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The Inseparables

The newly discovered novel from Simone de Beauvoir
By Simone de Beauvoir
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Check link for latest rating. ( 25,871 ratings, 3,172 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Inseparables by Simone de Beauvoir tells the story of a deep friendship between two young girls, Sylvie and Andrée, set against the backdrop of 1920s France. Exploring themes of loyalty, personal freedom, and the constraints imposed by society, the narrative delves into the emotional and intellectual bonds that form as the girls navigate the challenges of adolescence. This novel offers an intimate glimpse into the complexities of friendship and the societal pressures of the time.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you appreciate intricate narratives that delve into the profound connections between individuals, particularly exploring themes of friendship, identity, and the societal constraints on women in 20th-century France. Fans of Simone de Beauvoir's philosophical insights into human emotions and relationships will find this story compelling and thought-provoking.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

The lost novel from the author of The Second Sex

When Andrée joins her school, Sylvie is immediately fascinated.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

This recently rediscovered novel from the author of The Second Sex is the compulsive story of two close friends growing up and falling apart.

The lost novel from the author of The Second Sex

When Andree joins her school, Sylvie is immediately fascinated. Andree is small for her age but walks with the confidence of an adult. The girls become close. They talk for hours about equality, justice, war and religion; they lose respect for their teachers; they build a world of their own. But as the girls grow into young women, the pressures of society mount, threatening everything.

This novel was never published in Simone de Beauvoir's lifetime. It tells the story of the real-life friendship that shaped one of the most important thinkers and feminists of the twentieth century.

TRANSLATED BY LAUREN ELKIN - INTRODUCED BY DEBORAH LEVY

'Slim, elegant, achingly tragic and unaffectedly lovely in its evocation of the closeness between girls - and the pressures that sunder them' Spectator

'There were lines that absolutely punched me in the gut' Anbara Salam

'Gorgeously written, intelligent, passionate' Oprah Daily

'Elegantly translated...a rich and rewarding novella' Literary Review

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Simone de Beauvoir's The Inseparables has been warmly received, with reviewers praising its evocative exploration of female friendship and intimacy. The smooth and exquisite translation by Lauren Elkin enhances the sensual and restrained narrative, drawing comparisons to the works of Elena Ferrante. It's described as a ravishing and poignant piece of art, providing both newcomers to de Beauvoir's work and longtime admirers with a delightful experience.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781784877187

Publisher: Vintage Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 02 June 2022

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Vintage Classics

Contributors:

  • Translated by Lauren Elkin
  • Afterword by Sylvie le Bon de Beauvoir
  • Introduction by Deborah Levy

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 13.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 148g

Pages: 176

Collections

Best Sellers at Book Hero Classic Fiction Classic General Fiction Education & Reference Fiction General Fiction In Stock Books In-Stock Fiction Books Literary Fiction New Release Fiction New Zealand's Best Selling Books Penguin Books Simone de Beauvoir

About the Author

Simone de Beauvoir (Author) Simone de Beauvoir was born in Paris in 1908. In 1929 she became the youngest person ever to obtain the agregation in philosophy at the Sorbonne, placing second to Jean-Paul Sartre. She taught at the lycees at Marseille and Rouen from 1931-1937, and in Paris from 1938-1943. After the war, she emerged as one of the leaders of the existentialist movement, working with Sartre on Les Temps Mordernes. The author of several books including The Mandarins (1957) which was awarded the Prix Goncourt, de Beauvoir was one of the most influential thinkers of her generation. She died in 1986. Deborah Levy (Introducer) Deborah Levy is the author of seven novels and of a innovative trilogy of memoirs on writing, gender politics and philosophy. She has received numerous prizes and widespread critical acclaim for her novels, plays, short stories and memoirs. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Lauren Elkin (Translator) Lauren Elkin is the author of several books, including Fl neuse- Women Walk the City. Her co-translation (with Charlotte Mandell) of Claude Arnaud's biography of Jean Cocteau won the 2017 French-American Foundation's translation award. After twenty years in Paris, she now lives in London.

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