Chéri and The End of Chéri
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- Author：Colette
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Summary
Chéri and its sequel， The End of Chéri， mark Colette’s finest achievements， in their brilliant， subtle， and frank investigations of love and power。 Set in the Parisian demimonde in the last days of the Belle Époque， Chéri tells the story of Léa， a courtesan at the end of a successful career， and her lover， the beautiful but emotionally opaque Chéri。 Chéri will soon enter into an arranged marriage， ending their six-year affair， which—they will each realize too late—has been the one real love of their lives。 The End of Chéri picks up their story in the aftermath of the First World War; as a psychically wounded Chéri begins an inexorable descent， he finds he cannot return to the Léa he left。
With a preface by the acclaimed Lydia Davis， Rachel Careau’s lean， attentive translation restores to these classic novels their taut， remarkably modern style—the essence of Colette’s genius。
With a preface by the acclaimed Lydia Davis， Rachel Careau’s lean， attentive translation restores to these classic novels their taut， remarkably modern style—the essence of Colette’s genius。
Reviews
Anthony
，
Terrific pair of short novels which can be read as one novel in two acts， even though they were written six years apart， in 1920 and 1926。 The story of an aging courtesan and her younger lover， who leaves her to enter a loveless marriage。 The first novel is Belle Epoque Art Nouveau， the second all Art Deco glamour。 Colette’s writing is addressed to all our senses - she pays much attention to sensorial/sensual details: surfaces， fragrances， textures， flavors， etc。 The way interiors are described Terrific pair of short novels which can be read as one novel in two acts， even though they were written six years apart， in 1920 and 1926。 The story of an aging courtesan and her younger lover， who leaves her to enter a loveless marriage。 The first novel is Belle Epoque Art Nouveau， the second all Art Deco glamour。 Colette’s writing is addressed to all our senses - she pays much attention to sensorial/sensual details: surfaces， fragrances， textures， flavors， etc。 The way interiors are described in both novels （compare and contrast Lea’s boudoir in the first vs。 the Girlfriend’s apartment in the second） is striking。 The range of her botany-related vocabulary is staggering！Colette must have seemed extraordinarily modern to her readers。 She is taking the well-worn trope of the courtesan （a trope with a long history in French lit， esp。 with the Decadents）， keeps its inherent sexiness， but rids it of any prurience， so that Lea is not a devilish seductress （see Rachilde， or Zola’s Nana） who dies a tragic death， but a “real person” — an aging woman who makes her own choices and lives by them。 Radical！Rachel Careau’s translation is SPOTLESS。 As a native French speaker， I found it incredible that she often tricked me into thinking I was reading the book in French。 She managed to preserve the peculiar cadence and word order of Colette’s sentences （which hews closely to spoken rather than written French）， her wide ranging vocabulary， 1920s expressions， etc。 A must read for anyone interested in Colette & early 20th-c。 literature。 。。。more
Ari
，
è un 2，5。 “La fine di Chéri” > “Chéri”， in tutti i sensi
Lauren
，
As ever a beautiful sensual read i always go back to read Colette-
Tavia
，
definitely one of the better books i’ve read for school。 i thought cheri was interesting though annoying。 lea was great。 i though cheri was probably a 4 but the last of cheri was a lot more boring which makes sense and i get why but i just didn’t enjoy it as much。 overall it was interesting and definitely brings up interesting issues especially of the time period but i nothing that blew my mind。 i did the like the ending and i felt like it made a lot of sense。
Brian Gowthorpe
，
Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette was a bit of a goer and no mistake but she could also write。 The intro to this Penguin Classic edition from 1950 points out that she is really impossible to translate as this is a very French author indeed and the subject is similarly so: the amour fou between regal older courtesan Léa and Chéri the young son of her equally successful courtesan frenemy Charlotte Peloux。 She survives the break up of this necessary when Chéri marries Edmée， the daughter of another success Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette was a bit of a goer and no mistake but she could also write。 