A Life of Her Own
Emile Carles
This is the last of Diane's book recommendations. This is a unique piece, an autobiography of a French mountain woman who was born right at the turn of the century. Her life spanned some of the most radical changes the world had ever seen, and her place in France provided a front-row seat to events such as the two world wars. The autobiography at large, however, lacks a focus and a sense of purpose. It finds both within the last two chapters, but this is too late to make the book.
This is not to say that the book isn't interesting. It is a fascinating portrait of French peasant life and some of the changes it underwent throughout the eventful 20th century. Madame Carles is not shy about adressing the changes that she feels still need to take place. Though one is not always sure why she feels the way she does, her voice is always strong and clear in its assertions. I just hoped for a bit more insight on events that made her change her mind. For example, she claims that a single man opened her eyes to the views of anarchists and pacifists that changed her forever, but she never goes into sufficient detail. She leaves it at that, assuming that the reader knows ahead of time exactly what she is talking about.
This kind of jarring discontinuity happens throughout the book, which is in dire need of a semblance of a plot line. I can deal with weird chronology, especially in an autobiography, but there are parts of this book that skipped around with no apparent logic. This only served to confuse me as to what she could possibly be referring to. The book is also quite repetitive in some of its wry observations, which obviously lose their mettle after repetition.
Despite its literary flaws, though, the content of the book can be very eye-opening and interesting at times. Madame Carles sketches a very cynical but very real portrait of the villages of the French Alps and their people. Her love for them shows through and she rarely comes across as patronizing; she truly cares about her people and genuinely wants them to open her eyes. Her career as a teacher also justifies this viewpoint. She looks at the valley as a place caught in time, resistant to change but slowly awakening. Her lack of attention to World War II illustrates how isolated a valley could indeed be even in the midst of such a wide conflict. While the war affected her life, she doesn't overly moralize, simply restating her pacifist beliefs.
The only times the book becomes overbearing are when Madame Carles emphasizes her ideas. When she is just describing events, they tend to speak for themselves wonderfully, conveyed in gripping detail and lively, personal narrative. When she begins to preach, however, I zone out completely and the work becomes slightly annoying. All in all, though, this was an intriguing and different book, a unique view on the world from an exceptional woman that was well worth reading.
Grade: B
Emile Carles
This is the last of Diane's book recommendations. This is a unique piece, an autobiography of a French mountain woman who was born right at the turn of the century. Her life spanned some of the most radical changes the world had ever seen, and her place in France provided a front-row seat to events such as the two world wars. The autobiography at large, however, lacks a focus and a sense of purpose. It finds both within the last two chapters, but this is too late to make the book.
This is not to say that the book isn't interesting. It is a fascinating portrait of French peasant life and some of the changes it underwent throughout the eventful 20th century. Madame Carles is not shy about adressing the changes that she feels still need to take place. Though one is not always sure why she feels the way she does, her voice is always strong and clear in its assertions. I just hoped for a bit more insight on events that made her change her mind. For example, she claims that a single man opened her eyes to the views of anarchists and pacifists that changed her forever, but she never goes into sufficient detail. She leaves it at that, assuming that the reader knows ahead of time exactly what she is talking about.
This kind of jarring discontinuity happens throughout the book, which is in dire need of a semblance of a plot line. I can deal with weird chronology, especially in an autobiography, but there are parts of this book that skipped around with no apparent logic. This only served to confuse me as to what she could possibly be referring to. The book is also quite repetitive in some of its wry observations, which obviously lose their mettle after repetition.
Despite its literary flaws, though, the content of the book can be very eye-opening and interesting at times. Madame Carles sketches a very cynical but very real portrait of the villages of the French Alps and their people. Her love for them shows through and she rarely comes across as patronizing; she truly cares about her people and genuinely wants them to open her eyes. Her career as a teacher also justifies this viewpoint. She looks at the valley as a place caught in time, resistant to change but slowly awakening. Her lack of attention to World War II illustrates how isolated a valley could indeed be even in the midst of such a wide conflict. While the war affected her life, she doesn't overly moralize, simply restating her pacifist beliefs.
The only times the book becomes overbearing are when Madame Carles emphasizes her ideas. When she is just describing events, they tend to speak for themselves wonderfully, conveyed in gripping detail and lively, personal narrative. When she begins to preach, however, I zone out completely and the work becomes slightly annoying. All in all, though, this was an intriguing and different book, a unique view on the world from an exceptional woman that was well worth reading.
Grade: B
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