Adele
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3.1 • 41 Ratings
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- £5.49
Publisher Description
From the bestselling author of Lullaby
'Riveting.' Evening Standard
'Explosive.' Mail on Sunday
'Thrilling.' Sunday Times
'A must-read.' Vogue
Her obsessions devour her. She is helpless to stop them...
Adèle has a seemingly enviable life. She is a respected journalist, living in a flawless Paris apartment with her surgeon husband and their young son. But beneath the veneer of 'having it all', Adèle is bored. She begins to orchestrate her life around one-night stands and extramarital affairs, arriving late to work and lying to her husband about where she's been, until her compulsions threaten to consume her altogether.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Slimani's fascinating follow-up to The Perfect Nanny chronicles the extramarital trysts of 35-year-old Ad le Robinson. Ad le's oblivious husband, Richard, often works long hours as a surgeon, though he's growing tired of his job at the hospital in Paris. He often floats the idea of moving with Ad le and their three-year-old son, Lucien, to the deserted countryside. This idea enrages Ad le, who spends her waking hours sating her sexual needs (her sexual life composes most of the story). Her job as a journalist proves handy, since she can come and go as she pleases. She often asks her best friend, Lauren, to cover for her when she goes out at night. Ad le has seduced everyone from her boss, Cyril, to Lauren's lover to Richard's unattractive colleague, Xavier. She keeps a second cell phone that's crammed with the numbers of men she's willing to bed again. In the meantime, she does the bare minimum at work and will hand off her son at a moment's notice. The story takes a turn when it focuses on Richard and how he deals with his wife once he finds out about her sex life. Though some readers might feel the novel waits too long to explore why its protagonist feels compelled to behave the way she does, this is nevertheless a skillful character study. Slimani's ending is the perfect conclusion to this memorable snapshot of sex addiction.
Customer Reviews
An unfortunate disappointment
I was initially intrigued by the synopsis however I’ve been left disappointed for reasons listed below:
• The character development was non existent. It felt difficult to relate to the characters.
• There was a lack of description of scenery/environment.
• The chapters seemed all too jumpy - the story did not flow smoothly at all.
• Whilst I appreciate Leïla Slimani’s simple writing approach, I felt this made it difficult to fully indulge myself into the story. (Personal opinion)
• Last but not least, cliché.
Overall I felt this book had so much potential especially after how successful Lullaby was. “Adèle” ended up being a boring read. Some argue Leïla Slimani did this to portray how boring Adèle’s life became as she submitted to her compulsions.
Embarrassing
Reads like an un-subbed first draft sent to an editor at five minutes to midnight on deadline day. Appallingly full of cliches. Zero character development or plot. Astonishing given the subtle suspense of her first book. Don’t waste your money.