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I chose this book because I wanted to read something controversial and provocative. Unfortunately, Submission did not live up to my expectations. The book mostly (re-) tells the life story and struggles of two characters: the narrator, a fictional French university professor, and the actual author Huysmans. Overall, a too overly academic story for my taste.

N‘y a-t-il pas au fond quelque chose d‘un peu ridicule à voir cette créature chétive, vivante sur une planète anonyme d‘un bras écarté d‘une galaxie ordinaire, se dresser su ses petits pattes pour proclamer: “Dieu n‘existe pas”?

Ils aiment qu‘on les écoutes, tous les enquêteurs le savent; tous les enquêteurs, tous les écrivains, tous les espions.

L‘amour chez l‘homme n‘est rien d‘autre que la reconnaissance pour le plaisir donné.

Billed as a satire, and described on the cover as “darkly funny” and “electrifying”, so maybe I‘m missing something. My main takeaway would be how easy it is to accept the subjugation of one group‘s rights provided you yourself are benefitted. But I found myself questioning the author‘s views and was not surprised, when I researched him after finishing the book, to find he has been tried for inciting racial hatred - though cleared of all charges.

I love the way Houellebecq writes, even though he has a tendency to become quite obnoxious. His extremely male perspective on everything is just that, extremely male — and therefore limited. But he sure can write.

Could not get interested in this, even after 100 pages, so gave up.

Too sick to sew so reading an actual book it is. I had forgotten how magnificently Houellebecq writes.

In the near future, the French government is taken over by Muslims. Meanwhile, Francois, a middle-aged college lecturer about the 19th century author J.K. Huysmans, is bored. Changes in French culture swirl around him and he is soon caught up in them. This is less of a book about a major hypothetical political/religious change as it is about middle-aged masculinity and the search for meaning in contemporary life. Smart and thought-provoking.

Eine Stunde, vielleicht auch etwas mehr, habe ich verpasst ? – aber es gar nicht bemerkt. Ich konnte mühelos wieder in die Handlung einsteigen und hatte nie das Gefühl, etwas verpasst zu haben. Im Gegenteil: Je weniger ich von dem selbstbezogenen Protagonisten und seinem für mich entweder inhaltsleeren, weil literarisch, oder pornografischen Geschwafel hören musste, desto besser.

„Der Islam ist toll für Männer. Frauen müssen ihnen dienen.“ ?

Bis zur Hälfte politisch glaubhaft. Danach sind die politischen und gesellschaftlichen Veränderungen noch mehr Nebensache als bis dahin schon.

Mein erster und letzter Houellebecq. Ich verstehe die literarischen Ergüsse nicht – auch Huysmans kenne ich nicht. Er ist das Füllmaterial, das sonst keine Rolle spielt.

Midlife-krisige Typen mit Porno-„Frauen-sind-Objekte“-Fantasien wie François brauche ich nicht.

Keine Lese-/Hörempfehlung‼️

Irgendwann zwischen Stunde 1,5 und Stunde zwei wird es besser. Erträglicher. Kann aber auch sein, dass ich mich ab dem Punkt an den Stil und die „Handlung“ gewöhnt habe. Ich werde es zu Ende hören, aber nicht weil es so spannend ist, sondern schlicht, weil ich wissen will, wie es ausgeht.

Allzu viele Pausen beim hören sollte man nicht machen, sonst verliert man in dem vielen politischen Input den Faden.

Christian Berkel liest gut, aber ich bin schon jetzt, eine Stunde nach Hörbuchbeginn, froh, dass ich es mir nicht gekauft habe, sondern es als Hörbuch höre. Zum Lesen wäre mir das vom Schreibstil her zu anstrengend, ehrlich.

Bis jetzt ist mir die Hauptperson sehr unsympathisch. Arrogant.

Überhaupt hoffe ich, dass das Buch insgesamt fesselnder wird.

Nachdem mich die letzten Tage mit Hörbuch zur Arbeit gefahren bin und mein aktuelles früher an diesem Tage beendet habe, habe ich beschlossen, dass das eigentlich ganz angenehm ist, sngenehmer als Radio, und mir für morgen dieses hier ausgeliehen.
Das wollte ich schon lesen, seit es erschienen ist.
Jetzt hör ich es halt.

Ein bisschen enttäuscht bin ich aber, dass es „nur“ 3,7 Sterne hat.

Written in 2015, Submission is a speculative novel about the continued appeasement to France's Muslim immigrants, which results in the Muslim Brotherhood winning the presidential election in 2022. Despite such a fascinating plot,
Houellebecq seems much more interested in writing about literature and Catholicism. Also, readers who are expecting something dramatic to happen will be terribly disappointed.

