Ready…set…Water for Elephants!

You guessed it – we’re beginning to read Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. As you know, Robert Pattinson is going to star in the film adaption alongside Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz. I’ve heard just amazing things about the book as well as the script. So let’s get started. We’re going to begin by reading chapters 1-4 and have our first meeting via chat room, Saturday, April 3rd at 11 am EST. The link to the chat room is on the left side of the blog. The discussion usually lasts a few hours and afterwards I’ll post a summary of our chat right here on the blog.

Feel free to leave comments on the blog while you read and check back frequently for any updates. Also, don’t forget to follow this blog and if you need to reach me, follow me on Twitter @Krystle_ewe.

I Tip My Hat to You, Bel Ami: Part II

So, the second half of the Bel Ami was full of sex and scandal and I loved every minute of it. Georges seems to look at seducing women as a kind of sport….and let’s just say, he’s one hell of an athlete.

Love & Marriage…?
I was actually surprised Georges and Madeleine ended up getting married. Most likely I was because he seemed to want her since the beginning of the book and it would be too good to be true if he got want he wanted. But even when Madeleine does agree to marry Georges, you knew something just wasn’t right. She was so business-like and cold to him. A big moment that spoke volumes was when they were traveling to his parents after they were married. Georges wanted to show his affection to her and kiss her but Madeleine kept saying that was childish and not to spoil it. As their marriage continues, you learn it is passionless and George finds comfort in Clotide quickly .

It’s all about the benjamins…or francs
When Madeleine’s good friend Comte de Vaudrec passes away and leaves her all his money, Georges cannot help himself and his greed overtakes him. He is upset Vaudrec didn’t leave his estate to him. He even accuses Madeleine of being Vaudrec’s lover which she adamantly denies. She could care less if they accept the money. But there is no way Georges is walking away from this money so he manipulates the situation in order for them to accept it and it not look scandalous to the rest of society. The Du Roys = instant millionaires

Cougar town
One evening, Madeleine makes a comment to Georges about how Madame Walter has been married too long to begin having an affair. Georges is intrigued by her comment and takes it as a challenge. He begins to pursue her and it’s probably the funniest subplot of the book. From secretly meeting her in church to tricking her to come to his love shack, Georges will stop at nothing to seduce Madame Walter. Unfortunately for him, she becomes madly in love with him while he’s repulsed by her childlike lovey dovey behavior towards him. All the while, Georges is still carrying on an affair with Clotide and is married to Madeleine. Impressive!

The Ultimate Conquest
Georges soon realizes Madame Walter’s daughter Suzanne would be the ultimate prize to marry since her father has made himself into a millionaire. So how does he get out of his marriage to Madeleine? He catches her in the act of adultery with the police in tow. Classy move! He divorces Madeleine and coaxes Suzanne into marrying him. Clotide is severely upset at the news that Georges plans to marry Suzanne and accuses him of sleeping with her already. I was pretty shocked when Georges hit Clotide after she repeatedly made her accusations. The book concludes with a huge wedding for Georges and Suzanne with everyone of importance from Paris in attendance. You were just waiting for something horrible to happen, but it never did. Georges feels on top of the world as he leaves his wedding. Never breaking from his deceitful behavior, he vows to continue his affair with Clotide while he has his young new bride on his arm.

Beautiful Friend: Chapters 5-8

After reading Chapters 5-8, the Bel Ami Book Club met up Chatzy style, to discuss our thoughts. Meeting Attendees: Lili, Amy, Krystle, Jan

Let the Affair Begin
Chapter 5 begins with George beginning to call on Clotide and those visits becoming a regular habit. The dinner between the Forestiers, Clotide and George out at the restaurant was rather amusing. It seemed like both Clotide and Madeline were seduced by George’s talk of love and affairs. You can almost feel an affair between George and Clotide just about to begin.

“How many are there who would yield to a sudden desire, the caprice of an hour, a passing fancy, did they not fear to pay for a short-lived and fleeting pleasure by an irremediable scandal and painful tears?”

He spoke with infectious conviction, as though pleading a cause, his own cause, as though he had said: “It is not with me that one would have to dread such dangers. Try me and see.”

The often shy George gets the courage to throw himself at tipsy Clotide in the taxi ride home and presto, the affair is on! Clotide loves having this secret double life with George. It allows her to dine and experience places she’s never been to. She oddly enjoys going to grungy places and dressing in disguise. When George is again scraping by financially and cannot afford to take Clotide out, I felt so badly for him. You knew he didn’t want to admit his lack of money to Clotide but he swallows his pride and is honest with her. From then on, Clotide begins leaving him money hidden around his flat or in his clothes. This infuriates George and he repeatedly tells himself he will pay her back. One night out, George and Clotide have an unfortunate run-in with Rachel, the prostitute, and Clotide is so upset and the affair takes a break for awhile.

Clotide is all about double standards. She’s married and having an affair with George but he’s not allowed to sleep with other women? Clotide is very much wrapped up in a fantasy and expects George to do whatever she pleases. Another example of this was when she wanted to go out for a stroll and George did not (since he didn’t have any money). She was so angry he was protesting her that she was going to walk out on him.