The intro to this Penguin Classic edition from 1950 points out that she is really impossible to translate as this is a very French author indeed and the subject is similarly so: the amour fou between regal older courtesan Léa and Chéri the young son of her equally successful courtesan frenemy Charlotte Peloux。 She survives the break up of this necessary when Chéri marries Edmée， the daughter of another successful member of their set。 I was struck by the careful attention to looks， dress and appearance generally and the general hanging around of the idle rich。 The shrewd management of investments by the women is also striking。 Insider trading no doubt。 All her books are very strongly autobiographical and the loss of looks of exceptionally beautiful women following grief and menopause is very good indeed。 Fascinating and I am glad that I have got round to finding out what she is about。 Claudine the naughty schoolgirl next perhaps， although I do not think that I will manage the French with any ease。 。。。more
Noel
，
“An undecipherable thought appeared in the depths of his eyes; their shape， their dark wallflower hue， their harsh or languorous glint， were used only to win love， never to reveal his mind。 From sheets crumpled as though by a storm， rose his naked body， broad-shouldered， slim-waisted; and his whole being breathed forth the melancholy of perfect works of art。”Chéri - 3 starsThe Last of Chéri - 4 starsReading Colette is a lot like being naked， blindfolded， and slowly fed chocolate truffles。 At fir “An undecipherable thought appeared in the depths of his eyes; their shape， their dark wallflower hue， their harsh or languorous glint， were used only to win love， never to reveal his mind。 From sheets crumpled as though by a storm， rose his naked body， broad-shouldered， slim-waisted; and his whole being breathed forth the melancholy of perfect works of art。”Chéri - 3 starsThe Last of Chéri - 4 starsReading Colette is a lot like being naked， blindfolded， and slowly fed chocolate truffles。 At first， it’s fun and exciting， but go on too long and you start to feel sick—not that I speak from experience…I fell in love with this quickly。 It’s very feminine and very French。 You can almost smell the perfume and cigarette smoke wafting from the pages。 And it’s a gorgeous evocation of the Belle Époque—a world of silk and lace and pearls， soon to be swept away by World War I （also evoked by Proust， but done here with so much more economy）。 But I fell out of love almost as quickly as I’d fallen into it。 The two novels center on the love affair between the spoiled， selfish gigolo Chéri and the beautiful， aging courtesan Léa， who is twice his age。 I was expecting a stormy， passionate romance and was frustrated that Léa is absent for most of the two novels—and in the first one， I didn’t feel that Chéri had enough depth to carry the story without her。I found the second novel much more interesting。 Chéri returns from the war an uninjured hero and finds himself in a world in decline—and there’s no question of a decline， just as there’s no question for the characters themselves （or at least， their looks）， touched by the “invisible finger” of time。 Fine lines， wrinkles， sagging skin—only ever mentioned in passing， but enough to spell disaster for a man whose happiness is hopelessly entangled with beauty， and is sure to find himself adrift when time does its destructive work and the world of his youth is lost and gone forever。“The apparition of the large， flat， half-veiled moon among the scuppering vaporous clouds， which she seemed to be pursuing and tearing asunder， did not divert him from working out an arithmetical fantasy: he was computing—in years， months， hours and days—the amount of precious time that had been lost to him for ever。”As frustrating as this book was， I like Colette’s style and subject matter enough to read the rest of her novels。 Perhaps in a few years—after all， there’s still Balzac， Maupassant， Gautier… It never ends！ 。。。more
Miriam Maja
，
Ich wollte seit langem endlich mal Colette lesen， nun hat es geklappt。 Mir haben beide Bücher in dem Band sehr gefallen， Colette beschreibt die Charaktere so ehrlich， so zerrissen und so lebendig wie sie sind （nunja， bis zum Ende eben）。 Ich freue mich definitiv， mehr von ihr zu lesen。
Christine Kenney
，
