Les Feux de l'automne

by Irène Némirovsky

Qu’est-ce qui peut attirer la belle et sage Thérèse vers Bernard, ce rebelle un peu voyou, qui s’engage à dix-huit ans dès que la guerre éclate ? À son retour, en 1918, avide de vivre cette jeunesse qui lui a échappé, il prend goût à l’argent facile. De cette passion ne peuvent naître que déceptions et souffrances.
Mais ils s’aiment et, lorsque Bernard, prisonnier pendant la Seconde Guerre, est libéré, Thérèse est là, qui l’attend.
Parue en 1948, six ans après la disparition d’Irène Némirovsky – couronnée à titre posthume par le prix Renaudot 2004 pour Suite française – , cette fresque romanesque, habitée par le climat fiévreux et délétère de l’entre-deux-guerres, est tout autant une peinture cruelle de la bourgeoisie conventionnelle et hypocrite que le portrait plus intime d’êtres en quête d’une impossible liberté.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, France, Classics, Romance, War, Historical

281 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 4, 1957

About the author

Irène Némirovsky was born in Kyiv in 1903 into a successful banking family. Trapped in Moscow by the Russian Revolution, she and her family fled first to a village in Finland, and eventually to France, where she attended the Sorbonne.

Irène Némirovsky achieved early success as a writer: her first novel, David Golder, published when she was twenty-six, was a sensation. By 1937 she had published nine further books and David Golder had been made into a film; she and her husband Michel Epstein, a bank executive, moved in fashionable social circles.

When the Germans occupied France in 1940, she moved with her husband and two small daughters, aged 5 and 13, from Paris to the comparative safety of Issy-L’Evêque. It was there that she secretly began writing Suite Française. Though her family had converted to Catholicism, she was arrested on 13 July, 1942, and interned in the concentration camp at Pithiviers. She died in Auschwitz in August of that year. --Penguin Random House

Reviews

[Jaylia3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you enjoyed Irene Nemirovsky's Suite Française, her novel of life in France during the German occupation of WWII, I think you will be just as enthusiastic about The Fires of Autumn. It has the same kind of sweeping but intimate storyline, and the same gorgeous prose style. Written in 1940, after Nemirovsky fled Paris and two years before her death at Auschwitz, The Fires of Autumn is being marketed as a “spiritual prequel” to Suite Française because though it doesn’t have the same characters it takes takes place in France in the years before the events of the other book.

The Fires of Autumn follows a diverse but connected set of Parisian families from the days of optimistic confidence before WWI, and carries them through the despair and disillusionment of the war itself, the intoxicating moral and monetary temptations of the 1920’s, and the financial and cultural adjustments of the 1930’s. Fortunes are made and lost, affairs are begun and abandoned, and children grow up and have children of their own. The book concludes during the chaotic early years of WWII.

Though many characters are involved, much of the story revolves around the sometimes tender but often fraught relationship between Thérèse Brun, who wants to live a simple, loving, traditional life, and Bernard Jacquelain, who is cynical after his harrowing experiences of trench warfare in WWI and bent on grasping all the pleasure he can through fast living, luxury surroundings, and assignations with willing women, not caring--at least at first--about the cost.

So far I have loved everything I’ve read by Nemirovsky. She excels at painting a scene, so it’s easy to imagine the colors, ambiance, and smells of her settings. And she brings readers inside the hearts and minds of her characters in sometimes long internal monologues, but her writing is always sensually and emotionally rich, never dry. This is a compact book, only 240 pages long, but Nemirovsky makes every word and image count.

[Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quizá las 5 estrellas se veas influenciadas porque hace mucho que no leía nada de la autora y había ganas, pero lo cierto es que me ha gustado.
Su visión lúcida de ese período merece mucho la pena.
Recomendable

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Il matrimonio di Thérèse e Bernard, la loro maturazione graduale, gli eventi storici che si susseguono ed incidono sugli animi delle persone: questi sono i temi de I fuochi dell’autunno. Le vicende attraversano la prima metà del secolo scorso, un periodo storico in cui profondi e terribili sono stati i cambiamenti che hanno colpito i popoli europei. Ugualmente profondi sono i cambiamenti che intervengono in Bernard, un adolescente nel 1914 che parte per la prima guerra mondiale pieno di entusiasmo ed incoscienza, torna frastornato da una guerra che lo ha reso cinico e svuotato di sentimenti, desideroso soltanto di buttarsi a capofitto in una vita sociale frenetica con una “fame di vita” che gli facesse dimenticare le trincee e la guerra, durante gli anni ’20-’30 frequenta affaristi senza scrupoli, truffatori dediti ad accumulare denaro in modi per nulla chiari, e poi il fallimento, la perdita di tutto, e di nuovo la guerra, diversa da quella di vent’anni prima, che si porta via l’unico figlio maschio di Bernard, Yves, mentre il padre viene fatto prigioniero dai tedeschi. Durante questi lunghi anni rimane fermo solo l’amore di Thérèse per Bernard, acceso nonostante non venga alimentato dall’uomo che si sente affascinato dal bel mondo e troppo stretto nel matrimonio. Proprio Thérèse , poco prima della conclusione della storia, vede i falò dell’autunno, i fuochi accesi nei campi che purificano la terra per prepararla per nuove semine: il suo sentimento fedele riuscirà alla fine a premiarla ed un fuoco purificatore infiammerà l’animo di Bernard affinchè una nuova vita risorga dalle ceneri.
Mi è piaciuta la introspezione psicologica che porta alla luce il percorso di Bernard sotto gli effetti nefasti della guerra, il suo cambiamento caratteriale, la sua trasformazione da piccolo eroe a “lupo” avido di denaro e piaceri, e poi l’evoluzione finale sempre a causa della guerra. Tuttavia ci sono quei toni di sentimentalismo sdolcinato, che ho trovato in tutti i precedenti romanzi letti, che mi irritano come quando metto due cucchiaini di zucchero nel caffè per sbaglio. In generale a questo romanzo darei tre stelle e mezzo, dopo “Suite francese”il mio rapporto con i libri della Nemirovsky non è più stato eccellente. E poi c'è anche il fatto che tutti i suoi libri sembrano lo stesso libro, stessi temi ricorrenti, situazioni simili...

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another one of Nemirovsky’s lost novels – there were three, apparently – that covers the two world wars and the period in between, in France when nobility and honour gave way to the democratization of vice and the standardization of corruption.