Mr. Cocky
George randomly gets cocky and does something foolish. After Forestier insults him, he decides he’s going to try to seduce Madeline. However, she doesn’t fall for his confessions of love one bit. She comes off cold towards the idea of love and you have to wonder why. Was the only man she ever loved Monsieur de Vaudrec? And since they could never be married, she has ill feelings towards love? Later in the reading, after Forestier passes away, George tells Madeline he will be there for her in any capacity she desires: friend, husband, whatever she needs. Madeline tells George she looks at marriage differently than he might think. It’s a partnership, she won’t be told where she can go, what she does or who she can see. I don’t think love and marriage are synonymous for Madeline. Marriage seems more like an arrangement for her since it seems she’s given up on love.

George is very fixed on the idea of landing himself a society lady. And in his eyes, Madeline is the ultimate prize. Does he lover her? It seems George is in love with the idea of Madeline – this witty, charming, high society woman - the perfect partner to make him a successful man.

Nice to meet you Mr. Duroy: Chapters 1-4

After the Bel Ami Book Club embarked on reading Chapters 1-4, we met up Chatzy style, to discuss our findings. Meeting Attendees: Kiva, Krystle, Carola, Griselle, Lili

First take on George Duroy
He’s a very insecure man – embarrassed of his lack of fortune, and will do pretty much anything to get ahead in life. Duroy somewhat knows he has a way with the ladies but hasn’t quite figured out how to use this to benefit himself.

“'There’s a good-looking fellow; if he would like to have me for ten louis I wouldn’t say No.'

Forestier turned and tapped Duroy on the knee, with a smile. 'That’s meant for you; you’re a success, my dear fellow. I congratulate you.'"

Duroy has definitely been around (he robbed and killed during his military time). However, it seems Duroy is just winging it, just learning as he goes. He doesn’t plan ahead very much – clearly living just one day at a time. When we first meet his character, he doesn’t have any major career plans. He’s barely getting by on a clerk’s salary. Then he runs into an old pal, Forestier, and a career in journalism becomes a possibility.

Ironically Naïve
Duroy has no problem finding comfort with prostitutes but is taken aback to find out Clotilde is married and Mrs. Forestier proposes he call on her sometime. Duroy is even more shocked when he finds out Mrs. Forestier was the former mistress of Count de Vaudrec and that he visits her seemingly often. Duroy must have had a fantastical ideal of how high society lives. He’s quickly learning how these people really live.

Keeping Up Appearances
High society living in this era was so much about keeping up an image and playing out formalities. In actuality, it’s all just a big show. Couples are married but are often sleeping with someone else. And the majority of the town knows it; it’s just not openly discussed – only whispered about.

So many marriages during this time were set up almost as business deals – done out of the necessity to secure your position in society. Did true love even exist? True love was most likely looked at like a fantasy – something read about but never actually witnessed.

Does Duroy Get Ahead of Himself?
After Mrs. Forestier pretty much writes his first article for him and it appears in print, Duroy embarks on a celebratory binge. He purchases numerous copies of the Vie Francaise, sends himself truffles, marches into the Northern Railway office and quits his job quite theatrically.

"'I said that I don’t give a damn about it. I have only called today to tender my resignation. I am engaged on the staff of the Vie Francaise at five hundred francs a month, and extra pay for all I write. Indeed, I made my debut this morning.'”

A bit over the top Mr. Duroy! And he exaggerated his salary by more than double!

Duroy gets put back in his place quickly by Forestier when he fails to turn the follow-up article in on time and tries to call upon Mrs. Forestier for help once again. Chapter 4 finishes with Duroy almost the same as we found him at the beginning of the book, scraping by financially. However, Duroy has gotten a taste of high society life and it only makes him thirst for it more. It’s a puzzle he wants to solve and he has no plans on giving up anytime soon.

Random Rant
Sex!
So far, all sex scenes have been "fade to black." What's the deal Maupassant? I think he and Stephenie Meyer are in bed together. However, Bel Ami was written more than a century before the Twilight saga so I may let this slide. I'm still holding out for some sassy scenes in chapters to come in Bel Ami!! *crosses fingers*

Facial Hair Factor
Several times George Duroy's mustache is brought up in the book. It's supposed to curl up and add to his sex appeal. Yes, it's understood the story takes place in the late 19th century in Paris. However, does Rob really have to sport this look?? My hope: The film starts out with Rob/George/Rorge with a mustache and beard and then BAM! a makeover montage scene where he shaves and sexes himself up. Well, that's what happens in my fanfiction version of Bel Ami.

Let's Meet Sunday!

It looks like Sunday is the preference for most to meet for the book club. So we're going to meet at 11 a.m. EST this Sunday, January 31st. Additionally, let's read Chapters 1-4. After reading the first two chapters, I think we can need a bit more content to discuss.

See you Sunday! Questions/comments? Leave them here :)

Rob Talks Bel Ami

Welcome to the Book Club

Welcome to the Bel Ami Book Club. As we all know, Robert Pattinson is set to play the role of Georges Duroy in the upcoming film Bel Ami based on the novel by Guy de Maupassant. So what better then to celebrate our love of reading and love of Rob, then to read Bel Ami together! So this is how the book club will work: We’re going to read two chapters per week and then meet via chat room to discuss our thoughts. The highlights from our chat will be put together in a blog post on this site afterwards.

Let's get rolling - we're going to start reading chapters one and two this week and meet next Monday, February 1st at 3 p.m. EST to discuss. If this doesn't work well for you, please leave a comment or send me a message via Twitter (Krystle_ewe) and we'll try to work out a better time for all :) But know that many of us are in different time zones so we'll have to do the best we can.

Please leave a comment to let me know what time zone you're in.

Oh - and don't forget to follow this blog!