In Pursuit of Love: The Search for Victor Hugo’s Daughter
This book is memoir, travelogue, and biography altogether. Bostridge follows the path of Adele Hugo (1830-1915), the youngest child of Victor Hugo. The author visits the site of Adele’s sister’s drowning, the homes of the Hugos in Paris and on the islands of Jersey and Guernsey. Bostridge travels across the Atlantic, as Adele scandalously did, to Halifax and then to Barbados. Using letters, diaries, and other documents, Bostridge showcases the history of the Hugo family, explains Adele’s unrequited passion for an English soldier, and her descent into madness. His research is excellent, and I appreciate how he incorporates how he acquired his information. Bostridge frames the moments and passions of Adele’s life with similar situations from his own life, literature, and other situations.
Bostridge’s keen observational skills bring to life every location he visits. His writing is beautiful and makes one want to visit each locale. While readers looking for a focused biography of Adele Hugo might be disappointed in the author’s many digressions, I found every story interesting and engaging. An excellent read.
