Chrissie's Reviews > The Lost Estate

The Lost Estate by Alain-Fournier goes by two titles. The second is Le Grand Meaulnes. “Grand”, being a French word with different connotations, it is best to avoid a direct translation and so the English title is completely different. The French author, Henri-Alban Fournier (1886-1914), went by the pseudonym Alain-Fournier. The book was published in 1913. The author died in 1914 at the age of twenty seven, killed in action, at the start of the First World War.

I like the ending of this book. I like how the author ties up the plot. There is a twist at the end that I didn’t see coming. I also think the character portrayal of the two central protagonists is very well done. You cannot judge the book until the very end. Only at the end does what the book is really about hit you with a smack. It is about (view spoiler)[friendship and it is about those people you meet once in a while who stand out above others. Not in a bad way, in a good way (hide spoiler)]. It is also about the transition from adolescence to adulthood. You won’t understand this until the end. I do not want to tell you too much; it is realizing this yourself that is fun.

As a bit of introduction, I will just say this. The story is set in the village of Sainte Agathe, in the Sologne region of central France. There is a Sainte Agathe chapel that does exist. The tale starts in the year 1890 and covers events of a few years, about five. The story circles around two friends, one is fifteen, the other is seventeen. Actually, it is best to say three! The younger boy tells the story. Girls come into the tale too, in a very important way! I am not going to tell you anymore.

Why not more stars? I cannot properly judge the writing, the prose. The book is translated into English. The audio I listened to is translated by Françoise Delisle and has been revised for the audio recording. I have not compared line by line the French versus the English, but improvements are needed. Incorrect prepositions are used. The language is not fluid. The choice of words is often clumsy—“occupiers” is used, “occupants” would have been better. Rather than being told the town is quiet and still, we are told “everything is sleeping”. Things do not sleep! In French, adjectives are usually placed after the noun they modify. In English, adjectives precede the noun. This error is made multiple times. The translation is so bad I cannot judge the prose, and prose is important to me. I want to enjoy the lines as I read, I didn’t here. This explains why I have not given the book more stars.

The tone of the novel has a special feel—mysterious, dreamlike. This intrigues me. I am guessing I would have enjoyed the book more had I been given a better translation.

John Hollingworth narrates the audiobook I listened to. I did not enjoy his narration, and I do not recommend it. He mumbles words; he does not enunciate clearly. The pacing is off; he pauses where it is not necessary. This makes the tempo jerky. Not all lines are read in this staccato fashion, but all too many are. The narration performance I have give one star.