The story covers the lives of three families, close friends who meet for dinners and take walks in Paris prior to the outbreak of hostilities. Young Bernard, 15, aspires to join the First World War that is showing signs of beginning in 1912; Martial, a medical student has only thoughts of saving lives while his friend Raymond dreams of making profit from the war; Renee will sleep her way to acquiring wealth and power, while Therese will let men walk over her for love.

WWI changes the known world, the first war that introduced machines into the battlefront like never before. Old men profit by sending young men to their deaths, a nouveau riche emerges from those who deal in armaments and the war economy, and women are plentiful in a continent left with millions of men dead or maimed.

Nemirovsky’s style is spare and insightful, and I wondered whether this novel was an early draft upon which she was going to develop character and story further, but was prevented by her unfortunate arrest and death in Auschwitz. Some scenes are detailed for pages and yet ten years could fly by in another sentence. Her strength is in the use of the omniscient narrator who inhabits the thoughts and actions of the characters intimately for long stretches. In that sense, this is a very interior novel.

Although business plays a big part in the book, many of the business developments happen offstage, and Nemirovsky deals only with their emotional fallout. I sensed business naivety on the part of the author, for some of her astute business people take “all or nothing” gambles to lose everything, which I found to be rather implausible, unless by so doing, Nemirovsky was showing us a generation conditioned by war who sought thrills in everything they did.

This book also focusses on the older generation who had to face two major wars in their lifetimes and lose loved ones in both, something oft forgotten in our contemporary literature. “It’s too much,” wails old Madame Jacquelain who has to see her men off to both wars. And for some people like Bernard, it takes the trauma of two wars to reach enlightenment.

Nemirovsky’s lost novels, being published in the 21st century, have done us a service, in that we get the immediacy of someone writing historical fiction while actually living during that period. The brevity of her elegant prose also helps us digest better in the attention-deprived world we currently live in.

[Carlo Mascellani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nella Parigi ferita dalle due guerre si consuma il disincanto di Therese e Bernard: lei, innamorata di chi non esita a tradirla; lui completamente travolto dal desiderio di arricchirsi, anche in maniera non lecita. Ma come i fuochi d'autunno purificano la terra in attesa di future semine, le prove che la vita sembra porre sulla loro strada forse sapranno preparare un terreno migliore e, magari, conceder a nuovi sogni di germogliare.

[Chrissie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Fires of Autumn by Irène Némirovsky reads as a prequel to Suite Française. It was completed by the author in 1942. As a consequence of her deportation and tragic death in Auschwitz, it came to be published posthumously. Two manuscripts exist. The second manuscript has alterations made by the author. It is this version that is used for the audiobook I listened to, with one exception. Chapters 5, 6 and 9, which the author wanted removed, are put back in. The publisher judged that they should be included because they show the scars left by First World War. With this knowledge, one knows exactly what the author intended. This I like!

The story starts at an informal dinner of family and friends. The Bruins, the Jacquelains, the Humberts and Raymon Détang are gathered around the table. The year is 1912. The two youngest of the families, Bernard Jacquelain and Thérèse Bruin, are both fifteen. The book follows those seated around the table for almost thirty years, through the First and into the Second World War.

A central focus of the book is to demonstrate how the First World War influenced the mindset of those who survived. Life was to be enjoyed and lived to the fullest. Sex, drinking and partying were the norm. Money was to be made quickly and by whatever means possible—playing the stock market, through profiteering, swindles and crooked deals. Everyone was doing this, so why not you too?! Once into the Second World War, the consequences of such a lifestyle become evident—to both individuals on a personal level and ultimately to the nation as a whole, affecting its ability to protect itself from invading forces. The book delivers a warning message.

The message is delivered through the book’s characters. They are less important than the message itself. I did not come to feel close to any of the characters. Rather than sharing life experiences with them, we observe events from a distance.

The book is translated from French to English by Sandra Smith. I find the prose ordinary, nothing special. There is a pretty line once in a while. Some of the idioms fall flat.

The ending is pretty good. There is a mixture of happy and sad. Life won’t be the same, but it goes on anyway. There is a stark realism to this. Some have indeed learned to appreciate what they have.

Veronika Hyks narrates the audiobook. Her French pronunciation is fine, although names are not enunciated distinctly. This is not a problem once you know who is who, and practically the entire cast of characters are introduced in the very first chapter. She uses different intonations and varies the speed to match plot events. Three stars for the narration—I personally prefer a stronger, more resonant voice.

I don’t dislike this book; it’s OK. It draws a picture of the interwar years in France by a woman who saw what was happening around her. After leaving Russia in 1917 at the start of the Russian Revolution, then after a year in Finland, in 1919 the author settled in Paris. She spoke French fluently. She lived more than half of her life in France.

******************
*Fire in the Blood 4 stars
*All Our Worldly Goods 3 stars
*The Fires of Autumn 2 stars
*Suite Française 1 star

[Gaetano Laureanti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Il romanzo della Némirovsky, il primo che ho letto di questa autrice, narra le storie di tre famiglie francesi in un arco temporale che percorre le due Guerre Mondiali. Non è un romanzo storico, ma parlando degli effetti della guerra nelle storie dei protagonisti, descrive nascita e morte di ideali, amori, patrimoni e miserie.

Lo stile dell’autrice è fluido e realistico, scrive in un modo così particolare da rendere la lettura quasi irrefrenabile, facendoti immergere nelle storie, negli stati d’animo e nelle meschinità degli uomini.

Non si celebrano eroi nel libro, l’amore è quello superficiale, intriso di opportunismo e vanità, oppure quello infelice per lo squilibrio tra le parti, tanto da dire che:

Le unioni felici sono quelle in cui gli sposi sanno tutto l’uno dell’altro, oppure quelle in cui non sanno niente.

La moglie adultera, mantenuta nel lusso da un marito sempre occupato nei suoi giochi di potere, diventa quasi un modello da imitare per quelle donne borghesi del dopoguerra che vogliono vivere intensamente senza alcuna tensione sentimentale.

All’opposto c'è la donna che perdona sempre il marito fedifrago ed è disposta a sopportare tutto per amore, rinunciando a se stessa e aspettandolo sempre, restandogli fedele, quando lui si allontana da lei per tanto tempo.

Anche i faccendieri opportunisti e gli affaristi corrotti, che si arricchiscono sulla pelle degli altri, sono ben descritti dalla Némirovsky, rivelandone una approfondita conoscenza ed una feroce critica personale.

