Génération CV par Jonathan Curiel (review)

Society and Culture edited by Frederick Toner Curiel, Jonathan. Génération CV. Paris: Fayard, 2012. ISBN 978-2-213-66849-9. Pp. 315. 19 a. Are you curious about the struggles French twentysomethings can have trying to land a steady job? Interested in a portrait of the neoliberal work world? Wondering what it can be like for a chômeur to face down a potentially drab, precarious future despite a strong background? Read this comic Bildungsroman and you will see such trials and tribulations through the eyes of Clément Vialla, a business school graduate whose experiences reflect Millennials’concerns amid economic crises. Some may find this work too focused on the privileged few,as Clément has a top-flight initial trajectory and a reasonable number of connections. However, therein lies the bittersweet humor: Génération CV conveys the sacrifices and compromises necessary across the board in order to find satisfying work. Without preaching to the converted, Curiel builds on firsthand knowledge to depict the emotional rollercoaster of a yearlong quest to be “[e]nfin membre d’une tribu” (312). The novel’s convincingly presented premise is that the first-person narrator, having completed extended studies and an internship at the UN in New York, aims to land a coveted CDI (contrat à durée indéterminée), but appears to have hesitated between the public and private sectors and thus makes recruiters noncommittal in turn. Call him lazy or just realistic, he also resists the drudgery of short-term contracts and anything that requires him to be too quickly and single-mindedly “opérationnel” (24). Clément represents those in the 25–35 age bracket who must adapt to France’s hyper-competitive marketplace through selfcenteredness , intense focus on their professional lives, and a solid CV as “le nouveau fil directeur de l’existence”(309).At the same time, he may well be the disciple of civil servants for whom“la qualité de vie et la convivialité l’emportaient très largement sur l’espoir d’un intérêt de la vie professionnelle” (216). Clément lives up to his name by being more observant and quick-witted than aggressive or ruthlessly combative. He inspires compassion for his sufferings and keen awareness of the people and places that surround him, so much so that one could envision a film version of the book. The style and structure, meanwhile, guide us through all manner of amusing episodes while maintaining our empathy for the narrator, who both knows he cuts a sorry figure at times—pale, inactive, TV-obsessed—and delights in adapting his discourse to suit recruiters’ needs, for example when claiming to be both fluent in English and a hopeless “WORKALCOLIC”(185). Smoothly tracking his passage through a revolving door of interviews, Internet searches, networking efforts, and talks with friends, each chapter combines realistic scenes with engaging commentary about our intrepid job-seeker’s situation, while introducing aspects of the job search in areas such as marketing, communications, government, and finance. The open-ended epilogue hints at a 244 FRENCH REVIEW 88.2 Reviews 245 follow-up.A lively coming-of-age story relevant for students,teachers,and professionals of all sorts, including those entrenched in corporate structures and fellow travelers on “LinkedIn” (29). Southwestern University (TX) Aaron Prevots Downie, David. Paris to the Pyrenees: A Skeptic Pilgrim Walks the Way of Saint James. New York: Pegasus, 2013. ISBN 978-1-60598-432-2. Pp. xviii + 317. $27.95. Downie undertakes the French portion of the pilgrimage Way of Saint James from Paris to Roncesvalles, Spain, a distance of 750 miles, longer than the remaining distance to Santiago de Compostela. The title is catchy but misleading, since the only connection to the pilgrimage is the itinerary and the projected route, which is abandoned less than halfway through the trip. Nonetheless there is value to what is achieved, namely a detailed visit to a little-known region of rural France. Downie and his wife Alison Harris begin with a symbolic nod to the Tour Saint-Jacques in Paris, a traditional French starting point of the pilgrimage. They take a train to Vézelay, bypassing the urban development...