A library book for "something borrowed， something 'blue'" on my reading scavenger hunt。。。 Turned out to be more blue in the melancholy breaking up is hard sense rather than blue in the scandalous sense。 This book didn't convert me to French impressionist lit。。。 Maybe it would seem like less tedious description in the original serial release format。 Wanted to reread Lolita to compare messages on gender and maturity in May-December relationships。 Skipped Last of Cheri。 A library book for "something borrowed， something 'blue'" on my reading scavenger hunt。。。 Turned out to be more blue in the melancholy breaking up is hard sense rather than blue in the scandalous sense。 This book didn't convert me to French impressionist lit。。。 Maybe it would seem like less tedious description in the original serial release format。 Wanted to reread Lolita to compare messages on gender and maturity in May-December relationships。 Skipped Last of Cheri。 。。。more
Ostap Bender
，
Colette is an unflinching author， both in being honest about the flaws of her characters， and in the sense of writing about taboo subjects， in this case， a young man’s affair with his mother’s friend， an aging courtesan。 The liaison ends when he marries a woman closer to his own age， and as this happens after the first few chapters， most of Cheri and all of The Last of Cheri is about dealing with the destructive consequences。 These are not happy tales。 The emotions you might imagine - jealousy， Colette is an unflinching author， both in being honest about the flaws of her characters， and in the sense of writing about taboo subjects， in this case， a young man’s affair with his mother’s friend， an aging courtesan。 The liaison ends when he marries a woman closer to his own age， and as this happens after the first few chapters， most of Cheri and all of The Last of Cheri is about dealing with the destructive consequences。 These are not happy tales。 The emotions you might imagine - jealousy， sadness， and obsession - are all here， and they feel real。 There are memorable scenes， a couple of which I’ll mention （spoiler alert）。 In the first， Cheri finds himself bored with his new wife and ultimately returns to Lea for a night of passion， but in the morning light， as she’s planning to run away with him， he sees the signs of her aging， and leaves her for good。 It’s a brutal end to the first book。 In the second， in The Last of Cheri， years later， as he finds himself listless and bored， his knowing mother quietly arranges for him to meet her again。 How French， right？ When he does， she’s with a friend， and as his inner emotions rage， they coolly size him up。 “From the cold and calculating way she looked him over， Cheri might have been a piece of furniture”。 Later “They went on to thrash out the question， weighing up， with a wealth of detail and point by point， every portion of the fore and hind quarters of this expensive animal。” And finally: “He remained where he was， all but snuffed out by the conversation of the two women who had been speaking of him in the past tense， as though he were dead。” Meanwhile Cheri is conflicted; while the memories for him have been at the top of his mind and his feelings for Lea are obviously unresolved， the woman he sees before him has aged considerably and become quite large， such that he keeps hoping the “real Lea” will emerge。 It’s a brilliant， heartbreaking scene。 Later he’s reduced to adoring her pictures and talking to a woman who can tell him stories from Lea’s past; while Lea has accepted her age and her fate， he has never gotten over her。 Throughout the books， the writing is lean， and provides a window into life in Paris before and after WWI。 Colette herself was an interesting woman。 She was a feminist， writing articles as a journalist that were “lucid and often scathing about the plight of women in brutal marriages and degrading jobs”， and yet also being a dancer on the stage “who was never averse to a skimpy costume”， and in her personal life having a weakness for bondage， so， as one of her friends put it， “Torn between the desires of her two contrary natures， to have a master and not to have one， she always opted for the first solution。”“Preferring passion to goodness”， and in a case of life imitating art， she seduced her 16-year-old stepson at age 47 to begin a five-year-long affair with him。 The young man apparently wanted Colette to write something more uplifting， about which Judith Thurman quips in her introduction “How exquisitely French: a pimply schoolboy who was honing his sexual technique on the body of his father’s wife objected to the absence of any moral feeling in her writing！” Later in life， as an old man， he would say of Colette that “she eagerly picked the fruits of the earth without discriminating those which were forbidden。” Indeed。Quotes:On love lost; her view:“You see， Valerie， how foolish a man can look when reminded of a love which no longer exists？ Silly boy， it doesn’t upset me in the least to think about it。 I love my past。 I love my present。 