"La belle que voilà..." by Louis Hémon is a novel written in the early 20th century. The story begins with two old friends, Thibault and Raquet, reuniting at a café after many years apart, creating a nostalgic atmosphere filled with memories of childhood and lost innocence. Through their conversation, themes of love, memory, and the passage of time are explored, particularly regarding a girl named Liette who holds significant emotional resonance for
both characters. The opening of the novel sets a reflective tone as Thibault and Raquet awkwardly reconnect, reminiscing about their past and the people they once knew, including the tragic news of Liette's death. As they share memories, the setting shifts to a vivid recollection of a sunlit garden where they played as children, with Liette embodying a cherished symbol of their youthful innocence. The nostalgia culminates in a poignant mix of joy and sorrow, revealing how their lives have diverged since those simpler days, ultimately connecting the past with the present and highlighting enduring feelings of unfulfilled love and regret. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
La belle que voilà -- "Celui qui voit les dieux" -- Le dernier soir -- La vieille -- La destinée de Miss Winthrop-Smith -- La foire aux vérités -- La peur -- Lizzie Blakeston.
Credits
Laurent Vogel, Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by the Polona digital library)
Reading Level
Reading ease score: 70.4 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read.
