Suite Francaise

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.

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.

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.

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.