Though highly topical given its release on the same day as the Charlie Hebdo attacks and how close Marine Le Pen actually got to the French presidency,
Submission is highly topical and prescient. I wasn't entirely convinced though, I thought it would have more bite. It wasn't as controversial as expected.

I thought this book was going to be thought provoking and interesting....unfortunately it was neither.

I'm reading this because John Safran talked about it in his book...plus I love any book that is set in France

For me was the last book #setinfrance this one. My favorite in June, set in the near future in France, with slightly provocative ideas ... but I wouldn't expect anything less from him. As I wrote in my review - even if you don't agree with him, this book is good and definitely worth of your time.

#jubilantjuly

#bestofjune for me was book in the tag, because the idea behind the story is provocative, but very smoothly executed.

#junebookbugs

A book about the near future of France, in which the Muslim Brotherhood wins the elections. The islam takes over and everybody seems happy.
However, this is Houellebecq, the enfant terrible of French literature, and famous for his islamofobia.
Houellebecq describes how France thrives and men enjoy a light version of the sharia (with polygamy and alcohol), but we know how the author thinks about islam. We know he describes a Trojan horse.

I liked it - because the main character is anti-hero, and he is a nasty and selfish opportunist until the very end, because the story is socio-critical in a provocative way, and the author uncompromising puts the reader in front of the question - what would you do in a situation like this, and I like it, because it's great with literary references, through the whole story. If you are ready for the provocative author and his view on France in 👇

Not exactly #junemostanticipated but those two are from my #TBR list for #litsyAtoZ challenge, and the only two books for which I know for sure, that I'm going to read them in June.

#junebookbugs #splashintosummerreads

Brussels book haul!

Nowhere near as controversial and provocative as I had expected. But it was still interesting and the translation is as good as everyone claims. I could have lived without the graphic sex scenes

"There's nothing enigmatic about it, unless you psychologize like a women's magazine, where everyone's reduced to some kind of consumer demographic: the eco-responsible urban professional, the brand-conscious bourgeoise, the LBGT-friendly club girl, the satanic geek, the techno-Buddhist. They invent a new one every week. I don't match up with some preconceived consumer profile, that's all."

I really enjoyed this biting satire. Houellebecq presents an imagined future France in which the Muslim Brotherhood has won the election . The France that emerges in the novel is plausible and presented without hysteria. While I could sense the authors right wing political leanings- which don't align with my own, this was engaging and thoughtfully constructed.

Cheese. An important feature of France

Brutal but accurate

„Ein Buch, das man mag, ist zudem vor allem ein Buch, dessen Autor man mag, dem man gern begegnet, mit dem man gern seine Tage verbringt.“

Michel Houellebecqs Sprache ist schön und klar, sein verwendetes Tempo empfinde ich für das Lesen als angenehm. Meine Bewertung für dieses Buch sind ganz klar fünf von fünf möglichen Sternen und ich empfehle es absolut weiter. Natürlich kam das Buch zum richtigen aktuellen, politischen Zeitpunkt auf den Markt, doch dass es sich hierbei um eine Fiktion handelt, darf der Leser meiner Meinung nach jedoch nicht vergessen.

on the road

Me atrapó. Gracias NU por estás joyas...

Pile of "real" books and ebooks from longlist for #ManBooker2016

#augusthaul #augustphotochallenge

Today is #NationalBookshopDay here in Australia. Unfortunately I can't get to a bookshop today, so I celebrated a day early and went to the Dymocks near my work yesterday and picked up this French to English dictionary to use in my new project - translating a French novel into English. Did I mention I don't speak a lick of French?
I hope all my fellow Aussie readers have an excellent day and thanks Aussie bookshops for keeping us well read!

A whole lot of minimalist with a pop of color! I did not realize I had so many white covers... 😀
#augustphotochallenge

This controversial book is less a critical view of Islam's growing power in Europe, than a denunciation of how european (french in particular) society has lost its strength and worth in the face of modernity and globalization. Very interesting read. Well written.

Chilling because totally plausible. And the suggestion is that so decadent is Western society that we will deserve to lose it

Twenty years in the future, the French elections comes down to a run-off between Le Pen's National Front and the Muslim Brotherhood. What's a leftist professor to do? It's an interesting thought experiment from a Right-wing satirist, but the story doesn't live up to the fascinating concept.

This is a book I read in 24 hours, I was so addicted to it. I just had to keep reading and reading. New favourite for me.