Suite Francaise

A Novel

By: Irene Nemirovsky

Narrated by: Daniel Oreskes, Barbara Rosenblat

Length: 13 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

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

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)

Sweet Melancholy

This is one of the best books I have read in a while. The story of the author is as interesting as the book itself. In 1942, after fleeing Paris to a small town in France, the author, Irene Nemirovsky, was captured and sent to Auschwitz where she died of typhus. She left behind leaving two young daughters and a husband (who was also killed in the concentration camps). For years her daughters carried the unfinished manuscript in a suitcase as they fled the Nazis, too afraid and hurt to look at it. 60 years later, her eldest daughter published this extraordinary account of the early war years in France to wide critical acclaim. Lucid portrayals of human relationships, descriptions of dreamy landscapes turned muddy from bombs, and an incredibly poignant ability to show human nature truthfully make this a must read. Ms. Nemirovsky had the uncanny and scary ability to write with such depth and reflection about the events that were unfolding around her. Truly one of the best modern writers.

Feel the terror of occupation

In two novellas, Storm in June & Dolce, Nemirovsky skillfully brings the reader into the world of civilians under German occupation in France in 1940 & 1941. The first work follows several individuals as they flee Paris in the ahead of the German advance. This work captures the confusion, panic, divided loyalties, prejudices showing through patriotism, the impact of stress. In short sketches, Nemirovsky provides the reader with a sense of the motivations driving the many characters, how they react to a completely novel and often terrifying situation. In Dolce, Nemirovsky focuses her gaze on a small town under German occupation several months later, with a new & smaller set of characters. This work provides a sympathetic appreciation of how difficult it is to naturally maintain patriotic fervor in the rhythm of everyday life, while at the same time showing that individuals can rise above this everyday situation to demonstrate heroism against the occupying forces. Although this work was penned nearly 70 years ago, they speak powerfully today.

Surviving

A lovely novel that intertwines the stories of several French citizens and their efforts to survive the Nazi invasion and occupation. Nemirovsky does a fine job of conveying the hardships of day-to-day living for her well-drawn characters.

A Must

This moving and powerful book, authored by a published writer in France who perished at Auschwitz, presents two parts of a planned multi-part suite which were recently discovered by the author's surviving daughters. The first, "Storm in June," relates the tale of disparate denizens of Paris fleeing to the countryside steps before the Germans. The second, "Dolce," depicts the German occupation of a French village and the strained relations between the soldiers and their reluctant hosts (some of whom were introduced in the first part). This novel is beautifully wrought, with profound insights into human nature -- greed, corruption, grief, fear -- and told with a sly wit and humor. Expertly read with just the right dramatic punch. As an added bonus (for those of us who are bereft of foreign language skills), was the opportunity to listen to a correct pronounciation of the various French names and locations.

A masterpiece

One of the most moving, brilliantly observed and beautifully written books about war, fear and the irrepressible human impulses that emerge under these conditions that I have ever read. Nemirovsky had remarkable insight, understanding and sympathy for people as well as a capacity for observing the beauty of the everyday and ordinary. We are so fortunate that her books did not perish.

Unique WWII stories

I listened to this beautiful produced and performed audio book. Truthfully, I'd started it some years ago and stopped listening. It just wasn't grabbing me. But starting it again now has been perfect timing. Having read a few World War II novels lately, this offered another story, style, and perspective.

The author wrote this during the period it's set in. Yet, the story isn't about her. It's about the exodus from Paris in 1940, with its effects on Parisians and the French in the surrounding countryside. We meet a variety of people and often their families, not quite knowing how they'll all fit together. And actually, they aren't all interconnected but that doesn't distract from the story.

In addition to the depth each vignette is developed (as a rough draft!), I keep re-thinking the author's experience. She wrote everything in tiny script to save precious paper. She gave her manuscript to her daughters, sent them to safety, and went to Auchwitz only to die soon after. None of the characters' stories are as dramatic as the author's.

Suite Française

What did you love best about Suite Francaise?

I loved the author's voice, the true to life story and the writing itself.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Suite Francaise?

When the story evolved around the fact that the enemy were people just like the French, and that war was the only thing that separated them.

Which character – as performed by Daniel Oreskes and Barbara Rosenblat – was your favorite?

Barbara Rosenblat first, but Daniel was good too.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Two sittings. The first half, and then the second part worked for me.

Any additional comments?

Very well written in my opinion. The mood struck me as it was written when war was going on right on their doorstep in Paris. Loved it all and would suggest it to a friend for sure.

Audible's Caption is Misleading

The caption relates the story of the author, but that is not the plot of the novel. The first half is the story of how a diverse group of people made the exodus out of Paris to various towns as the Germans crossed the Seine in 1940. If you're interested in this period of history, this book provides a well rounded look at Paris class structure. The second half, however, is focused on one small town and how the Germans chose to occupy it. It meanders without direction, and is less informative. The characters are nuanced, but all seem to be of the same class, so the texture of the first half is wasted in the second. Worth a listen at half price.

Wonderful!

Beautiful book and wonderful readers. This book will transport you to France during WWII.

Abandoned

I can't review this book properly because I never really got into it.

I made it 25% of the way in back in November 2012 before putting it aside because I wasn't paying any attention and had no clue what was going on.

I tried all over again now in March 2014 but only made it to 16% this time before I abandoned it for good.

I just can't get into it.