Haven't blogged for so long, have been wondering where blooging fits in with the whole facebook idea. Facebook doesn't seem to cover any of the bases very well and can sometimes frankly be a little annoying!
I thought this space might be a good place to keep a reading journal. As part of The Crossing Reading Group I've enjoyed, tolerated and struggled over some wonderful books over the last year. The current book is Suite Francais by Irene Nemirovski. The book is set in 1942 as the Germans occupy Northern France. The book is written in three parts. The first, which I've now completed follows the lives of a number of characters as Paris is occupied. The characters are derived from across the spectrum of class, each approaching their flight in a different way. The second, which I am currently reading focuses on a small village and the way in which the Germans infiltrate the lives of it's inhabitants.
It started out as a challenging read, so many characters with what seem like very similar names to an unFrancophile, however, I seem to have turned the corner and the book is becoming more enjoyable. As a woman two generations removed from any direct war experience it has certainly created what seems a very lifelike presentation of the day to day challenges the Frence especially faced. The final portion of the book is a record of Nemirovsky's notes as she prepared to write the book. Sadly, she was removed to Auschwitz before she could complete it.
