Lucy Norton has provided a modern translation worthy of the original (she was encouraged by Nancy Mitford, and in fact dedicates the work to her) and Saint-Simon's splendid voice is clearly heard. But his legendary attention to detail at times threatens the narrative flow of the story. Lucy Norton has thoughtfully and compassionately abridged the repetitive and irrelevant, resulting in a work that allows the modern reader to enjoy the incredible richness of the whole.
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