Book Description
By the early l940s, when Ukrainian-born Irène Némirovsky began working on what would become Suite Française—the first two parts of a planned five-part novel—she was already a highly successful writer living in Paris. But she was also a Jew, and in 1942 she was arrested and deported to Auschwitz: a month later she was dead at the age of thirty-nine. Two years earlier, living in a small village in central France—where she, her husband, and their two small daughters had fled in a vain attempt to elude the Nazis
—she’d begun her novel, a luminous portrayal of a human drama in which she herself would become a victim. When she was arrested, she had completed two parts of the epic, the handwritten manuscripts of which were hidden in a suitcase that her daughters would take with them into hiding and eventually into freedom. Sixty-four years later, at long last, we can read Némirovsky’s literary masterpiece
The first part, “A Storm in June,” opens in the chaos of the massive 1940 exodus from Paris on the eve of the Nazi invasion during which several families and individuals are thrown together under circumstances beyond their control. They share nothing but the harsh demands of survival—some trying to maintain lives of privilege, others struggling simply to preserve their lives—but soon, all together, they will be forced to face the awful exigencies of physical and emotional displacement, and the annihilation of the world they know. In the second part, “Dolce,” we enter the increasingly complex life of a German-occupied provincial village. Coexisting uneasily with the soldiers billeted among them, the villagers—from aristocrats to shopkeepers to peasants—cope as best they can. Some choose resistance, others collaboration, and as their community is transformed by these acts, the lives of these these men and women reveal nothing less than the very essence of humanity.
Suite Française is a singularly piercing evocation—at once subtle and severe, deeply compassionate and fiercely ironic—of life and death in occupied France, and a brilliant, profoundly moving work of art.
Download Description
Irène Némirovsky was born in Kiev in 1903 into a wealthy banking family and emigrated to France during the Russian Revolution. After attending the Sorbonne, she began to write and swiftly achieved success with her first novel, David Golder, which was followed by The Ball, The Flies of Autumn, Dogs and Wolves and The Courilof Affair. She died in 1942.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
France and the French during the German Occupation-a portrait, not a snapshot.......2007-10-10
Irene Nemirovsky-a superb author. Her historical novel is well written, well conceived, and ceretainly presents a true and real picture of France and the French people during the German Occupation. The world lost a wonderful woman of letters when she was murdered at Auschwitz.
Not Up to the Hype.......2007-10-06
I really wanted to like this book. I read it after reading Vasily Grossman's LIFE AND FATE, a masterpiece of WW2 literature if there ever was one. And maybe it was the juxtaposition of that book with this that caused my disappointment. Where Grossman's book at 800 pages is taut and serious throughout, Nemirovsky's seems trivial by comparision. Had it been published soon after it was written, it would have been considered an interesting popular novel containing interesting observations of occupied France but ultimately lightweight in its' often pedestrian storyline and execution. It often reads like a mass paperback romance set within the larger context of the war, and too often devolves into hackneyed popular novel tropes - the cowardess and duplicities of the moneyed classes set against the native nobility of the poor, love amidst the ruins of war etc.
Interesting light reading, but a "classic?" Sorry.
Enjoyable and Interesting.......2007-10-05
A really enjoyable read and extremely interesting. It was such a good book! Highly recommend. The ending leaves you trailing though...
