Fiction

The Inseparables

The Inseparables

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  • Create Date：2021-09-28 07:51:08
  • Update Date：2025-09-24
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  • Author：Simone de Beauvoir
  • ISBN：178487700X
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Summary

Told by one of the foremost feminists of the twentieth century， this is a gripping coming-of-age novel from Simone de Beauvoir， closely modelled on events of her own life。 Two young women， Sylvie and Andree， battle with their families， their religion and the deeply held conventions of society in early twentieth-century Paris。 A deep and abiding friendship sustains them in an increasingly desperate struggle to find happiness and independence。

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Reviews

Terry Gould ，

This novel was written in 1954， but just published recently。 It's a superbly written novel about an intense relationship between two girls， one of whom is Simon de Beauvoir， and the other is Zaza。 The friendship was their lives， which began when they were nine。 The book deals with intense emotions of sadness， depression， gladness， loneliness， love， and religion。 Margaret Atwood wrote the introduction， which beautifully sets the stage for this novel。 It's a very good read。 This novel was written in 1954， but just published recently。 It's a superbly written novel about an intense relationship between two girls， one of whom is Simon de Beauvoir， and the other is Zaza。 The friendship was their lives， which began when they were nine。 The book deals with intense emotions of sadness， depression， gladness， loneliness， love， and religion。 Margaret Atwood wrote the introduction， which beautifully sets the stage for this novel。 It's a very good read。 。。。more

Tammy Cook ，

This book was beautifully written。 It was my first reading of Simone de Beauvoir's work and won't be my last！ The introduction by Margaret Atwood was an extra special touch。 Inseparable is about the love between girlfriends。 It is experienced in diverse ways by the two， but bonds are shared that can never be broken - even after death。 Grief and anger devastate the temporal Sylvie who is unable to save the spirit of her cherished Andree from the grip of duty to family and social pressures。 Women This book was beautifully written。 It was my first reading of Simone de Beauvoir's work and won't be my last！ The introduction by Margaret Atwood was an extra special touch。 Inseparable is about the love between girlfriends。 It is experienced in diverse ways by the two， but bonds are shared that can never be broken - even after death。 Grief and anger devastate the temporal Sylvie who is unable to save the spirit of her cherished Andree from the grip of duty to family and social pressures。 Women of all ages will identify with the tug of war between their passions and what is expected of them。 So little has changed since the period in which this book was written。 However， joy can always be found in the company of a girlfriend's laughter。 This book will help you remember that。 。。。more

Lauren ，

A new find of Beauvoir`s a very sweet book about a childhood friendship or infatuation -how adolescent minds imagined all sorts of things some possible some impossible。 The strict rules of their families and the ways they managed to escape to spend tome together-all so brief and ends sadly good to hear Beauvoir`s voice again in this small novella- A new find of Beauvoir`s a very sweet book about a childhood friendship or infatuation -how adolescent minds imagined all sorts of things some possible some impossible。 The strict rules of their families and the ways they managed to escape to spend tome together-all so brief and ends sadly good to hear Beauvoir`s voice again in this small novella- 。。。more

Myricae ♡ ，

Volevi solo salvarla ma non si possono salvare tutti。 Forse non si può salvare nessuno。 Si può soltanto amare e， in questa vita， camminare gli uni accanto agli altri， conservando gelosamente ogni momento di pallida gioia。 Tu， Zaza， l’hai amata a modo tuo， un po’ come si amano le stelle， che anche quando le si sente vicine sono immensamente lontane。☄️

Federica Giardina ，

Una storia bellissima。 Un’amicizia intima e profonda， che a sorpresa passa dal romanzo alla realtà nelle ultime pagine di questo libro， piene di parole， emozioni e affetto。

