In her memoir, Breakup, Catherine Texier tells how her husband left her for another woman. In Victorine, Texier takes the memory of Victorine, her maternal great-grandmother, and transforms it, so that Victorine, in the throes of a grand passion, leaves her husband and children for another man. Naturally, Victorine's motives are soulful, and yet she has committed a mother's ultimate sin. Her flight with her lover to turn-of-the-century Indochina leads to days of great beauty and nights of sensuous languor, along the banks of the Mekong River. At the same time, she has much time to muse about the struggle between duty and independence, tradition and freedom, longing and regret. All of these thoughts are now condensed into a single day: a day when she has returned.
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"My mom and I both really liked this novel. Not quite sure why. Maybe the romantic notion of running away to China. Maybe it is the way the heroine is not quite satisfied with a run-of-the-mill life." — Martine (4 out of 5 stars)
"My mom and I both really liked this novel. Not quite sure why. Maybe the romantic notion of running away to China. Maybe it is the way the heroine is not quite satisfied with a run-of-the-mill life."
" Loved this book! Loved the flow, the pauses, and the fact that it's based on the author's relative. "
" Victorine: A Novel by Catherine Texier (2004) "
" Well written, engrossing, passionate. Good read "
" Texier writes beautiful prose. I kept getting reminded of an oil painting while I read. I felt like I could just keep looking at the delicate brushstrokes. Wonderfully crafted. "
" French woman leaves her husband and children to run away with her lover to Indochina. I enjoyed learning about the setting a lot- Indochina, Asian clothes and food, opium dens, etc.- but the story was just okay. "
" 1900 Saigon. Hard to read in some places. Interesting. "
" yah ini buku so..so..lah lumayan menarik karena mengorek kisah masa lalu tapi gak ada sesuatu yang bikin greget "
Catherine Texier is the author of four novels, including Chloé l’Atlantique, Love Me Tender, and Panic Blood, as well as a memoir, Breakup. She was the co-editor of the literary magazine Between C & D, is a regular contributor to the New York Times, and has written for Newsday, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, and Nerve.com. Texier lives in New York City.
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