I discovered Annie Ernaux‘ ‘A Woman’s Story‘ many years back through Caroline’s (from ‘Beauty is a Sleeping Cat’) review of it. I finally got around to reading it.
In this short book, which runs to 90 pages, Annie Ernaux describes the life of her mother, from the time she was born, her childhood, how she stopped going to school when she was twelve and went to work, her teens, her marriage, her ambition to run her own grocery store, how she navigated the war years, the time when Annie Ernaux was born, the relationship between mother and daughter, and on towards the final years when her mother had Alzheimer’s. It is hard to believe that the book is so slim, because Ernaux packs so much in it. The story of how her mother rose from poverty to make something of her life is so inspiring to read.
The book is Ernaux’ beautiful love letter to her mother. It is also an insightful portrayal of the history of France of the 20th century, if we choose to look at it that way – not the glitzy, glamorous France of the popular imagination, but the real France with real people like Annie Ernaux’ mother. The central theme of the book is, of course, the relationship between Annie Ernaux and her mother, which is beautiful and complex, loving and exasperating at the same time, the way relationships between close family members are.
Annie Ernaux’ prose is spare but it also has a calm, serene, meditative quality to it, which is almost like reading a Zen monk’s spiritual account. It is fascinating and surprising, because the first line of the book starts with “My mother died on Monday 7 April…”
I loved ‘A Woman’s Story‘. I’m looking forward to reading more books by Annie Ernaux soon.
I’ll leave you with two of my favourite passages from the book.
“One could tell whether she was upset simply by looking at her face. In private she didn’t mince her words and told us straight out what she thought. She called me a beast, a slut, and a bitch, or told me I was “unpleasant”. She would often hit me, usually by slapping my face, or occasionally punching my shoulders. Five minutes later, she would take me into her arms and I was her “poppet.”
She bought me toys and books under any pretext, a party, a trip into town, or a slight temperature. She took me to the dentist’s, the lung specialist, and made sure I had good shoes, warm clothes, and all the right stationery I needed for class (she had enrolled me at a private establishment run by nuns, and not at the local primary school). If I mentioned that one of the other girls had an unbreakable slate, she would immediately ask me if I wanted one : “I wouldn’t want them to think you’re not as good as the others.” Her overriding concern was to give me everything she hadn’t had. But this involved so much work, so much worrying about money, and an approach to children’s happiness so radically different from her own education, that she couldn’t help saying : “You know, we spend a lot of money on you” or “Look at everything you’ve got, and you’re still not happy!”“I thought her a cut above my father because she seemed closer to the schoolmistresses and teachers than he did. Everything about my mother – her authority, her hopes, and her ambitions – was geared to the very concept of education. We shared an intimacy centered on books, the poetry I read to her, and the pastries in the teashop at Rouen, from which he was excluded. He took me to the funfair, to the circus, and to see Fernandel’s films. He taught me how to ride a bicycle and recognize the garden vegetables. With him I had fun, with her I had “conversations”. Of the two, she was the dominating figure, the one who represented authority.”
I read this for ‘Reading Independent Publishers Month’ hosted by Kaggsy from Kaggsy’s Bookish Ramblings and Lizzy from Lizzy’s Literary Life, an event which celebrates indie publishers for the whole of February. The edition of ‘A Woman’s Story‘ I read was published by Seven Stories Press.
Have you read Annie Ernaux’ ‘A Woman’s Story‘? What do you think about it?
A wonderful review Vishy and the perfect accompanying quote, this sounds like an excellent place to start too.
Glad you liked the review, Claire 😊 Hope you get to read this book and like it. It is so beautiful!
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Lovely review Vishy – I haven’t read this Ernaux yet, but I want to as her writing about her father was so lyrical.
Glad you liked the review, Kaggsy 😊 Hope you get to read this book and like it. Will look forward to hearing your thoughts. I haven’t read the book on her father yet. Hoping to do that soon.
Vishy, the passage that you have quoted has already convinced to get this book. And I specifically liked your point on how the book doesn’t talk about the glitzy side of France, but something that’s raw, and real. The photo on the cover has a dreamy yet melancholic quality to it. I hope I would get this copy.
Glad you liked that passage, Deepika. The cover is so beautiful, isn’t it? Hope you get to read this book and like it. It is one of my favourite books. Will look forward to hearing your thoughts. Happy reading!
I’m so glad you liked it. Of course, I know that side of France as most French people would. It’s important people realize that it’s definitely not all glitz and glamour. And there’s a France outside of Paris or the Côte d’Azur.
It was such a wonderful book, Caroline! I am so glad I read it. I think it is my favourite Annie Ernaux book till now. Thanks so much for recommending Annie Ernaux’ books to me and inspiring me to read them 😊 Yes, it was so nice to read about the everyday side of France in the book. It is something I could relate to, very much.
I’m very glad to hear it. I should now get in with my collection. I’m sure there’s so much more to discover.
[…] Louis’ book about his mom made me think about Annie Ernaux’ book about her mom, ‘A Woman’s Story’, and Erwin Mortier’s book about his mom, ‘Stammered Songbook : A Mother’s Book of […]
[…] that it was not that well-known until recently. It is up there with the great stories of mothers by Annie Ernaux, Édouard Louis and Erwin […]