“Chroniques Z” is a novel written by Savina Lenoble and published by La Lucarne Indécente. The book was written for a large audience: it can be enjoyed by teenagers or young adults, but also their parents or grand-parents.
Hey, did you know all the articles on this blog are also available in French version? I advise you to read the original version in French only if you’d like to improve your reading skills, and come back to the English version for support, if needed. Please note the English version is not a literal translation.
Before diving into the summary, let’s quickly analyze the title: “une chronique” (a chronicle, in English) is a text describing events, often in a regular way (daily, weekly or monthly for example). The letter “Z” is a reference to the Gen Z, that is people born between 1997 and 2012.
Chroniques Z: summary in French
Il s’agit des chroniques d’une héroïne, Livia, qui fait partie de la génération Z. Le roman est présenté sous la forme du journal intime de Livia. Elle y raconte ses expériences avec ses amis et amies et sa famille, à l’école et à la maison, depuis l’école primaire jusqu’à la fin de ses études.
C’est en découvrant les journaux intimes de sa grand-mère que Livia décide de commencer son propre journal. Elle lit parfois des extraits des journaux de sa grand-mère, et découvre qu’elle ne la connaît pas très bien, et que sa grand-mère a eu une jeunesse mouvementée.
J’ai beaucoup aimé cette histoire car je me suis reconnue dans beaucoup de réflexions ou expériences de Livia. Dans son carnet, Livia évoque aussi les événements de l’actualité qui ont rythmé ces dernières années. C’est vraiment facile de se projeter dans l’histoire, car j’ai moi aussi vécu tous ces événements, même si j’étais plus âgée que Livia à l’époque.
Is this novel accessible for French learners?
Yes! First of all, the author wrote this book so it would be accessible for teenagers.
It describes everyday-life situations and events and is written as a personal journal, in “I”. The main character writes her journal from her childhood until the end of her studies. The topics she writes about are very accessible (talking about day-to-day life and education is often taught early when learning a foreign language).
However, it’s worth mentioning that the sequences from the grand-mother’s journal are written in a more formal and outdated language, with some words and expressions that are more literary, and less used nowadays. However, they don’t make the majority of the content, so it shouldn’t prevent your from reading and understanding the whole story.
Check the book details: e-book or paper version.
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