A good read.

Would you listen to Suite Francaise again? Why?

I'm not sure I would listen to it again but I did enjoy it the first time around.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Lucille. She does not prejudge anyone. She has an innate sense of what is good and decent about people and can see through their veneer.

Have you listened to any of Carole Boyd’s other performances? How does this one compare?

No, I have not so cannot compare this one to any other.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The part when you realise that Benoit is going to end up in the home of Jean Marie, the man whom his wife loves.

Any additional comments?

Its a well written book that in time will become a must read classic.

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This went on and on... much like wars do.

I bought a wonderful hardback copy of Suite Francaise in my early 20s hoping to get lost in it one summer in France, but 10 years later it still hasn't happened. I opted for the audible version to start me off, should I want to continue reading it myself. Carole Boyd's performance is top notch, very easy to listen to and her pronunciations of French words is impeccable. She did well to have relatively different voices for all the characters too, bearing in mind there are *so* many! Whilst her narration flows nicely, it can get repetitive and boringly familiar. But this book does go on...and on....and on, as wars often do, which isn't Carole's fault. She gets 4 stars.
However everything else is a 3, and that's me being generous. The story is split into two parts, firstly "Tempête en Juin", set In Paris when everyone is ordered to flee following German bormbardment and subsequent occupation of the capital. In my opinion, there were very long chapters and too many characters - I felt it didn't amount to much. That said, I listened to most of it at bedtime; it sent me to sleep easily, but I could never remember anything when I woke up. I backtracked a few chapters and tried again during my commute, but it made me want to sleep again! I just could not easily immerse myself in it. Deep down I feel I owe it to myself to try again from the beginning but even the thought of that makes me groan with despair. Maybe I will try reading it instead.
Meanwhile, the second part, "Dolce" travels to the countryside wherein scandals lie - mainly the obvious love affair between Bruno, a German soldier billeted in a house with Lucille, a French (good as single) housewife and her difficult mother-in-law. The sexual tension builds continuously but results in a disappointing anticlimax, and a subplot takes over, involving an escaped French POW who returns to the village, marries his fiancée and eventually shoots a German officer billeted in their house. It reminded me of a soap opera, and not in a good way. I wanted to stop so many times but I don't like leaving things unfinished so I forced myself to carry on listening. Suffice to say, I enjoyed /found Dolce easier to follow than Tempête, but I was relieved when the book ended. Even though the final line is quite open ended.
I wanted to like Suite Francaise so badly as WW2 is a great interest of mine, but I could not get to grips with execution of how this story was written and subsequently performed. Even the basic plot synopsis on Wikipedia painted a thrilling picture but no dice. Sorry Irene.

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A flavour of France during the Second World War

Would you consider the audio edition of Suite Francaise to be better than the print version?

Don't know - didn't read the print version, but generally, print is better.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

As the occupation of France continued, an uneasy peace broke out between the invader and the invaded, but the peace was fragile. There were too many characters for my linking, and I'd have preferred to focus in on a few of them.

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Unfinished but unforgettable

Would you listen to Suite Francaise again? Why?

I would because the writing is frank and intimate, creating rounded characters through a mixture of internal perspectives. Carol Boyd reads it beautifully, and doesn't attempt French accents for the characters but gets under their skin to express their emotions.

What did you like best about this story?

Learning more about the occupation of France during WWII which I didn't know too much about beforehand. It is obviously and tragically an unfinished novel, and one can't help but yearn for the planned third part to see what the author had in store for her many characters.

Which character – as performed by Carole Boyd – was your favourite?

Lucile in the second half because we see everything from her perspective and can relate to her as the main protagonist, her life completely upheaved by war, causing her to reconsider her choices and commit brave actions.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Occupied territory, lonely hearts.

Any additional comments?

I have read the paperback and was disappointed that this audiobook doesn't include the appendices - letters written by Irene Nemirovsky to her agents, and to her family once she was captured; and from her husband to her agents, desperately asking after her whereabouts and welfare. They provide crucial background and context as to why the novel was never completed, and painfully document how a successful novelist and her family were torn apart by the Holocaust, like so many.

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11 people found this helpful

Brilliant narration of this intelligent book.

Loved this! Read as well as listened to this beautiful, intelligent and heartrending account of human behaviour in a small provincial town in France overwhelmed by the invading German army in the 1940s. Provincial jealousies, self righteous arrogance and bitter resentments, desires and dreams frustrated by occupation but also with empathy for the soldiers of an occupying army. The exodus from Paris as the Germans march in - fears magnifying intrenched behaviours of selfishness, possessiveness and class divisions.
A tapestry of humanity in microcosm at a time of extreme stress.

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9 people found this helpful

A powerful narrative beautifully read.

As someone who lived through the Second World War in the UK and who lost relatives in both world wars , with French friends who experienced both the Exodus and occupation, I could identify with the suffering and the ambivalence. This novel captures both the effects and the idiocy of war,

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Just brilliant

Suite Française is even better than I had expected. It is so revealing of the events at the beginning of the Second World War in France, the attitude of both the French and the occupying German soldiers. It is extremely well written and although there are many characters they are easy to follow through the story. They come to life, their inner thinking explored. They feel very real. I felt a whole gamut of emotions for each of them as if I had actually known them personally.

The reading is clear and exact and in tune with each situation and character. A great book, an excellent narrator.

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7 people found this helpful

An excellent listen. One of the best that I have listened to.

Occupied France in Second World War and the varied life experiences of the occupied and occupiers. A life that we can but imagine. A beautifully written novel.
Carole Boyd (Linda of The Archers fame) brought the experiences to life - the tone and variation of her narration was excellent.
After the narration we find out that the author experienced similar situations and was killed before the war was over making the story even more poignant.
Will look for more books by the author and more books narrated by Carole Boyd.

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Learnt a lot

Any additional comments?

Vivid characters, non judgemental account of how different French people responded to the Nazi invasion of France.

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5 people found this helpful

Fantastic Performance by Carole Boyd

A thought provoking insight into occupied France during World War 2 brought to life by a stunning performance from Carole Boyd. Much better than the movie. Lynda Snell will never be the same again!

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1 person found this helpful