After having watched the 1968 cult classic of the same name staring Marianne Faithfull & Alain Delon, I decided to give the original source material a shot. After doing so, this is one of the few instances where I enjoyed the film more than the novel. As usual the film is able to give additional bits and pieces to the story that help expand the characters. And while there's a few of those here, it's nothing to write home about as during this period in time, novels largely stuck extremely closely to the source material (which I prefer). Unlike today where the only thing the film and book could have in common is a title. I wasn't a fan of De Mandiargues writing style. The version I read was an English translation from the original French text. His sentences get lengthy at times but he's still able to not fluff his way through as this comes in at a slim 142 pages. I was also very disappointed in the novels ending and again, feel the film did a better job presenting it.
