La maison Tellier

08.02.2021

I think I'm on some bad book streak with these french books. To be honest I don't really look what they're about, I just download whatever my teacher sends us. Learn from my mistakes please. It took me around twenty pages in to understand what's going on (I admit it was around 12 at night though). So let me explain what I've understood so far.

For starters it's a novel by Guy de Maupassant. "La maison Tellier" is the whorehouse of Mme Tellier. One day she decides to take her "employees" whom she is very close to, to the first communion of her niece Constance. What follows is a rather hectic train journey for the patroness and her crew/group/gang of prostitutes, even if their appearance makes them pass for nuns. Prostitution was predominantly an urban activity, and none of the rural people they encountered suspected their true condition. Once they reach their destination, the girls make a big impact on the inhabitants of the rural town. The next morning, during the ceremony, these women, who may seem innocent by their dress, let themselves go to cry, remembering their youth and their lost purity now that they are exercising this new "profession". This apparent piety rejoices the priest who sees in these tears a divine sign of the grace of God. As they leave the church, the whole village greets them as they pass, as if they were some sort of godsent women. Sadly, even in this village where none of the people know who exactly these women are, their condition catches up with them. They all meet with Joseph Rivet, Mrs. Tellier's brother, after having given a party in honor of the girls, he now wishes to take advantage of one of them, Rosa. She refuses, and the question is quickly resolved: the troop is late and must be home the same evening in order to meet the expectations of the Fecamp customers. On their return to Fécamp, a party is organized at Maison Tellier, with many of their regular "clients". Even the boss gives in to them and lets herself go with the customers. She offers passes and bottles of alcohol. So the day they spent in the church "under the sign of God" totally ended in an orgy. However, despite the apparent good-natured atmosphere that reigns in the brothel, the author also suggests that the fate of these women, as well as the condition of women more generally at the time, is to be deplored.

Star rating: I don't know why, but after you've seen all the books I've read in french so far, I deem it necessary to remind you that I do not chose these books myself, and I'm myself getting surprised every time I start a book and see what it's about. Therefore, after reading my quick summary of this story, I would give it around 3 stars, it wasn't anything special, but it also wasn't the worst thing I've read. The story was interesting but quite sad at parts too, so I feel like the 3 stars are completely deserved.