Suite Francaise Audiobook By Irene Nemirovsky cover art

Suite Francaise

A Novel

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Suite Francaise

By: Irene Nemirovsky
Narrated by: Daniel Oreskes, Barbara Rosenblat
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Irene Nemirovsky was arrested soon after completing the second part of Suite Francaise. Ten days later, on August 17, 1942, she died of typhus in Auschwitz-Birkenau. Her husband, Michel, perished in a gas chamber on November 6. Their daughters, Denise and Elizabeth, survived, hidden in safe houses and convents, carrying a suitcase packed with clothes, photographs, and their mother's manuscript written in tiny letters to save paper. For years, both girls thought it was a journal and couldn't bear to read it. Then, in the late 1980s, Denise began transcribing it with the help of a magnifying glass.

Part One, "A Storm in June", is set in the chaos and mayhem of the massive 1940 exodus from Paris on the eve of the Nazi invasion. Part Two, "Dolce", opens in the provincial town of Bussy during the first influx of German soldiers. Each part features a rich cast of characters, people who never should have met, but come to form ambiguous relationships as they are forced to endure circumstances beyond their control.

Translated by Sandra Smith.

©2004 Editions DENOEL; 2006 Sandra Smith (P)2006 HighBridge Company Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Fiction

Critic reviews

  • Audie Award Finalist, Literary Fiction, 2007

"A finely made work of fiction that portrays occupied France with both severity and sympathy....Written with extraordinary detachment by a woman who seemed to know that her own days were numbered." (The New York Times)
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This book is highly engaging, and very well written. The picture it paints of life during WW2 is unique and powerful. This book is intriguing and gripping, but at the end it felt unfinished. It felt as if the characters whom I'd come to care about, were left with their stories not completely told.

Thought provoking but felt unfinished

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These are beautifully written stories about the exodus of Paris when the Germans invaded France in 1940, and about village life during the German occupation. Richly detailed, full of irony and with much attention paid to the subtleties of class interactions during those turbulent times, they demonstrate the author's vast talent and the world's great loss when she died at the hands of the Nazis.

Unfortunately one of the readers, Rosenblat, disappoints. The emotions depicted by her vocal tones often conflict with those indicated by the text. Better to read the text in a normal voice than dramatize inaccurately. Allow us, the "readers", to interpret the text for ourselves.

Beautiful and Poignant

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Would you try another book from Irene Nemirovsky and/or Daniel Oreskes and Barbara Rosenblat ?

Both narrators did a phenomenal job, but could not save the book.

Would you recommend Suite Francaise to your friends? Why or why not?

I would not recommend this book, as I could barely get through it myself. I was considering returning the book after about 1 hour of listening, as I could not keep track of too many characters, introduced too quickly. In fact, at the end of part one I still was confused about who was who. Frankly, I did not care deeply about anyone (I need to care about at least 1 character in order to enjoy a book). I do think the writer had a great potential and a great talent to describe human emotions, scenery, and almost imperceptible subtleties of human interactions. But, with so many characters, it was very difficult to keep up.

Was Suite Francaise worth the listening time?

Hard to say. The book definitely is a historical treasure, a first hand account of events. It peeked my interest in French history. However, enjoyment was minimal and frustration ran high.

Did not live up to my expectation

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I have read many books about war-time France, but never one like this one. To hear the story from one who lived it is an experience - which is what the book is. It is not war-time plots, spying or battle it is war-time living and the relationships that the people envolved develope with their own and with the enemy.

Magnificent

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Is there anything you would change about this book?

Because of the story of its writing and discovery, I had anticipated a novel of real significance. Instead, it was a somewhat interesting read about the emptying out of Paris when the Germans first arrived during WWII.

Not the meaningful book I anticipated

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