Translated by Faith Evans
Marie by Madeleine Bourdouxhe is a short, beautifully written novella about a woman’s passion for life. In this novella, Bourdouxhe subtly combines, tenderness, humour and sensuality in her exploration of a woman’s experience of life.
I first read Madeleine Bourdouxhe three years ago, her novel La Femme de Gilles is brilliant, but it’s also a moodier less hopeful novel than Marie – which is much brighter and optimistic, focusing as it does on a woman’s love of life. Marie is a novella that sparkles from the start, a novel about love, sensuality and passion, the central character a realistic creation, who we may not entirely approve of but can’t entirely stop ourselves from liking. A woman who takes a lover and in doing so discovers a whole new liberation for herself.
Our eponymous heroine is a thirty year-old woman married to Jean – who she loves, they live together in Paris, Marie loves Paris – just as she loves many inanimate objects in her life. She loves the light on the sea she can see while on holiday with her husband, the hotel balcony, a boat, a cigarette. Objects appear to have great importance to Marie – and she has a relationship of sorts with those she sees as important.
“However completely people might fulfil themselves in other spheres, if they don’t possess this understanding between their hands and material objects, they can never have more than an incomplete understanding of the world.”
She is a woman’s whose inner life is full of quiet unexpressed enthusiasms which she likes to think about on her own. While she loves her husband, she is entirely separate from him, we experience them as two individuals rather than the unit that many couples are.
As the novel opens, Marie and Jean are on holiday on the Côte d’Azur, in the sultry heat of an afternoon while taking a walk with Jean, Marie notices a beautiful young man lying on the beach, they exchange a meaningful look. It seems from here that there is no turning back for Marie – the die is cast for Marie and the unnamed young man. Later, Marie ensures she meets the young man again, just the sight of him, suntanned, muscled and carefree has awoken something in Marie. Bourdouxhe, explores Marie’s burgeoning new sensuality with an honesty and understanding, here is a woman in need of waking up she seems to be saying.
Once back in Paris Marie and Jean settle back into their normal routine, but it’s not long before Marie has arranged to meet the young man from the beach.
“She looked at his town clothes, at the buttoned-up collar of his blue cotton shirt, at the dark, red-striped tie. There was the uncertain, unreal world of the holiday, which she had known, and there was the everyday life about which she knew nothing whatsoever. A daily life, full of signs, that he has only recently left in order to come to her.”
Jean is completely unaware of what is happening in Marie’s life. One day he tells Marie that his job is likely to take him away to Maubeuge for time, and despite the fact that she dreads leaving her beloved Paris, Marie agrees to go with him to a town she knows already she dislikes. Immediately she begins to plan for short periods when she can escape to Paris for a day or two – where she will continue to give lessons to some of her private pupils – and meet her lover.
“They went up in a very narrow elevator where there was only room for two bodies face to face. Young maids in canvas pinafores, organdie bows in their hair, bright red lips in inscrutable faces, slip like spirits through the deserted corridors, respecting the anonymity, the secrets of every soul, and folding up quilts with vestal movements. Muffled sounds, orders given in low voices, words that turn into mysteries, doors that shut without a sound. The peace and safety of a temple, with all the solemn, human poetry of a lodging house.”
In Madeleine Bourdouxhe’s earlier novel, La Femme des Gilles, the relationship between two sisters is pivotal to the tragedy that ensues. Marie also has a sister – and their relationship is also complex – though less destructive. With her newfound confidence and newly awakened view of her world, Marie has begun to feel more critical of her chaotic sister, who is much less happy than Marie. Marie loves her sister Claudine – and rushes to her side when she is needed – but she is also often furious with her.
I loved this beautiful little novel which has a rather delicious dreamlike quality to it. I now have A Nail, A Rose; a little collection of Bourdouxhe’s short stories to look forward to reading in August for Women in Translation month.
I’m so pleased to see such a positive review of this sensual novella, a beautiful story of a young woman’s awakening. It’s just right for the summer. Lovely piece, Ali. I have the stories in my TBR, too.
It is a lovely novel. Very much looking forward to the stories.
I share your and Jacqui’s enthusiasm for this one, Ali. Having read La Femme de Gilles, I was expecting something more dour but it’s a delight. I hope you enjoy the short stories as much as I did.
Yes, I think I preferred the tone of this one, although that earlier novel was so good.
I’d love to read both of these novellas, I did buy the first one for a friend but never read it myself, must see if I can lend it back. 😊 Lovely review.
I hope you enjoy it Claire, I have a feeling you’ll really appreciate it.
When you mentioned her before, I knew that I had read one, and it was Marie after all. (Not such a striking cover though – I think it was rather pastel-y, which should be a word, even if it’s not.) I’ll look forward to your next exploration of her work too.
Yes, I do like this striking cover too, it suits the mood of the book better than a pastel shade would.
I’ve read both these novellas too. I preferred Marie, which I read first.
Although both are very good, I think I also prefer Marie.
Oh, sounds lovely Ali. If I’m going to read Bourdouxhe I’ll definitely start with this one. Love the point about her “inner life is full of quiet unexpressed enthusiasms which she likes to think about on her own” – that so sums up how separate people in a marriage can be! 😀
This would be a good Bourdouxhe to start with, as La Femme des Gilles is rather tragic, though beautifully written.
I too love reading books published decades ago. They are going on my TBR list.
Glad to hear you want to read them.
I love the sound of this Ali. It sounds a perfect summer read too 🙂
Oh yes, a perfect summer read.
I’ve been looking forward to your review of Marie as I have just been bowled over by her short fiction in the collection of A Nail, A Rose. I’ll have to read this now, and her other novel soon, and is that all we have of hers? Thanks for this.
So glad you enjoyed the short stories, I am looking forward to reading them in August. I think those three books might be all of her work available in English.
What a fabulous cover!
It’s so striking, it suits the mood perfectly.
Sounds like a good read and an interesting portrayal of a woman’s psychology.
It is, beautifully executed.
[…] Marie by Madeleine Bourdouhxe is a novella a novel about love, sensuality and passion. Depicting the internal life of a married woman who despite loving her husband has a heady affair with a young man she meets at the beach. It’s a beautiful piece of writing. […]