The Complete Claudine

Collete will be remembered as a goddes a thousand years from now.she was the most beloved author in France for half a century. her bio is awesome. 1st woman to be given "legion of honor" and state funeral. everybody adored Colette. Colette's "Claudine" novels were written under coercion at age 16, by her playboy husband, "Willy" - he published them under his name, best sellers. Colette got rights back upon divorce - a very cute, mildly erotic novel - based on Colette's schoolgirl experience -i can't believe a good film has not been made..?? lesbian teachers making out in front of the girls...and an incredibly sweet final "kiss" scene - don't wanna spoil it. come on over and read "Claudine" to me....

After many purchases of incomplete Claudines, I was relieved to find this edition. It really is complete! Includes the elusive but essential "Claudine a l'ecole."

This book is my first foray into Colette, and it was a great introduction indeed! Fresh and fun after a full century, I fell in love with the entire cast of characters. Finishing the book, it was a crushing blow to say goodbye to them. I look forward to reading more Colette in the future.

So far I have read Claudine at School and have enjoyed it much.I just started the second book Claudine in Paris.

The Claudine novels of Colette are undoubtedly successful from the literary perspective. They tell the tale of the growth of a precocious teenage girl from the French countryside into a worldlywise woman of the early twentieth century Parisian bourgeoisie. Even such a traditional author as Francois Mauriac admired their brilliance.They caused a sensation upon publication that eventually turned Colette into a national icon. Powerfully describing how women were encumbered by the social prejudices of their time, they strongly resonated with French youth. Simone de Beauvoir simply wouldn’t have been possible without Colette.But, in retrospect, I think their effect was pernicious. For Colette, life is all about self-realization. Lovers, wealth, status…it’s a very shallow notion that Colette offers to the imprisoned women of her day. Even her loves don’t go beyond the teenage stage of good looks, infatuation and obsession followed by disillusionment and break-up.In her actual life, Colette essentially abandoned the only child she ever had and was an active collaborator with the Vichy regime. Is it possible that self-realization could be balanced with traditional ideals like responsibility, honesty and respect? It’s almost as if Colette discovered a new world open to her and emphasized only those parts she’d been shut out of.I, for one, have had enough of the gospel of self-fulfillment and didn’t need an extensive reading in its sources. It’s unfortunate that we are still today trying to counterbalance some of what writers like Colette rushed, albeit in a new found freedom she herself helped to create, to make the acme of existence.

These books play a major role in the recent movie about the French author Colette, which prompted me to read one of them. It's easy to see why they caused a sensation and launched Colette on her career as France's most successful female writer. And it's a great picture of French culture at the beginning of the 20th century.

This is the closest to a tome in living fully I have ever come across. I consider it today, something like "The Bible" - Colette is absolute genius. If you like stories of people who dared to be who they were during a time when it was highly frowned upon... get this book.. it is the ultimate introductory tome to the wonderful world of Colette.