A Certain Smile
Sagan’s next novel gives another young woman freedom, desire, and more understanding than restraint.
Read our take
Bonjour Tristesse
by Françoise Sagan
Françoise Sagan’s brief, sunlit 1954 debut about a seventeen-year-old girl whose jealousy turns an easy Riviera summer into something irreversible.
- 1954
The story, briefly
Spoiler-freeSeventeen-year-old Cécile spends the summer in a French Riviera villa with her charming, irresponsible father. When his new relationship threatens their freedom, her jealousy and boredom become a deliberate plan with consequences she does not fully understand.
What's inside
A teenager enjoying an idle Riviera summer tries to disrupt her father’s serious relationship when it threatens the carefree life they share.
Why we recommend it
A perfect summer with something dark underneath
Sagan uses spare prose, Riviera heat, sexual freedom, and a teenager’s jealousy to let emotional cruelty develop almost casually.
What this book explores
Book editions
- Ebook
- Penguin
- 2025
- 9780141919331
Reader reviews
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Tender Is the Night
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References
References
The sources below include the primary text, editions, scholarship, archival materials, and other records that informed this page. They document Bonjour Tristesse, its publication, and its place in literary history.
1Bonjour Tristesse
Official recordHachette, 2014Used forOfficial record used to verify names, dates, institutional details, or other factual information on this page.
2Bonjour Tristesse and A Certain Smile
Official recordPenguin Books UK, 2025Used forOfficial record used to verify names, dates, institutional details, or other factual information on this page.
3Françoise Sagan, l'éternelle jeunesse de Bonjour tristesse
Official recordInstitut national de l'audiovisuel, 2024Used forOfficial record used to verify names, dates, institutional details, or other factual information on this page.
4Françoise Sagan — official author site
WebsiteFrançoise Sagan estateUsed forWeb source consulted for documented facts and historical context presented on the Bonjour Tristesse page.
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Why these sources are here
The primary text is the baseline reference for every book page. Additional references document publication history, interpretation, and historical context where that evidence is available.
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