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.

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.

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.

A book like this only comes around once in a while and touched me greatly and even though the author died tragically at Auschwitz in 1942 she will be in my memory forever.. Thank god her daughter got this book published. I fell in love with all the characters who were written so vividly I thought I was there...So descriptive, with both humor and sadness. The next part "Captive" was not yet written only in bits and pieces before her death. I cried on the last two pages regarding her life and death. Such a talented writer. Rest in peace Irene..

Perhaps the miracle of this manuscript is that it survived the internment and death of its author and all the mischances of World War II to achieve publication. Even in its unfinished condition (only two sections out of the author's intended three or four), this novel paints an unforgettable portrait of France in defeat.

The first section, Storm in June, follows a number of people who flee Paris ahead of the German Army. The author hopscotches from character to character, trying to show the reaction of many different classes and types of people. The most poignant story was that of a middle-class, middle-aged couple who both work at the same bank. They report to the bank as ordered, only at the last minute the bank director decides to take his mistress in his car so he tells the couple that they are to report to Tours tomorrow or face losing their jobs! They have to walk and their faith with one another and their worry about their son in the army makes for affecting reading.

The second section, Dolce, is set in a farming community under occupation. The tensions between the occupiers and the occupied are deftly delineated. The subtle choices faced by those who willingly collaborate and those who do so reluctantly are played upon. The author does this in such human terms, showing the relationship that grows step by step between Lucille, a woman trapped in a loveless marriage to a man now held captive, and the German officer quartered with her and her mother-in-law.

These two sections, plus some of the author's notes, are all we have--this in itself is a tragedy and waste of war. Had this novel been finished we would be hailing it as one of the supreme works of literature. As it stands, it is like a great cathedral gutted by a bomb. The ruined shell still soars to heaven, a reminder of the human spirit triumphing despite human destructiveness.

There are many reviews already, so suffice it to say I believe she had talent and am interested in reading a novel she had time to finish.

If you read this novel, do not overlook Appendix II, which contains letters written by Irene, her husband and their friends and family. It will break your heart what they went through when the Nazis came for them.

This is the first novel I have read by this author. There are many reviews already, so suffice it to say I believe she is a good writer and am interested now in her other novels.

If you read this novel, do not overlook Appendix II, which contains letters written by Irene, her husband and their friends and family.

The setting is 1940 France amid the German occupation. Ms. Nemirovsky and her family were caught in the middle of the French people fleeing the occupied territory. She tells the tale with beautiful imagery and descriptions, not making monsters of the German overlords who made their lives so difficult. What is even more amazing is that this novel was finished when Ms. N was sent to Auschwitz. She never left. Even though she was a French citizen, the Nazis used her Jewish roots against her and stifled one of the most gifted writers I have ever had occasion to read. This novel was hidden for about 60 years, and only recently was published to critical acclaim. A great read that tells the tale of a city, and a people, occupied--but now overthrown.

After reading all the reviews I was hoping it would captivate me. I struggled with not putting it down. Dumbfounded by the reviews, I returned to the scene of the crime and realized I wasn't the only one who felt like it was a waste of time.

This book was highly recommended to me by someone with great taste in books. After purchasing it, I apparently read a few pages, and set it aside; I found the bookmark only several pages into it when I opened it again last night.
Some rapt hours later, I finished it, stunned I had EVER put it down before. I then read all the other appended information about the author and her family, including her murder at only 39 by the Nazis, after she had finished only two parts of the planned five in the "suite."
Today I have looked through the Amazon reviews, and have to wonder about those people who give it only a few stars, and complain it has too many characters. Didn't they ever read Tolstoy? Dostoyevsky? Sometimes I needed a chart to keep the characters straight! That certainly didn't keep me from recognizing the greatness of the novels.
Now to check out her other works. Her ability to change "voice" with each character is so subtle, yet so convincing I felt I was inside their thoughts. I can't wait to read more of her.
Please, if you can't get into this in the first few pages, find a little block of time and go further. It WILL be worth it.

It is a shame we will never be able to read the entire body of work Irene Namirovske had planned. I enjoyed reading the first two parts and also felt the two appendices were valuable. The first indicated Namirovsky's plan for her 5 part Suite. The second were the frantic and poignant letters that were sent in a vain attempt to save her life.

Wonderfully written with insight into the emotional strain inflicted on people who have no say in times of war. As the characters unfolded, a long process at that, the reader feels a since of hopelessness not so much because of the war but because freedom had been taken from these people. The German soldiers were as much victims of a bad government as the people in occupied France. I'd give this book five stars if it didn't take so long to weed out how the characters were connected. A sense of sadness lingers. Wil A. Emerson

I'm trying.....I'm really trying to like this book!! I was excited when I bought it and couldn't wait to start reading it.......well, a few pages into it, I kept thinking.....HUH??!! It's extremely confusing, it jumps all over the place from a set of characters to others, and does not grip you, at all. Some review, I believe listed in the book, said that this book was better than the Diary of Anne Frank, don't fall for that!! I'm on page 108, and I've been struggling to get that far within a week, where, usually, I can read that much (and more) within a day. If you haven't bought this book............save your money, unless you feel you may be like some of the others who wrote a review on how great this book was. Wish me luck, I'm going to keep on reading, after all $14.95 plus tax is $14.95.........I may not finish, but I will try in her memory and I believe every person has a story to tell. I don't know if this book has a section on her life, her story, I do hope so.

