Suite Française Audio CD – CD, November 1, 2009

Another amazing novel by the incredibly talented author, who unfortunately perished in Auschwitz in 1942. This is a novel which was supposed to consist of five parts; however, Irene Nemirovsky was only able to finish the first two, writing in exile in a French countryside before getting arrested and transported to a concentration camp. Given the circumstances it’s even more incredible how she doesn’t show any resentment towards the occupying forces in her last novel, only mild curiosity and the desire to understand what drives them, what makes them different from the French, and if it was possible for the two – the defeated and the conquerors to co-exist peacefully.“Storm in June,” the first part of “Suite Francaise,” tells a story of the “exodus” describing the French fleeing the war. What makes it even more precious is that it was written basically by an eye-witness, the woman who saw the unraveling horror of war firsthand, first the occupation of her adopted hometown of Paris, and then the rest of France. And yet, her prose is so vivid and inspired, her portrayal of several families fleeing from the war is so brilliant and precise that you can’t help but admire her talent to write something so outstanding in the darkest of times.There is no single protagonist in this novel; it’s more of a snapshot of several faces, several characters whose social standing is so different and therefore their perception of the events around them differs greatly too. There aren’t heroes here as well, only ordinary people who are presented to the reader with painstaking honesty, and this makes this novel even more powerful. The language is vivid and lucid; portrayal is genuine and imaginative, and the horrors of war and the degrading effect it had on human nature are incredibly realistic.“Dolce,” the second novel which was adopted into a movie, is a love story between a German officer and a French woman, both of whom were affected by the war. Wilhelm was conscripted to the army when all he dreamt of was being a composer and write beautiful music, and Lucille had her husband taken away from her as a prisoner of war; only the loveless marriage makes her start questioning her true feelings as soon as the enemy starts living in her house…Definitely a must-read for all fans of historical fiction genre. One of my favorite WWII novels.

I had to put some adjectives as part of this review which describe the book. The plot of the book revolves around the German invasion of France and how it affects the lives of the people in the towns. I found the book to be very moving and very realistic- I had a sense of people encapsulated by the events around them, still able to see birds singing and nature in full bloom, while war is occurring right in front of them at the same time. I was captivated by this book and the complexity of emotions, situations, characters, and the choices they make as well as the circumstances that bind them and in some cases doom them. There is always a juxtaposition too, between people who are not marked for death and exist in relative safety while the others had to somehow hide completely and thoroughly and at the same time find ways to eat, to sleep, to stay alive.Some people may not think the book is full of surprises, but reading the book enabled me to see through the eyes of the narrator and therefore the entire book was a surprise as it is a world I have never experienced and could not begin to anticipate Even knowing the outcome of the war; it is altogether different to be inside the war while it is occurring and to be faced with situations that are part of being occupied and at war.

This is an amazing book in that it was an eyewitness account of events, made even more interesting by the author's insights into her characters. She has little patience with the pampered upper classes and their expectations of privilege during the crisis--though in the end, even with those types, patriotism prevails. Nemirovsky has a beautiful writing style and a real sense of the dramatic. The book is an easy read with interesting characters and a good flow. Part 2 offers an unusual portrayal of the German invaders--they were polite and even paid for the things they took. It was a privilege to read this book, considering the tragic story of the author's life and death.

I read the book after seeing the movie on Netflix. I recommend the book and movie. After viewing the movie, my curiosity was piqued and read about the author and then Kindle read the book and bought a book of four novellas by Nemirovsky. I plan on reading more of her works. Without a lovely movie, I would never have been introduced to an excellent author who has long passed.

An air of melancholy pervades Irene Nemirovsky's 'Suite Francaise', due both to the novellas themselves and to the circumstances in which they were written - and those that prevented the author finishing the suite. It is extraordinary to think that these novellas were being written as the events of WW2 unfolded, not with retrospect.The two novellas are loosely linked via one or two of the same characters. The first, 'Storm in June' follows the exodus from Paris as the Germans invaded. This traumatic pageant has something of a documentary feel, as if the author is a journalist, observing the characters as they make their very human mistakes in the panic. The characters are mainly from the middle and upper echelons of Parisian society, and Nemirovsky's narrative is observational and insightful, yet unsentimental: 'Panic.stricken, some of the women threw down their babies as if they were cumbersome packages and ran. Others grabbed their children and held them so tightly they seemed to want to force them back into the womb, as if that were the only truly safe place.'The second novella, 'Dolce' is of a different character: static, focussed on a few characters, intense and bittersweet. The characterisation is superb and the uneasy relationship between the occupied and the occupier superbly portrayed. The atmosphere is wonderful: you can taste, smell and breathe the French summer days and nights. I liked the circularity of the story.Of course, the stories are fragments, maybe unedited to the author's satisfaction. One can only wonder at what might have been had she survived to complete the suite.