Un romanzo duro e spietato che è anche una forte critica dell’autrice verso quella Francia che la tradirà, trascinandola a forza verso la folle spirale di orrore dei campi di concentramento nazisti.

Ho sofferto, talvolta, nel leggere alcuni episodi; altre volte ho provato rabbia e disprezzo, ma, in generale, non mi sono mai sentito partecipe fino in fondo; forse perché nessuno dei personaggi mi ha fatto... innamorare?

[Kasa Cotugno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suite Francais was recognized as Irene Nemirovsky's masterpiece when it finally was translated a few years back, garnering her a worldwide following. Around the same time, I started reading books by Hans Fallada, most notably Every Man Dies Alone. Based on these two, I found reading novels written during the early 20th century by people who lived in Europe at the time provided insights and emotional depths not possible for others who have not shared the experience. Fires of Autumn is every bit as involving as Suite Francais, and even more panoramic. Set mostly in Paris, the story follows the fate of several families beginning in 1912 before the First War, carrying them through to the early years of the Second. Never has the effect of war on middle class people been so eloquently presented. It makes the loss of Nemirovsky in Auschwitz even more poignant.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non c'è luce nel mondo di Irène Némirovsky, non c'è speranza. In questo libro, uno dei suoi più cattivi, ancora meno: la catabasi di un ex soldato tornato dall'inferno della Grande Guerra, che rifiutando categoricamente il mondo piccolo borghese del suo io pre-bellico si dà tutto al vitalismo, al godimento più sfrenato, simbolo di quel capitalismo finanziario, faccendiero, criminale che nel periodo tra le due guerre ha fagocitato e maciullato la società francese. Fino alla catastrofe, collettiva per la Francia, intima per il protagonista.

La penna di Némirovsky non si è mai risparmiata, in nessuno dei suoi romanzi, nello scarnificare il mondo rapace e vorace dei capitalisti più ingordi, di quella classe dedita solo all'arricchimento e al lusso, allo sfrenato e folle impulso di avere, avere, avere. Un'avidità che brucia tutto e tutto consuma. Resta un unico, fievole barlume: quei falò autunnali "che rigenerano la terra", forse un simbolo dell'incendio che divampando innesca una palingenesi morale, prima ancora che fisica.

Un romanzo duro, devastante nel suo renderci il ritratto di una generazione, quella della Prima Guerra Mondiale, che si è vista derubata della stessa umanità, e poi ripiombata con entrambi i piedi nell'incubo di quel secondo ancora più terribile conflitto. Una voce preziosa, quella di Némirovsky, il suo cinismo, la sua onestà.

[Marta Cava]

Un dia més, gaudint d'una novel·la protagonitzada per rics, amb els seus estúpids problemes de rics, que acaben patint per ser estúpidament rics. I amb el rerefons de dues guerres i un període d'entreguerres que els colpirà i marcarà per sempre

[Ilaria_ws · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Vedi, sono i falò dell'autunno; purificano la terra, la preparano per nuove semine. Voi siete ancora giovani. Nella vostra vita, questi grandi falò non hanno ancora cominciato ad ardere. Si accenderanno. Devasteranno molte cose. Vedrete, vedrete..."

I falò dell'autunno è l'ultimo romanzo scritto da Irène Némirovsky prima di essere deportata ad Auschwitz. Credo che tra tutti quelli che ho letto finora sia anche quello più duro, il più disilluso di tutti. Ormai la situazione in Francia era diventata insostenibile e neanche da chi aveva dimostrato di apprezzarla come scrittrice ebbe il sostegno che avrebbe desiderato in quei momenti così drammatici della storia umana.
Anche questo romanzo parla di guerra, in realtà la storia copre un arco di tempo che si snoda tra le due guerre mondiali. I protagonisti del racconto sono Bernard e Thèrese. Quando il racconto inizia i due sono giovanissimi e si trovano a vivere e a vedere per la prima volta con i loro occhi la guerra. Bernard parte per il fronte e spende alcuni dei suoi migliori anni di vita in trincea, patendo atroci sofferenze e subendo un tale cambiamento da non sembrare più lo stesso. Thèrese resta a casa, ma patisce ugualmente, soffre e spera in un futuro migliore. Una volta finita la guerra Bernard e Thèrese si sposano, ma Bernard non è più il giovane uomo che era un tempo.
E' sfinito da quello che ha visto in guerra ed è preso dalla stessa frenesia di chi, dopo il conflitto, cerca a tutti i costi di arricchirsi, di diventare qualcuno in un paese in cui sembra non ci siano più limiti nè inibizioni. L'atteggiamento di Bernard è però completamente opposto a quello di Thèrese, l'unico personaggio positivo di questo racconto che non si lascia sopraffare dalla bruttura e dal male che la circonda, ma che resta pura in un certo senso. Il rigore morale di Thèrese non viene mai meno, nemmeno nei momenti più bui della sua vita. Al contrario Bernard non fa che inseguire un successo e una ricchezza che, come ben presto capirà, non sono nulla in paragone a quello che già possiede e che lo faranno solo soffrire ancor di più e allontanarlo dalle uniche cose buone della sua vita.
Credo che tra i romanzi che ho letto della Némirovsky questo sia in assoluto il più duro di tutti. I suoi romanzi sono spesso amari, caratterizzati da una particolare vena nostalgica, ma I falò dell'autunno li batte tutti in amarezza. E' una storia complicata in cui nessun personaggio spicca per le sue buone qualità, a parte Thèrese. E' un racconto che parla di amore, ma di un amore difficile e travagliato, parla di guerra ovviamente, di quanto una guerra possa cambiarti nell'intimo. Questo libro sopratutto mette in scena un continuo contrasto tra bene e male, e in questo caso a spuntarla è sempre il male, sono sempre i personaggi negativi, quelli che si comportano peggio ad ottenere di più.
Non credo ci sia bisogno di soffermarsi sullo stile dell'autrice che è probabilmente uno dei più eleganti ed evocativi che abbia mai letto. Il racconto è diviso in tre parti, che scandiscono i principali eventi narrati. Anche in questo caso il tono del racconto è scuro, estremamente nostalgico ma allo stesso tempo anche profondamente disilluso. In questo libro si respira tutta la rabbia e il rancore provati dall'autrice quando lo scrisse. Si tratta dell'ultimo romanzo della Némirovsky, dopo pochi mesi venne deportata, e stava già vivendo nel regime delle leggi antisemitiche. I suoi romanzi non potevano essere pubblicati perchè era ebrea; prima dello scoppio della guerra e dell'occupazione di Parigi da parte dei nazisti, Irène era apprezzata e ammirata, era una delle scrittrici più amate nei salotti letterari francesi.
Allo stesso tempo in questo romanzo è presente anche la speranza. La speranza si riflette in Thèrese che non smette mai di credere che il bene potrà vincere la sua lotta contro il male, che a tutti dovrebbe essere concessa una seconda occasione e che prima o poi il buio finirà e tornerà a risplendere la luce. Meraviglioso come tutti i romanzi che ci ha lasciato in dono, I falò dell'autunno è l'opera che forse meglio di tutte le altre mette a nudo le emozioni e i sentimenti dell'autrice in quegli ultimi mesi. Irène Némirovsky è riuscita a descrivere un'intera generazione, ha indagato nell'animo umano mettendo in scena forze e debolezze e lo ha fatto in modo così attuale che leggendo oggi i suoi romanzi, ci sembra di leggere ancora di noi stessi.

