The "thoughts" of the author, the traditional style of ormessonnien skillfully mix biographical tidbits and thoughts on what has always seemed to fascinate Ormesson - the big bang, human origins, the time and now almost non-existent, the future attractive but uncertain. Some passages (that would not have denied Baroness of Staffe) tend tasty, as, for example, or the "ways" so typical of the people of a "certain circles" are scrutinized, not without a certain irony but still tinged with sweet nostalgia for that time or rules of etiquette - and religion - managed to be the cement of every family "well as it should."
What seems new, or at least accentuated in the work of Ormesson is a certain melancholy for what has been, and which of necessity will fall gradually into oblivion. And one can understand the author's disorder, seeing the dilapidated state of our society, far from reassuring mink - and certainly quite wrong - time or Chateaubriand reigned supreme on literature, flitting women women while writing unparalleled masterpiece. This time is far away. Read Ormesson is similar to a kind of flashback, a kind of literary machine back in time. It is not of our time, and that's good. His erudition, his humor, his sharp mind, his malice does not seem to stick to our time and this book is a good opportunity to meet the intimate Ormesson, so maintenance, similar to a discussion that could have with him. The format, airy, brings great clarity, divided into relatively short text.
On the merits, some will say it again, that often use the same structures, the same patterns. It's called style. Ormesson style is easily recognizable. Few contemporary writers can boast a literary force of their own. Then after creating at least two masterpieces - "History of the Wandering Jew" and "Customs of Sea" - let the author lightness - apparent - to entertain us with his thoughts and his memories, pleasant detonating in the times in which we live.
