All is "Lost"

So I think I may have made a really big mistake, or rather, Nien may have accidentally started something. I have successfully avoided the show "Lost" for the last three years, but last week we caught the end of an episode and it didn't seem to be on an island, which we thought it was, so we were intrigued. Last night we watched the two episodes that aired. Today I am on the show website. I really don't want to be sucked into another show, but I am feeling the itch. I hope I don't do something rash like buying all the DVDs and watching them in one weekend.

I went to a screening of "Volver" yesterday and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I had really liked Almodovar's film, "Talk to Her." The characters really stayed with me, and I am experiencing the same thing with "Volver." Both films take dark subjects and find a way to twist the stories so that you leave with a sense of well-being and forgiveness. I'm kind of surprised it only got a best actress nomination, and nothing more. I definitely recommend it.

I'm realizing that I never finished my thoughts on "Suite Francaise." Like I said, I recommend the book (along with everyone else at this point - it is pretty popular on the book club scene and was sold out when I tried to buy it at Barnes & Noble) and though it has flaws, it is a great record of the time and an interesting perspective. What was published were two sections of a planned 5-part novel along with two appendices.

One appendix had the author's notes regarding character development, her plans for the rest of the book and the general themes she was trying to bring forward. The two completed sections are enhanced by this appendix. The first section has so many characters and points-of-view that I feel pretty certain that if she had had the chance to edit it, Nemirovsky would have done so extensively so as to make her vision clearer. This first appendix suggests that the story going forward would focus more on the characters highlighted in the second section, a much more cohesive narrative. I don't want to suggest I didn't like the first part though. The writing was strong and the picture painted of the exodus from Paris is fascinating. I just had trouble keeping up with the characters and also felt that the author scorned the upper classes and only found goodness in the poorest characters. I would have liked a little more variation. Also, given Nemirovsky's situation, which I'll get to in a bit, I would have liked to hear about the experiences of the Jews in France.

The second appendix is a record of all the correspondence exchanged between Nemirovsky's circle (her husband, publishers, friends, government officials, etc.) as they attempted to free her after she was arrested and eventually sent to a concentration camp. These letters were heartbreaking; we learn that Nemirovsky and her husband both are killed in Auschwitz, but her daughters are kept hidden for years and it is the girls who eventually ensure the future of the book.

The very last section of the book is Nemirovsky's biography. Throughout her short life, Irene experienced persecution from all corners, and her writing, which she started at a young age, seems like it was a kind of escape. What an amazing woman - I'm so glad I was introduced to her.