I read this beautiful book about 6 years ago, lent my copy to a 'friend' - you know the rest! I saw the film in France and it rekindled my desire to re-read the book. This is an intensely moving and realistic narrative. It came to life for me as I lived near Tours in France for several years, and the Occupation was still a haunting presence for my older French friends. The first part which describes the stories of some of the 2 million people escaping the Nazi arrival in Paris is exquisitely drawn, and leaves an indelible imprint on the imagination. Unforgettable testimony. The second part is the moving friendship between a lonely French woman and a German officer. Everything is against this attraction at every level. Beautifully crafted by the author. This book is still my number one read, and I will not be lending it to anyone in future - I insist you buy your own copy, and find out about the author - another moving experience. Also, read her other books too.

I read this book after seeing the film and hoped it would be more dramatic and with more detail. Unfortunately my expectations fizzled out after the first part/ book. Although in the same time period and with a similar location there was little association between the first part and the second . I know the author ‘s are not the same owing to the tragic circumstances but in my view the 2 parts could have integrated better. Apart from this the end was both abrupt and week. Take my tip and watch the film instead.

I'm not personally keen on historical fiction. I like the idea in principle but not in practice. Somehow, despite the drama of the events, I'm not very susceptible to the charms of reading about fictional people in real times, nor about fictional accounts of real people. Suite Française is an exception, albeit one that came upon me by accident.This book was given to me by a relative who had just read it, though the buzz around this book when it was first released was enough to make me interested. Like most novels I suppose, it was written in the present time and populated with characters who were fully contemporary. It only becomes a historical novel in consideration of the time it was first published: 2004. But the only thing that separates it from a story written in 2004 about 2004 is that this was written in 1942 about 1942, which was arguably a much more interesting and significant time. A lot of attention is given to the fact that this book is the first piece of fiction written about World War II, and that it was written when the outcome of the war was still unknown. These are the kind of interesting facts that makes one want to read this book. Add to that the fact that Némirovsky, already a successful writer, wrote this while in fear of her life, with paper and ink that she could scarcely afford to buy, and only very shortly before being sent to Auschwitz and killed like any other victims of the Holocaust. Add these element up and you've got the must-read book of 2004.So is it really all that good, or is it an overrated beneficiary of all the well-publicised circumstances which surrounded it? While I'm not the best critic of literature (given the kind of thing I normally prefer to read) this book does have many of the trappings of literary fiction that don't interest me, like long slow passages in which very little happens apart from the progression of characters' thoughts. And the inclusion of a chapter told from the point of view of a cat is the kind of thing that I see as a bit silly and which, had the author had the chance to edit the book after the completion of the first draft, may well have been excised or changed.But there is a lot in this book to recommend it. Némirovsky's skills in creating characters was formidable. I found them all to be just that little bit exaggerated. An Example is the seemingly ineffectual bank clerk so meek and humble that he accepts his sad circumstances as if they were the best he could have hoped for anyway. Another is the writer whose sensibilities condemn the war for artistic reasons, and who flees town with his latest in a string of muses/mistresses. There's also the Catholic priest who knows that he doesn't understand children, and that he doesn't really have much love for the parishioners under his care, and who in an effort to change this ends up falling foul of the young people he's trying to learn to love.The way the chapters play out in the first section of the book is a bit fragmentary. The different characters share a more or less common purpose, but otherwise have little to do with one another. The chapters flit back and forth between their various stories, giving them all their own chance to shine. It's a storytelling technique that I really enjoyed, and haven't seen very often.The second section is more cohesive, being the story of German soldiers being billeted civilian families in the French village of Bussy, and most specifically one particular German soldier who is billeted with a mother and daughter, the latter of whom finds herself having quite tender feelings for this Nazi invader. It's impressive that Némirovsky, as much a victim of the Nazis as the characters in her book, was able to see them and depict them as human beings.There's a lot more to like in this book than I have mentioned here. There may also be more to dislike, but as I alluded to earlier the author never had the opportunity of editing her work so. It is a rarity to be able to read a first draft which is also a very strong piece of literature.I recommend this book very highly. It's an important piece of fiction which gives an authentic window on the lives of the people who lived through these events.I wish Némirovsky had been able to finish it. Nevertheless, it functions well as a complete work.Reviewed by the author of  Send Him Victorious . Send Him Victorious

I loved the DVD and that was why I bought the book. Normally the books are much better than the film but not in this case. I was disappointed with the book as half of the book was dedicated to descriptions of the village and all the people who lived there. The second part of the book was very scant on the relationship between Bruno, German officer and Lucile and there was no conclusion at the end of the book. Quite disappointed with the book but loved the DVD. Would recommend the DVD but not the book.

I bought this book after watching the movie of the same name. Love the movie and although the book is somewhat different from the film it was a really good book. One of the threads of the book being a connection between a French woman and an occupying Nazi Officer. Doesnt sound like the best of stories I know but it is and I would recommend it. The background of the author makes this tale a bitter sweet one.