Book Review: Irene Nemirovsky's Suite Francaise

There is a beautiful simplicity to Irene Nemirovsky's Suite Francaise.  It's one of those rare novels where I could really visualize what was happening since Irene's language was simple and her sentences, uncomplicated.  It was wonderful to read it since I could vividly recreate in my head what was transpiring in the book.  What surprises me was how like a cookie cutter, Irene described the class distinctions between the French at that time - it was like watching Downton Abbey - but this time - with the characters on the run away from Paris!
And that's only the first part!

The story of the second part becomes a bit unsettling since here, Irene is depicting a very disarming picture of the German soldiers!! And this was written during the war, when it was actually happening!!  No evil Hitler German soldiers here!  They are described to be such golden boys - my personal imagery could've been the blonde boys of Abercrombie and Fitch - Berlin branch!!  Anyway, there is a forbidden love story in that part of the book which leaves us hanging - because, well, Irene, like many of the Jews at that time, were gassed in Auschwitz.  But at least this part of the book remains - and these alone are worth the read!