Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Search - Suite Francaise

Suite Francaise
Suite Francaise
Author: Irene Nemirovsky, Sandra Smith (Translator)
Beginning in Paris on the eve of the Nazi occupation in 1940. Suite Française tells the remarkable story of men and women thrown together in circumstances beyond their control. 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 ...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780701179939
ISBN-10: 0701179937
Publication Date: 2006
Pages: 403
Rating:
  • Currently 5/5 Stars.
 1

5 stars, based on 1 rating
Publisher: Chatto & Windus
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

MarciNYC avatar reviewed Suite Francaise on
Helpful Score: 19
After all the media hype over the discovery of this manuscript following the author's tragic death, I was really looking forward to reading this book. Alas, this was one of the most boring and difficult books I've attempted to read in the past few years.

I don't know if something was lost in translation, but the prose was flat, dull and the characters were not likeable. I tried, giving it the 100 page rule, but in the end I put it back in the bag and took it back to the bookstore to exchange.

I think the backstory of the author's experience, her deportation to Auschwitz and subsequent death, and then the 'discovery' of this manuscript would have made for a more interesting novel. Perhaps others will enjoy this, but it didn't live up to the hype for me.
reviewed Suite Francaise on + 6 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 18
I had high expectations for this book. Several times in the beginning I almost quit reading it. I found the book to be hard to follow and not very captivating. However, the last 100 - 150 pages did get better. At the end of the book I did find myself satisfied and glad I had read it. All in all it was a good glimpse of a very difficult time in history.
reviewed Suite Francaise on + 38 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 13
This was a very powerful read for me. Nemirovsky's prose is so beautiful and full; she wrote with such detail that I could picture the characters in my mind just perfectly. The little twist at the end really caught me off guard and made the awful situation all the more real. I loved this book and it will be on my mind long after I've shipped it away to another reader.
txhockeymom avatar reviewed Suite Francaise on + 33 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 9
It is a work of fiction, but sometimes reads like non-fiction. I found myself absorbed in it. Yes, it is an incomplete work. It is tragic that the author was killed before it could be completed. I found it to be a fascinating glimpse into the personal horrors and human reactions to war. The appendices tell the rest of the story, and that story is true and more tragic than anything the author could have penned.

If you are looking for a classic start-to-finish novel, this is probably not going to be a satisfying read. If you are a WWII history buff, this story about the German conquest/occupation of France will not disappoint you. I personally loved it and finished it in only two days. I could not put it down.
reviewed Suite Francaise on
Helpful Score: 9
I though it was an extraordinary and sensitive book written in the middle of the horrors of world word 2. Remarkable awareness of the human condition by a relatively young woman. Obviously a highly intelligent and well educated woman.

Though not a finished novel, to me it felt complete and highly satisfying. It amazes me that other reviewers have said they could "not get into it". I could not put it down and ready it in two sittings.

Great fiction, great writer.
Read All 41 Book Reviews of "Suite Francaise"

Please Log in to Rate these Book Reviews

reviewed Suite Francaise on + 75 more book reviews
A tragic yet beautifully written story.
reviewed Suite Francaise on + 2 more book reviews
A view of the French from Paris to countryside during the German invasion of France. Many interactions between the natives and the German soldiers who basically took over their town. Many consorted with the invaders and others did their best to avoid the invaders as much as possible. Very interesting read.
reviewed Suite Francaise on + 628 more book reviews
After waiting so long to get to read this book I was rather disappointed. However, that said, it was an incredible sociological study of the effects of war and occupation during WWII in France by the German troops. It really gave me a bird's eye view regarding the feelings, the misinformation and the hypocrisy of the feelings of the different "classes", aristocrat, peasant, middle class families, the occupied and the occupiers. Very good historical, info but a difficult read.


Genres: