This book is great! One could find the banal if we knew written in early 2000, but we must never forget that the unfinished work was written in the heart of the turmoil in 1940! What lucidity on human beings, what talent to describe the pettiness of some in the debacle but also the humanity of those who understood the drama was behind. It's a great description of the storm (the title of the first part for that matter) then the life of a village in central France to the German time and not necessarily relationships if Manichean existing between occupier and occupied .
Throughout the pages we almost feel Némirowsky Irene knows what will happen, besides its accompanying notes show that she knew its limited chances to complete his work.
A beautiful book, very easy to access. Especially executioners we regret that those who murdered Mrs. Némirowsky in 1942 had prevented complete this magnificent fresco. Neither the man nor the art were their worries ...