One day, Raymond announces that he’s invited his old friend, Anne Larsen, to come with the villa. Raymond knows his daughter has failed her latest exams, but doesn’t seem overly concerned and generally avoids being strict with his daughter. The three enjoy their summer, spending lazy days by the beach, and Cécile enjoys the time away from school, where she’s been struggling. She’s a red-haired woman half Raymond’s age whom Cécile likes because she doesn’t seem like a threat to her own relationship with her father. Staying with them is Elsa, Raymond’s latest mistress.

Bonjour Tristesse begins as teenage Cécile and her playboy father Raymond are spending a relaxing summer in a rented villa along the French Riviera. It was adapted into a 1958 film directed by Otto Preminger and starring Deborah Kerr and David Niven as Anne and Raymond. Although critical response was mixed and the book was criticized for its overt sexual themes and its unlikable lead character, it became a commercial success and endured to become one of Le Monde’s 100 Books of the Century. Exploring themes of coming of age, jealousy, and the complex relationship between fathers and daughters, Bonjour Tristesse was an overnight success and kick-started the writing career of its young author. As Raymond tries to turn away from his past playboy lifestyle, Cécile schemes with Raymond’s mistress Elsa to destroy his and Anne’s relationship, with tragic consequences. Raymond quickly falls for her, and Cécile worries that their way of life will be disrupted. Their relationship is upended when Anne, a mature and cultured friend of Raymond’s late wife, arrives at the villa. The main character, Cécile, lives with her rich father Raymond on the French Riviera. Bonjour Tristesse is a novel by French author Françoise Sagan, first published in 1954 when the author was only eighteen years old.

Francoise sagan novel