Evelyn ，

This autobiographical novella describes the joys and heartaches of female friendship amidst the demands to fulfill one’s duties to one’s family and conform to the roles assigned to a female in the early part of the twentieth century， ie， to marry well （marry a suitable male selected and approved by one’s family， irrespective of whether one lives him or not）， or become a nun。 The end result is tragedy when a female was unable to accept her assigned role， and lacked the courage to rebel against th This autobiographical novella describes the joys and heartaches of female friendship amidst the demands to fulfill one’s duties to one’s family and conform to the roles assigned to a female in the early part of the twentieth century， ie， to marry well （marry a suitable male selected and approved by one’s family， irrespective of whether one lives him or not）， or become a nun。 The end result is tragedy when a female was unable to accept her assigned role， and lacked the courage to rebel against the attempts to cubbyhole her and follow her own path。 。。。more

AZ （Saïd） ，

Simone et Zaza sont-elles。。。 tu sais。。。？ 🤔

Catherine Eisch Beeman ，

I’ll preface my review with this disclaimer: before reading Inseparable I had never read anything by Simone de Beauvoir， so I have no context。 With the exception of a quick peak at the final published edition to see if the format has been altered from the ARC， I am purposely not doing any research on her other work or her life until I’ve finished this review。 I’d rather write as a complete de Beauvoir virgin than as one who scrabbles around online in an attempt to sound like I know what I’m talk I’ll preface my review with this disclaimer: before reading Inseparable I had never read anything by Simone de Beauvoir， so I have no context。 With the exception of a quick peak at the final published edition to see if the format has been altered from the ARC， I am purposely not doing any research on her other work or her life until I’ve finished this review。 I’d rather write as a complete de Beauvoir virgin than as one who scrabbles around online in an attempt to sound like I know what I’m talking about。 I haven’t read a lot of French fiction， so I appreciated the glimpse into family life in France in the early 20th century。 Although both Sylvie and Andrée are expected to conform to the conventions of familial duty and Catholic dogma， there is a little warmth too。 On Sylvie’s first day of school; she is hugged by the “young ladies” （Older students？ Teachers？） on the first day of school， and the students’ mothers stay with their children， knitting as they sit in the back of the room。 The teacher， as per the usual ritual， kisses each student on the forehead as they leave for the day。 What a lovely tableau - an oasis of affection in a life that later becomes cold and filled with obligation， especially for Andrée。 This short novel would have been more pleasant to read if it hadn’t been divided into only two very long chapters; with no visual pauses in the narrative， it was a chore to read what was basically a wall of words。 I also would have appreciated footnotes at the bottom of the page rather than asterisks referring to notes at the back of the book， but perhaps this was addressed in the final edition。 The excerpted letters at the end of the book are a pure portrait of the soul-level intimacy the two women shared。 Both were eloquent – Zaza （the real Andrée） in particular。 Without the layer of pretense inherent in the fictionalized account， their heart-to-heart connection is so much more bare and true。 If the book consisted of just the letters between the two， I would buy it。 I can’t say the same of the actual novel， but I don’t presume that my opinion is relevant to de Beauvoir scholars。 I’m sure this wasn’t presented as a frontlist title， and I know I am not the target audience。 Inseparable， as a previously unpublished work by an author whose devotees assumed they’d read everything， will naturally appeal to de Beauvoir’s loyal readers。 。。。more

Debbi ，

A short novel about the friendship of two girls in the first part of the twentieth century。

Kate ，

This was such a brilliant and interesting read。 You find out about Andree completely through Sylvie but hardly know anything about Sylvie as she only reveals snippits of her own life。 I think most readers will be able to resonate with that childhood friend that they always looked up to for whatever reason， yet it now seems so rare that this then carries on into adulthood。 You can certainly feel the anguish of losing your closest friend without actually having to see the repurcussions。 You can ce This was such a brilliant and interesting read。 You find out about Andree completely through Sylvie but hardly know anything about Sylvie as she only reveals snippits of her own life。 I think most readers will be able to resonate with that childhood friend that they always looked up to for whatever reason， yet it now seems so rare that this then carries on into adulthood。 You can certainly feel the anguish of losing your closest friend without actually having to see the repurcussions。 You can certainly tell that this was a story full of emotion for de Beauvoir and it is told brilliantly。 。。。more

