Suite Française
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The remarkable story of men and women thrown together in circumstances beyond their control during World War II—a heartrending "portrait of a small French town under seige, and the people trying to survive, even to live, as Hitler’s horrors march closer and closer to their doors" (New York).
“Stunning.... A tour de force.” —The New York Times Book Review
Beginning in Paris on the eve of the Nazi occupation in 1940, as Parisians flee the city, human folly surfaces in every imaginable way: a wealthy mother searches for sweets in a town without food; a couple is terrified at the thought of losing their jobs, even as their world begins to fall apart. Moving on to a provincial village now occupied by German soldiers, the locals must learn to coexist with the enemy—in their town, their homes, even in their hearts.
When Irène Némirovsky began working on Suite Française, she was already a highly successful writer living in Paris. But she was also a Jew, and in 1942 she was arrested and deported to Auschwitz, where she died. For sixty-four years, this novel remained hidden and unknown.
“Stunning.... A tour de force.” —The New York Times Book Review
Beginning in Paris on the eve of the Nazi occupation in 1940, as Parisians flee the city, human folly surfaces in every imaginable way: a wealthy mother searches for sweets in a town without food; a couple is terrified at the thought of losing their jobs, even as their world begins to fall apart. Moving on to a provincial village now occupied by German soldiers, the locals must learn to coexist with the enemy—in their town, their homes, even in their hearts.
When Irène Némirovsky began working on Suite Française, she was already a highly successful writer living in Paris. But she was also a Jew, and in 1942 she was arrested and deported to Auschwitz, where she died. For sixty-four years, this novel remained hidden and unknown.
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Community Reviews
I've seen some critics claim that the book is dull or doesn't go anywhere, but I think it's an interesting emblem of war itself. Mass death is hidden behind the makers of nationalism, greed, and patriotism, but what is the real point? The ambiguous note the characters end on mirrors the experience of those who go through war. It’s a constant state of taking it one day at a time, and that is exactly what Lucile does. Some days are more morally gray than others, but when the day arrives, you have to abide by some moral code you assign as being righteous, otherwise the grayness becomes delusion.
It is also an interesting exploration of the soldier versus the collective. The argument of "he was so young" or "he was just following orders" only goes so far because ultimately, they are tying themselves to a collective that prides itself on atrocities, and they are willing to die for it as long as the collective unit persists. They might be young, naive, or whatever, but they certainly aren't blameless.
What lost me was the shift in characters between parts 1 and 2. It took me so long to get used to the cast of characters in the first part, and having to switch to a new cast was painful and jarring. I did like the cat cameo, however, and I appreciated the wide range of classes written about. A problem isn’t a problem until it affects you, and that is true for everyone, but especially for the upper class. The lower classes are more frequently burdened with problems, so they are willing to aid each other during times of need because they know soon they will be in need of help—mutual aid. The rich, however, aid each other in times of prosperity; they feed each other's egos and might help in times of need only if that threat threatens their status as well. If that rich person falls, then my status might too, and that won't do—mutual use.
The art curator character took me for an infuriating loop. Porcelain is not more important than people's lives, but he did raise two universal questions. Is art still art if no one is there to admire it? And to what degree should art be saved in times of war, considering that art does have the ability to outlive human life?
It is also an interesting exploration of the soldier versus the collective. The argument of "he was so young" or "he was just following orders" only goes so far because ultimately, they are tying themselves to a collective that prides itself on atrocities, and they are willing to die for it as long as the collective unit persists. They might be young, naive, or whatever, but they certainly aren't blameless.
What lost me was the shift in characters between parts 1 and 2. It took me so long to get used to the cast of characters in the first part, and having to switch to a new cast was painful and jarring. I did like the cat cameo, however, and I appreciated the wide range of classes written about. A problem isn’t a problem until it affects you, and that is true for everyone, but especially for the upper class. The lower classes are more frequently burdened with problems, so they are willing to aid each other during times of need because they know soon they will be in need of help—mutual aid. The rich, however, aid each other in times of prosperity; they feed each other's egos and might help in times of need only if that threat threatens their status as well. If that rich person falls, then my status might too, and that won't do—mutual use.
The art curator character took me for an infuriating loop. Porcelain is not more important than people's lives, but he did raise two universal questions. Is art still art if no one is there to admire it? And to what degree should art be saved in times of war, considering that art does have the ability to outlive human life?
Fascinating story about how people deal with adversity. Set on the eve of the German invasion of Paris and the mass exodus from that city.
This book has been all the rage since it was discovered and published a few years ago. But Nemirovsky paints a tale where German soldiers during WWII aren't such bad guys after all, and shockingly, there are no Jewish characters. This, from a Jewish author who perished at the hands of the Nazis. Her own anti-Semitism is something very few writers have discussed. I did not see what all the fuss was about in this novel, and didn't even finish it.
The appendices were the most interesting part of this book, although terribly sad. Understanding the circumstances under which she wrote the novel gave it a lot more depth. I. Nemirovski - what a remarkable person.
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