Au Revoir, Tristesse

Lessons in Happiness from French Literature

By: Viv Groskop

Narrated by: Gabrielle Baker

Like many people the world over, Viv Groskop wishes she was a little more French. A writer, comedian, and journalist, Groskop studied the language obsessively starting at age eleven, and spent every vacation in France, desperate to escape her Englishness and to have some French chic rub off on her. In Au Revoir, Tristesse, Groskop mixes literary history and memoir to explore how the classics of French literature can infuse our lives with joie de vivre and teach us how to say goodbye to sadness.

From the frothy hedonism of Colette and the wit of Cyrano de Bergerac to the intoxicating universe of Marguerite Duras and the heady passions of Les Liaisons dangereuses, this is a love letter to great French writers. With chapters on Marcel Proust, Victor Hugo, Gustave Flaubert, Stendhal, Honore de Balzac, Albert Camus, and of course Françoise Sagan, this is a must-listen for book lovers everywhere.

©2020 Viv Groskop (P)2024 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Groskop skillfully juggles memoir, biography, philosophy, and literary criticism to create a delightful tour through some of French literature's greats." -Madeline Miller, New York Times bestselling author