So there is no way I am going to make my goal of 50 books this year. That's OK when I made that goal I didn't anticipate the events this year would bring me! Maybe next year I'll get to 50. This year I'll try for 30.
Anyway I wanted to write about the three books I have read recently. The first was "Suite Francais" by Irene Nemirovsky. This book has gotten a lot of praise and rightfully so. One of the most amazing things about the book is the writing of it. Nemirovsky wrote this in France during WWII. It was supposed to be 5 parts long but only two were written before she, because she was a Jew, was deported to Auschwitz and died there. Her daughter had the manuscript but didn't read it for years. When she did, she used her mothers notes to fill out the holes in the manuscript and eventually it was published. There is a forward and two Appendices. You don't need to read them before the actual story to understand what's going on but reading this book with the knowledge of Nemirovsky's life made the experience even richer.
Even with this amazing background, the story itself is well written and a generally a great read! The book itself is in two parts the first chronicles many different characters fleeing from Paris when the Nazi's advanced. Her character development is wonderful. Each person in the book is someone you can imagine vividly. The second part of the book is about life in rural France under the occupation of the Nazis. I thought this part was amazing because it showed how life goes on under occupation and how people's lives go on even under difficult circumstances.
Stay tuned for the next book.
oh but the year isn't nearly half over. try for 50. it's a great goal. that's one book a week.
Posted by: bekka | April 27, 2007 at 12:32 PM