Can anyone recall or find out old French A'level text

[SocraticJunkieWannabe]

Here is a challenge!
I did French A'level in 1991 with the Joint Matriculation Board, which no longer exists. One of the set texts for literature was a sweet book about a young girl with a nickname, which I believe was the title of the book. Fairly sure it was a one word title
Possibly her parents may have split up, not sure. Don't know the author but it had a yellow cover! We also studied Les Mains Sales by Sartre and maybe Boule de Suif by Maupassant but this was more modern (at the time) and an easier read. Various internet searches have drawn a blank. Any ideas Mumsnet?

"Manon des Sources"? Not a one word title but some of the books had yellow covers.

I studied Les Mains Sales and Zazie dans le Metro by Queneau the year after...Could it be Zazie?

Could it be a Colette one?

We did Bonjour Tristesse, which had a yellow cover?

I did Bonjour Tristesse too. It was a short novel about a young girl who had a holiday romance.

A lot of French paperbacks had those yellow covers. Think it was kind of like Penguin books for us.
Manon des Sources /Jean de Florette etc wasn't modern. Did have the yellow covers though!

I did 'Le ble en herbe' which was about a young girl, Vinca.

Not a one-word title, but we did Le ble en herbe, which was quite sweet and featured a young girl called Vinca, short for Pervenche (IIRC)

Viou by Henri Troyat?

Thanks for all the replies. Definitely not Manon Des Sources or Bonjour Tristesse - main character was a child rather than a teenager/young woman. Zazie also doesn't ring any bells. Don't think it was set in Paris. Sorry, wish I could remember more!

As pp have said, le blé en herbe. Definitely a sweet book. Very wistful and evocative of the Britanny coast. Stormy and wet but they were there all summer so sunburned. And the dad came up from Paris for the weekend.

@cinnamonlatte Yes I think it's Viou! The name Henri Troyat is definitely familiar. Seems like her father had died rather than her parents splitting up. I've been trying to remember this for years, thank you! This is the sort of thing Mumsnet is best at 🙂

Bingo!

It's one of a series too: 'A demain, Sylvie' and 'Le troisième bonheur.' I have fond memories of those books!

Yep, just found an image of the yellow cover I remember online. Thanks again @cinnamonlatte

I know it wasn't a Colette novel in the end but Colette, the film, is on BBC2 now.

I clicked on this hoping it was going to be about Le Grand Meaulnes by Alain-Fournier. I really loved that book!

@SwedishEdith- I caught that and read up on her, having wondered whether OP’s book was le blé. I have a shocking memory, having completely forgotten the predatory relationship plot or that it was by Colette.
At A Level I also loved ‘huis clos’ and had high hopes come the exam. Unfortunately the question was ‘what is the significance of the play’s title?’ I had no idea what either word meant and it’s not something you can guess 🤦🏻‍♀️
I continued with languages at degree level and always ensured I understood the title henceforth.

We did Madame Bovary which I enjoyed, but slightly later.

Cornichons au chocolat?