This is the story of Cécile, a 17 year-old girl living in the 1950’s, spending her summer holiday with her father in the company of one of his many mistresses. As a teenage girl she is described to idolise her father and his chosen life style, lack the direction of solid parenting that was absent in her life and despise anything that tries to unsettle the fragile balance of her life. In fact she is very a much a teenager, trapped between being a child and being an adult and she evidently resents that. Especially when the latest conquest of his father is here to stay, with Anne becoming his fiancee and taking firm control of Cecile’s life in the same sense as a mother figure would.
This very short novel was incredibly well written, honest and very direct in terms of its characters and situations. You can’t help but like Cecile, not because she is a nice human being (she’s not.) but because she is honest and does exactly what you’d expect her to do. With Cecile, what you see is pretty much what you get. She is a great character and her mental voice is very refreshing.
As for the plot, it had a tendency for the dramatic but it was written by a teenager, reflecting a teenager’s view. It was very enjoyable! Highly recommended!
Enjoyed it: Very Much
Read again: Absolutely!
275 days remaining - 18 books down, 1 unfinished, 82 left.
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