[Literarischunterwegs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Das Buch entlässt mich nach dem Lesen mit einigen Fragen. Mit Fragen, die mir während des Lesen kamen und, die sich alle unter folgender Hauptfragefrage bündeln lassen:
Was macht der Krieg, die Nachkriegszeit aus den Menschen?
1. Können sich Menschen authentisch entwickeln, wenn sie einen Krieg oder gar zwei Kriege durchleben mussten?
2. Sind Menschen in der Lage, danach noch aufrichtige Beziehungen führen zu können?
3. Entwickeln sie sich zwangsläufig eher zu oberflächlicheren Egoisten, die einfach nur das schnelle Leben genießen wollen?
4. Sind Menschen nach Kriegszeiten überhaupt in der Lage, vertrauensvoll zu leben oder zu lieben?
5. Wie kann man überhaupt mit all den grausamen Erinnerungen frei leben?
6. Kann man wahre und ehrenhafte Prinzipien nach Kriegszeiten aufrecht erhalten - oder gerade deshalb?
7. Ist es trotz der Situation auch nur, wie in Friedenszeiten auch, einen Frage der Persönlichkeit wie man obige Fragen leben kann?

"Feuer im Herbst" erzählt eindrücklich, fokussiert auf wesentliche Aspekte und Entwicklungen das Leben verschiedener Menschen, vor allem das der beiden Protagonisten Thérèse und Bernard. Wir begleiten beide von ihrer Jugend an durch den Ersten Weltkrieg, dessen Nachkriegszeit bis hinein in den Zweiten Weltkrieg. Die Autorin skizziert die Entwicklung nur fragmental, was das Lesen für mich noch eindringlicher und berührender werden lässt. Die Figuren zeichnet sie authentisch, wenn nötig auch unsympathisch, aber auch verletzlich. Dadurch werden sie sehr glaubhaft und das Geschehene transparent nachvollziehbar.
Das Buch ist ein Buch, das dem Leser nahe geht, so wie im Grunde alle Bücher, die ich von Irène Némirovsky bisher lesen durfte. Nach dem Lesen steht steht für mich wieder an erster Stelle das Erstaunen. Das Erstaunen darüber wie eine so junge Frau so detailliert und tiefgründig, Menschen, Situationen, Geschehnisse und Emotionen einfangen und in ihren Büchern wiedergegeben und dabei so viel Lebenserfahrung einfließen lassen kann.

Es wird wirklich Zeit, dass ich die Biografie dieser Schriftstellerin zu lesen beginne und damit eine Möglichkeit finde, ein wenig tiefer in das Leben und die Persönlichkeit Irène Némirovskys eintauchen zu können.

Mein letztes Buch von ihr wird sein: "Suite françaises", welches ich mir bewusst bis zum Schluss aufgehoben habe.

[Zai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me ha gustado mucho esta novela, con protagonistas bien definidos, los que más me han gustado y en mi opinión están mejor perfilados han sido Thérèse, Renée y Bernard, este último es un personaje complejo. También me ha gustado mucho la ambientación, toda la historia sucede en Francia, comienza unos años antes de que empiece la Primera Guerra Mundial, le siguen los años de la guerra, la época de la transicción y la Segunda Guerra Mundial.

La trama es la siguiente; seguiremos de varias familias amigas y en algunos casos vecinas, a lo largo de los años, primero tenemos a los Brun; los integrantes de esta familia son Adolphe Brun, que es viudo, su suegra, la señora Pain, su hija, Thérèse y su sobrino, Martial, continuamos con los Jacquelain; sus integrantes son: el señor Jacquelain (creo que en ningún momento se menciona su nombre), su mujer; Blanche Jacquelaine y su hijo Bernard, las Humbert, la viuda señora Humbert y su hija, Renée y por último, un amigo de Martial Brun; Raymond Détang.

Iremos siguiendo las vidas de estas personas, a través de los años, sus alegrías y tristezas, en una época en qué la guerra fué una constante en sus vidas, no todas tienen el mismo protagonismo, pero sí son importantes en la historia, por su amistad, relaciones familiares, etc....

A todo ésto le sumamos la magnífica narrativa de Irène Némirovsky, y eso nos da una novela preciosa ambientada en una época difícil.

[José · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historia situada entre guerras, desarrolla temas ya tratados por Némirovsky en otras novelas suyas.