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, TIN0'S masterful novel his book captured my attention as diligently as Suite Francaise.

The Fates (classic)

"Suite Française" is one of the most amazing books I've read this year. The first part of the book, "Storm in June," depicts the lives of various characters as they struggle with the beginning of the Great War and the German invasion/occupation of Paris. All of the characters are equally fascinating, and the author distinguishes how people from opposite classes responded to the same situations. The second half of the book, "Dolce," revolves around the year-long German occupation of a small French village. This portion of the book details the story of a French woman who falls in love with a German officer, and also conspires to protect a fellow villager who is wanted for the murder of another German.

Irène Némirovsky was an amazing novelist. "Suite Française" is one of the most beautifully written books I've ever read. Every page is absolutely captivating, as are the numerous characters and vivid descriptions of these tragic events. What's even more amazing than this book is Némirovsky's own story: She was a Jewish, Russian immigrant who wrote this novel before she died at Auschwitz in 1942. Némirovsky's daughters possessed the "Suite Française" manuscript for more than 60 years without knowing what it was. Eventually, the book was discovered and became a bestseller in 2004, decades after Némirovsky's death.

I sincerely cannot say enough great things about this book. It's an amazing story about war and foreign occupation that, in a sad twist of irony, was written by a woman who would pay the ultimate price during that exact same period in history. "Suite Française" is a book that should definitely be read by everyone.

Really bad! I usually need to finish any book I start. Literally couldn't with this one. I put it down after 150 pages because there was absolutley no plot development and characters were static! I can't believe the overall rating was 4.5 stars! WHY??

I'm sorry to say this book never lived up to all the hype for me. None of the characters were appealing. Felt like I was reading short stories by a high school student. I found it very difficult to get through as there was nothing going on to keep my interest.

I have to echo the sentiments of those who say there were too many characters and they're not well-developed enough to make you care about them. And what you ARE told about them makes them all completely unappealing! I was certainly expecting some unsympathetic Germans, but I was not expecting that all the French characters would be petty, snobbish and selfish -- at least, what little the author tells you about them. I thought I would love this but didn't bother to finish it.

"Suite Francaise" by Irene Nemirovsky would perhaps be interesting solely through the facts relating to the demise of its author: a Ukranian and Jew by birth, who after living in France for nearly a dozen years was arrested and deported to Auschwitz, where she shortly died. Her manuscript was kept in a suitcase for years until her two daughters, who survived thanks to friends who faithfully hid them, could come to terms with the memorial their mother had left them. It is a story that seems too fantastic to be true, yet Nemirovsky was an established author before the war cost her everything, and "Suite Francaise" is a remarkable reintroduction to her talent.

The novel, originally planned to have five parts, is complete with just the first two sections. The first section, "A Storm in June", is a far-reaching affair, filled with a wide cast of characters, as citizens endure the hardships and chaos of the exodus from Paris in 1940. Nemirovsky paints vivid portraits of all sorts - a wealthy, large family trying to save their dearest possessions, an idealistic author and his mistress, a poorer couple who long to find out information about their wounded soldier son - and interweaves their plight and attempts to reach safer areas. This exodus is sheer chaos, as cars break down and run out of petrol, as the German army advances and the French soldiers cannot hold on; it is a breathtaking, sometimes slow-building examination of what people are truly made of. Nemirovsky deftly examines the deepest seated feelings of pride and how everyone reveals their true colors in the end.

The second part, "Dolce", continues after the armistice has been signed and the German army is billeted among the families in a relatively well-to-do village. Some of the same characters who were in the first part make appearances, but do not play a large role. This story focuses on Lucile, a wife whose unfaithful husband is a prisoner of war, and the young German soldier who is staying at their house. The Germans are their enemies, but Lucile finds herself drawn to this man, and struggles with how she should treat him. "Dolce" is faster-paced than the first part, and examines the violent passions of prejudice and hate, how on the surface the townspeople accept almost numbly what is happening to them, but their inner turmoil reveals wholly different feelings. "Dolce" ends with the Germans pulling out, off to fight a new war in Russia, and that is where "Suite Francaise" comes to an end.

The ending of this book is a bit of a letdown, only because Nemirovsky crafted such compelling characters and stories out of the chaos that was her life. While the appendices offer her notes for what was to happen in the next three installments, which offer readers some insight into the fates of these characters, it is not enough. Perhaps Nemirovsky made these notes knowing that she did not have too much time left. The correspondence is a poignant look at what happened to her and her husband after they were both arrested and their loved ones searched in vain for help and information. "Suite Francaise" is a remarkable testament to the weight of war and the cost of survival.

