"Rachel Careaus meticulous and agile translation of this pair of novels brings to Anglophone readers some of Colettes finest writing, rich in the sensuality for which she is widely knownbut also in the sharpness of her social observations, so ahead of her time that they come across as radical even by contemporary standards. Above all, Careau captures the technicality of Colettes prose. She manages shifts in mood and characterization as well as the complexity of Colettes sentencessometimes terse, sometimes richly metaphoricand she does so in a way that feels at once faithful to the authors era and utterly timeless." -- Tash Aw - New York Times Book Review "Chéri is not a new bookColette published the book in 1920, and its sequel six years laterbut the translator Rachel Careau transforms it into a different text from any we have seen in English before. Colettes subversive wit, cleareyed observations about sex and power dynamics, and her boundless humanity make the book feel as fresh and relevant as any I read this year: moving, funny, even shocking." -- Sadie Stein - New York Times "This heartbreaking, astute pair of novelsare among the best of [ Colettes] vast, impressive canon." -- New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice "Colette writes lines upon her characters skins to tell the story of their misfortuneCareau seems more comfortable with Colettes syncopated rhythms and her occasionally archaic dictionThere is something peculiarly painful about watching [ Léa and Chéri] play their parts perfectly when they should not be playing at all." -- Michael LaPointe - The New Yorker "A carefully attentive new translation." -- Michael Dirda - Washington Post "Both novels are exquisite in structure, sparse and lacy, every detail in a web of other details, merciless, precise." -- Jenny Turner - London Review of Books "A sensuous readfull of delicious subtleties." -- Terry Nguyen - The Millions "Both [ Chéri and The End of Chéri] are short, compact and intense: waves of sexual pleasure may ebb away, but Colettes enduring importance and fascination as a writer will not." -- Michčle Roberts - Times Literary Supplement "Careau offers rich, insightful translations of acclaimed French author Sidonie-Gabrielle Colettes novels Chéri and The End of Chéri. Careaus translations are infused with care and close attention to the original stories, giving readers an in-depth experience of the romance and human narratives in Colettes texts." -- Solby Lim - Barnard Magazine "Colette raises all kinds of questions about power, hedonism, the nature of both sexual and familial love, betrayal, courage, respectAnd now, in this beautifully translated work that makes Paris of the early 1900s so acutely alive and raises questions so relevant to our lives today, Rachel Careau has given us the gift Colette intended us to have." -- Roberta Silman - Arts Fuse "Elegant and carefulCareau is more adherent to the soft muddle, or swirl, of Colettes syntax, her run-on sentences and sometimes uneven forward speed. The result is a little less cool, and more emotiveCareaus English versionwhen spoken aloud sings a more natural, and pleasing, tune." -- April Bernard - Book Post "Rachel Careau here perfectly captures the breathy desperation of Colettes devastating two-part love storyIn any translation of these two works, its The End of Chéri that will test the skills of the translator, and Careau succeeds amazingly. Colette doesnt lack for translators, but this volumeis outstanding." -- Steve Donoghue - stevedonoghue.com "It is so hard to express what is different line-for-line in this new translation of Colettes classic, but if you could experience the cleaning of a voice, like that of a painting, that might be it. I was left with a new sense of Colettes self-possession as a writer, all while witnessing, moment for moment, Rachel Careaus triumph of style." -- Alexander Chee, author of The Queen of the Night "In this new translation of Colettes two most celebrated novels we seem to be reading her in English for the first timeher prose lean, limpid, and knowingly askew." -- Richard Sieburth, professor emeritus of French literature, thought and culture and comparative literature at New York University "Rachel Careaus new translations of Chéri and The End of Chéri capture the bone-on-bone feeling of Colettes prose, sinuous but never florid, precise but generous. Anglophone readers will finally be able to appreciate why Colette is one of the twentieth centurys major writers, and worth so much more than her mythologyor, better yet, they will see why the mythology exists. Chéri and The End of Chéri are edgy and surprising, and knowing, piercing insights into love, desire, and all the mysteries." -- Lauren Elkin, author of Flāneuse and translator of Simone de Beauvoirs The Inseparables "This is an admirably accurate new translation of two of Colettes most distinctive and moving novels. With a foreword and introduction that capture Colettes brilliant particularity of style and her unsentimental yet affirmative vision of the world, the translation sensitively renders the unique tone and philosophy of one of the twentieth centurys greatest writers" -- Diana Holmes, author of Colette and professor of French, University of Leeds "Finally, someone has done justice to Colettes masterpiece! Rachel Careaus new translation is incredibly smooth and elegant and amazingly accurate. Colette is the most difficult of French writers to translate and Careau has done an astonishingly fine job with the Chéri novels. Lets hope she continues with more of Colettes novels. Required reading." -- Elisabeth Ladenson, professor of French and comparative literature, Columbia University "'Arent I splendid? Chéri asks, and to his arrogant query this grand translation offers a positive response. Even as the splendor of lyric effusion and inevitable tragic ending remind us of Der Rosenkavalier, this literary masterpiece of musical interpretation and understatement grabs us with its pity, wit, and layers of lamentation for the ruin of youthful beauty and for the simultaneous self-discovery enacted by character and reader." -- Mary Ann Caws, distinguished professor emerita of comparative literature, English, and French, CUNY Graduate Center "This is a refreshing and modern new translation of two of Colettes most fascinating works. The translation itself is natural and readable, and perfectly suited to contemporary audiences. Lydia Daviss foreword provides an engaging backdrop to the stories and to their author." -- Kathleen Antonioli, associate professor of modern languages, Kansas State University