[Romina · Rating 5 out of 5]

SPOILERS
L'argomento di questo romanzo è la guerra e di come, essa, può cambiare le persone.
E' la storia d'amore tra una giovanissima ragazza, Thérèse, e di un giovane, Bernard, timido e spensierato.
Bernard si arruolerà come soldato e parteciperà alla prima guerra mondiale, sopravviverà solo il suo fisico, perchè la sua anima sarà perduta. Tornato dalla guerra, amerà solo i piaceri della vita: il denaro,
il lusso e le donne, non si preoccuperà del male che dovrà sopportare la sua famiglia a causa dei suoi vizi.
Lo capirà in seguito, quando toccherà la più profonda disperazione. ( Per colpa di un suo losco affare, perderà il suo giovane figlio in guerra.)
"NON E' GIUSTO CHE L'INNOCENTE, PAGASSE PER IL COLPEVOLE" ( tratto dal libro:)
Thérèse sarà un personaggio molto importante, nel romanzo, la sua umiltà, la sua forza e l'immenso amore per i figli, ma soprattutto per il marito, la sosterranno nei momenti più duri. Affronterà con coraggio e sola l'arrivo di una nuova guerra.
Sarà la stessa Thérèse che vedrà lo stesso sogno premonitore della povera nonna.
".......Thérèse guardò i campi e capì che quei FALO' avrebbero bruciato le erbacce e avrebbere preparato la terra per nuovi raccolti."
Ho trovato questo romanzo, una vera poesia.
Scritto nel momento dell'occupazione.
La povera IRéNE, vivrà gli orrori della guerra, infatti sarà perseguitata e deportata ad Auscwitz, dove troverà la morte, in un campo di concentramento. Rende, a pare mio questo romanzo, ancora più straordinaro e meraviglioso.

[Marisa Costa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3'5 🌟

Irène Némirovsky, reconocida novelista judía residente en Francia, padeció los abusos del régimen nazi y fue asesinada en los campos de concentración de Auschwitz a los treinta y nueve años de edad. Sus obras, muchas de ellas publicadas a título póstumo y encontradas en maletas escondidas en armarios y bajo camas, se mueven entre novelas, cuentos y alguna que otra biografía. Su libro más conocido hasta el momento es "Suite Francesa" el cual fue adaptado a la gran pantalla en 2014.

"Fuegos de otoño" es otra de sus obras póstumas publicada por primera vez en 1957 y recuperada este año por la editorial Salamandra.

Con una narrativa deliciosa, poética y exacta, Irène retrata, con conocimiento de causa, las calles parisinas y el estilo de vida de una sociedad que vivió tiempos difíciles bajo los ataques de dos guerras mundiales, un periodo de entreguerras y las consecuencias del crack del 29 en la bolsa de Nueva York. Así mismo, queda patente los cambios sociales que los primeros años del nuevo siglo trajeron consigo; las tecnologías, la industria o el estilo de vestir son algunos de ellos.

Aunque aparecen varios personajes involucrados gran parte de la historia gira entorno de Thérèse Brun y Bernard Jaquelaine.

Ambos personajes, completamente opuestos, tanto en carácter como pensamiento, contraponen la filosofía y estilo de vida que comenzó a sembrarse durante el tiempo de entreguerras. Thérèse es una joven tradicional, que espera el regreso de su hombre que batalla en las trincheras. Una mujer que tras la guerra no se deja llevar por el espíritu festivo que parece haber asediado la ciudad, sino que se mantiene fiel a sus principios y creencias. Por otro lado, Bernard representa ese estilo de vida cuya premisa es el "carpe diem". Tras las desgarradoras experiencias vividas en el frente, la mentalidad de este joven cambia por completo y, a su regreso, decide sucumbir a los placeres y deseos más inmediatos siguiendo un frenesí de vida sin importar su coste.

Otros personajes que aparecen con una fuerte carga, son Raymond Détang y su esposa Renée, los cuales son otro claro de ejemplo de estilo de vida desenfrenada. Este matrimonio simboliza el extremismo al que puede llegar el ser humano por ambición y supervivencia llegando incluso a traicionar sus propias creencias y país.

Dividida en tres partes que cubren el periodo entre 1912 y 1941, Némirosvky centra su atención en diferentes apartados y etapas de la historia y del ser humano.

En un primer momento se realiza una panorámica del contexto histórico y el estilo de vida, así como los intereses y preocupaciones de los ciudadanos franceses. Desde este punto se pone de manifiesto las diferentes corrientes de pensamiento de la época en relación con la guerra, enfrentando el escepticismo por parte de los mayores con el sentido del deber y el honor de los jóvenes.

En la segunda parte, la acción se focaliza en estos jóvenes que a su regreso de la guerra sienten cómo sus vidas les han sido arrebatadas. Sus mentalidades cambian y su filosofía también. Dejándose arrastrar por sus bajas pasiones y un estilo de vida desenfrenado.

En una tercera parte, estos mismos personajes son adultos y se enfrentan a una segunda guerra, poniendo en tela de juicio sus creencias, sacando a relucir experiencias pasadas y observando de forma pasiva cómo los nuevos jóvenes marchan con esperanza hacia un conflicto bélico indeseado con sus posibles consecuencias.

Némirovsky usa todos los medios para mantener la atención y expectación del lector. Al mismo tiempo, las acciones se representan ante sí marcando los puntos que ella desea dotando de luz y oscuridad cada escena.

La obra se destaca por sus escenas domésticas y pintorescas, los detalles del entorno, los aromas, los colores. A su vez, nos adentra en las mentes de sus personajes a través de monólogos internos convirtiendo la novela no solo en un retrato fiel de la época, sino en una reflexión introspectiva de sus propias corrientes de pensamiento, vivencias, emociones y sentimientos de aquellos que vivieron una serie de acontecimientos que quedarán marcados en la historia de la humanidad.

Quizás no es una obra trepidante y, a pesar de ello, no solo la trama no decae, sino que anima al lector a reflexionar sobre la propia naturaleza humana y los distintos tipos de respuestas y cambios personales existentes ante la adversidad.

Conocía a la autora tras haber leído otras obras suyas como "Suite Francesa" y "El baile". Ambas me gustaron y las disfruté enormemente. Es por ello que desde que inicié la lectura de "Los fuegos de otoño" sabía que era un libro que no me decepcionaría, y así fue. Si bien es cierto que al principio me costó entrar a la historia y reconocer a todos los personajes. Poco a poco, cada uno de ellos se fue colocando en su posición creando un marco familiar maravilloso y aportando su esencia a una historia que no deja indiferente. Una historia que conforme avanza te sientes más involucrado y cuyos personajes llegan a transmitirte sus propias incertidumbres dificultades, inquietudes y deseos, creándote adoración o rechazo.

Un dato curioso de esta edición es que incluye capítulos que la autora, en una segunda revisión, quiso eliminar. Dichos capítulos exponen los efectos desastrosos de la guerra mediante los cuales, el lector puede construir un mapa amplio del contexto social y político en el que se mueven los personajes.