Lavelle ，

The Inseparables （transl。 from French）， Simone de Beauvoir’s recently published novella， is inspired by her own friendship with Elisabeth Lacoin， her best friend who died suddenly before the age of 22。 A touching celebration of female friendship and love， it also sheds some light on the expectations and pressures on women at the time （when de Beauvoir and Lacoin were in school， women were not allowed to vote， forced into marriage， and essentially viewed as tools in service of their husbands/fami The Inseparables （transl。 from French）， Simone de Beauvoir’s recently published novella， is inspired by her own friendship with Elisabeth Lacoin， her best friend who died suddenly before the age of 22。 A touching celebration of female friendship and love， it also sheds some light on the expectations and pressures on women at the time （when de Beauvoir and Lacoin were in school， women were not allowed to vote， forced into marriage， and essentially viewed as tools in service of their husbands/family）。This was a short read， but a lovely one。 The intense passion and affection de Beauvoir felt for Lacoin is evident in her descriptions of Andrée’s （Lacoin） and Sylvie’s （de Beauvoir） friendship， and how much Sylvie feels for her friend。 I also loved the blurring of lines between “platonic” and “romantic” love—indeed， de Beauvoir even writes that Sylvie is disliked by Andrée’s mother， because of the affection Sylvie has bestowed on Andrée。 Alongside the main plot are also discussions about religion and feminism， as Sylvie grapples with her understanding of the world。 I loved seeing how Andrée and Sylvie challenged each other， supported each other， and encouraged each other to grow and flourish。I was also moved by the almost martyr-like way Andrée served her family—she had almost no time to herself， and was at the constant disposal of her mother and grandmother。 In her translator’s note， Lauren Elkin writes that The Inseparables “reads like testimony of a witness to [Andrée’s] murder”。 And indeed， when Andrée passes， one cannot help but wonder if it was really a rogue illness that befell her， or the culmination of the constant scrutiny and pressure she was under。Basically， I really enjoyed this one！ The purity and intensity of de Beauvoir’s writing （and the translation） made for such a wondrously simple， but evocative read， and I’m so glad this eventually found its way into the world for us to enjoy。 ☺️ 。。。more

Danielle ，

4-5。 A never before published Simone de Beauvoir novel？！ Hell yes。 Loved it- incredible。

Gerrie ，

5 starsInseparable by Simone de Beauvoir is a beautifully written， wistful tale of two girls whose friendship begins at age 9 and continues until the untimely death of one of them at age 22。 While autobiographical in nature， this is told as a novel， chronicling the meeting and deepening relationship between Sylvie （Beauvoir） and Andree （Zaza LaCoin）。 The girls share their private thoughts， secrets， and dreams of their futures， all in the context of post-WWI France。 Strict religious beliefs play 5 starsInseparable by Simone de Beauvoir is a beautifully written， wistful tale of two girls whose friendship begins at age 9 and continues until the untimely death of one of them at age 22。 While autobiographical in nature， this is told as a novel， chronicling the meeting and deepening relationship between Sylvie （Beauvoir） and Andree （Zaza LaCoin）。 The girls share their private thoughts， secrets， and dreams of their futures， all in the context of post-WWI France。 Strict religious beliefs play a huge role in Andree’s life， leading to her parents’ heavy-handed discipline and restrictions of Andree’s activities。 Her spirited individualism is stifled and crushed over and over。 Sylvie， the narrator， describes in aching prose Andree’s struggles against this family and religious “regime，” and Andree’s inability to control her life and her friendships， leading ultimately to incredible loneliness and her despair。This book is short， but the prose is so moving that I savored every page slowly。 Deemed “too intimate” to publish when written in 1954， there is nothing unsavory in the novel。 Instead it is clearly a look back by the author to a time of deep friendship and closeness between two intelligent， inquisitive girls as they grow into young adulthood， with little support from the society in which they existed。There is a wonderful introduction by Margaret Atwood， setting the stage for the reader to enjoy this work。 I highly recommend this book for its profound look at female characters as they grow and develop， and the beautiful tender prose that Beauvoir so masterfully writes。 What a joy to read this novel！Thank you to Ecco Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC。 This is my honest opinion。 。。。more