Another brillant piece of writing by a Russian emigrant in a second language. The book remained tragically incomplete; in its current shape it has 2 of the 5 intended parts. The 3rd one was supposed to be called Captivity and was intended to cover the resistance, according to the notes in the appendix to this pocket book. (Irene herself was arrested and died in captivity. So did her husband, who was also Jewish. Her 2 daughters escaped and saved the manuscript for 60 years.)
The first part, called Storm, is about the time when Germany was winning the war in France and the citizens of Paris made a mad dash South. It introduces a broad spectrum of characters from different shades of middle class plus farmers and the servant class. Workers are outside the spectrum of the book, which may be an accurate reflection of Mme Nemirovsky's social experience. Central characters are the members of a rich upper middle class family, the Pericands, and of a lower middle class one, the Michauds.
The armistice causes the exodus to stop, life becomes 'normal' again, in a situation of occupation. The narrative in part 2, Dolce, moves to a small town near the demarcation line between the occupied and the 'free' part of France. We meet some new people, mainly the two Angellier women, and some old aquaintances. The aristocracy becomes a relevant player in the plot. The village has German troops billeted in every house. Biology takes charge: many young men from the village have left as soldiers, are in captivity or have died. The German troops and officers provide a solution to a felt need. Collaboration grows on simple physical and psychological factors. This phase is temporary: the war in Russia starts, the troops move out of France, the resistance begins to show up.
In the first two parts, IN did not touch on the situation of the Jews in France. Actually, none of the many characters in the story seem to be Jewish. This is odd and I have no explanation for it.
I realize this is the only fictional account of WW2 in France that I have read or that I can remember. Also odd. I also realize that my French has become too rusty for this level. I also realize that I need to give up on my arrogance which makes me often ignore the 'best books of the year' selections. I have often been disappointed by such dignitaries, but Nemirovsky demonstrates that the jurors can also be right.

Another brillant piece of writing by a Russian emigre in a second language. The book remained tragically incomplete; in its current shape it has 2 of the 5 intended parts. The 3rd one was supposed to be called Captivity and was intended to cover the resistance, according to the notes in the appendix to this pocket book. (Irene herself was arrested and died in captivity.)
The first part, called Storm, is about the time when Germany was winning the war in France and the citizens of Paris made a mad dash South. It introduces a broad spectrum of characters from different shades of middle class plus farmers and the servant class. Workers are outside the spectrum of the book, which may be an accurate reflection of Mme Nemirovsky's social experience. Central characters are the members of a rich upper middle class family, the Pericands, and of a lower middle class one, the Michauds.
The armistice causes the exodus to stop, life becomes 'normal' again, in a situation of occupation. The narrative in part 2, Dolce, moves to a small town near the demarcation line between the occupied and the 'free' part of France. We meet some new people, mainly the two Angellier women, and some old aquaintances. The village has German troops billeted in every house. Biology takes charge: many young men from the village have left as soldiers, are in captivity or have died. The German troops and officers provide a solution to a felt need. Collaboration grows on simple physical and psychological factors. This phase is temporary: the war in Russia starts, the troops move out of France, the resistance begins to show up.
I realize this is the only fictional account of WW2 in France that I have read or that I can remember. Odd. I also realize that my French has become too rusty for this level. I also realize that I need to give up on my arrogance which makes me often ignore the 'best books of the year' selections. I have often been disappointed by such dignitaries, but Nemirovsky demonstrates that the jurors can also be right.

This book was fine. Not great, not awful, just fine. It took a bit of patience to read, but the 2nd half was much better than the first. By the time I finished I didn't care to read her notes and plans for the rest of the story. I expected something totally different, and honestly have no idea who the couple on the cover is supposed to be. The book is choppy, jumping from one family to the next and it gets irritating. I'd prefer more character development and less characters. The second half is much better, focusing mainly on one group of people. This is probably a good book for students as the right professor can talk about the author's plans for the stories and how she intended them to relate had she not died. I read this book for a couple chapters, then put it down to read "Tis" by Frank McCourt b/c it was a more interesting read. I did finish the book, but until I got to the 2nd half I kept substituting it with Tis.

I recommended this book to my book club after reading about the author and her story (as well as the book's fabulous reviews). Only two of us finished it (and not because they liked it - they wanted to honor the author). Maybe it's the translation, but I'm very sorry to say I found the writing and the characters absolutely horrid. Please note: I stopped at page 70. Maybe it got better from there, but I just couldn't take it anymore.

Suite Francaise captures the weakness of humanity during WW2 rather than the horrors of war - a unique approach which engenders great admiration for the author. The publication could be improved by placing the preface and appendices at the front - this would add greatly to appreciation of the work.

When I started "Suite Francaise," I thought it would take a lot of time and effort to complete. Happily, I was wrong. Once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. The novel is actually composed of two novellas, "Storm in June" and "Dolce", which Nemirovsky had intended to be the first of a five-part epic.