I’m not ashamed of what I’ve had， and I’m not sad because I have it no longer。”And:“It serves me right。 At my age， one can’t afford to keep a lover six years。 Six years！ He has ruined all that was left of me。 Those six years might have given me two or three quite pleasant little happinesses， instead of one profound regret。 A liaison of six years is like following your husband out to the colonies: when you get back again nobody recognizes you and you’ve forgotten how to dress。”His view， regretting all those nights that could have been: “The apparition of the large， flat， half-veiled moon among the scurrying vaporous clouds， which she seemed to be pursuing and tearing asunder， did not divert him from working out an arithmetical fantasy: he was computing – in years， months， hours and days – the amount of precious time that had been lost to him for ever。 ‘Had I never let her go when I went to see her again that day before the war – then it would have meant three or four years to the good; hundreds and hundreds of days and nights gained and garnered for love。’ He did not fight shy of so big a word。‘Hundreds of days – a lifetime – life itself。 … He seized hold of his past， to squeeze out every remaining drop upon his empty， arid present; bringing back to life， and inventing where necessary， the princely days of his youth， his adolescence shaped and guided by a woman’s strong capable hands – loving hands， ever ready to chastise。”On lust:“When she saw him half-naked， she asked， with a note of sadness: ‘Do you really want to？ … Do you？ …’He did not answer， carried away by the thought of his approaching pleasure and the consuming desire to take her again。 She gave way and served her young lover like a good mistress， with devout solicitude。 Nevertheless， she anticipated with a sort of terror the moment of her own undoing; she endured Cheri as she might a torture， warding him off with strengthless hands， and holding him fast between strong knees。 Finally， she seized him by the arm， uttered a feeble cry and foundered in the deep abyss， whence love emerges pale and in silence， regretful of death。”And this one， actually Cheri’s wife， who begins an affair of her own:“Once again she fingered the lace round the neck of her bodice， inhaled the warmth and fragrance that rose up from between her breasts， and as she bent down her head she saw the precious twin pink and mauve discs through the material of her dress。 She blushed with carnal pleasure， and dedicated the scent and the mauve shadows to the skillful， condescending， red-haired man whom she would be meeting again in an hour’s time。” 。。。more
Lauren
，
From the first line of the book， Colette manages to paint an incredibly vivid picture with her descriptions and dialogue。 I could imagine the whole story in my head like a movie。 “Cheri” is a shorter novel， but Colette creates and develops characters really well。 They are fully fleshed out and complex， which is important because this novel is more character driven than plot driven。 It is a sad book that deals with relationships， both romantic and non-romantic。 “Cheri” takes place in the early 19 From the first line of the book， Colette manages to paint an incredibly vivid picture with her descriptions and dialogue。 I could imagine the whole story in my head like a movie。 “Cheri” is a shorter novel， but Colette creates and develops characters really well。 They are fully fleshed out and complex， which is important because this novel is more character driven than plot driven。 It is a sad book that deals with relationships， both romantic and non-romantic。 “Cheri” takes place in the early 1900s and “The Last of Cheri” takes place about five years later， after WWI。 “The Last of Cheri” was published 6 years after “Cheri”。 Unfortunately， “The Last of Cheri” moved slowly for me and I do not think it was a necessary addition。 I think it would have been better to just end it with “Cheri”。 I understand Colette probably wanted to talk about the war and how soldiers dealt with it after， but I don’t feel like “The Last of Cheri” did as great of a job with that。 The character development also did not feel realistic to me （except for Edmee’s development）。 It is not how I would have seen the characters change。 I think it would have been better if “Cheri” was a stand-alone。 Overall though， I would definitely recommend “Cheri”！ 。。。more
Rebecca
，
This feels like I only just skimmed the top of what this book was trying to say， like dipping my toe into a rich world that I would need to reread the book over and over again to understand。 Probably going on my pile of books I return to over and over again。
Small Feet
，
