The Years

By: Annie Ernaux

Narrated by: Anna Bentinck

Length: 8 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

The Years is a personal narrative of the period of 1941 to 2006 told through the lens of memory, impressions past and present - even projections into the future - photos, books, songs, radio, television, and decades of advertising and headlines, contrasted with intimate conflicts and written notes from six decades of diaries. Local dialect, words of the time, slogans, brands, and names for ever-proliferating objects are given a voice here. The voice we recognize as the author's continually dissolves and re-emerges. Ernaux makes the passage of time palpable. Time itself, inexorable, narrates its own course, consigning all other narrators to anonymity. A new kind of autobiography emerges, at once subjective and impersonal, private and collective.

On its 2008 publication in France, The Years came as a surprise. Although Ernaux had, for years, been hailed as a beloved best-selling and award-winning author, The Years was in many ways a departure: both an intimate memoir written by entire generations and a story of generations telling a very personal story.

©2019 Dreamscape Media, LLC (P)2019 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Collective memoir

The book is a personal narrative from 1940 to 2007. It’s unlike any memoir I’ve ever read because the author does not use “I” at all but prefers using “we” as she describes what can be called a collective memoir primarily set in France.

A masterpiece

I am a French-speaking Francophile and loved learning so much about life there throughout the years.

Her Narrative Grows on You

Annie Ernaux writes the book she means to write, as you find out by the end. It is a lovely portrait of a time in the world, clearly evoked in all its frustrations and ecstasies. The French social references may not connect much with Americans, but there will be enough familiar landmarks to keep you in step. When she discusses the personal business of aging and memories I think we all can relate to her as a fellow human being.

Poetic, bridled stream of consciousness

There have been 3 books that had an emotional, cathartic effect on me by the end: Don Quixote, 100 years of Solitude, and this book. I loved it.

I felt as if I walked beside her through her life

Ernaux’s elegant writing style makes this more than a walk down memory lane for a person such as I who was born in the same year. Her lucid observations and evaluative commentary allow you into the room/world with her. Highly enjoyable.

An excellent book !

This is a must read … a story of our lives , unfolding !
Anna Ernaux has captured lives of women in the last 8 decades.

Brilliant

A must read from this extraordinary observer of our time - Sartre's contemporary descendant.

Great read

Amazing how the memories flooded back from my youth and nudged the emotions within as I listened to The Years.

Wonderful tapestry of shared experiences!

"The Years" is a deeply introspective and thought-provoking book that illuminates the intricate relationship between personal history and the collective consciousness. It is a testament to Ernaux's literary prowess and her ability to capture the essence of an era while exploring the timeless themes of identity, change, and the passage of time.

paralleled my years

It was fun to read a European perspective on the years I have lived. I was n Europe in 1968 so that part was interesting.