Book Review - "Suite Francaise"

"Suite Francaise" by Irene Nemirovsky
My grade: didn't finish

Not that there is too much hype over it, but whatever little hype there is over this novel, it is entirely lost on me. This is the second Nemirovsky book that I read (or attempted to read), and although I found the other one to be mediocre at best, it was still manageable. I found "Suite Francaise", on the other hand, to be unbelievably boring, which in itself is quite a feat considering that all of the action takes place during WWII. She does a lot of stating and scene depiction, but there is little emotion in all of it. She seems to be quite a detached observer, so much so that the reader doesn't even get a hint of any emotion.

Nemirovsky was writing the book during the war itself and perhaps at that time, there were few, if any, novels about the subject matter. But today, there are countless novels on this subject, and Nemirovsky's is probably the least poignant account that I have ever read.

Book Review - "All Our Worldly Goods"

"All Our Worldly Goods" by Irene Nemirovsky

My grade: B+

This is a nice novel, full of ironic hope. It spans many years, from before WWI into WWII, taking place in France. The irony is that the author herself was murdered in Auschwitz in 1942, as she was a Jew. The novel has nothing to do with that, though.

I would say it is more akin to a family saga, at times reminding me of "The Forsyte Saga" and "War and Peace". It really is a tender novel, but there is still something missing. I would have preferred a bit more emotion, and I wonder if Nemirovsky would have been able to achieve that simply by adding another 500 pages or so.

The novel is very well-written, nonetheless, and the author carries a very distinct and confident tone throughout.