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Book Review
Jul. 8th, 2018 11:02 amSuite Française
by Irène Némirovsky
Suite Française was originally intended to be a long, five-part novel about life in France during World War II. However, as she was in fact writing it during WWII, Némirovsky did not live to complete it. She was murdered in Auschwitz in 1942, having only completed these two sections and made some notes regarding the rest of the book (which are included in an appendix). I did enjoy this book, but it was really hard to fully enter into it because of its obviously unfinished nature.
The first part "A Storm in June", follows a handful of individuals and groups fleeing Paris as the German army approaches. The characters range from a married pair of bank workers, a wealthy family of the upper-crust, a rich and famous novelist and his mistress, and a quiet collector of antique porcelain. Némirovsky proves to be a rather harsh and cynical judge of humanity, as almost all of these characters frequently act in selfish and even foolish ways as they flee. Only the bank workers are consistently decent and sympathetic. "A Storm in June" had me really wishing that Némirovsky had survived, because I am very interested the further fates of each of the characters - did they continue on in their selfish paths? did they end up collaborating or resisting? did any of them change or find redemption?
The second part, "Dolce", covers an almost completely different set of people, taking place in a village in the countryside not too far from Paris. The only connection is that a few of those fleeing Paris in the first part encountered this village and its people. Here, though, we see how the villagers, mostly women and children, deal with the regiment of German soldiers sent to occupy their town. The soldiers are billeted with various families, and a range of reactions and relationships ensue. The three main characters, Madame Angelliers, her daughter-in-law Lucile, and the farmer's wife Madeleine, all find themselves approaching the occupation differently. Madame Angelliers takes a cold, haughty stance towards the soldiers, withdrawing into her room and refusing to have any contact with them. Lucile, on the other hand, left to manage the household, finds herself forging a reluctant friendship with Bruno, the soldier living in their house. Madeleine is pursued by one of the soldiers, right under her husband's eye, which leads to danger and violence. Némirovsky portrays all of this with a sensitivity to the complexities of human interactions, laced with a bit of bitter cynicism towards the collaborations and accommodations that ensue.
by Irène Némirovsky
Suite Française was originally intended to be a long, five-part novel about life in France during World War II. However, as she was in fact writing it during WWII, Némirovsky did not live to complete it. She was murdered in Auschwitz in 1942, having only completed these two sections and made some notes regarding the rest of the book (which are included in an appendix). I did enjoy this book, but it was really hard to fully enter into it because of its obviously unfinished nature.
The first part "A Storm in June", follows a handful of individuals and groups fleeing Paris as the German army approaches. The characters range from a married pair of bank workers, a wealthy family of the upper-crust, a rich and famous novelist and his mistress, and a quiet collector of antique porcelain. Némirovsky proves to be a rather harsh and cynical judge of humanity, as almost all of these characters frequently act in selfish and even foolish ways as they flee. Only the bank workers are consistently decent and sympathetic. "A Storm in June" had me really wishing that Némirovsky had survived, because I am very interested the further fates of each of the characters - did they continue on in their selfish paths? did they end up collaborating or resisting? did any of them change or find redemption?
The second part, "Dolce", covers an almost completely different set of people, taking place in a village in the countryside not too far from Paris. The only connection is that a few of those fleeing Paris in the first part encountered this village and its people. Here, though, we see how the villagers, mostly women and children, deal with the regiment of German soldiers sent to occupy their town. The soldiers are billeted with various families, and a range of reactions and relationships ensue. The three main characters, Madame Angelliers, her daughter-in-law Lucile, and the farmer's wife Madeleine, all find themselves approaching the occupation differently. Madame Angelliers takes a cold, haughty stance towards the soldiers, withdrawing into her room and refusing to have any contact with them. Lucile, on the other hand, left to manage the household, finds herself forging a reluctant friendship with Bruno, the soldier living in their house. Madeleine is pursued by one of the soldiers, right under her husband's eye, which leads to danger and violence. Némirovsky portrays all of this with a sensitivity to the complexities of human interactions, laced with a bit of bitter cynicism towards the collaborations and accommodations that ensue.
