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A review by kbaker20
Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Les Liaisons dangereuses by Choderlos de Laclos is the basis for the movie Cruel Intentions (1999). This has been on my shelf for years and I did not know this going in. It was first published in 1782 in Paris and I still found it even more scandalous and engrossing than the movie. The story unfolds through letters the characters send to each other. Their flattery and flowery language used to incite passion and jealousy as they recount their navigations around the rigid high society order they contemptuously observe.
The character that surprised me was the Marquise de Merteuil. As cruel as she was, I felt for her a little bit. You don’t quite the full origin story, but as a modern woman you fill in the blanks. In a time when girls were married off at 14 years of age to men twice their age, you cannot fault a once unwitting pawn to aspire to becoming the queen of the game.
The character that surprised me was the Marquise de Merteuil. As cruel as she was, I felt for her a little bit. You don’t quite the full origin story, but as a modern woman you fill in the blanks. In a time when girls were married off at 14 years of age to men twice their age, you cannot fault a once unwitting pawn to aspire to becoming the queen of the game.