La Dama de les camelies (1848)

Written by Alexandre Dumas fils, it is a semi autobiographical novel based on the author's brief love affair with a courtesan, Marie Duplessis.

France, 19th century, the tragic love story between Marguerite, a courtesan, and Armand, a young bourgeois. Marguerite is the lady of the camellias because she uses a red camellia when she is menstruating and therefore unavailable for sex and a white camellia when available to her clients.

Narrated in a flashback style, it tells us about how the narrator saw a poster that brought information about the sale of furniture and other valuables after a death. It did not name the deceased. He hears a few things about her and, being a writer, is attracted to a copy of Manon Lescaut, which features a dedication by someone named Armand Duval.

We know from the beginning that Marguerite died. Clearly, the book was given to demonstrate how Armand felt about Marguerite, who knew her occupation, but loved her anyway.

The intrigued narrator hears more about Marguerite and, out of curiosity, visits her grave. He notes that someone has placed new camellias there. Eventually, Armand tracks down our narrator because he is looking for the book he gave Marguerite. He proceeds to tell the story.

Armand seeks to attract Marguerite's attention and win her love. Most of her customers are wealthy nobles. Her friendship with an old duke, apparently not sexual, because she looks like his daughter who died, shows us her tenderness.

Eventually, Armand gains her love, but there are countless complications to be overcome.

The novel seems to operate in reverse of Manon, since here it is the female character who sacrifices herself the most for love. ( )

NA

A major spoiler here at the beginning. Fifty-seven years of my life and I never realized that the lady wasn't named Camille.

This is a romance from the mid-1800s set in France. A woman who is a courtesan has died and the rest of the book is about her lover coming to terms with it. Much of it reads like a young girl's diary full of emotion, angst, despair and elation. There are moments though when the narrator speaks trying to explain his compassion for women who have "fallen" that are full of human understanding.

This was a quick read, although some of the angsty bits became annoying (I really wanted to give the young man a good shake), it was an interesting glimpse into a culture and time very unfamiliar to me, although thoughts of the movie Gigi kept popping into my head.

I doubt I will read it again, although I wrote down several quotes in my reading journal. I will possibly read something else by this author if it falls into my lap. I recommend it to those who enjoy reading classics because it is a reference to so many other works since its time. Also to anyone who likes a good romance. ( )

Include: la vita a vent'anni

Overwrought, but good practice reading French. Interesting to see the watering-down of the story as it moves from novel to play to opera, as delineated in the Introduction and as one can see for oneself as all of these are included in this one volume. ( )