Story of a French family starting in the early 1910's and ending in about 1941. So that's two wars to cope with.

This was a gentle read - the writing was deceptively simple I think: it felt unsophisticated, but the atmosphere and sentiments that it evoked belied the style: it was quite touching. Unlike quite a lot of the WW2 books I've read, this one was completed before the war finished, so not only did the characters in it not know how the war would end, but nor did the author (who subsequently died in a concentration camp). Which made it feel all the more poignant.

It's a while since I read it so the feel of the book has faded a little now, but I did enjoy it and it will be worth reading what appears to be her more famous book, Suite Francaise.

Completed : 03-Oct-2009