5.0 out of 5 stars Lost and Found

C.E. · October 6, 2009

A century after its debut, Le Grand Meaulnes by Alain-Fournier stands as a classic not only of early 20th century French literature but also of the universal theme of adolescence as a lightening rod for restlessness, passionate energy, Romantic vision, the search for meaning and love, and the invention of the self. Augustin Meaulnes embodies it all from the moment he arrives as a 17-year-old student at a provincial French boys' school in the 1890s. Francois, the younger classmate who narrates Augustin's story, describes a dashing, charismatic leader who likes to live large, hence the nickname "Le Grand." When Meaulnes carries a scheme so far that he becomes lost in the wintry countryside, he returns days later a markedly changed person haunted and exhausted by a peak experience he can barely explain. Eventually he reveals to Francois what happened as he wandered in the wilderness and the hidden estate he came upon. He is desperate to recapture what he found there but attempts to locate the place are unsuccessful, giving him and Francois, who takes up his friend's cause, an emotional mission like seeking the lost grail.The narrative is fluid, vivid and nuanced, a testimony to the translator of this Penguin edition. I regret I did not study French and have not read this in its original language, but this version has a grounded, natural expressiveness that does not feel removed from another tongue. The novel captures provincial French culture and its values on the cusp of the 20th century, particularly illustrating the perspective of what defines childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Francois serves as an ideal foil to Augustin providing gentle shading around the large outline cut by his friend.Penguin is to be commended for including a spoiler warning at the outset of Adam Gopnik's critical introduction. I read it as an afterward and it proved to be a pleasant conversation working out the experience of reading this classic, putting it in historical and artistic perspective.

4.0 out of 5 stars Dream-like French classic

G.W.W. · May 3, 2017

Dream-like French classic novel, less well known to English readers today. A young man in a French village, wandering off the main roads, comes to a strange chateau in the forest and meets its mysterious inhabitants, including a beautiful girl. He then spends years of his life trying to relocate the chateau and the girl and recapture his memories of them. If it sounds as though it prefigures Proust--well, it does.Meaulnes is the protagonist and "Le Grand Meaulnes" means "The Great Meaulnes." Interestingly this was a favorite book of F. Scott Fitzgerald and gave him the idea for the title "The Great Gatsby".

3.0 out of 5 stars Kind of Disappointing

B.P. · August 21, 2012

I was really looking forward to this one and...I was disappointed. It was almost boring, but not quite. There was something of the French charm and "fantasie" about it. Hold on. Let me backtrack. What is Le Grand Meaulnes about? Well, it's about this boy named Auguste Meaulnes who arrives at the small village of Sologne, and captivates everyone. But he vanishes for a few days and comes back with stories of a strange party in a mysterious house and a beautiful girl that met there. "....Meaulnes has been changed forever. In his restless search for his Lost Estate and the happiness he found there, Meaulnes, observed by his loyal friend Francois, may risk losing everything he ever had. poised between youthful admiration and adult resignation, Alain-Fournier's compelling narrator carries the reader through this evocative and often unbearably moving portrayal of desperate friendship and vanished adolescence." Interesting sounding story, right? Penguin Classics translates (or rather, calls it) The Lost Estate (which is obviously not a literal translation of the original French title.) I did not find myself caring about the characters that much though, so it wasn't "deeply moving" at all. Some of the descriptions were vaguely interesting, but I didn't find it such a great book.Also, from Alain-Fournier's description of the "lost estate", it doesn't sound so wonderful. I mean, if I was Meaulnes, I would want to find out more about the mysterious house, but "the happiness he found there?" To me (from the description of it), the house just sounded like a nice place where Meaulnes spent a few nights. To be sure, there is an air of the mysterious about it, but why should it have the potential to ruin his life? How can he have fallen in love with the girl after talking to her once?In the end, I guess I just didn't find Le Grand Meaulnes that compelling. I understand that Meaulnes is in that state between childhood and adulthood...but really, who cares? Not me. I don't mean to say that I hated this one, just that it was missing something (for me.) I will admit though, that the second part of the book was much, much better than the first. I actually enjoyed the last fifty pages or so. Le Grand Meaulnes is an essential part of French literature though, and I'm glad that I had the experience of reading it.All of my reviews can be read at my blog, Cleo's Literary Reviews [...]

Not necessarily anything i would recommend

L. · September 14, 2023

Not completely uninteresting- but then again not something that really grabs you. The characters are not truly developed and the plot is very basic. Maybe the original French version is better, but in English it was just sort of mediocre.

A classic

J. · October 29, 2023

This is one of the world's best known studies of adolescent idealism. This translation is very sensitive and is true to the French original. Very well worth reading.

A Poor Translation of the French Original.

R.H. · October 3, 2019

I remember reading this amazing novel as a young man in my 20's. My review is based on this poor translation by Robin Buss of the French original. I found this translation lacking in the subtle nuances that I distinctly recall in a far superior translation that titled the novel as "The Wanderer, The end of Youth" by Frank Davison.

Le Grand Meaulnes

G.T. · July 22, 2013

Really the title doesn't reflect of the original character behind that book, but...It's one of those odd books given to us as a chore while at school and that reveals itself yo be one of the highlights of my scholarship.I actually got in in English for my wife who doesn't speak much French yet.The story of Love, Friendship and Teenage... Bitter-sweet as one can recall with the utmost nostalgia.Will read it a hundredth time soon enough, in French, though.

At last, the answer

F.T. · December 17, 2013

I enjoyed this book, and found the new translation excellent. I especially approve of the title. Both introduction and notes are worth attention.In the distant past I minutely dissected this book, in French, during my last year in school. So slowly did the class proceed that we never got any further than the entrance of Le Grand Meaulnes. It was dinned in that not only was Meaulnes (close to unpronounceable for Ayrshire Scots) "tall", he was also considered "great" or "terrific" by his classmates, though we never had the opportunity to discover why.The process we were involved in then was akin to turning over the individual stones on a gravel path, rather than standing back and looking at the garden. It killed any interest completely. Consequently, this book was a revelation, on several levels.Not only did I find out how the story ended -- which was what I had really wanted to know -- I discovered atmosphere and charm our class had never seen. In addition, I found themes that have echoes in later works by other authors. The most significant of these, noted in the introduction, being of Alain-Fournier's teenage narrator in 'Catcher in the Rye' and other 'coming of age' books. And in the same way that the story owes a debt to ballads and fairy tales, it can be seen as a precursor of 'magic realism', in terms of the strange events at the Lost Estate.But it isn't just of literary historical interest -- it's a good read, too. There's a debate over whether it's a children's book, a teenage book, or even for adults, but frankly, who cares? Just read it and see what you think.