one of our most popular sets of resources!

Select from the drop-down menu below to choose which variant of the materials you would like to purchase.

Version-Bonjour tristesse resources

Online access only £30.00 GBP VLE/moodle version £40.00 GBP

Resources have been written with the needs of busy teachers in mind.  They are available:

• to download (online version)
• to receive on CD with access to the online version also
• to receive as a VLE version (moodle, firefox etc) with access to the online version also

Webinar on essay writing 1st May 

Bonjour Tristesse webinar

Webinar inc booklet £40.00 GBP Webinar inc 3 of your essays commented upon £70.00 GBP

If you would like to purchase through a school invoice, please go to this page.

Purchase by email:  Simply email me, preferably using your school email address and I will invoice you and set you up.

About the novel

This short novel written during the summer holidays by 18 year old Françoise Sagan was a succès de scandale in 1952. Conservative French society took a dim view of a young girl befriending and then bedding an older young man ; the fact that she was also prepared to go to extraordinary lengths to get her own way to preserve her privileged relationship with her father raised eyebrows.

The criticism was to no avail as the novel carried all before it both in France and abroad. All 17 year olds could identify with the feelings of Cécile the narrator, who is spending her summer holiday on the Côte d'Azur in the lap of luxury with her adored father. When he announces that he is inviting a female friend of his deceased wife to spend some time at the villa alongside the glamourous girlfriend with whom he is already sleeping, we all know there are going to be fireworks.

Inhabiting Cécile's head we become increasingly infuriated at her pretentiousness and the selfish manner in which she begins to manipulate situations in order to get what she wants. Generations of students have enjoyed this novel which certainly lives up to its enigmatic title.

• Full page by page vocabulary list (can be used on phone, tablet)
• Detailed summary of text with verbs gapped (infinitives given)
• Comprehensive questions on each chapter/scene
• PowerPoint with visuals and sentence starters (not all texts)
• Character study guide with wide range of adjectives

• Multi-tense practice tool
• A-factor builds in practice of more complex structures
• Direct-indirect speech exercise encourages reported speech

• Matching quotations to themes to prepare for paragraphing
• Essay planning guide including template
• Essay plan and sample essay

Mark schemes are provided for:

• the gapped summary
• character guide
• multi-tense exercise
• A-factor
• direct-indirect speech exercise
• themes exercise

Answers are NOT given for the questions which are intended to elicit an individual response.