Sabine, the eldest sister, dreams of moving to Paris to become an actress. Hélène, caught between her family and a wealthy aunt and uncle, finds purpose in fighting for animal rights. Mariette, her sisters gone and her parents drifting apart, watches and listens, seeking a way through the turmoil. Their mother, Agnès, "astonished to find herself the guardian of an empty temple," pushes back at being defined as wife and mother. Meanwhile, Bruno, their kindhearted father, is dismayed by the rise of personal freedom over traditional values and gender roles. The context of Daughters is distinctly French, but Olmi's eloquent, authentic portrayals of the rich inner life of adolescence transcend time and geography, and her depiction of social upheaval around women's rights, sexuality, and cultural conflict resonates today: "Nothing will change, [assert the] adults. Everything can change, [declare the] young." Indeed."
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Publisher's Weekly Review: "In Olmi's sprawling family saga (after Beside the Sea), three sisters grow up in 1970s Aix-en-Provence while seeking independence from the stifling morals, education, and Catholicism of their parents. When middle sister Hélène, a vegetarian, refuses to dissect a frog in school, her older sister Sabine mockingly calls her a defender of animal rights. Later, with the rise of reproductive rights, women's liberation movements, and a factory rebellion, the sisters debate animal rights, and Hélène argues with her mother about green politics and studies biology in college. Meanwhile, Sabine aspires to be an actor in the fickle theater world of Paris, and asthmatic Mariette, the youngest, keeps the shattering secrets of their parents' wobbly marriage as she watches their mother assert herself as one of the country's few female mail carriers. The leisurely pacing takes getting used to, but Olmi does a lovely job at blending historic moments with the characters' personal touchstones without letting one overtake the other. For patient readers, Olmi's panoramic vision packs in plenty of rewards. (Jan.)"
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Additional Information
Subjects France -- History -- 20th century -- Fiction.
Bildungsromans.
Historical fiction.
Domestic fiction.
Publisher New York, NY :Europa Editions,2022
Other Titles Les évasions particulières.
Contributors Anderson, Alison, translator.
Language English
Notes Translation of: Les évasions particulières.
Description 483 pages ; 21 cm
ISBN 9781609457907
1609457900
Other Classic View