En conclusión, "Los fuegos de otoño", considerada precuela espiritual de "Suite francesa", es una lectura amplia, íntima y envolvente que nos presenta de un modo más personal e íntimo el interior humano durante la época de los conflictos armados más importantes de la historia a nivel mundial. Una novela que no deja indiferente y que tanto los seguidores de Iréne Némirovsky como aquellos que se acercan a su pluma por primera vez disfrutarán indudablemente

[Jorge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Otra gran obra de la muy dotada escritora Irene Nemirovsky (1903-1942) cuya vida y cuya obra son una muestra portentosa de heroísmo y talento. No sé cuál me asombra más de las dos. Desde su épica novela Suite Francesa me había cautivado con esa prosa sencilla, ágil y emotiva que es su terreno natural y que ahora lo vuelve a demostrar con esta novela publicada póstumamente en 1957.

La inspiración y la sensibilidad de Irene nos tocan desde el inicio de la historia. En la primera parte se relata la vida de la pequeña burguesía parisina a través de la familia Brun a la cual pertenece Therese, la familia Humbert, y la familia Jacquelain de la cual forma parte Bernard. Otro personaje destacado es el ambicioso e inescrupuloso Raymond Detang quien es el germen de la vileza. El desarrollo de estos caracteres a través de 30 años es espléndido y envuelve a la novela en un tono emotivo y dramático.

La trama se sitúa en el París de poco antes de la Primera Guerra Mundial y los acontecimientos se extienden hasta 1941. Las guerras han desatado a los demonios internos del hombre, a la bestia que todo mundo lleva dentro, los escrúpulos se aflojan a la luz de la ambición y el desenfreno. Ahora es cuando hacerse rico traficando, corrompiendo y lucrando con el hambre, la destrucción y la muerte. Muchos de estos hombres habían permanecido crucificados durante la guerra, pero ¿en qué se convertirían cuando regresasen a sus vidas cotidianas? ¿Cómo reaccionará su ser interno, sus valores, sus hábitos, su cariño por todo lo conocido en la paz? ¿Con cuál de sus almas regresarían? Seguramente ese ejército de hombres organizados para matar se convertiría en una muchedumbre desaforada.

El dubitativo y ambicioso Bernard tiene el germen de la ambición pero también los cimientos de una formación escrupulosa y vacila entre una vida pequeñoburguesa con un empleo gris o una vida esplendorosa con lujos, confort y sin limitaciones a cambio de sus valores morales.

La narración no sólo es una indagación de los valores humanos o un relato bélico, también es una historia de amor entre Therese y Bernard, en donde la autora aborda este inexplicable y complejo lado humano que son las relaciones afectivas y al mismo tiempo se encarga de describir y explorar la psicología femenina a través de Therese.

El amor de ella es constante e incondicional y acepta esa misteriosa solidaridad del matrimonio; el amor de Bernard está fincado en arrepentimientos.

Finalmente quiero destacar dos cosas: una es el concepto que desconocía por completo y que me llamó la atención y que es “La túnica de Neso” que se refiere a un dolor moral del cual se pretende huir sin conseguirlo. Y la segunda se refiere al título del libro que me pareció genial ya que la autora hace un símil entre los fuegos que en otoño se encienden para purificar la tierra y prepararla para nuevas semillas que den frutos y buenas hierbas. Esto pareciera describir el proceso de muchos seres humanos que tienen que vivir experiencias duras y aleccionadoras para reorientar su existencia. Quemar la hierba maligna para dar paso a una vida positiva y provechosa.

[Kirsty · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fires of Autumn is essentially the prequel to Nemirovsky’s most famous work, Suite Francaise. The novel sets the historical and political scene which Suite Francaise then builds upon. The Fires of Autumn was completed in 1942, and was published posthumously in 1957, after Nemirovsky’s death in the Auschwitz concentration camp.

The Fires of Autumn, the eleventh novel of Nemirovsky’s to be translated into English, is split into three separate parts, covering the period between 1912 and 1941, and following the Brun family, ‘Parisians of some small private means’. The opening scene uses a meal eaten by the whole family as its backdrop – a simple technique, but a wonderful way in which to introduce multiple characters.

As with her other fiction, Nemirovsky’s descriptions are beautiful. Madame Pain, the elderly mother-in-law of patriarch Adolphe Brun, has ‘hair that looked like sea foam’, and a voice ‘as sonorous and sweet as a song’. Each member of the family is constructed of different characteristics – for instance, twenty seven-year-old Martial is ‘overly modest’ and focuses almost solely upon his studies and marrying his young cousin Therese, two of the mothers touched upon are either anxious or ambitious, and young Bernard is a dreamer, forever envisioning his future. When viewed as a familial unit, the Bruns feel realistic. Generationally, The Fires of Autumn is interesting too; each character is at a slightly different point in his or her life.

The view of Paris and her suburbs is built up over time, and Nemirovsky uses all of the senses to ensure that it stands vividly in the mind of her readers. Her use of light and darkness illuminate each scene: ‘Even this dark little recess was filled with a golden mist: the sun lit up the dust particles, the kind you get in Paris in the spring, that joyful season dust that seems to be made of face powder and pollen from flowers’. Nemirovsky’s inclusion of social and political material ensures that The Fires of Autumn is historically grounded. Spanning such a long period also works in the novel’s favour.

As with many of Nemirovsky’s novels, The Fires of Autumn has been translated by Sandra Smith, who has such control over the original material and renders it into a perfectly fluid and beautiful piece. She is the author of the book’s introduction too, and believes that it offers ‘a panoramic exploration of French life’. Indeed, The Fires of Autumn is a beautiful piece of writing, which encompasses many different themes and marvellously demonstrates the way in which Paris altered over several decades, and how this drastic change affected families just like the Bruns.