"Storm in June" was a strong opener and conveyed the proverbial horrors of war for the invaded civilians, but on a personalized level. This story lacked the fully developed emotions and characters of the second story, "Dolce", but it was nonetheless excellent. A number of the characters in "Storm in June" were rather despicable, but I think that actually enhanced the story by adding nuance, as opposed to a simple "pity them for their circumstances" approach.

"Dolce", in turn, was one of the more moving stories I've ever read. The sheer range of emotions Nemirovsky conveys through the characters is nothing less than magical and beautiful. The added poignancy of knowing Nemirovsky's ultimate fate makes the story even more remarkable. Lucile's torment at having to choose between love for her country and her desperate need for the human connection of romantic love nearly brought me to tears.

"Suite Francaise" is deserving of all the praise it has received, and would be even if Nemirovsky's own story had not been so tragic. The way she captures the persistence of the more mundane aspects of life in the middle of such horrible circumstances is unparalled. I especially recommend this book for fans of Daphne du Maurier. "Suite Francaise" will stay with me for a long time.

I'm not quite sure what the hoopla is about with this book. I dragged myself through to the end, just so I could say I finished it, but it was a chore. I do commend the author for her ability to help the reader transcend the mood of the war and what it must have been like for people fleeing the city during chaos and uncertainty. Other than that, I really felt like this book was disjointed and aimless.

Patience is key with this book. I found the first part, Storm in June, rather boring as it focuses so narrowly on so many different people, many of which are so similarly characterized. Makes you want to say "I get it, move on with the story." The second part, dolche, finally finds a focus on one person--Lucille, and tells the story around her. At this point the book finally gets interesting and makes you feel like reading the first part was worth it. The fact the author didn't get the chance to finish the other 3 parts the story was meant to be composed of is intensely disappointing. The book ends right as its about to reach the climax and the story is about to become a page turner. The plans for the third book in the appendix, are a tease. Its too bad it was never written.

After seeing so many reviews and 4.5 stars, I had high hopes for this book. I did not like it.

While the back story about the author, Irene Nemirovsky,(famous French author and Auschwitz victim who left this novel unfinished) is heartbreakingly fascinating, the novel itself, for me, never went anywhere. Even while appreciating the historical significance of the story and the author, I found Suite Francais extremely disjointed, unsatisfying, choppy, and odd. I realize that to some extent this was probably intentional, that is, to illustrate narratively how people scattered after the Nazi occupation of France. Each vignette (and that is what the book was--hundreds of run-on vignettes), however, never really went anywhere, told little, and had only arguable purpose.

I wonder how this novel might have been different, more polished, and perhaps much more edited, had Ms. Nemirovsky lived to see it through. The most interesting and noteworthy part of Suite Francais to me, is that tragically, she did not.

Just today did I finish this book. It is not a fast moving book. It was not full of action and intrigue, but I enjoyed this book for what it was. I did not know much about the German occupation of France and appreciated what I learned. Later I learned that the author reread Tolstoy while working on this book to learn from his style of writing. Maybe that is why I liked this book as "Anna Karenina" is one of my all time favorite books.
I would recommend this book.

Nemirovsky's has a wonderful, yet urgent flow to her storytelling; it was difficult to put the book down. I loved her sense of irony and the unexpected twists of fate that her characters take. The characters are wonderful and not stereotypical. She takes a risk by not characterizing all of the German soldiers as "evil". Similarly, not all of the French are "good". It helps to know the story of the autor and to know that this is two books cobbled together because it helps make sense of the storylines. A superb book.

I found this book difficult to get through. The first part (of what was to be a 5-part book) is choppy with superficial character treatments. What makes the work remarkable is the harrowing circumstances in which the author was writing. It's deeply tragic that this wonderful writer suffered and was murdered during WWII. The writing and storyline vastly improve in the 2nd book, and I believe if Nemirovsky had been able to revise and complete the novel, it would have been wonderful. As it stands, the book is rough and hard to digest. I do recommend this edition, however, because of the moving letters in the appendices written by Nemirovsky and her comtemporaries during the period leading up to and following her deportation. Those (not the fiction!) brought me to tears.

This is a really lovely book. dipicting many souls during the nazi occupation of Paris. It a side of history we dont see. I think because it has not been polished or reflected on. The writer wrote all of this while it was happening. Very nice work and is sure to be as important to history as the diary of Anne Frank.

i didnt even finish this book even though despite my best efforts. to many characters to keep track of. and just not enough depth to keep it interesting. i was deeply disapointed.

I'll make this short. As far as fiction is concerned, this book is the equivalent of an historic photograph. It is in black and white rather than in color (Steven Spielburg wasn't the first to see WWII as dark...)and much of its beauty lies in the fact that it is a clear voice from another time and place. A treasure, maybe more crudely carved than finely crafted, but we are lucky to have had it survive. So real.

