Suite Francaise (A Novel) | 
 enlarge | Author: Irene Nemirovsky
Creators: Daniel Oreskes, Barbara Rosenblat
Publisher: Highbridge Audio
Category: Book
List Price: $39.95
Buy New: $14.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  377 reviews
Sales Rank: 129563
Format: Audiobook, Unabridged
Media: Audio CD
Edition: Unabridged
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 795
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 5.9 x 5.1 x 1.2
ISBN: 1598870203
Dewey Decimal Number: 843.912
EAN: 9781598870206
ASIN: 1598870203
Publication Date: April 6, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW
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Product Description
Irene Nemirovsky was arrested soon after completing the second part of Suite Francaise. Ten days later, on August 17, 1942, she died of typhus in Auschwitz- Birkenau. Her husband, Michel, perished in a gas chamber on November 6. Their daughters, Denise and Elizabeth, survived, hidden in safe houses and convents, carrying a suitcase packed with clothes, photographs, and their mothers manuscript written in tiny letters to save paper. For years, both girls thought it was a journal and couldnt bear to read it. Then, in the late 1980s, Denise began transcribing it with the help of a magnifying glass. Part One, "A Storm in June," is set in the chaos and mayhem of the massive 1940 exodus from Paris on the eve of the Nazi invasion. Part Two, "Dolce," opens in the provincial town of Bussy during the first influx of German soldiers. Each part features a rich cast of characters people who never should have met, but come to form ambiguous relationships as they are forced to endure circumstances beyond their control.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 372 more reviews...
 Just lovely and honest January 7, 2009
A remarkable, fluid, enthralling book about WWII written by a French Jew (who ended up being shipped off and killed in a concentration camp). It was published some 50 years posthumously. She paints a detailed portrait of the villagers when the Germans invade as well as the mass exodus from Paris. It is funny, sad and quite sympathetic at times toward some of the German soldiers. She seemed to be able to see the situation from all angles and get it down in exquisite prose.
 Suite Francaise January 6, 2009
I have only one complaint. I understood there was some underlining in the book, but it was more than some, an awful lot and in ink so it was very disconcerting to read. It came in timely manner, and all else was fine.
Haunting November 23, 2008
Yes, it is obvious that it hasn't been edited but that doesn't detract from the beauty. Language is wound like ribbons, outlining the pictures of the characters, framing them and revealing them slowly.
The desperation, fear and transient nature of the characters fall off the page, revealing a landscape littered with the machinations of war. Characters come alive in mere fragments of sentences, the nature of war evident on every page, filling the reader with an intense feeling of dread and discomfort.
The writing is gifted, delicious and terrific. Not to be missed.
 Expected to love it, gave up on it. October 16, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I had heard such great things about this book, so was really looking forward to reading it. I read to chapter 22, then quit. I thought it was extremely boring and very slow moving. I agree with some of the other reviewers that the author's situation and the subsequent discovery of her manuscript was so intriguing, I expected the book to be the same, but I was very disappointed.
 Unfinished masterpiece October 13, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Suite Francaise sat on my permanent "mountain" of waiting-to-be-read books for about a year, unopened. Had I only known...
The Holocaust claimed the lives of innumerable people. Irene Nemirovsky was among them. She died at Auschwitz a year after writing the first two novels (out of intended five) belonging to Suite Francaise. "Storm in June" and "Dolce" were re-discovered decades after she died and subsequently published, adding a further and unusual insight to the tragedy of war. The world lost a very talented writer, already successful and well known at the time of her death.
I think it is important however to discern the actual BOOK from the extraordinary CIRCUMSTANCES surrounding its discovery and the personal history of its author, as it would have been, in my opinion, a great literary success regardless. No doubt this is easier said than done, especially after turning the last page having read not only the book but all the following appendixes, which clarify the author's frame of mind and personal turmoil at the time of writing, as well as several points about the manuscripts that were still pending and awaiting a definite closure, a task possible only after the end of WW2, primary background of the entirety of Suite Francaise.
Having said this, the book itself is a standout. The first novel, "Storm in June" recounts the exodus from the city of Paris due to the advancing Nazi invasion. Different characters from different backgrounds feel Paris is not safe any longer and decide to leave everything behind and flee, seeking refuge in the French countryside. Coming to terms with the lurking spectre of war generates the most varied reactions and perturbates minds and souls, revealing the true nature of each individual.
A few characters mentioned in "Storm in June" reappear, but only just, in the following novel, "Dolce" (and that's because some connections were meant to be further developed in the never-written but intended sequels). Set in a small town in the French countryside, the Germans have already arrived and impose their rules and regulations to the locals, often occupying their homes for accommodation. Everyone is bitter, resentful and scared about the imposed presence of the Nazis, from the farmers to the lords of the manor so to speak. As in the first novel, the true nature of each character reveals itself in this time of need, fear and confusion.
What the two novels have in common is the wonderful characterization. It is clear that the author wanted to project people and their feelings most of all. No matter how rich, poor, famous, noble, sweet or arrogant, no matter their different backgrounds, they all have one thing in common: fear. And one target: survival. For themselves and their loved ones. The momentous events reveal the true nature of the characters involved and the disruption it causes to their life, merging into a form of cowardice and malignancy for some and humility, courage and hope for others.
And no, this is not "another one" of those books about war or the Holocaust. It is war felt and lived through by different characters with diverse points of views, and that includes the German soldiers, depicted especially in "Dolce". Definitely a different perspective, and an original one, of WW2.
Original language hues are sometimes lost in translation, I cannot know if this was the case, however the narrative here is captivating and has an erudite quality which speaks for itself; it is in any case extremely accessible and easily readable. Sad of course, although funny remarks are included too, sparsely distilled here and there befitting certain situations. Even the least important character -just like settings and surroundings- is etched vividly reflecting the multifaceted reality of war times. If this book was not brought to an end and feels a bit disjointed, it is not something that spoils the reading. Its essence is pristine and the message conveyed a tug at the heart. Need I say more? I loved it.
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