A Very Long Engagement Chapter Summary & Analysis - Saturday Evening Summary

Saturday Evening Summary

A Very Long Engagement is a novel written by the French author Sybastien Japrisot and translated to numerous languages, including English. The novel, written during and after World War I, follows a young French woman as she searches for the truth of the fate of her fiancy, who was reported to be killed in action. The novel was adapted into a French film in 2005.

It is a snowy day in early January of 1917 in the middle of World War I. Five men are being led through a trench to their deaths. The first man, named Bastoche, is from Paris and used to be a carpenter before he joined the army. His nickname is Eskimo, but he is known by the number the army has given him: 2124. Bastoche was now in the trench because he had been convicted of self mutilation, though he truly is not guilty. Bastoche...
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