A magnificent, tragic fragment........2007-09-29
Irene Nemirovsky's "Suite Francaise" will stand with "The Diary of Anne Frank" as one of the most poignant literary monuments of World War II and the insanity of the Holocaust. But whereas Anne Frank was a young girl whose hopes and dreams ended forever at Belsen, Irene Nemirovsky was a novelist of enormous talent who would have been recognized as one of the greatest European writers of the 20th century had her life not been extinguished at Auschwitz. Considering all she suffered during the war, and how she was murdered in the very middle of it, it is amazing that Nemrovsky completed as much of it as she did, and that what she completed is of such a high order. "Suite Francaise" consists of the first two parts of a projected five-part novel depicting the fall of France to the Nazis, the panicked flight of Parisians and the return to something vaguely resembling normalcy under German military rule. The first section, "Storm in June," gives readers a panoramic view of several groups of fleeing Parisians, representing every class of society and every conceivable moral and mental attitude; the second, "Dolce," depicts life in a French village under the Germans, bringing back some of the characters from the first book and making it plain that Nemirovsky planned to reintroduce more of them in the following three books. Superbly translated by Sandra Smith, "Suite Francaise" is a swift and graceful read, depicting the characters and action with breathtaking clarity and excitement. Many of the characters are presented only in a few sentences, yet all live and breathe with total realism. What is really astonishing about "Suite Francaise," however, is Nemirovsky's authorial impartiality and clear-eyed sympathy for all her characters. There are no saints and no monsters in Nemirovsky's universe, just people--some more likable than others, but even the most despicable among them are given sharp moments of deep and moving humanity. Even the Germans are human--they have their faults, but also their virtues. To be able to write such panoramic fiction in the midst of war, with such a detached and pragmatic yet sympathetic eye, is truly amazing, even more so from an author who rightly feared she would be arrested and deported to the death camps at any moment. A Russian-Jewish emigree to France who moved in the highest literary and societal circles, Nemirovsky was an exceptionally keen observer of the French class system and how it warps individuals, in that sense (and in others) the equal of Balzac, Flaubert and Proust. The argument in Chapter 16 of "Dolce" between the snobbish, sickly-sentimental Vicomtesse de Montmort and the brutish peasant Benoit Sabarie stands out: both are sympathetic, as people and as representatives of their social classes, and both are utterly despicable. Nemirovsky sums up their fight neatly: "What separates or unites people is not their language, their laws, their customs, their principles, but the way they hold a salad fork." This argument has repercussions that promise to ripple across the rest of the story, except that Nemirovsky, alas, never had a chance to show us how. Appendices to the book include Nemirovsky's copious notes on how she planned to continue the story; correspondence to, from, and about her; and the preface to the French addition, included as an afterword here, which tells the poignant story of Nemirovsky's life and death, and of how Nemirovsky's daughter discovered the manuscript of "Suite Francaise" more than sixty years after her mother's death. "Suite Francaise" is a magnificent fragment and an eternal testimonial to the genius of its author. We can only mourn that the book, like her life, will remain unfinished.
A taste of things to come.......2007-09-26
It's a known fact that this work has gotten much attention due to the circumstances that surrounded Irene Nemirovsky's life. Left in a suitcase as she attempted flight, the author found her demise at the hands of the Nazis before this manuscript could be published.
Who knows what she might have added or excluded or expanded? And I could not help but think this as I read along.
There are two novellas under one umbrella here--depicting day in the life scenes of how things were in these troublesome times. I certainly found this to be gratifying reading, but it did not take me out of myself in that complete way I enjoy when I read truly remarkable fiction.
Will recommend, but for a story that brought me to that special place of compelling fiction, I recommend the lesser-known, SIM0N LAZARUS, a book more should know about.
Product Description
Celebrated in pre-WWII France for her bestselling fiction, the Jewish Russian-born N??mirovsky was shipped to Auschwitz in the summer of 1942, months after this long-lost masterwork was composed. N??mirovsky, a convert to Catholicism, began a planned five-novel cycle as Nazi forces overran northern France in 1940. This gripping "suite," collecting the first two unpolished but wondrously literary sections of a work cut short, have surfaced more than six decades after her death. The first, "Storm in June," chronicles the connecting lives of a disparate clutch of Parisians, among them a snobbish author, a venal banker, a noble priest shepherding churlish orphans, a foppish aesthete and a loving lower-class couple, all fleeing city comforts for the chaotic countryside, mere hours ahead of the advancing Germans. The second, "Dolce," set in 1941 in a farming village under German occupation, tells how peasant farmers, their pretty daughters and petit bourgeois collaborationists coexisted with their Nazi rulers. In a workbook entry penned just weeks before her arrest, N??mirovsky noted that her goal was to describe "daily life, the emotional life and especially the comedy it provides." This heroic work does just that, by focusing with compassion and clarity on individual human dramas
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Suite Francaise (Masterworks instructional series)
Robert J. Garofalo
Manufacturer: Meredith Music
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ASIN: 1574630636 |
Book Description
New from Robert Garofalo, an instructional unit on Milhaud's original classic work for band, Suite Francaise. This incredible teaching tool contains Interpretive Analysis, Folk Song Sources, Teacher's Lesson Plan and Student Learning Guide. Written for any band or orchestra conductor planning to perform this work. An outstanding teaching tool that applies the MENC "Standards" to the podium. A "MUST HAVE" for the serious wind band conductor!
