> L'EXPRESS : https://www-lexpress-fr.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.lexpress.fr/culture/livre/195...

> Vailland, Roger. La Loi. Paris: Gallimard, 1957. Pp. 313. Frs. 750.
Se reporter au compte rendu de Thomas BISHOP
In: The French Review, Vol. 31, No. 5 (Apr., 1958), pp. 461-462… ; (en ligne),
URL : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-NxufWl4rdY2LvIv--LLH-277C21Lmj0/view?usp=shari...

> Roger Vailland : La Loi (Gallimard).
Se reporter au compte rendu de Camille BOURNIQUEL
In: Revue Esprit Nouvelle série, No. 255 (11) (NOVEMBRE 1957), pp. 614-616

5309. The Law, by Roger Vailland Translated from the French by Peter Wiles (read 6 Sep 2015) This won the Prix Goncourt for 1957. It is the 7th such winner I have read. It tells of a stupid card game of sorts supposedly played in south Italy called The Law. There is a lot of adultery and fornication set out in the novel and none of it is of interest. .I was dismayed by the corruption and crime apparently tolerated in the community depicted. i could not find the novel of much interest. ( )

פעם התרגשתי מהספר הזה. הוא עדיין קריא מאוד אבל נראה מיושן. סיפור של משחקי כוח ומין בעיירה איטלקית דרומית רדומה. נראה כאילו שעשו אותו לפי סרט עם ג'ינה לולובריג'ידה ומרצ'לו מסטרויאני ולא להפך. ( )

I'm not sure I can do this little gem of a novel justice. It's the story of life in a small village in Apulia, 'that wild, remote heel of the Italian peninsula.' It proceeds at a leisurely, meandering pace, yet each paragraph and each section fit as perfectly within the book as pieces fit within a jigsaw puzzle: I can't imagine any other way to have put it together.

The book is funny and, at times, a little sad. It centers around Marietta, who on the verge of womanhood, inspires lust in all the men in the village. Several old lechers argue among themselves about who will 'take' her virginity. I'm happy to report that Marietta outsmarts them all, in more ways than one.

The plot involves 500,000 lira that was stolen from some Swedish tourists. The Judge, Allesandro, is getting pressure from above to solve the case, but is stuck with a corrupt and lazy police chief. The Judge's beautiful wife, Dona Lucrezia, meanwhile, is secretly in love with Francesco, a naive young student, who is the son of one of the 'capos' in town. However, this is not a mystery novel, but a novel of characters, and these characters and others charm, enchant and amuse us. Vaillard brings this small village at a time shortly after the end of World War II to vivid life.

And, then there's the sinister game of 'The Law,' which is apparently played in the bars and taverns of Southern Italy, and which in this case motivates some of the characters to take the actions they do, and in other cases serves to illustrate their true nature.

The New York Times said that this book deserves every reading it will get, and I agree. ( )

I read this book many years ago but it has stayed with me and I would encourage others to read it. It is the story of a sleepy italian fishing village where a traditional drinking game requires the drinkers to reveal scandalous parts of their history. It is this device that unravels the intricate ties of class, power, violence and abuse that underlie the tensions and relationships of the village. But it is also quite bleakly humorous.