Suite Francaise

Imagine you are living your life almost as you have always lived it, affected only by the reality that some of your country's young men have been called to serve in a war that is happening not all that far from your borders. Imagine then that the unthinkable happens and you learn that in a few short hours the enemy will be on your door step, fully intent on occupying your beloved city. You must evacuate - flee into the countryside with the few things you can carry in a desperate attempt to save your life and the lives of your loved ones. This isn't a story about Iraq - this is a story which begins in 1940 when Paris falls to the Germans.

Suite Francaise is an extraordinary novel, with an equally extraordinary provenance. It was written by Irene Nemirovsky, a Russian émigré who achieved early acclaim as a young novelist in her adopted country. Having fled Russia with her parents to avoid the Russian Revolution, she is once again forced to flee when the Germans reach the outskirts of Paris. Along with so many Parisians, Nemirovsky, her husband and two daughters sought safety in the countryside. She began writing Suite Francaise during this period and continued to write until she was arrested and deported to Auschwitz where she died. The manuscript, which is Suite Francaise, was saved by her young daughter Denise who barely escaped arrest and carted her only link to her mother - a suitcase filled with writing - through the endless series of moves she was forced to make to evade capture and certain death. It took almost six decades for Denise to have the courage to open the suitcase and read her mother's words. In 2004, Editions Denoel finally published this exquisite novel where it was acclaimed to have "the kind of intimacy found in the diary of Anne Frank."

Suite Francaise is filled with characters so memorable, so real, and so human, you can at once feel what it was like to live through this soul-destroying period. Haughty aristocrats beg for food and petrol from those who, a few weeks earlier, they wouldn't stoop to have as house servants; true patriots find themselves somehow attracted to, and having affairs with, German soldiers; Jews are hunted out for no reason other than that they are Jewish; and more than a few incredible souls demonstrate the kind of bravery and moral righteousness which allows us to have hope for the future of humankind.

We're reading this as part of our book club. I went on 7 day Cruise and was surprised that I couldn't put it down. Totally would recommend.

I wish there was more to tell us the outcome of all families mentioned. After I read the online summary, I realize that if the author hadn't died there was suppose to be more. Can't wait for book club.

It wasn't great for me. Although Suite Francaise is highly acclaimed and one of Heather's Picks (which I normally love) it feel short in my opinion.

The good: I liked how it showed the experience of a variety of French people during WW2 from different social levels. Many books only focus on the tragedies of persecuted peoples or soliders, but this novel tells stories of average French citizens and their experiences up to and during the German occupation.

The bad: I found it hard to read as it was long and the characters have very little to do with each other. It felt like a rough draft of a novel and I wonder how much would have been changed/edited if Nemirovsky would have survived the war.

All I can say is that this book is amazing. I would describe it more, but there aren't enough words good enough in the English language to tell you how great this books was. I loved it!