Remarquablement écrit， Colette évoque dans ce roman les mœurs légères et insouciantes des classes privilégiées de Paris au début du XX eme siècle 。Lea courtisane de 50 ans vivra une folle passion avec Fred Oeloux alias chéri ， fils de son amie Charlotte 。。。 pendant 7 ans elle l’initiera a l’amour ， la beauté le luxe l’esprit sans ennui ni lassitude 。Après un mariage arrangé et la 1ère guerre mondiale ， Chéri désœuvré ， oisif ne se remettra jamais de cet Amour passé ni ne supportera la vieillesse Remarquablement écrit， Colette évoque dans ce roman les mœurs légères et insouciantes des classes privilégiées de Paris au début du XX eme siècle 。Lea courtisane de 50 ans vivra une folle passion avec Fred Oeloux alias chéri ， fils de son amie Charlotte 。。。 pendant 7 ans elle l’initiera a l’amour ， la beauté le luxe l’esprit sans ennui ni lassitude 。Après un mariage arrangé et la 1ère guerre mondiale ， Chéri désœuvré ， oisif ne se remettra jamais de cet Amour passé ni ne supportera la vieillesse qui ravage le corps des amants 。。。more
Ann Hein
，
Colette may have been an excellent writer， but her characters are so far from anything in my realm of experience， I have trouble relating。 She certainly describes things well。。。the "bustling life of people with nothing to do。" And her description of old women was ghastly: "She sat down， overflowing the whole armchair。" Colette may have been an excellent writer， but her characters are so far from anything in my realm of experience， I have trouble relating。 She certainly describes things well。。。the "bustling life of people with nothing to do。" And her description of old women was ghastly: "She sat down， overflowing the whole armchair。" 。。。more
Luisa
，
Yes， love， although lost and unrequited。 Maybe it was the language， maybe my high expectations of the writer， but I found it hard to access this book in an enveloping manner。 Very much drama， very much high above， I did not enjoy this book。
Stephen Twist
，
At a time when there is a wash of average fiction being published， it is a total delight to return to such delightful， beautiful， intelligent， writing。
Gennadiy Pribaltov
，
A story of wealthy people， who are suffocating in their lives of boredom， petty greed， prudishness， and lost loves。 The center of the story is a couple。 She （Lea） is 50， pushing 60。 He （Cheri） is young and handsome。 They are both rich and have no hobbies， worries， or friends。 Their love is the last love for her and the first and last one for him。 They mostly quarrel and fight over jewelry。 Then he marries a younger girl， who he does not love。 Lea lets go and grows old。 Cheri can not act and can A story of wealthy people， who are suffocating in their lives of boredom， petty greed， prudishness， and lost loves。 The center of the story is a couple。 She （Lea） is 50， pushing 60。 He （Cheri） is young and handsome。 They are both rich and have no hobbies， worries， or friends。 Their love is the last love for her and the first and last one for him。 They mostly quarrel and fight over jewelry。 Then he marries a younger girl， who he does not love。 Lea lets go and grows old。 Cheri can not act and can not let go。 He never moves past their relationship。 WW1 divides their story into two novels。 Lea is the center of the first novel （"Cheri"）。 She got used to the constant change of lovers。 She knew Cheri from a very young age。 They are still friends-enemies with his mother。 Lea and Cheri live their life， surrounded by a few people， whom they hate。 These people are mostly other aging ballerinas。 The novel is a story of Cheri's aging。 She moves to the inevitable final: her face grows with wrinkles， her stature grows bigger。 Time takes over。 She lets go of her last love and becomes a sexless creature of the "The Last of Cheri"。 We see her last love crusade against time in small and intimate details， carefully and lovingly depicted scenes of bourgeoisie before WW1。 She's the only sympathetic character in these two novels。"The Last of Cheri" starts with the end of WW1。 Cheri is now at the center of the story。 He sees his life going nowhere: he went through war， came back， and found a life that has no pleasures。 His wife and mother are too distant and too busy with their hospital and their newfound purpose。 Cheri can not grow up and sadly stares at the image of the 30-year-old man in the mirror， whom he does not recognize。 He's drowning in the past， tries to find a way back to Lea， but finds there only a stout lady with short hair of no sex。 Cheri is a deeply tragic and shallow character， which is doomed to die。I loved the book and was amazed at how a story can be built around such a small number of scenes and characters。 Each of the two novels is just some 10 scenes， each one vividly depicted， in the very small detail of expressions， gestures， dresses， movements of hands。 Colette has a unique voice。 She is unlike anyone else。 She tells a sad story of miserable people， who like insects pinned to the pages of the book。 。。。more
