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Task 19: A Book That Was Originally Published in Another Language
By Book Riot · 123 posts · 812 views
By Book Riot · 123 posts · 812 views
last updated Dec 31, 2015 12:04PM
Task 8: Read a book in translation from a country you’ve never visited
By Mary Beth · 36 posts · 629 views
By Mary Beth · 36 posts · 629 views
last updated Sep 20, 2024 09:31PM
What Members Thought
Irene Nemirovsky was a Russian Jew who spent her adult life in France just prior to the second World War. She established herself as a well respected writer in the 1930's, and likely would have had a phenomenal career had it not been for the Nazi occupation of France in 1941. Suite Francaise is two novellas that were meant to be part of a larger 5 part work covering life in France under German occupation. Even in this unfinished state, Nemirovsky's brilliance as a writer and her ability to captu
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This was a beautifully tragic look at occupied France and the relationships that the invaders and citizenry had to form, the situations they all had to endure. It was especially poignant for me because our grandmother lived and worked in an occupied house in Normandy, and dealt with German soldiers every day. How terrifying it must have been for her, but this book indicates how people had to learn to live everyday life together, amid the daily war-related issues (shortages, deployments, etc.). I
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Stunning. Even forgetting about the circumstances under which this book was written -- well documented already, so I won't repeat them -- its beauty and compassion would be astonishing. (And when you do start considering the circumstances... wow. Just wow.)
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My heart aches when I think of this novel! Oh, if only it were not unfinished! But even in its unfinished form it is a masterpiece. The story of how the novel was written and finally published is even more heartbreaking than novel.
amazing. holy shit cakes this book is wrenchingly, achingly great. what a tragic loss for the world that she was not able to continue sharing her talent.
I'm sorry that I didn't love this as much as everyone else...
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Apr 24, 2007
Alison
marked it as to-read
Sep 09, 2007
Isabel
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Sep 19, 2008
Kirstin
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Apr 15, 2009
Julie
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Apr 10, 2013
Kai
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