Fay ，

This slight， previously unpublish novel， is a gift for all lovers of the works of Simone de Beauvoir。

Lara Farrell ，

I very much enjoyed this short novella。 Though fairly light as an examination of friendship （whole years pass in the space of a paragraph）， it’s easy to read and a good portrait of a time and place， I’m glad it’s finally been published and it deserved to be。 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC。

Diana von Dzurilla ，

Nadnesený názov som najviac uchopila až v posledných dodatkoch， ktorými sú fotky a listy dvoch dievčat， reálnych mien a životov Simone a Zazy。 Kniha nie je nijako ukotvená v príbehu， no určite ju považujem za dôležitú a nepochybne si ju prečítam ešte raz kvôli téme ženského priateľstva， ktoré je v literatúre tak málo opisované a precítené do jeho skutočnej podstaty。 Za to Simone ďakujem！ Chviľkami som mala pocit， že cit k ľuďom， ktorých máme radi je a môže byť bezbrehý。

Ā ，

de Beauvoir's story of an intense love， passion， attraction — however one wants to name those feelings felt for the first time —published and translated for the first time since it was completed in 1954 feels just as relevant and poignant now as it must have to her then。 This is not just a story about first love， but existentialist themes run abound which may appear， in retrospect， precursors to de Beauvoir's philosophical passions and her prolific œuvre。 To be honest， I am finding it very diffi de Beauvoir's story of an intense love， passion， attraction — however one wants to name those feelings felt for the first time —published and translated for the first time since it was completed in 1954 feels just as relevant and poignant now as it must have to her then。 This is not just a story about first love， but existentialist themes run abound which may appear， in retrospect， precursors to de Beauvoir's philosophical passions and her prolific œuvre。 To be honest， I am finding it very difficult to actually explain my thoughts on the book， or my review as you will。 I felt a myriad of emotions while reading: joy， laughter， sadness， rage， cold sweat running across my skin as colder fire steals under my skin — but to try and put these into words would render me exhausted and even confused。 I did not read the book to just enjoy it as a reading device but also to learn more about writing。 And I was able to do both: enjoy it simply as a book， a novel， an autofiction; and also learn from it， feel inspired。 。。。more

Maria ，

"。。。 because I had such little awareness of being a woman。""Once again， I wondered what exactly she meant when she spoke of kisses that were not platonic。 I was very well informed about sexual issues， for during my childhood and adolescence my body had had it's desires， but neither my considerable wisdom， nor my infinitesimal experience could explain the ties that united the flesh to tenderness， or happiness。 To Andrée， there existed a link between the heart and the body that remained a mystery "。。。 because I had such little awareness of being a woman。""Once again， I wondered what exactly she meant when she spoke of kisses that were not platonic。 I was very well informed about sexual issues， for during my childhood and adolescence my body had had it's desires， but neither my considerable wisdom， nor my infinitesimal experience could explain the ties that united the flesh to tenderness， or happiness。 To Andrée， there existed a link between the heart and the body that remained a mystery to me。" 。。。more

