La Dame aux Camélias (1848)

Quite good and similar to Zola's [b:Nana|371456|Nana (Les Rougon-Macquart, #9)|Émile Zola|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1174236758s/371456.jpg|89633] in many ways, although, good storytellers as they were, neither Dumas Papa or Dumas Fils were in Zola's league.

What happens to the pretty girl who trades off her looks for money when she is past her sell-by date? Then she has to hope the man who always loved her will stump up the cash she needs so badly despite her constant rejection when she was at the top of the game and judged him too poor to supply her with the luxuries she felt entitled to. And hope he doesn't mind that she says she loves him only now she's desperate. Nor mind the sickness that has ravaged her body and destroyed her beauty, putting her out of work and losing her the gilded place in society and the envy, if not respect, of the women she never failed to lord it over?

Does being feckless go with the job of being a whore? Did none of them ever think of putting something by? Or is this just a literary device by the male authors who were looking to entertain rather than enlighten?


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Este es un gran libro, pues nos muestra una historia cautivadora de una mujer que envuelve una gran cantidad de encantos que posteriormente llegamos a entender. En el podemos llegar a introducirnos en la complejidad de su vida y en la manera en la que nuestra protagonista se desenvuelve dentro de su cotidianidad teniendo en cuenta su profesión y la historia de su gran amor. ( )

I'm sorry, but Alexandre Dumas Jr. was NOT his father. If there is anything that kills a love story quicker for me are selfish, hypersensitive, and just downright whiny protagonists. Sheesh. Boring. The opera adaptation "La Traviata" is SO MUCH BETTER. Maybe because it's in Italian and you don't know exactly what's going on but it sounds better. ( )

Conosco la vicenda da sempre. So a memoria gran parte della Traviata di Verdi e ho visto più volte il film con Greta Garbo. Non avevo mai letto la storia originale. L'ho iniziato per alleggerimento dalle ultime fatiche di lettura. Ho trovato un libro scritto ovviamente con le tecniche dell'epoca ma modernissimo nei concetti. Margherita Gautier oggi non si chiamerebbe cortigiana ma escort ed è davvero notevole l'occhio di Dumas figlio esente da ipocrisie, giudizi e anche pietismi e sentimentalismi. Ho trovato dei passaggi illuminanti, e degli approfondimenti psicologici di grande spessore. Davvero interessante.

Based on a true character and the experiences of Alexandre Dumas jr. it is a wonderful sad and compelling tale about a woman, who gives up love and happiness for the future of her lover. Not without a reason there are many films and even a opera made out of it. But Alexandre Dumas not only gives account of love, he mirrors the ugliness of the society at that time as well, and this let him emerge out of the shadow of his famous father. ( )