This book is the autobiography of Adolphe Retté, and it reads like a confession. He lays his whole life out on the table, from his wild, rebellious youth to his peaceful, faith-filled later years.

The Story

Retté starts by painting a vivid picture of his younger self: a passionate anarchist and poet, deeply involved in the bohemian and revolutionary circles of Paris. He believed in art and politics as tools to smash tradition. The book follows his growing disillusionment. The ideals he fought for began to feel empty and chaotic. A profound spiritual crisis leads him to Catholicism, which acts as the catalyst for his stunning reversal. We see him renounce his past, his old friends, and his beliefs, eventually becoming a vocal supporter of the French monarchy. The title, "La maison en ordre" (The House in Order), perfectly captures his quest: a lifelong struggle to find personal and philosophical order after a youth dedicated to chaos.

Why You Should Read It

What grabbed me wasn't the politics, but the raw humanity. Retté doesn't try to make himself a hero. He shows his confusion, his pride, his mistakes, and his desperate need for meaning. It's a powerful look at how a person's core identity can fracture and rebuild itself. In our current world of rigid opinions, it's refreshing to read about someone who had the courage to say, "I was wrong," and change his entire life's direction.

Final Verdict

This is a fantastic pick for anyone interested in the power of personal change, spiritual journeys, or the intense intellectual climate of late 19th-century France. It's not a fast-paced novel, but a thoughtful, intimate portrait. If you enjoy memoirs where the author is brutally honest about their flaws and transformations, you'll find Retté's story absolutely captivating.