This elegant, heart-wrenching work by Irene Nemirovsky was intended to be part of a larger novel, but was left unfinished because she was sent to a concentration camp during World War II, where she met her unfortunate death.

What we do have from Irene Nemirovsky is a work of deep humanity, including a sympathy for her characters and their flaws, as well as an understanding in how people can be motivated in their actions. I loved this book--the writing is graceful and wonderfully descriptive, and it gives a slice of life during the Nazi Occupation of France, which is a subject not many Americans are familiar with.