Product Description
Suite Francaise is simply one of the most extraordinary books of the century. The setting is World War II and the year is 1940. After a lightening-quick defeat, France was divided into two parts the occupied zone controlled by the Nazis and the unoccupied zone controlled by Petain s Vichy government. Nemirovsky and her family were caught in the middle. Irene Nemirovsky intended to document the story of the war going on around her. She completed just two of the sections before she was arrested and transported to Auschwitz. This guide includes information on the Irene Nemirovsky, as a writer, a witness, and a participant in the war. Discover the amazing story of how this hidden novel resurfaced sixty-two years after Nemirovsky s death. Appreciate the author's unique perspective of her fellow countrymen and the German occupiers. Uncover Nemirovsky s surprising use of 'hindsight', a technique that was simply not logistically possible due to her untimely death. Finally, the guide will consider this author's legacy. Every Bookclub-in-a-Box discussion guide includes complete coverage of the themes and symbols, writing style and interesting background information on the novel and the author.
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Histoire du Consulat et de l'Empire faisant suite à l'Histoire de la révolution française: Tome 15
Louis Adolphe Thiers
Manufacturer: Adamant Media Corporation
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1421220237
Release Date: 2001-05-16 |
Book Description
This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1857 edition by Paulin, Paris.
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Histoire du Consulat et de l'Empire faisant suite à l'Histoire de la révolution française: Tome 16
Louis Adolphe Thiers
Manufacturer: Adamant Media Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
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ASIN: 1421244942
Release Date: 2001-05-16 |
Book Description
This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1857 edition by Paulin, Paris.
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Histoire du Consulat et de l'Empire faisant suite à l'Histoire de la révolution française: Tome 19
Louis Adolphe Thiers
Manufacturer: Adamant Media Corporation
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Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1421249715
Release Date: 2001-05-16 |
Book Description
This Elibron Classics book is a facsimile reprint of a 1861 edition by Lheureux et Cie, Paris.
Book Description
A Lord Not Meant to Marry
Hamish MacRae, a changed man, returned to his beloved Scotland intending to turn his back on the world. The proud, brooding lord wants nothing more than to be left alone, but an unwanted visitor to his lonely castle has defied his wishes. While it is true that this healer, Mary Gilly, is a beauty beyond compare, it will take more than her miraculous potions to soothe his wounded spirit. But Mary's tender heart is slowly melting Hamish's frozen one . . . awakening a burning need to keep her with him -- forever.
A Lady Who Dares Not Love
Never before has Mary felt such an attraction to a man! The mysterious Hamish MacRae is strong and commanding, with a face and form so handsome it makes Mary tremble with wanting him. Already shadowy forces are coming closer, heartless whispers and cruel rumors abound, and it will take a love more pure and powerful than any other to divine the truth -- and promise a future neither had dreamed possible.
Customer Reviews:
Fizzled Out........2004-02-07
Always, Karen Ranney seems to write on the edge, usually drafting a grim tale. "To Love a Scottish Lord" is fascinating material. The author establishes the book's focus in the early pages -- the cruelty of humankind.
Karen Ranney has the gift to write description. With this book, the reader resides in "Castle Gloom". The novel's beginning is excellent. I applauded the decision the heroine makes to remain with Hamish MacRae. Mary's choice was personal and totally selfish. Based strictly on her desire to discover and enjoy physical pleasure, aware of the consequences. This story idea was unique and distinct. I admired it. We were not dealing with a virgin girl here. No Mary Gilly was an experienced lover; yet, an air of innocence surrounded her -- how refreshing.
The initial storyline is serious -- an atmosphere of foreboding questions and answers. The love scenes are sultry and hot -- very adult reading. Found, in these pages, are a troubled man and a caring woman -- a woman who becomes the reader's champion. "Stay with him, Mary".
The beginning of Karen Ranney's novel is superb. Regrettably, somewhere near the middle of the story, the supremacy ends. Now the writing begins to crawl into a familiar storyline. "They" arrest and jail Mary. "They" wrongly accuse Mary Gilly with a bogus crime and the hero turns into the characteristic savior. What a shame! From the middle of the book, until the last page, the words became an average romance, nothing spectacular, just filling space. Based on the fine opening, I expected so much more.
