Why a Booktrail?
1950s: Sagan’s tale of adolescence and betrayal on the French Riviera
Bonjour tristesse (Penguin)
What you need to know before your trail
This is the story of Cécile, who leads a carefree life with her widowed father and his young mistresses until, one hot summer on the Riviera, he decides to remarry – with devastating consequences. In A Certain Smile, which is also included in this volume, Dominique, a young woman bored with her lover, begins an encounter with an older man that unfolds in unexpected and troubling ways.
Locations
Reset- France - French Riviera
- A: Pointe de la Fossette
- B: Le Lavandou
- C: Saint-Tropez - beach
Travel Guide
Travel to the life of freedom on the French Riviera
17-year-old Cécile spends her summer in a villa on the French Riviera with her father Raymond and his current mistress, the young, superficial, Elsa. They get on well together. Cecile is quite pleased her father is so distracted as that means she can do as she pleases and not go to school. She just assumes he will either ignore her or welcome the fact that she is going to fit in well with the care free life style this part of the world seems to revel in. She herself has her first sexual awakening in the next villa….
“Sin is the only note of vivid colour that persists in the modern world.”
This simmering sexual peace is shattered by a new arrival. Life changes for them all and Cecile takes it upon herself to create some sexual tension of her own. Control that of others and see where it leads. It’s all fair in love and war after all. But life here is very different and things can change in an instant.
Playing games can end in tragedy. The backdrop of the stunning French Riviera really cements the fact that there is often trouble in paradise and that beauty of a place doesn’t always result in contentment.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: Bonjour tristesse
Destination: French Riviera (Cote d’Azur) Author/guide: Françoise Sagan Departure Time: 1950s
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