Sophia
，
5 stars for “Chéri”0 stars for “Last of Chéri” Why was the first half so much better？！？ So sexy and intriguing and fresh。。。。。 then the complete nonsense and psychosis of the second part hits。。。。 so bizarre。
Mary
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I was going to rate these two novellas four stars because I haven’t any respect for Cheri’s lazy dissipation that brought a tragic early end to what could have been a beautiful life。 Then I realized it is Colette’s masterful writing that causes my lack of respect。 Bravo， Colette， bravo。
abagail grace
，
I love Colette but I cannot read this again。
Hannah
，
The deep， aching heartache of not being ready to let someone go， the inability to see an alternate reality without that person even though that reality is already happening， the lack of satisfaction of being in a perfectly good situation because your mind is stuck in the past is so personal to me that I understand Chéri in that way。However， Chéri is a spoiled， selfish man who grew up a spoiled， selfish boy and doesn’t come to grips with the reality of needing to pull his weight in society while The deep， aching heartache of not being ready to let someone go， the inability to see an alternate reality without that person even though that reality is already happening， the lack of satisfaction of being in a perfectly good situation because your mind is stuck in the past is so personal to me that I understand Chéri in that way。However， Chéri is a spoiled， selfish man who grew up a spoiled， selfish boy and doesn’t come to grips with the reality of needing to pull his weight in society while everyone around him is living。 He’s resentful of those people and can’t see past the cloud of his own pain and confusion。I don’t really have a conclusive review to write—these are just my immediate thoughts upon finishing the book。 I will have to think more about the significance of the other characters。 I’m not going to judge how the book was written since it was translated from French， and as the introduction explains， there were many colloquial French words， phrases， and descriptions that made the book the clever classic that it is， but cannot be translated in the same way。 。。。more
Soc Page
，
suicide
Emma
，
Saaier dan de vorige keer
Lucinda Elliot
，
Four stars for Cheri， and three stars for the Last of Cheri。I read these years ago - in fact， when I was about the same age as Edmee at the beginning。 On re-reading them， I felt much the same about them， except that Cheri struck me as an even less sympathetic charaacter this time about。 I felt that he destroyed womens lives， almost by accident， really。Even in translation the writing is strong， and Colette's humour and flashes off insight are really striking。 Spoilers follow:I did like the magnan Four stars for Cheri， and three stars for the Last of Cheri。I read these years ago - in fact， when I was about the same age as Edmee at the beginning。 On re-reading them， I felt much the same about them， except that Cheri struck me as an even less sympathetic charaacter this time about。 I felt that he destroyed womens lives， almost by accident， really。Even in translation the writing is strong， and Colette's humour and flashes off insight are really striking。 Spoilers follow:I did like the magnanimous speech that L gives at the end of the first novel， realising how wrong she was to keep him in a relationship where he is 'like a capracious gigalo' and she feels a 'perverted mother love' to him。 I liked it when Cheri went off back to Edmee at the end。 In fact， the book deserves four stars for that ending alone。With that ending of the first novel， it seemed as if the young couple had a chance of happiness。 In 'The Last of Cheri' I didn't like the treatment of Edmee， who was an innocent girl in love with her world weary husband in the first， either by the author， or by the characters。 I was dismayed to see that they hadn't found much happiness together and Cheri was stlll yearning for his days as L's toyboy and E has suddenly developed a vulgar streak and a 'guilty back'， it seems from being involved in a spot of adultery herself。 I found her choice of lover bizarre; but perhaps， his appeal was meant to be that he is the opposite of Cheri。Meanwhile， L has become morbidly obese。。。Cheri is appalled， disgusted， incredulous at this。 Cheri decides to shoot himself out purely of a feeling of existential angst， as far as I can make out。 A dismal ending， all round。 。。。more