Part of Ranney's "The Highland Lords Series"; it is the best of the lot. Although, it is a page turner, and I read it with devotion, I was discontented. Oh, what could have been!
Grace Atkinson, Ontario - Canada.
This is one sexy book!.......2003-09-13
I am slowly discovering Karen Ranney as a source of great romance reading. The first novel I read by Ranney was When the Laird Returns and it was no more than an average book in my opinion. Warily, I eventually picked up a second Ranney book, After the Kiss, and was thrilled with its greatness. As I began reading To Love a Scottish Lord, I knew I was testing the author on the quality of her books and this particular book placed her on my favorite authors list. To Love a Scottish Lord was an original romance with very sexy overtones. Both the hero and heroine are unusual for romantic leads. Both are very likable, truthful sorts, and do not have a class-conscious manner of thinking - which was uniquely welcome!
Hamish MacRae, a man of Scottish descent, was a successful captain of his own ship. In port in India, he and his crew are captured and killed or tortured. Hamish suffered through months and months of extensive torture before escaping into the desert. His brother and crew eventually find him barely alive. Hamish is brought to Scotland, at his request, to live in an abandoned castle. Most of his wounds have healed physically but he no longer has the use of one arm. But the worse wounds are those that cannot be seen and they are very severe. Not only has Hamish been tortured, he has also lost all respect for himself and any sense of decency. He just wants to live the life of a hermit at the deserted castle on the sea. His brother however, does not believe Hamish should be alone. He brings a well-known healer to the castle to begin extensive therapy with him. Hamish doesn't want a healer but soon finds himself almost obsessed with his beautiful healer.
Mary Gilly is a widow and healer. Her deceased husband had been a successful goldsmith and Mary now has a comfortable living from the wealth he has left her. She concentrates on healing the indigent since they cannot afford a doctor's care and she is not a doctor. But she is an intelligent woman who studies constantly to further her knowledge and ability as a healer. It is a true calling of her heart and she is very dedicated to the cause. When she is asked to go into the wilderness of an old castle fortress to treat Hamish, she accepts because she knows his family and believes she can help him. When Mary meets Hamish, she is shocked to find all he has suffered both mentally and physically but hides her shock as she begins his therapy. Hamish doesn't want her treatment but Mary can be quite persistent and, armed with a positive attitude, begins treating him anyway. He attempts to push her away with stubbornness, hostility, refusal, and finally sexual aggressiveness. Mary refuses to give into his games and finds she is actually attracted to the withdrawn and beaten man.
Within a few days of the beginning of Hamish's treatment, both Hamish and Mary acknowledge a huge physical attraction between them. Thus, a new form of treatment is added to Hamish's daily regime. Although Hamish is the typical romance hero in that he will never love, he does realize that he needs Mary in ways he does not understand. He admits his need for her and asks her to stay with him for an unknown period of time. He lets the small staff at the castle go and only Mary and Hamish remain. They indulge in their physical relationship endlessly and love just spending time together as well. This part of the book is very sensual. The sensual scenes are actually integral to the book and rate a solid 4.25 out of 5.0 (see More About Me for rating guidelines).
As Hamish and Mary's relationship grows, a sudden change in location is forced upon them. The book takes a sharp turn but does not lose your interest a bit. The situation that forces the two apart only reinforces their care for each other. This is a romance that continues to build. It does not suffer from one or the other of the leads deciding that they can't love, or won't commit or any number of the overused reasons we see for conflict in romance writing. It is only outside forces that push them apart but their hearts are never pushed apart in the process. Although both suffer some scars from their past, they are mature individuals. They know how to communicate truthfully and it is refreshing to have a book about two people who are grown up and know how to act like it.
To Love a Scottish Lord is the fourth in The Highland Lord series. The order of this series is: One Man's Love; When the Laird Returns; The Irresistible MacRae; and To Love a Scottish Lord. I don't believe Ranney is finished with this series yet because there are still some unattached MacRae brothers out there. It would probably be preferable to read this series in order but I have not. Both of the books I have read in this series could be stand-alone books. It is proving to be a great series so if you only have one of the books - go ahead and dive into it. There will be fun reading regardless. I am now searching out the other two books in this series I have yet to read. I am also looking in general for other Ranney books because her book, After the Kiss (which is not a part of this series) was one of the best romances I have read in some time and I want to see how many more of those great books she has out there.
