Review
"Everything that Colette touched became human . . . She was a complete sensualist; but she gave herself up to her senses with such delicacy of perception, with such exquisiteness of physical pain as well as physical ecstasy, that she ennobled sensualism to grandeur." --The Times
"Chéri is her masterpiece."--Michael Straight, The New Republic
"Dramatic and moving . . . [Chéri] endears itself to the reader partly because of its subject, but more because of the manner of its telling."--The New York Times
Review
"Everything that Colette touched became human . . . She was a complete sensualist; but she gave herself up to her senses with such delicacy of perception, with such exquisiteness of physical pain as well as physical ecstasy, that she ennobled sensualism to grandeur." --The Times
"Chéri is her masterpiece."--Michael Straight, The New Republic
"Dramatic and moving . . . [Chéri] endears itself to the reader partly because of its subject, but more because of the manner of its telling."--The New York Times
Review
"Everything that Colette touched became human . . . She was a complete sensualist; but she gave herself up to her senses with such delicacy of perception, with such exquisiteness of physical pain as well as physical ecstasy, that she ennobled sensualism to grandeur." --The Times
"Chéri is her masterpiece."--Michael Straight, The New Republic
"Dramatic and moving . . . [Chéri] endears itself to the reader partly because of its subject, but more because of the manner of its telling."--The New York Times
Book Description
Two volumes of Colette's most beloved works, with a new Introduction by Judith Thurman.
Chéri, together with The Last of Chéri, is a classic story of a love affair between a very young man and a charming older woman. The amour between Fred Peloux, the beautiful gigolo known as Chéri, and the courtesan Léa de Lonval tenderly depicts the devotion that stems from desire, and is an honest account of the most human preoccupations of youth and middle age. With compassionate insight Colette paints a full-length double portrait using an impressionistic style all her own.
Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French
About the Author
Born in 1873 in France, Colette was the author of many acclaimed novels noted for their intimate style.Other Colette titles from FSG include The Complete Claudine, Gigi, Julie de Carneilhan, and Chance Acquaintances, Vagabond, and The Complete Stories of Colette. She died in 1954.
Cheri and The Last of Cheri FROM THE PUBLISHER
Cheri, together with The Last of Cheri, is a classic story of a love affair between a very young man and a charming older woman. In describing the relationship between Fred Peloux, the beautiful gigolo known as Cheri, and the courtesan Lea de Lonval, Colette tenderly depicts the devotion that stems from desire and provides an honest account of the most human preoccupations of youth and middle age. With compassionate insight she paints a full-length double portrait, using an impressionistic style all her own. In Cheri, Colette achieved a peak in her earthy, sensuous, and utterly individual art.
FROM THE CRITICS
Booknews
Reprint of the 1951 original, cited in with a new, 16 p. introduction by Judith Thurman. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
I could never write the way Colette Did. I've never found anything to match her descriptive passages, ever. She was a very sensual writer, and way beyond her time. Cheri is a love story between a very spoiled young man and his mistress who has "been there, done that." He's self-centered and vicious, and she ultimately turns out to be very noble. The final scene is incredibly moving; it makes me cry. I absolutely bow to Colette, but I think if she could hear me, she would probably tell me where to get lost, because she was that kind of woman. — Oprah Winfrey
Art & Photography
Book Info
