Penguin Classics In Search of Lost Time: Volume 2: In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower

This is the second volume of the lengthy seven volume classic written around 1920’s. This whole basis is the reflections and reminiscences of youth and now in maturity and mining one’s memories. The book is in two parts, the second part is mainly about the narrator and his group of young female friends. Mention of the Dreyfus affair dates the narrative to around late 1890s.A lot happens in the minutia of French elite, their French culture, dialogues and manners but there really is very little story for so many words (I estimate about 220,000 in this volume).The narrator has grown up a few years since volume one – now late teens early twenties (I guess) he’s less mummy’s boy seemingly preferring his grandma. More robust but he is still a sensitive, sickly, pale, intellectual, late nineteenth century, French, literary, verbose, philosophising youth.The writing is extremely excellent and clearly worthy of its renown but decide if you fancy 220K words of this narrator - I see the book has only 25% of the reviews of volume 1 so I guess most don't proceed to Vol2?. Proust has a very literary, clever style that you read for readings sake, it does lake passion and angst though (when all is said and done, what would a hormonal teenage meeting girlfriends be thinking?, Proust doesn’t say it). However I myself have gone on to volume 3 straight-off.

I enjoyed the pictorial version of Swann's Way immensely and just had to get the follow up. I had previously read both books in their original form but had suffered Proust fatigue and by the time I got halfway through this second volume could not remember one scene or one character from another. The pictures helped me grasp the story line and were a great pleasure in themselves. I look forward to the completion of the entire series. I will certainly purchase them all.

Reviewing Proust would be a bit like the Python 'summarise Proust' contest, so I'll just say that the new translation is excellent.

A wonderful alternative to the actual book and to be bought with the first graphic volume. An astonishing piece of work - beautiful, fun, true to the original, a joy.

Am still finishing vol 1 but it is excellent.