Recognizing beforehand that this wouldn't be a complete story arc (as the author died in one of the Holocaust camps), I had to try to approach the book without any prejudice toward it for having a weak ending (i.e., no ending). Unfinished books can be interesting to read to view the storytelling process in the midst of its evolution, but are rarely satisfying as stories in their own right. Némirovsky's work here is perhaps more polished than a simple draft, but even her notes suggest that the finished chapters and two volumes that were published are not necessarily how they would appear in her final product.

So then, what about what we are given?

It's, well, pretty good. It's not riveting by any means. There is no climax to her first act ("Storm in June") and her second act plays out pretty softly (appropriately enough for a section entitled "Dolce"). While each segment picks up interest in later chapters, both start off at such a slowburn that many readers won't make it past a hundred pages. Character-wise, Némirovsky doesn't provide the reader with many sympathetic characters either. Not only are almost all the inhabitants of her story arrogant hypocrites, but they are almost universally uninteresting as well.

The first book is a pile of vignettes describing the circumstances of several families and individuals as they flee Paris on the eve of its fall into German hands on 14 June 1940. The narrative is as disorganized and haphazard, perhaps, as was the exodus it chronicles. There are flourishes of course and moments of interest (notably a chapter written from the perspective of a cat in heat), but on the whole it functions better as documentary than as story. The second book is easily superior, but much slower paced. There are more sympathetic characters and much more time for introspection. In a way, book two ("Dolce") could function as some sort of Jane Austen work, only with Nazis and junk.

Back to characters. Reading, Suite Française, I first thought that Némirovsky was an out-and-out misanthrope, despising all humanity, no matter its form or station. Gradually, I came to see that there is a certain class of person whom Némirovsky bears little ill will and seems to believe at least capable of being both genuine and rational. Those people seem to fit in the lower middle class and be young enough to still see beauty in the world (the Michaud couple are only in their early forties or so, and are an exception to the youthfulness qualification). Her sympathetic characters are the Michauds, Jean-Marie Michaud, Lucile, the young engaged couple fleeing from Paris on their wedding day, Bruno (the German soldier staying with Lucille's family), Madeleine (to some extent), and Hubert (after he rejects the hypocrisy and privilege of his class).

I should note I really did appreciate Némirovsky's ability to describe the hypocrisies of her characters through the various perspectives of her other characters. This actually makes it a little more difficult to pin down the author's own feelings toward others.

I'd be curious to read Némirovsky's other works to see how she paints the classes as a general rule, but if they're not more interesting books than Suite Française, I think I'll skip.

Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky blurs well defined categories of genre and presents real life in a creative collage. The unfinished work consists of two novellas and two appendixes. The manuscript had been kept by Nemirovsky's daughter who had refused to read it for years, because her mother had died in Auschwitz, and the daughter didn't want to revisit the painful memories.

The first novella, "Storm in June," narrates the evacuation from Paris of multiple families fleeing the Germans in 1940. Nemirovsky uses the Olympian eye to see the large picture while combining multiple tales simultaneously. She follows the Pericand family, the Cortez couple, the Michauds and their son Jean-Marie as they pack and prepare to depart for safer climes. Petty preoccupations and emotional ties are explored as each family leaves the city. With the eye of a cinematographer and the insight of a psychologist as Nemirovsky delves into the lives of her characters. Each story deals with life and death decisions superimposed on mundane needs and egocentric vanities.

The second novella, "Dolce" deals with German occupation in France. Nemirovsky shows war in real time. Not every minute is horrible. Seen primarily through the eyes of the French, the Germans are sometimes perceived as human; and the French are sometimes inhumane. People are people and hatred and combat are not the only experience in wartime.

Both novellas follow a linear movement toward conflict and death, a straight line toward the unknown. Is this not what life is about, Nemirovsky asks? But she deftly includes another movement. Underneath the linear progress is a comforting cyclical movement, nature's cycles, repetitious twenty-four hour days, the pattern of seasons, the biological mating instinct--all ordinary patterns continuing in spite of war.

The appendixes consist of the Nemirovsky's notes on her work in progress allowing the reader to get inside the mind of the writer. She asks: "Which of the scenes deserve to be passed on to posterity?" (p.374). She struggles with objectivity: "My idea is for it to unravel like a film, but at times the temptation is great, and I've given in with brief descriptions or in the episode that follows the meeting at the schoolboy giving my own point of view. Should I mercilessly pursue this?" (p. 376).

Nemirovsky writes while fleeing Paris. All lives are upset; all priorities must be reassessed. Suite Francaise, a Novel stands alone as art without tapping the biography of the author, but once the reader understands circumstances of Nemirovsky's writing, which is that she is writing fiction about events she is experiencing in real time, immediacy and poignancy is added to this work. In Nemirovsky's own story, which is not a part of this novel, she dies in Auschwitz. Her journal entries tell the reader she understands she may die. Her tragic end prevented the completion of the work as she had envisioned it. Reading the uncompleted novellas with the appendixes make the total work a revealing story of Irene Nemirovsky's life told with consciousness that moves the story beyond individual experience to the universal experience of war. Genres merge. Is this fiction, autobiography, memoir, documentary? The collection of texts in this work creates a new genre, a collage, a scrapbook of life. It is real, it is human, and it makes us understand more about the human condition.