[Classic reverie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a huge Irene Nemirovsky fan, I was happy when they released The Fire of Autumn a couple years & preordered it on my Kindle. I was saving it not knowing if they will translate anymore of her works which are all written by her in French. I had no idea nor did I read the reviews before I dove in which is generally how I like to read a book with limited details and sometime going in completely blind is my favorite way. Having read recently Werth's 33 Days & having commented on the French soldiers exodus after fighting for a timeduring Germany's invasion into France, this story brings the subject that much more clearer unless you read a non fiction account which I have the interest at some point to do so. Like Werth, Irene had lived through these times & was living in France after WW 1 & during WW 2, so she has an account which transcends writers who had not lived in those times or in France. This story was written completed in the spring of 1942 & was published posthumously by her publisher/friend Albin Michel in 1957.I knew Nemirovsky was compared to Tolstoy but not until reading this book did I see that was so obvious and like War in Peace but a century later. This was written before Arthur Miller's All My Sons, while reading The Fire of Autumn I thought of Miller's play. Many people say that The Fires of Autumn are a prequel to Suite Francaise. Having read both stories they are similar is in this sense you have the history/feeling of the French people from pre WW 1 through WW 2 with overlap of the exodus of Parisian during the invasion. The characters are different but the feelings during the time the same. One wonders how the French attitude & morals changed during & after WW 1, this story gives us a glimpse into that time. It reminds me of War & Peace because it is about 3 families & there progression through times of war & peace. It shows how a country acts prior & during war. How greed & corruption are apparent in government and how that effects the soldier on the ground or in the air. How if not watch the military industrial complex can be a detriment to a country. How morality is important indicator of a society & loss of it will relax morals in all aspects of society. How war changes lives & this story shows the psychological as well as the physical.The children from the Bruns, Jacquelains & Humberts are friends but change as the war progresses. War has wretched havoc on the families & changes the sons that are fighting in WW 1. Therese & Renee have a different reaction to the lax morals after the war. 1/4 into the novel I had a hard time putting the story down. The story had an ending that was bittersweet.Excerpts- "..a train that could hold up to eight beds per carriage and one hundred and twenty-eight wounded men in total, or so the newspapers proudly reported. Those trains were used for show, to comfort that civilian population and for the edification of the neutral nations. The wounded soldiers were transported in freight trains and cattle wagons, bleeding, in terrible pain, dying all along the small regional branch lines.""Those ... It was the time when the home front thought they had sacrificed enough, shed too many tears over blood that had been spilled and could never be recovered, blood they could no longer stop from flowing.""It's pointless: no one will win. Everyone is exhausted. Each country will end up back on its own borders, but drained, spent, dying. And in the meantime, the civilians are still alive. While we're rotting away in the trenches,""But they had lost the old, healthy habit of being bored.""the experts were equally divided and never managed to agree. The issue, however, soon was being discussed beyond the field of pure technology. It became embroiled with ideological and political considerations."

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fires of Autumn by Irène Némirovsky was written after Némirovsky fled Paris in 1940 and just two years before her death and tells of the dark side of life in Paris between the World Wars, beginning shortly before end of WWI, is a dark exploration into war and the aftermath of war. Having read Suite Française, I can easy see how The Fires of Autumn could possibly be the prequel to her bestselling novel, and while I adored Suite Française, there is something about the more tragic viewpoint The Fires of Autumn brings into the picture that I found quite intriguing. The Fires of Autumn begins with WWI and the return home of the main protagonist Bernard Jacquelain, a man broken and changed from his time in the trenches and the horrors he has been witness to, which lead him down a path of corruption and post-war excess which ultimately lead him to a more sedate life, a wife, and a comfortable life, at least until the rumors of WWII begin and everything Bernard has built and dreamt about begin to crumble. Némirovsky offers the reader a panoramic view of France, particularly Paris covering three decades and numerous characters, yet the two main characters are Bernard Jacquelain and Thérèse Brun and their stories, attitudes, lifestyles, and how each change as the decades change. Némirovsky’s prose is beautiful as one would expect and while the book is rather compact it contains a wealth of information about the time between the world wars, Némirovsky is rather gifted at creating atmosphere and it was quite easy to imagine oneself within the story. I personally was swept away by The Fires of Autumn and would recommend it to those who enjoy exceptional historical as well as literary fiction and believe this would make an excellent book discussion pick.

[Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

Acknowledging that this is a translation of a novel written close to seventy-five years ago, I still have to say that I didn't enjoy it as much as I expected to. Ratings on this one are very high and I appreciate that the setting is Paris during the years spanning the two world wars, but I found the frequent shift in "lead" character distracting. Bonding with any one character, even the virtuous Therese, was difficult. There is nothing especially enchanting about this Paris. At first bourgeois and constricting, then venal and rapacious, these people seem like the less glamorous version of the Jazz Age. I did think the experience of the First World War soldier was presented well, but the various generations of women on the home front pale by comparison. Nemirovsky clearly meant these women to represent stalwart France, and I suppose they did, but they were not especially sympathetic or even interesting.

But most of all, after patiently wading through the stories of various Bruns, Humberts, Pains, etc., the conclusion of the book was oddly vague and implausible.

[Ruthiella · Rating 2 out of 5]

I very much liked the opening scene of this book which was that of bourgeois family in prewar Paris having Sunday lunch in their crowded dining room and then taking a walk along the Champs Elysee. It was wonderfully atomospheric. But the promise of that scene wasn’t carried through for me throughout the rest of the book. I though the core story was dull in content and in style. Ultimately, I found the book interesting only for having been written by someone who experienced WWI and WWII firsthand.

[Blanca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Como todo lo que escribió Némirovsky, una obra maestra.

Es impresionante la manera en que domina los tiempos. Es capaz de describir con todo detalle la escena aparentemente menos importante, consiguiendo que el lector visualice todo, y de repente meter un salto temporal a lo largo de las vidas de los protagonistas sin que se pierda ni por un momento el hilo.

Cabe destacar también los sentimientos tan dispares que es capaz de reflejar, y con los que se empatiza a lo largo de toda la narración.

[Mighty Aphrodite · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Vedi sono i falò dell’autunno; purificano la terra, la preparano per nuove semine. Voi siete ancora giovani. Nella vostra vita, questi grandi falò non hanno ancora cominciato ad ardere. Si accenderanno. Devasteranno molte cose.”

La ricerca della pace è una lotta spietata, senza quartiere. Alle volte non bastano la guerra, il sangue, i lutti, le macerie, la sofferenza per rassegnarsi, per apprezzare un angolo caldo e sicuro, un abbraccio sincero. La voce lamentosa e famelica dei nostri desideri sommerge il sussurro pacato della coscienza, di tutto ciò che dovremmo volere per noi stessi e per le persone che ci circondano.

Cos’è il buonsenso quando si è rischiato di morire, quando la nostra esistenza era costantemente appesa a un filo, quando – intorno a noi – uomini ancor più meritevoli e valorosi perivano come mosche per un gioco crudele e beffardo del destino? Il mondo esplode intorno a te come un fuoco d’artificio, la morte spia ogni tuo movimento, la rabbia ruggisce nel tuo petto come un animale in gabbia: come possono chiederti di essere ciò che non sei più? Come possono chiederti di riprendere la vita di un tempo, gli studi, i sogni?

