All our worldly goods

I'm wondering how many readers are able to read this out of the shadow of Suite Francaise! For me, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, but most of my comments, I fear, are also tinged by the other book. Anyway. You all seemed to feel the same, so I'm reassured.

I loved the language, characterisation and authorial willingness to have both joyful and dark elements together. While life is like that, of course, I find many authors seem to have a moral objection to depicting one or the other in their final picture, and it's refreshing to have a good blend. Neither soft soap nor nihilism.

It is complete, unlike Suite Francaise of course, so neater, but I felt also it lacked some power from the reduction in scope. It doesn't haunt me in quite the way the other does. But I am also conscious that Suite Francaise would probably have delighted me less had I read the version as it would have been, had it been finished, since it sounded a lot bleaker! But who knows. If any of you haven't read Suite Francaise, get yourself to a bookshop quick. It is not to be missed. I wouldn't have said that about this novel, but it's scarcely fair to compare anything to Suite! On its own terms, I loved reading it and was glad to have read it.