I finished reading "Suite Francaise", a thoroughly absorbing book. How I would like to write like Neimerovsky! Usually I want to plow through description and flowery words and get to the plot. I think that is the male way. In this book, however, the descriptions are more than dressing; they are part of the meaning and must be read. They also add to the beauty of the prose and take you to the far away place the author wants you to go. Once there, she allows the plot and dialogue to flow. The dialogue is sparse, but even so great meaning is extracted from the characters.

Our civilization is built upon such flimsy foundations. The beauty we revere in art and happiness from possessions are jettisoned once one is hungry and without shelter. Our motives become baser as our survival needs go unmet. Those who want the least, like the priest, tend to be the happiest and can make do. As civilization crumbles, we learn that skills as a poet, banker, or artist become worthless. The man that can grow food, raise horses fares better. Women live by their wits, using looks to survive; an age old option justified for self preservation.

In "Suite", security is paramount. It's once one takes for granted or is completely secure in his basic needs can he move on to gratifying other wants: love, ambition, material possessions.

The most despicable people in the novel are those who feel entitled to their perch and do not realize that they are flabby pink shallow beasts surviving on a largesse they did not earn. These people inherited their wealth or gained it in endeavours that mean little in the new world of occupation.

The saddest characters are those that have passion, but no one to love. Lucille and Bruno, you really feel for them.

Nemirovsky depicts the German soldiers who occupy a French farming village as noble, handsome, blond, decent, refined, educated, having impeccable manners and bearing, gallant in their elegant uniforms and on their beautiful mounts, respectful of French property, and anxious not to tweak the resentment or hurt the feelings of the defeated local population. We're to shed bitter tears for the young lads as they march off at the end of the book, dispatched to the Russian front.

The only less-than-noble German soldier is the base commander's emotionally erratic translator. Lieutenant Bonnet exhibits momentary flashes of sadism. However, we soon learn he's not really German -- he's of French descent and is marked with a name of French origin.

In contrast to the noble Nazi -- excuse me, German -- soldiers, the French villagers are mostly petty, vulgar (the farmers) or pompous (the aristocrats), money-grubbing, and hateful collaborators. The sole exception is the beautiful, blond Lucille. ("Blond" seems to be a marker for an admirable person.) She's married to an absent, boorish husband held captive in a German prisoner of war camp. The lonely, affection-starved Lucille has a dashing German cavalry officer as a border; he's been billeted to her grand manse, the most beautiful house in the village. There's no avoiding that Nemirovsky has here set up the plot-line of a trite bodice ripper.

The rather far-fetched back story of SUITE FRANCAISE is that the manuscript remained unread in a suitcase owned by Nemirovsky's daughter since 1942 and was only recently rediscovered and reclaimed. However, it's more reasonable to surmise that the book was far too pro-German and anti-French to have been released earlier. It's no longer impossible in polite society to mention sympathetically the suffering of the German people during World War II and to consider that, yes, they were victims too. It's hard to know how far the pendulum will swing in this direction, but it currently has quite a bit of momentum. Take, for instance, Nicholson Baker's HUMAN SMOKE (2008), which puts the Allies and the Nazis on the same moral plane.

Nemirovsky says 2 million Frenchmen surrendered to the Germans but few died defending their families and homeland. In fact, in the two-months-long Battle of France, 90,000 French soldiers were killed and 200,000 were wounded, or roughly as many casualties as America suffered over the entire Second World War, proportionate to our greater population (40,500,000 versus 132,000,000).

Why the blatantly pro-Nazi, anti-French stance of SUITE FRANCAISE didn't arouse critical comment when the book was published in France -- not to mention anger and censure -- is a mystery to me. One possible explanation is that we have a weakness for imbuing victims with saintly characteristics. The Nazis murdered Nemirovsky at Auschwitz, so she must have been holy, blameless and above reproach. Her book acquired an aura of goodness that blinds readers to its actual contents.

The omniscient narrator of SUITE FRANCAISE (probably Nemirovsky herself) writes on page 291: "What separates or unites people is not their language, their laws, their customs, their principles, but the way they hold their knife and fork." Nemirovsky probably did not entirely forget she was a Jew but her primary identity was with the aristocracy of her birth and upbringing in the Russian royal court, before the Bolsheviks ended that society of extreme privilege. Had she self-identified as a Jew, she most likely would have fled to Switzerland with her husband and two daughters when they had the opportunity. Instead, she seems to have felt closer kinship with the groups persecuting Jews, never imagining they'd turn on her too. On page 334, Nemirovsky writes: "Who dared predict the future? Although that's all people did... and always in vain."

