Cherie and The Last of Cherie (Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics)

Year 1995
Pages 256

Worth buying if: You enjoy Colette's intimate psychology and Parisian stage settings.

Skip it if: You want plot-driven thrillers rather than introspective novellas.

Exact edition: Edition shown · ISBN-13 9780140183177. The Amazon link uses this ISBN, so the product page should open to the edition shown here.

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Summary

Two linked novellas trace the tempestuous life of Cherie: her intoxicating rise in Parisian theatre and the later, quieter confrontation with aging, desire, and identity in Colette's sharp, sensuous prose across 256 pages.

Why this book now

This Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics edition brings Colette's early examinations of celebrity, gender, and performance back into contemporary conversations about fame and female.

30-second preview

Two quick cards, fifteen seconds each.

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1-sentence hook

Colette's Cherie and The Last of Cherie follows an actress's glittering ascendancy and the bittersweet reckonings that follow love and fame.

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Best for readers who...

Good fit if you want...

  • You enjoy Colette's intimate psychology and Parisian stage settings.
  • You read literary novellas about fame, aging, and theatrical life.

Maybe skip if...

  • You want plot-driven thrillers rather than introspective novellas.
  • You prefer modern colloquial language over Colette's early 20th-century prose.
  • You only want something with very current references and examples.

Mood / Vibe Tags

wistful sensual theatrical bittersweet Medium length

Decided it fits?

Exact edition: Edition shown · ISBN-13 9780140183177

Worth buying if: You enjoy Colette's intimate psychology and Parisian stage settings.

Skip it if: You want plot-driven thrillers rather than introspective novellas.

Buy This Edition on Amazon

Check Amazon for the current price and availability of this exact edition.

Reader guide

Cues to help you decide faster.

Reading commitment

Light Short sit-downs

At about 256 pages, this pair of novellas is a moderate commitment—readable in several focused sittings to savor Colette's sentences and shifting scenes.

What stands out here

Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics highlights Colette's original voice and places Cherie in a curated sequence of modern classics with clean text and contextual frontmatter.

Best way to approach it

Approach slowly: pause to register Colette's sensory detail and the theatrical imagery, and reread key passages to appreciate emotional nuance.

Exact edition: ISBN-13 9780140183177

Check Amazon for the current price and availability of this exact edition.