prashant ，

just a couple of girl best friends

Terry ~ Huntress of Erudition ，

The narrative of a young girl is delightful & heartbreaking in it's simplicity。This novel， which is short and sweet， reads like a memoir。 It has only been published after her death because of it's intimacy。 Simone de Beauvoir and her childhood friend， Elizabeth "Zaza" Lacoin were inseparable until Zaza's untimely death in her early 20's。Her bohemian philosophy was evident at an early age and it was interesting the way she contrasted it with the Lacoin family's bourgeois lifestyle and Zaza's moth The narrative of a young girl is delightful & heartbreaking in it's simplicity。This novel， which is short and sweet， reads like a memoir。 It has only been published after her death because of it's intimacy。 Simone de Beauvoir and her childhood friend， Elizabeth "Zaza" Lacoin were inseparable until Zaza's untimely death in her early 20's。Her bohemian philosophy was evident at an early age and it was interesting the way she contrasted it with the Lacoin family's bourgeois lifestyle and Zaza's mother's pursuit of a suitable husband for her daughters， regardless of their feelings。 。。。more

Clarisa Butler ，

This is a great， short novel。 The why and how was de Beauvoir persuaded not to publish it during her lifetime - I've read somewhere that it was too personal， that some of the material had already been used in the Mémoires d'une jeune fille rangée， surprises me as this is a very different project。 Its compression makes it particularly memorable， given it the urgency of a report written by an expert witness。 No-one can read it without having to take sides and deliver judgement。 The autobiographica This is a great， short novel。 The why and how was de Beauvoir persuaded not to publish it during her lifetime - I've read somewhere that it was too personal， that some of the material had already been used in the Mémoires d'une jeune fille rangée， surprises me as this is a very different project。 Its compression makes it particularly memorable， given it the urgency of a report written by an expert witness。 No-one can read it without having to take sides and deliver judgement。 The autobiographical element （the epigraph at the opening of the novel makes it clear） also adds to the political （yes， political！） import of what will follow。 The narrator， Sylvie， tells the story of her friendship with Andrée， an equally intelligent new pupil at her school。 In a straightforward， wonderfully evocative and precise manner， we are witness to the story of these two girls and how their relationship evolves from childhood （they meet at nine） to their twenties。 It is a tale of love， education， class， milieux （the two families prove to be very different）。。。 of being a girl in the early decades of the 20c， but the narrative goes far beyond that particular time and mores exploring as it does how it feels to have a friend， to chime one's life in relation to that friend， and the realisation that the friend's life and aspirations。 and obsessions are different from yours。 Ultimately， Andrée becomes a cypher of the pressures and dilemmas faced by young women anywhere。 I was hooked at how the story evolves and ends。 A rare， intelligent and political look at growing up。 Memorable。I cannot but thank Vintage via NetGalley for letting me read and review this wonderful novel。 。。。more

Paul Taylor ，

This short book crackles with emotion documenting the intense relationship between two girls as they grow from childhood to early womanhood。 Their relationship and social development is constrained by the restrictions imposed on girls of the bourgeoisie in the immediate aftermath of the first world war。 Restrictions of family， propiety and by the Catholic church。

Darryl Suite ，

Short and sweet。 Okay， it’s not sweet， why did I say that？ This novel follows the beautiful， complicated， impassioned， and devastating friendship between two young women。 The protagonist’s best friend， Andrée is the highlight: so many layers to unpack there。 The book is autobiographical in nature， essentially being about de Beauvoir’s real-life friendship with a childhood friend。 A gorgeous novel that had me in my feelings。 It sizzles and it stings。

Becky ，

I know I really love a book or film when I feel a gnawing emptiness after finishing it。 And I currently want to jump off a cliff for no apparent reason， so yeah， I really am in love with this book。

millicent ，

Im crying

Jasmine Nicholson ，

4。5

Peggy ，

A beautifully written French novel about a very passionate friendship between Simone & Zaza， that started when he girls were nine years old until the unfortunate death of Zaza before age 20。

Carol ，

3。5 fiction， but closely based on a close friendship during de Beauvoir’s early life。 Not sure why it was considered “too intimate” to publish while she was alive ？？？ Would not have read except short… liked

Amelia ，

3。5

Frankie ，

For some reason， this was the first Simone de Beauvoir book available to me which I feel like is not the ideal entry point but I still liked it

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Inseparables

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Inseparables&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Inseparables&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0