Connor Shirshac
，
This was probably one of the most brilliant books I have ever read。 Age; it is the most hauntingly beautiful theme within this novel。 From the pearl necklace to the dress--the shade of white， the absence of color symbolizes the idea of youth。 This novel certainly wells up emotion as you witness this tragic romance through a jeweled lens。
Tate Hinkelman
，
Heartbreaking。
Jack
，
I'm a bit loath to admit that I have never read Colette， despite years of French class and awareness of her work。 When Susan Gubar raved about her work in another recent book， I determined to correct this shortcoming。 So glad that I did！ I may be late to the party， but an avid fan nonetheless。 In the first of these paired stories， Cheri is a devastating young man - rich， spoiled， an Adonis fawned over by the world of women who surround him。 These include his mistress Lea， who was his father's co I'm a bit loath to admit that I have never read Colette， despite years of French class and awareness of her work。 When Susan Gubar raved about her work in another recent book， I determined to correct this shortcoming。 So glad that I did！ I may be late to the party， but an avid fan nonetheless。 In the first of these paired stories， Cheri is a devastating young man - rich， spoiled， an Adonis fawned over by the world of women who surround him。 These include his mistress Lea， who was his father's courtesan in an earlier day。 While Lea is thus essentially his stepmother， she is more like his guide to all of life's mysteries: sexual， social， and societal。 Lea knows that Cheri will be her last lover; she is， after all， at the advanced age of 49。 （Oh， the cruelty of society， even more so than now。） He is but 24， and they have had many years of intimacy。 But a rich young man cannot remain unmarried， and a suitable bride is arranged。 Cheri takes almost no interest in this union， which quickly devolves into a brittle celibacy。 In the latter tale， set a few years later， Cheri has become impossible: selfish， boorish， unwilling and unable to imagine happiness for himself。 He certainly brings no cheer to the women who continue to surround him。 Throughout both stories， Colette creates utterly revealing portraits， especially of the women who orbit the celestial Cheri。 Lea is especially， almost brutally honest about herself， her past lovers， and the imminent end of her time with Cheri。 She sees right through the attempted machinations of Cheri's mother， Madame Peloux。 The two women are what we now call "frenemies，" whose relationship may be toxic， but who need each other like oxygen。 Theirs is a dance of near-constant rivalry， for social standing and the affections of the fickle Cheri。 In the latter book， Cheri reconnects with his discarded mistress some years later - out of boredom or spite is unclear。 He is shocked when they meet， although I will spare you the reasons。 But the devastating consequences reveal how expertly Colette has created this hothouse world， as the ending is deeply upsetting while utterly inevitable。 Spectacular。 Maybe only now was I ready to read this masterwork。 。。。more
Jennifer
，
Young man and older woman have an affair， neither realizes the difference between love and lust， and everyone is horrified at the fact that women age。 Meh。
Dragan
，
Bezbrižni， bogati mladić， dugogodišnji je ljubavnik trideset godina starije， iskusne kurtizane u mirovini。 U društvu iz kojeg potječu i u kojem se kreću to ne predstavlja nikakav problem。。。 Ali onda niotkud， između njih se desi ljubav， da ljubav。Tako divno i šarmantno napisan roman priča je o ljubavi koja dolazi tiho i iznenadno a srljajući u propast odlazi u legende。 I sve to obavijeno u svilu i peruniku， namirisano skupocjenim mirisima， ogrlicama od nefrita， biserjem， obučeno u gačice s chan Bezbrižni， bogati mladić， dugogodišnji je ljubavnik trideset godina starije， iskusne kurtizane u mirovini。 U društvu iz kojeg potječu i u kojem se kreću to ne predstavlja nikakav problem。。。 Ali onda niotkud， između njih se desi ljubav， da ljubav。Tako divno i šarmantno napisan roman priča je o ljubavi koja dolazi tiho i iznenadno a srljajući u propast odlazi u legende。 I sve to obavijeno u svilu i peruniku， namirisano skupocjenim mirisima， ogrlicama od nefrita， biserjem， obučeno u gačice s chantilly čipkom， haljine sljezove boje， fino ukrašene kutije za kokain i još puno toga。 Cijela jedna plejada mondenog francuskog društva s početka XX st。 u svojoj punoj raskoši。 。。。more
Martina （polveresucarta）
，
3。5⭐️
Kirsty Potter
，