Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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13 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Maxwell: a superb writer, 25 April 2001
By A Customer
I cannot recommend this novel highly enough. Maxwell's prose is lucid without being sparse and the form of the novel is entirely compatible with its content. Its refusal to supply explanations for events, or hints of events, mirrors the confusion, and the suspended world of the tourists. I found it a hugely satisfying read, one which, like the wines of the region it concerns, contains both subleties and depth.
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6 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Intriguing in places- but I'm not convinced, 8 Jun 2007
This book was chosen by my book club this month - but none of us appear to be totally convinced by it. In fact, thus far i am the only one to have completed it; and there are members of the group who have read 30 or 40 pages and have really had enough! Some cannot get beyond the sections that are written in French - others find the style and the lack of action discouraging.
For me, the book was an insight into the early post war years in France. A naive American couple arrive in France at the start of a 4 month European tour, ready to explore and expecting to be welcomed with open arms as part of the nation that 'won the war' and 'liberated their country'.
Initially, they appear to be well received; but on arriving at 'The Chateau' (Beaumesnil) the welcome becomes somewhat cooler. They have to arrange their own transport to the Chateau, and the greeting they receive on arrival is far from effusive.
The rest of the book (at least two thirds) reverberates around this; knocking us from pillar to post as they are first received, then accepted, then barely acknowledged. Their knowledge of the language is limiting and restricitve. They never appear to know where they stand in any relationship; but never quite know how to deal with 'the family'. In their naivety, they cannot grasp what the French have had to cope with and so cannot understand why their reception should be so lukewarm in many ways. They are totally unaware of what their hostess has been through - and of what she is still going through in having to let rooms out in order to keep the Chateau going! They are also unaware of the fact that, as a friend of mine said when we were discussing the book, 'A paying guest is never as welcome either as a friend or as a true guest.' They try hard with the language, but find it hard to follow discussions, and feel more and more excluded - particularly during dinner.
They move on to Paris - where they remain equally confused and unsure of their status; although they prefer it as a base. Expecting to be 'hail fellow well met' with all they see; it is anathema to them to discover that it is not quite so.
I know that the French can be rather insular, even today; however I'm afraid that I found Harold and his wife to be rather brash, naive and a little uncouth - not unlike some of the less pleasant of their compatriots that one still encounters in Europe (unfortunately). I would not wish this particular couple on anyone - even the French! (oops!)
There are, however a couple of quotes that, to me, appear to summarise the book.
p.264 "What it amounts to is thar you cannot be friends with somebody, no matter how much you like them, if it turns out that you don't really understand each other." (This, to me, summarises the whole idea of the book!)
p.358 "But, if you concentrate on details, you lose sight of the whole." - oops - was this William Maxwell's mistake?
For me I'm afraid, there was nothing special about this book at all. i will not be looking for anything else by this author, I fear.
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6 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully written but unfortunately overlooked, 18 Jul 1998
By A Customer
The Chateau is a wonderful "travelogue" for people who love well written novels. The story begins with the interesting premise of vacationing in France just after the war. The novel shows the tensions of the "haves" and "have nots" between financially war torn France and the booming post war U.S. The Chateau serves to remind us of the graciousness of everyday life and the small luxuries afforded by simply being American. All of the American insecurities of traveling abroad crop up throughout the novel: (e.g. the gaucheness of being an American, the lack of a long history or the U.S's place in Western Culture). No one character is entirely lovable or wretched. That is precisely what makes it such a thought provoking novel. It is perfect for those who travel or have been to France on an extended trip. Enjoy the book and recommend it to a friend. The story can stand on its own but the writing remains the feast.
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