European Royalty discussion

Please discuss Part One: Storm in June (War) here.

My copy is on hold at the Library, I should be able to start it by the middle of the week! I'm excited, this looks good :)

I really loved this book overall! I'm on a mini-vacation right now though, so I'll have to comment more tomorrow or Wednesday when I get back home. Whenever I've gotten on the computer lately, my husband's been "OMG, are you goodreading again?", so I'm afraid if I bust out the book to comment at length here he'll freak! :)

I have finished part 1; have been suitably impressed and not a little surprised. I will have a breakette before starting section 2 - a certain palate cleaning is the order of the day.

How is every one else doing?

:O)

I loved how she briefly made the cat a central character (alright, I'm a cat freak, so I would like this). It was just so descriptive! "The cat poked his nose through the fringes of the armchair and studied the scene with a dreamy expression. He was a very young cat who had only ever lived in the city, where the scent of such June nights was far away." Then the cat goes outside and explores for awhile, and the details were so vivid.

I liked how the different persons' stories worked together as this section progressed. So much of it was bittersweet, but I still loved it.




POTENTIAL SPOILERS ABOUT END OF THIS SECTION





Oh God, the part with the priest and orphans towards the end reminded me so much of Lord of the Flies. I was definitely surprised how many and in what ways characters died. There was so much death, but it didn't really come across as depressing to me (certainly sad, but I would definitely read this book again - if it just depressed me, I wouldn't reread it). That guy Charlie being killed by the car was shocking too - it was kind of gruesomely funny that he saw the irony of his own death as it was happening. And then the woman knocking over his statue and fleeing the apartment when you know it doesn't matter anymore.

I was so sad for Madeleine and Jean-Marie! I guess I'm a romantic at heart - I was rooting for them to get together, so I was sad when she married Benoit.

I really loved part one.
Mine should probably also be labeled with ***POTENTIAL SPOILERS***

The Michaunds are so relatable to me. When Jeanne was talking about missing her son it brought tears to my eyes - it was so real.
When they came back to Paris and had their hair done before going home...it felt so surreal, and so authentic. I can't imagine how disconcerted you'd feel after an exile/return like that.

I hoped that Madeline and Jean-Marie would end up together, too. I hate to think of her stuck with Benoit...especially because her relationship with Cecile had changed so much...what a sad life she seems to be in for.

I love Angelliers. The Mother in law is so awful in such a passive-aggressive way...reminds me of my own! lol. Lucile is one of my favorite characters.

Phillipe's death reminded me of the Lord of the Flies, too, Sara. All the time he talked about the boys I thought him very un-sympathetic and didn't like him. I loved that after the children had gone to sleep that night he finally began to like them...that's so how being a parent is! After the monsters are in bed for the night you forget how naughty they've been and love them again.
Of course, it turned out Phillipe was right all along. I was disapointed by that - I wanted him to learn he was wrong and love the boys. I was hoping for something more along the lines of The Sound of Music, rather than The Lord of the Flies.
Still - a haunting scene is sometimes more satisfying than a happy ending.
I feel like Nemirovsky included this (and Charlie's death) to show that the saddest and most violent things that happen are often NOT a direct result of the war - these things are all around us everyday. People are evil even if they aren't Nazi soldiers. Bad things happen even when you're just crossing the street.