Tornato in patria dopo quattro anni immerso nel fango delle trincee a combattere una guerra in cui nessuno credeva se non il suo animo giovane ed entusiasta, Bernard non ha dubbi su come andrà la sua vita da quel momento in avanti: deciso a saziare l’implacabile fame che ha spalancato immense e feroci fauci nel suo stomaco, è disposto a gettarsi senza inibizioni e limiti nella frenesia della vittoria, del ritrovato benessere, della sfrenatezza cieca e ingorda della società parigina.

Continua a leggere qui: https://parlaredilibri.wordpress.com/...

[Laura Gaelx · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hay algunas autoras que parecen buscar la luz en medio de las miserias humanas. Mientras que Némirovsky nos lleva por un camino inverso: con gran perspicacia y conocimiento de la naturaleza humana, nos muestra las vidas de gente corriente, que tratan de seguir para adelante y hacer las cosas bien. Pero todo exuda cinismo y amargura.

Me han impactado mucho algunas reflexiones sobre el paso del tiempo en las vidas humanas:

"Lleva una vida tranquila, sí. Pero cuando eres joven, eso no basta. Necesitas lágrimas, pasión, amor, aventuras... Más tarde te resignas a tu modesta y apacible existencia. Entonces no le pides a Dios más que una cosa: ¡seguir! Seguir pelando verduras para el caldo día tras día, bajando a buscar la leche a la vaquería, leyendo el folletín del Petit Parisien, chupando pastillas de menta para tener el aliento fresco... Solo eso, Dios mío, pero todo el tiempo posible. Y ese es el momento que elige Dios paraa mandar un ángel a tu casa, que te coge y se te lleva, te guste o no, hacia la gran aventura, llena de oscuridad y de misterio. Está mal pensado —se dijo—. Bueno, ¿tendré bastantes alcaparras?"

"Ya es tarde para recomenzar nuestra vida —se decía Thérèse—. Si yo tuviera veinte años menos... Pero a nuestra edad, el surco ya está trazado. Hay que seguirlo hasta el final, cueste lo que cueste, y si la tierra está mal preparada, llena de piedras, qué le vamos a hacer. Es demasiado tarde. Comeremos un pan duro y amargo, qué remedio. Sembramos mal nuestro campo."

[Nancy Shields · Rating 4 out of 5]

THE FIRES OF AUTUMN is the story of war, survival, and love. It follows a set of Parisian friends from the beginning of WW1, through the roaring 20’s and the years of excess and greed, then finally into WW2. The generation that experienced two wars in France saw their lives swing wildly from famine to feast to famine. There are a LOT of words in this book. Pages of description. Pages of characters’ thoughts. It is not a current modern style of writing. The author, Irene Nemirovsky, was born in Russia then fled with her family to France. She was an acclaimed author in France and wrote this book during the occupation of Paris. She was then arrested, sent to Auschwitz, and died 2 months later. The book was published posthumously. I imagine she knew what she was writing about and personality experienced many of the situations in the book.

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

En una época leía bastantes novelas de guerra, ahora hace mucho que no lo hacía. Hay algo que me atrapa mucho en como la literatura puede expresar lo casi innombrable, el horror en donde no parecen servir las palabras.
"Los fuegos de otoño" no me cautivó particularmente pero me gustó como acercamiento a la autora, cuya historia de vida me llamó la atención, y como describe observaciones psicológicas de los personajes, que han vivido el horror de la Gran Guerra y no piensan que han de vivirlo nuevamente no muchos años después.
Tendré que leer Suite francesa!

[Eliza Makoto (Cartas a Eliza) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joya, necesito leer todo lo de Irene.

[Paola · Rating 5 out of 5]

La scrittura di Nemirovski si conferma pura poesia. Nel breve tempo che ho impiegato per leggere questo libro, ogni momento non passato a leggere mi è parsa quasi un'agonia.

[Doreen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel explores the effects of war on humanity. Set in France, it focuses on a group of friends/neighbours from 1912 until the early years of World War II. Some characters die; some grieve the loss of loved ones. At the centre is Bernard Jacquelain whose life is used to most dramatically illustrate the theme.

Bernard eagerly volunteers to fight when World War I breaks out. He rejoices in living in “heroic times” believing that war will be a great adventure at the end of which he “will bring back Victory.” Almost immediately, war changes him: “So courteous, so shy in ordinary life, since he became a soldier, he gave way to bursts of rage.” His mother thinks of him as a stranger: “She didn’t know who he was anymore.” Bernard survives the entire war but emerges a broken man: “He had aged without having had the time to grow up.” Physically he has few scars; “Mentally, though, he had been wounded in a way that nothing in future could ever heal, a wound that would grow deeper every day of his life.” He becomes totally cynical: “He was nothing. He no longer believed in God, the immortal soul, the goodness of mankind. He needed to get as much pleasure as he could.” And “He had no respect for anything, not for women, not for love, not for the ideas for which they had fought.” Between the wars his sole concerns are the pursuit of pleasure and the accumulation of wealth. He becomes involved in “crooked deals” which “had to do with procuring what was superfluous rather than what was actually necessary, deals that fed on bluff, publicity and expenditure until they reached the point where they worked endlessly just to produce enough money to spend, and needed still more to make more.” Then World War II begins.

I really enjoyed Suite Française but I was disappointed with this book which the publisher calls its prequel. The dialogue is often clumsy. A wife tells her husband that she is pregnant; he responds with “’Oh, no! That’s all we need! What a disaster!’” while she protests, “’Aren’t you ashamed? What about me? I’m so happy . . . ‘” The tone is often didactic with awkward comparisons: “It was war. This scourge on the immense body of the world had unleashed great waves of blood. Now everyone could tell that such a wound would not heal easily, and the scar would be ugly to behold.” The ending is contrived; even with the reference to the “purifying pyres of autumn,” the change implied is not convincing, especially since it seems to contradict the theme.

I also disliked the female characters; they are either “sluts” or totally loyal, faithful and submissive. Thérèse, a major female character, is certainly the latter; even as she contemplates marrying a man, she admits, “He is a good man, intelligent, but I don’t respect him . . . He has no conscience.”

Suite Française is a masterpiece; this book is not. There is too much telling and not enough showing. In the end I felt I had read a sermon rather than a novel.

Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

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