[.ca] Suite Francaise (ISBN 1400096278)

Two Unfinished Facets of a Gorgeous Diamond in the Rough Set in World War II Tragedy:
Suite Française contains two unfinished sections, Storm in June and Dolce, of a planned five-part work about the invasion and occupation of France in World War II. The appendices contain the author's notes for what the other three sections would contain, her correspondence and correspondence about her (especially after she was sent to Auschwitz where she died), and preface to the French edition that outlines her personal history. This work only recently came to light after Ms. Nemirovsky's surviving daughter, Denise Epstein, began typing out her mother's long-ignored notebook for a memory project. As you read this work, you'll be responding at two levels: To the monumental tale of a nation unexpectedly brought to its knees and beholden and exposed to its conquerors . . . and to the real human tragedy of a family that would lose both parents while the two daughters survived by being hidden by their governess and those who opposed the Nazis. Ms. Nemirovsky was a keen observer of the French. All of their quirks from the 1940s are present here, often lampooned into very funny extremes. Those quirks are first beautifully displayed as a large number of characters are followed while they flee Paris at the last minute before the Germans arrive to evade what they fear will happen to those who stay. With the roads clogged and resources running out, each must cope in her or his own way to find food, lodging, and a safe haven. Not everyone succeeds. In those moments where the realities of the uncivilized aspects of human nature are exposed, you'll feel a chilling presage of the author's ultimate fate. New dimensions of the quirks are exposed by putting the characters into close contact with German soldiers who are billeted in their homes. Some can make a great show of having no contact, while someone must interact with the Germans to gain benefits that everyone needs. Can you treat an enemy soldier as a person without compromising your own morality, your relationship with your family, and your own integrity? Those are all nice questions that the book raises in Dolce, which covers the period after the invasion through to the beginning of the Russian campaign. A great strength of these materials can be found in the intense character development. You'll feel like you've always known these people. Even the superficial ones will capture your interest: What selfish, ridiculous actions will they take next? Even more significantly, the book challenges our notions that groups of people are an entity. Their differences under a label (such as "French" or "German") are much wider than the differences in the labels. You also get a strong message of how dangerous it is for humanity to accept labels rather than considering each person as an individual, as God does. Rarely have I read any fiction that's so funny, profound, and so enlightening at the same time . . . in the context of great tragedy. You'll find the range of your emotional experiences to be stretched in helpful new ways by this remarkable work. Writers will take special joy from the book as they gain insights into the working methods of a major novelist. Bravo!

Tout-Suite:
A moving biographical story of French author Irene Nemirovsky. Beautifully presented by her daughter who survived the horrors of World War II, this biography is a presentation of secretly hidden works and memory of Nemirovsky, a Ukrainian born Jewish woman, who moved to Paris from Kiev with her family as a child. She became popular from her 1929 novel, DAVID GOLDER, which later became a play and a film. Arrested by French police and deported to Auschwitz in 1942, she died that year in Auschwitz , the same camp where her husband was gassed .However, her two daughters survived to reveal their mother's papers in THE WATCHTOWER, one of Irene's daughters tells the story of the family, the suitcase, and her mother's murder. Suite Francaise, the first two parts of what Irene Nemirovsky originally intended to be a five-volume epic, has been hailed by ecstatic French critics as "a masterpiece" and "probably the definitive novel of our nation in the second world war ."That is 62 years after Irene Nemirovsky's murder. Rights to the work have already been sold in 18 countries. A moving biographical story of French author Irene Nemirovsky. Beautifully presented by her daughter who survived the horrors of World War II, this biography is a presentation of secretly hidden works and memory of Nemirovsky, a Ukrainian born Jewish woman, who moved to Paris from Kiev with her family as a child. She became popular from her 1929 novel, DAVID GOLDER, which later became a play and a film. Arrested by French police and deported to Auschwitz in 1942, she died that year in Auschwitz , the same camp where her husband was gassed .However, her two daughters survived to reveal their mother's papers in THE WATCHTOWER, one of Irene's daughters tells the story of the family, the suitcase, and her mother's murder. Suite Francaise, the first two parts of what Irene Nemirovsky originally intended to be a five-volume epic, has been hailed by ecstatic French critics as "a masterpiece" and "probably the definitive novel of our nation in the second world war ."That is 62 years after Irene Nemirovsky's murder. Rights to the work have already been sold in 18 countries.

Suite Francaise:
"Suite Francaise" is a novel where the history of the author writing the book is more riveting then the book itself. I did like "Suite Francaise" and it has changed the way I think people react during war. Irene Nemirovsky's book starts off with part one called "Storm in June". "Storm in June" takes place in Paris in 1940 as the Germans are marching in and the French are running away. It follows a number of different classes of families and people and how they react to their situation. The second part of the book called "Dolce" is about a village in France that is occupied by the Germans and how it affects the people. It was difficult to get strongly attached to any of the characters; I believe I was more attached to the author's own personal story. I loved looking at the small writing on the inside of the book and trying to imagine Irene Nemirovsky writing this book in a concentration camp. Her daughters escaped taking the book with them not knowing that what they carried was not a diary, but a novel. It took many years for one of the daughters to realize that what she had was a treasure. Irene Nemirovsky never survived the war, but her writing did. The book is not deeply moving or riveting, but it is a "goodread".

FRANCE, A DEFEAT, THE HUMAN CONSEQUENCES:
Many fine reviews have already been written about this extraordinary novel finally published after more than sixty years. Despite being incomplete, this is a great story not just about the fall of France but about human behaviour under foreign invasion and occupation. Storm in June is about hearing of the defeat in Paris and the subsequent evacuation to the south of several individuals and families. Dolce is set in an occupied French village and examines both the villagers and their German invaders. Three other parts were planned but the author died before she could complete her story. One thing I enjoyed about this novel was its quiet style, which is not seen much these days in show boat celebrity Oprah writting. Irene Nemirovsky is not only brilliant at creating characters of various types and classes, but of showing how they each react to the invasion. Some are brave, some are despicable, most know they will have to make a compromise to survive. This is a complex thing to attempt yet the author still has the will to write measured, beautiful passages describing a summer evening in a village square a few hours before the first German soldier arrives or the spendour of an hotel trying to keep up appearances for its paniced guests. The novel is full of intimate moments that stay with the reader and Irene Nemirovsky sees with prophetic clarity what is happening to France and what will occur after the war. The world is fortunate to have had this book saved. Maybe it will learn something from it.

A compelling gripping book that had me hungry to read more:
I was transported back to war torn France and walked the dusty roads to the concentration camps with other prisoners or so it seemed. How lucky was I to be able to imagine and not recount from personal experience. The author has a story to tell and elegantly she succeeds allowing generations after her to know what it was like for people caught up in such madness. I took this book along with two others on holiday and settled down on the hot sands to read, I was unprepared for such a brilliant read. I must also recommend THE FATES by Tino Georgiou his book captured my attention as diligently as Suite Francaise.