Another one of the books I read for the recent 24 Hour Read-a-Thon and while not by favourite (The Graveyard Book take that title by a country mile!) it was certainly one of the most enjoyable.

The French Riviera – home to the beautiful Cecile, a precocious 17-year-old, and her father Raymond. The duo are dedicated to a life of free love, fast cars and hedonistic pleasures. But when Raymond decides to marry, he lets loose in Cecile impulses to destroy, with tragic consequences.

The novel shocked 1950′s France with its portrayal of: selfishness, ego, manipulation, jealousy and infatuation. Although, seen through the light of modern day sensibilities it is hard to find these things quite as shocking.

What is still shocking however it the the effect these thing, eventually have on Cecile and her father Raymond, as Cecile herself says, at the end of the book, Bonjour Tristesse (or Hello Sadness.)

An unsentimental and thought provoking tale, and certainly worth the short amount of time it takes to read it.

[rating:75/100]

Buy, Bonjour Tristesse (Essential Penguin), at Amazon.

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