All our worldly goods, albeit late

Lovely to be able to join in with this discussion as I have, following a ridiculously hectic year, managed to read All our worldly goods.

I am suprised that so many of you didn't like it as I really did. I was disappointed with Suite, not because it wasn't beautifully crafted and skillfully written, but because it lacked an ending. This, to me, is very important. Consequently Worldly Goods was, as Emily said, "Neat". I didn't think it was trying to be a family saga of gargantuan proportions but a select (and there is much skill in the selecting, especially when covering such a large time frame) and concise portrayal. Nemirovsky beautifully drew out how history repeats itself, both at a national scale and at a familial one. I loved how the struggles with mother-in-law get repeated but from a different persepective and how the 'sins of the fathers' have ramifications in future generations.

I enjoyed it as a light read, covering a fascinating time in history whilst giving a glimpse into the manners and conventions that held town and families together. I was also suprised by how positive an ending the book had, given that N didn't live to see the outcome of the war.