THERESE

by Francois Mauriac ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 23, 1947

Sub-titled A Portrait in Four Parts, the first of these is the novel Therese Desqueyroux which was written in 1927 and published over here by Liveright in 1928; the last, the novel The End of the Night which Mauriac wrote in 1935, and the intervening two sections are sketches concerned with the same character. Here are the qualities for which Mauriac has become prominent, the strong sense of character, the concern with sin and expiation. Therese is first seen after her acquittal in the trial for her attempted murder of her husband Bernard, then in her return to Bernard who exploits his knowledge of her guilt first in tyranny, then in her isolation from the world, from their child. In the later sequences here is the portrait of a lost and lonely figure, and finally of Therese just before her death as she tries to salvage the love affair of her daughter.. There is much sympathy here, torment, even exaltation- but one questions whether Mauriac has a following on this side.

Pub Date: Oct. 23, 1947

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Henry Holt

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1947

Categories: FICTION