I read Suite Francaise as part of an online book club I am in. And I'll openly admit that this is one of the few books that I changed my mind about halfway through.
When I started reading it, I was sure that the entire book would be a chore to finish and that I would only be finishing it for the club instead of for me. But after about 75 pages, I was completely immersed in the world of France in WWII.
This book has two sections: "Storm in June" and "Dolce". "Storm in June" follows many sets of characters and sometimes it is difficult to keep all of them straight. On top of that, not many of the characters appear to be likeable on first impression. However, after you take the time to get to know them, and they go through the process of evacuating Paris because the Germans are coming, there is a transformative element to their lives that is fascinating and sucked me right in.
The second section, "Dolce," sticks more to a smaller cast and follows the German occupation of a small area of Paris. It is fascinating to see the soldiers developed in such a three-dimensional way and to see the overlapping characteristics of the Germans and the French. I found that this section dragged a bit more than the first section, but perhaps that is the feeling the author intended -- a slowdown after such a rush during evacuation time.
After these two sections, there are also two quite length appendices. You see, the author did not get a chance to finish the book because she was taken to a concentration camp and passed away there. The appendices include her notes on what the final two sections of the book were intended to include as well as her correspondence pre-capture and her husband's frantic letters to various people after she has been captured.
It was heartbreaking to read the correspondence, knowing that she would not be returning. I can only imagine how great the book would have been, had she had the opportunity to finish it.
