Claudine at School [Hardcover]

Claudine lives in a small rural village in France and attends the local girls school. Headstrong, rebellious and a lover of mischief, she knows how to fill her days with adventure.

Claudine at Schoolis part of the Macmillan Collectors Library; a series of stunning, pocket-sized classics bound in real cloth with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is translated from French by Janet Flanner, who was an extraordinary writer and journalist. She was the Paris correspondent forThe New Yorkerfor fifty years.

From gossip to exams, to crushes and betrayals, Claudine treats us like her closest friend, telling us her deepest secrets. In a day-to-day account of her life at school, we learn that she falls head over heels in love with Miss Aimee - one of her teachers - which leads to a brief affair; she provocatively plays with the affections of a young pupil; and she boldly defies the strict headmistress. Clever, crafty and fiercely independent, Claudine thrives at the centre of the action.

Immensely witty, utterly charming and closely reminiscent of Colettes own life,Claudine at Schoolis a love letter to rural France and the joie de vivre of youth.

This Macmillan Collectors Library edition is introduced by acclaimed writer Paul Bailey.

The remarkable debut novel from Colette, one of the most beloved French writers in history.Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, known as Colette, was born in Burgundy in 1873. Colettes early works appeared under her first husbands pen name, Willy. Although she claimed that she would never have become a writer had it not been for his help, her husband kept almost all the earnings from these successful early novels, leaving Colette in poverty and ill-health following an inevitable divorce. She supported herself in a variety of ways, including acting and miming, but most notably through journalism. Often dl“"