The style of writting is so unique, so individual. Not your common style of writting. & the story so convincing too.
At the end, reading the author's notes also made it all so real too. I really felt for her

The book was a selection for a book group. I knew nothing of it before. The author's style was unique and satisfying. The appendices were particularly valuable. One gave a look into the way an author can structure the actual writing of a novel. The other presented the history of the author and the book. I will look for her other novels. Sadly the author was lost to the Holocaust or there could have been more.

Amazing!!!!! I love this book!!! I've told everyone I know about this book. This book really makes you think. It makes you laugh. It makes you really appreciate the life and freedom you have. Truley amazing. I couldn't wait to get home every day and read it.

Author's descriptions and characterizations are outstanding. She give you a clear image of the events and of personalities, and how people reacted to what was going on in France during the German occupation. Also her notes included at the back of the volume give you a window on her creative process.

This novel is remarkable in several ways: how it came to be published, its structure, and it contains the author's notes and correspondence during this period. And it's a good read.

Russian-born Irène Némirovsky established herself as a writer in Paris in 1929 at age twenty-six with the publication of her first novel, David Golder, which was an overnight success. She began Suite Francaise early in the 1940s. From her notes, it's clear that the story was meant to be an epic novel; however, Nemirovsky was taken by the Germans in July 1942 and died in a concentration camp in August. Fortunately, friends were able to take her two young daughters away before they were captured. As a remembrance, the daughters took with them what they thought was their mother's journals. It was more than fifty years later before they could bring themselves to read them. What they discovered were the two novellas their mother had written that were the beginnings of a larger novel, which would be published as Suite Francaise.

Though this is a novel, its origins clearly were in Nemirovsky's own experiences. When World War II broke out, she and her husband took their daughters to the countryside outside Paris to stay. The couple continued to live in Paris for a while, commuting to see the girls, before they eventually also left.

From the beginning, this book draws you in and transports to that time and place. The author's sense of place and understanding of human nature is reflected over and over in the lives of the characters who flee the Nazi occupation of Paris. Though the individuals are very different, they reflect the same sense of denial over what is happening to them. How they cope with the change in their own lives and with what is happening to their country is what Nemirovsky writes about so beautifully. She presents the German soldiers in the same way she presents her French characters--as human beings caught in a terrible tragedy. She doesn't make the Germans appear as the "bad guys," but tells a story that rings with truth.

The book's translator indicates that Nemirovsky envisioned the entire book to be like a musical composition. It's too bad that we were denied this. These two novellas give you enough to imagine what a great composition it would have been.

by Penny Appleby
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

I loved this book! It was clear by the end that the author had intended it to be part of a series... I was sad to see it end (somewhat) unfinished. I loved the stories and if you like reading about the French, you'll get a kick out of this book. A good read, indeed. :)

The book provides an intimate look into the lives of some French families just prior, during and after the German invasion of Paris and the surrounding areas. These persepectives show the different social classes of the French and also provide a small glimpse into the day to day interaction with German officers and soldiers.

To call Irene Nemirovksy's Suite Francaise merely moving would constitute a failure of language. Her work is not only moving, but also haunting, nuanced, and bitter. Considering that Nemirovsky was writing about events in occupied France as they occurred, she is almost supernaturally insightful as to the motivations and feelings of the French and the occupying Boche.

Suite Francaise cannot be read, experienced really, outside of its context and Nemiorvsky's ultimate fate. Suite Francaise was originally planned to consist of five books, but she had completed (more or less) only two novellas: Storm in June and Dolce. A Jewish Russian immigrant from a well-to-do family, Nemirovsky was an established writer (David Golder, The Ball, Snow in Autumn, The Courilof Affair (Everyman's Library (Cloth))) when the war began and she fled to the countryside with her husband and two young children. In July 1942 she was arrested and vanished into the Nazi vortex. The story of how her books survived the war before being found and published is well told in the preface to the French edition (included at the end of the Vintage International edition). This volume also includes Nemirovsky's notes as well correspondence. Do not put this book down without reading all of this additional material.

In `Storm in June', Nemirovsky describes Parisians' reactions to the German invasion and focuses primarily on the upper and middle classes with whom she was most familiar. The pictures she paints does very few of the characters much credit. Easy generosity snaps shut once the fleeing realize the extent of their peril. They find that the familiar levers of power no longer function quite so efficiently. Abject fear and growing deprivation reduces nearly everyone to a brutal equality. This commonality proves short-lived as the French army collapses almost immediately and many find their way back to Paris.

`Dolce' relates life in a French village and the interaction between the inhabitants and the German occupiers. German officers are billeted in the better homes, except for the aristocratic Chateau Montmorts whose owners have reached other accommodations. The story centers on the developing relationship between the German officer Bruno and Lucille Angellier. Nemirovsky deftly explores the conflicting human feelings. In Dolce, Nemirovsky implicitly accepts human needs and emotions sometimes lead to less than ideally honorable conduct.

