
Good Intentions
Agnes Desarthe(Author)
Flamingo (Publisher)
Published on 14. January 2002
Book
Paperback/Softback
128 pages
978-0-00-710093-4 (ISBN)
Description
A sly, wry novel about how hard it is to do good.
Sonia is finally settling down. With her husband Julien, she buys a flat in an apartment block in an up-and-coming quarter of the city. And she is pregnant with their first child. Family life begins and it feels good.
Their new home has its problems, as all do. With Julien away on business much of the time, and now a second child on the way, Sonia finds herself drawn into the darker corners of life in her block. A disoriented widower, seemingly incapable of going on alone, latches onto her, all under the watchful gaze of the building's eyes and ears - a dishevelled, even disgusting pair who in turn lean on the services of an obliging factotum. They fascinate and repulse Sonia all at once, but, in her muddled, well-meaning way, she finds herself sucked speedily into the maelstrom of their sordid lethargy and ordinary cruelty. It's as much as she can do to try to bring relief where she can, but it comes at quite a price. And Sonia has her reader ask why it is so very hard to tell the truth and so very hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys.
Sonia is finally settling down. With her husband Julien, she buys a flat in an apartment block in an up-and-coming quarter of the city. And she is pregnant with their first child. Family life begins and it feels good.
Their new home has its problems, as all do. With Julien away on business much of the time, and now a second child on the way, Sonia finds herself drawn into the darker corners of life in her block. A disoriented widower, seemingly incapable of going on alone, latches onto her, all under the watchful gaze of the building's eyes and ears - a dishevelled, even disgusting pair who in turn lean on the services of an obliging factotum. They fascinate and repulse Sonia all at once, but, in her muddled, well-meaning way, she finds herself sucked speedily into the maelstrom of their sordid lethargy and ordinary cruelty. It's as much as she can do to try to bring relief where she can, but it comes at quite a price. And Sonia has her reader ask why it is so very hard to tell the truth and so very hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys.
Reviews / Votes
'Desarthe's fourth novel is as sly and as subtle and as engrossing as her most recent, "Five Photos of My Wife". But it does more than entertain and provoke, it speaks volumes about attitudes both private and public...intelligent, honest and unsettling.' Eileen Battersby, The Irish Times'Desarthe deftly and mercilesly uses Sonia's ordinary desires and concerns to pave an elegant road to hell.' Alice Ferrebe, Scotland on Sunday
'Desarthe has a style...which is consistently beautiful.' Alan Gorham, Aberdeen Press & Journal
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers
Product notice
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Paperback (UK-trade)
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 135 mm
Thickness: 12 mm
Weight
166 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-00-710093-4 (9780007100934)
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Schweitzer Classification
Persons
agnes desarthe is a prize-winning, best-selling and much-loved author of fiction for children and adults in her native France. Her work is translated into allthe major European languages. Good Intentions is her second novel for adults to be published in English.