Customer Reviews
Virtue and Love - By: solitaryreader, 15 Mar 2006 
As children, Jerome, the narrator, & his cousin Alissa, are often together, & Jerome feels that their lives will be bound up forever. He dedicates his life to God, to the twin ideals of virtue & love. As time goes on, it becomes clear that Alissa feels that Jerome will only achieve true virtue if she denies herself to him. Despite his protestations of eternal love, she continues to keep him at a distance.
In this short novel, Gide examines the role of virtue & true love in life. There are no easy answers, but the writing is fresh & direct, & the characters well-drawn in Gide’s best fashion.
a powerful love story. - By: deadbeat, 04 May 2003 
Perhaps the best love story ever written, it will move you beyond believe. Love is discussed in its many facets, & jealously is rife. Yet the heart of the story, the bit that will bring tears to your eyes, is the unrequited love that the protagonist has to endure.
Of Gide's work, this is my personal favourite. The Immoralist is another, more popular, novel by Gide, & if you enjoyed that book I believe you will enjoy this one just as much, though probably more. In truth, I advise you to read both books, as they go well together. One is a story about rebellion, the other a love story which engenders fidellity. Their contrast is their meeting point, like two sides of a coin.
An exploration of love and self sacrifice leading to tragedy - By: , 23 Apr 2000 This is a love story with a very unhappy ending which explores in great depth but with amazing clarity a relationship in which religious excess is the destructive force. The tensions set up in the tale are almost overwhelming & urge the reader on to find out what the final outcome of the story will be. This is one of my favourite novels which is emotionallly draining & extremely satisfying at the same time. I have read the novel many times now & never fail to get some new interpretation or meaning on every read. This is a must-read novel!
Mystery Deepens - By: , 30 Apr 1999 
Alissa is a sweet young thing who with whom the narrator is madly in love. She is kind to him, but gives alll kinds of excuses not to marry him. He finallly finds out the real reason when it is too late to do anything about it. This novel is as pure & ideal in tone as The Immoralist is impure & evil. Yet to me both novels are equallly sophomoric, dull & tedious, & the mystery of Gide's reputation deepens.