Oddly, Jews are the missing piece of Suite Francaise, but Nemirovsky planned to include them in the third book, `Capitivity', which of course was never written due to her own captivity and death in Auschwitz.

Suite Francaise became a literary phenomenon upon publication in 2006. Remarkably, the book actually exceeds the hyperbole. Highest recommendation.

To call Irene Nemirovksy's Suite Francaise merely moving would constitute a failure of language. Her work is not only moving, but also haunting, nuanced, and bitter. Considering that Nemirovsky was writing about events in occupied France as they occurred, she is almost supernaturally insightful as to the motivations and feelings of the French and the occupying Boche.

Suite Francaise cannot be read, experienced really, outside of its context and Nemiorvsky's ultimate fate. Suite Francaise was originally planned to consist of five books, but she had completed (more or less) on two novellas: Storm in June and Dolce. A Jewish Russian immigrant from a well-to-do family, Nemirovsky was an established writer when the war began and she fled to the countryside with her husband and two young children. In July 1942 she was arrested and vanished into the Nazi vortex. The story of how her books survived the war before being found and published is well told in the preface to the French edition (included at the end of the Vintage International edition). This volume also includes Nemirovsky's notes as well correspondence. Do not put this book down without reading all of this additional material.

In `Storm in June', Nemirovsky describes Parisians' reactions to the German invasion and focuses primarily on the upper and middle classes with whom she was most familiar. The pictures she paints does very few of the characters much credit. Easy generosity snaps shut once the fleeing realize the extent of their peril. They find that the familiar levers of power no longer function quite so efficiently. Abject fear and growing deprivation reduces nearly everyone to a brutal equality. This commonality proves short-lived as the French army collapses almost immediately and many find their way back to Paris.

`Dolce' relates life in a French village and the interaction between the inhabitants and the German occupiers. German officers are billeted in the better homes, except for the aristocratic Chateau Montmorts whose owners have reached other accommodations. The story centers on the developing relationship between the German officer Bruno and Lucille Angellier. Nemirovsky deftly explores the conflicting human feelings. In Dolce, Nemirovsky implicitly accepts human needs and emotions sometimes lead to less than ideally honorable conduct.

Oddly, Jews are the missing piece of Suite Francaise, but Nemirovsky planned to include them in the third book, `Capitivity', which of course was never written due to her own captivity and death in Auschwitz.

Suite Francaise became a literary phenomenon upon publication in 2006. Remarkably, the book actually exceeds the hyperbole. Highest recommendation.

After the raving book reviews, I was eager to read this book. Unfortunately, I could hardly finish it and persevered only because I just knew it had to get better. It didn't! Though well-written, I found most of the characters unlikable and underdeveloped. Worse yet, the ending was dissatisfying and incomplete, which I guess should be expected since the book is, in fact, only the first two parts of a planned five part novel. Not a book I would recommend to my fellow "casual readers".

Irene Nemirovsky was a Russian Jew who lived in France during the Nazi occupation prior to being deported to Auschwitz where she was almost immediately murdered. This incomplete novel was written during France's occupation.
The first of two novellas in "Suite Francaise", "June Storm", dealt with the initial bombing of France and showed several people's behavior while being forced to evacuate their Parisian homes.
In the second novella, "Dolce", many of the main characters in the first novella are alluded to, but the story centers around one family and the German Nazi who lives with them.
What is so remarkable about Nemirovsky's work, is that she refuses to stereotype people, even while she is being persecuted by them. She looks for, and finds, humanity, where lesser writers would find only contempt.
If anyone would have told me that I would have had compassion for a 20 year old Nazi who had to leave France to fight in Russia, I would have bet against it. Yet this writer's skill compels you to look beyond your own biases to see complexities in dreadful situations.

I have to side with the readers who, like me, wanted very much to love this novel, but in the end couldn't bring themselves to finish it. I didn't and won't.

The book has everything a great story needs, except for one thing: a likable main character. I found myself waiting in vain for one to appear. And the grab-bag of characters that one does encounter, and there are very, very many of these, are dealt with by a kind of journalistic detachment. It is as though one is reading a war correspondent's notebooks about another of our era's all too frequent human tragedies, yet despite the fine attention to detail, to color, to smells, to social status, to lives upended, one simply does not care what happens. Or at least I didn't.

And, lets face it, this is an oft-told tale. What more can be said about WW2 that hasn't already been published a thousand times over? I know how the story ends. The Jews are slaughtered, the Germans get what's coming to them, and the French ride back triumphantly into Paris on the back of Eisenhower's tanks.

I agree with another reviewer that it is the life story of the author that really fires my curiosity. She was a brilliant writer. She was young. She was still developing her writing style. Her career was cut short by insane ideas of race. Just think of what she might have written about Auschwitz had she lived? I find myself in agonies contemplating what such a sensitive soul had to endure in that soulless hell. What must she have thought when she realized what her fate was to be? Now, that is the story that needs to be written. That's the lost manuscript I want to read.