A Certain Smile

A neglected classic about a young French woman in the 1950s risking romance, from the author of Bonjour Tristesse

Françoise Sagan is best known for her first novel, Bonjour Tristesse, which caused a scandal when she first published it at the age of eighteen in 1953. But her second novel, A Certain Smile, less shocking and more psychologically convincing, was preferred by many critics. Like Bonjour Tristesse, this story is set in Paris in the 1950s and told by a young student bored by her law books, restless and curious about love and sex. She is fond of her loyal boyfriend, but he, too, bores her. His worldly uncle strikes her as more exciting, appealingly risky and forbidden. Frank and spontaneous, vulnerable and cruel, thoughtless and insightful, Sagan’s young narrator explores such perennial themes as unrequited love and the precarious balance of irrational emotions and self-restraint.

Françoise Sagan (1935-2004) was a French playwright, screenwriter and novelist whose works have been translated into many languages. She is the author of several books, including That Mad Ache and Bonjour Tristesse, for which she gained quick literary stardom upon publishing at the age of eighteen.