Pure Enjoyment.......2003-09-09
Setting - Scotland 1782 - Hamish MacRae has come home to Scotland, a beaten and drastically changed man. He is being escorted by his younger brother Brenden. Hamish had lost his ship, his crew, the use of his arm and endured unspeakable humiliations and torture and planned to make the desolate abandoned castle, Castle Gloom, into his private hermitage. Worried over his brothers' state of mind, Brenden travels to Inverness to enlist the aid of a highly recommended healer.
Mary Gilly, was a young widow whose late husband had ties to the elder MacRae's brother Alisdair. Mary, much younger than her deceased husband, had been allowed and encouraged to pursue studies of healing and her successes had earned her a nickname as the `Angel of Inverness'. Having never left the confines of Inverness, not only did Hamish's case sound intriguing but the chance to travel seemed like an adventure after her year long mourning period had passed.
Hamish would not be an ideal patient and the fact that Brenden brought him a beautiful woman seemed like more torture to a man who hadn't had a woman in so long. Several days later and refusing to leave, Mary was not only intrigued by the case but attracted as well to the man hidden in his tower. After agreeing to a challenge to either best him at chess or leave without treating him, Hamish finds he is more than intrigued himself with this independent and forthright woman.
WOW! This is just what I come to expect from this exceptional author - a plot that grabs you from the first page with intensity and emotion that you start and finish in one sitting. Hamish's injuries set him apart from the normal heroes one usually finds, and Mary is an absolute delight whose own secrets add to the suspense of this highly sensual and incredible addition to the Highland Lord series! The romance that develops between Brenden and Mary's best friend Elspeth is an added treat. Up to this point - Book One had been my favorite, but this one is right up there in the running for top spot in this series! Outstanding sensual imagery and writing! In case, you're wondering, YES, this can definitely stand alone but when you have writing this superb, get acquainted with the whole MacRae clan - the journey is well worth it!
I finished the book but................2003-08-13
it didn't turn out the way it started. It was a powerful book with a powerful relationship. For some reason, Ms. Ranney felt the need to end the story with focus on the MacRae family rather than on the hero and heroine whose story this was. The ending wasn't solid and left doubt in your mind. Ms. Ranney's descriptive scenes of intimacy are as beautiful as always; I would recommend reading it, but be prepared for a weak ending.
Beautiful, Sensual, GREAT Reading!.......2003-08-07
This is the 4th in what I think might be a series of 5 books. The first book, One Man's Love, covers the parents of the characters in the other books. I love all the books in this series. Karen Ranney writes so deeply and moving. She has a style like no other. Its almost hypnotic and I almost always cry, even though the books are beautiful. One things I like most is that the story continues long after the couple have acknowledged a love for each other. We get to see their families from previous stories and share in their happiness for a good while before the book ends -- such a nice thing.
Two of her other books are among my very favorites, My Beloved and After the Kiss.
Product Description
A Lord Not Meant to Marry: Hamish MacRae, a changed man, returned to his beloved Scotland intending to turn his back on the world. The proud, brooding lord wants nothing more than to be left alone, but an unwanted visitor to his lonely castle has defied his wishes. While it is true that this healer, Mary Gilly, is a beauty beyond compare, it will take more than her miraculous potions to soothe his wounded spirit. But Mary's tender heart is slowly melting Hamish's frozen one...awakening a burning need to keep her with him -- forever. A Lady Who Dares Not Love: Never before has Mary felt such an attraction to a man! The mysterious Hamish MacRae is strong and commanding, with a face and form so handsome it makes Mary tremble with wanting him. Already shadowy forces are coming closer, heartless whispers and cruel rumors abound, and it will take a love more pure and powerful than any other to divine the truth -- and promise a future neither had dreamed possible.
Books:
- The Book of Imaginary Beings (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
- The Closed Circle: An Interpretation of the Arabs
- The Comfort of Strangers
- The Corrections: A Novel
- The Devil of Nanking: A Novel
- The Dispossessed: A Novel (Perennial Classics)
- The Dreyfus Affair: A Love Story
- The Fortress of Solitude
- The God of Small Things
- The Haunting of Hip Hop: A Novel
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