Sophia C. reviewed on 11/27/2011 + 289 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 2

Suite Française is an unfinished marvel from Russian-French author Irène Némirovsky, who ultimately perished in Auschwitz because she was a Jew. Originally intended to be five parts modeled on Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, it only contains two "movements." The 'Storm in June' follows the mass exodus from Paris on the eve of Nazi occupation from the perspective of several families; 'Dolce' covers three months a German regiment spent in a rural village along the escape route, a little further along in the war. The characters are loosely connected by circumstances. Némirovsky manages to hold a mirror up to one of France's darkest hours. Instead of becoming a monolithic class of conquerors or victims, she shows that people, whether French or German, still concern ourselves with all too familiar things during wartime, whether they include familial or romantic love, class-based status, or prized material possessions. The story of how this manuscript remained hidden for sixty-plus years before its discovery is amazing in its own right; interested readers can learn about it and the author's writing process in the Appendices.

Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details