What’s it about?
A two-part story of the Nazi occupation of France during WWII. Storm charts the mass panic and fear that swamps Paris during the threat of invasion, and Dolce the relative peace of Nazi occupation in rural France. Published 64 years after her death, this is a beautifully written book. Had Nemirovsky been able to finish the three remaining parts she had planned, I’m certain it would have been deemed a masterpiece.
Highs n lows
The subject matter may not at first seem appealing but this is less about war and more about the people affected by it and their emotional reactions to it. From the privileged upper classes to the poor and destitute, it succeeds in describing brilliantly how daily life went on along with the conflicting emotions caused by events during the occupation. Every page evocatively describes a way of life that has practically been swept away by time; portraying the rigidity of social class and providing an incisive understanding of social mores that is outstanding.
Is it any good?
4 out of 5
Book club discussion primer
* Do people really judge another according to their own feelings as Mme Angellier is stated as doing in Dolce?
* What does the book tell you about the French upper classes of the time?
* If you had to leave your home quickly, which one possession would you take with you?
* Was the lack lustre attitude ascribed to those heading off to war for the second time, really partly to blame for France’s defeat?
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Suite Francaise - irene nemirovsky
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1 comment:
I recently read your post about Irène Némirovsky and wanted to let you know about an exciting new exhibition about her life, work, and legacy that opened on September 24, 2008 at the Museum of Jewish Heritage —A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in New York City. Woman of Letters: Irène Némirovsky and Suite Française, which will run through the middle of March, will include powerful rare artifacts — the actual handwritten manuscript for Suite Française, the valise in which it was found, and many personal papers and family photos. The majority of these documents and artifacts have never been outside of France. For fans of her work, this exhibition is an opportunity to really “get to know” Irene. And for those who can’t visit, there will be a special website that will live on the Museum’s site www.mjhnyc.org.
The Museum will host several public programs over the course of the exhibition’s run that will put Némirovsky’s work and life into historical and literary context. Book clubs and groups are invited to the Museum for tours and discussions in the exhibition’s adjacent Salon (by appointment). It is the Museum’s hope that the exhibit will engage visitors and promote dialogue about this extraordinary writer and the complex time in which she lived and died. To book a group tour, please contact Tracy Bradshaw at 646.437.4304 or tbradshaw@mjhnyc.org. Please visit our website at www.mjhnyc.org for up-to-date information about upcoming public programs or to join our e-bulletin list.
Thanks for sharing this info with your readers. If you need any more, please do not hesitate to contact me at hfurst@mjhnyc.org
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