Customer Reviews

Fire in the Blood (Vintage International)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This novel was written by a 34-year-old woman who was reflecting on her youth, on aging, on the differences between young and old, and on past mistakes and how they are never erased. In this brief and sketchy work, you will find exquisite passages that describe the beautiful French countryside and the comforts of small town life, of love, and of family. The work is narrated by an older man whose passions are burned out but whose memories still haunt him. He sometimes stands off from the lives and dramas surrounding him, but that pose can only hold up for so long. And in fact, almost all the characters in this book want merely peace, love, and solitude, but these qualities prove very hard to attain in the face of life's passions. Although the book at times resembles a soap opera, there are nuggets of wisdom here, and, like all great literature, this work takes on our mortality, our passions, and our human story unfolding in the passing of time. For me this book was well worth reading and savoring Irene Nemirovsky's great literary skills.

It's great that such there was enough material found amongt Nemirovsky's papers to publish this novella posthumously. This book, while slight, manages to create a sense of place as Silvio describes the village and his relations. Nemirovsky's prose here is more languid than in "Suite Franciase" and this owes to the story being told from a first-person perspective. It's much slower than "Suite Francaise," the book we will all be comparing it to, but this is quite a different story and requires a different telling. I felt that the story meandered for a while as Silvio discusses his relations and past, but toward the end of the story, things come together, revelations are made and I udnertsood where the narrative had been heading.

While this story didn't engage my attention like "Suite Francaise" did,(a book that had me racing home to read it) it still stands as a testament to the late Nemirovsky's talent.

"Fire in the Blood" is the second work to be published posthumously from Irene Nemirovsky, whose masterpiece "Suite Francaise" became a well deserved international sensation in 2006 and 2007. Once again Sandra Smith composes the English translation from the original French and does a splendid job of capturing the spirit of Nemirovsky's prose, though this work lacks some of the cunningly evocative wordplay that had some sections of "Suite Francaise" seem so poetic and fluidly verbose.

Focusing on the romantic follies and unintentionally murderous affairs of the residents of a small village in the French countryside, "Fire in the Blood" is an entertaining slice-of-life style soap opera told uniquely from the point of view of travel-worn aging bachelor who has returned reluctantly to his quiet hometown. Focusing more of the memories of love and youth than on the actual encounters, Nemirovsky avoids the typical trappings of the run-of-the-mill romance novel. There's an often cold, bitter, outsider's sense of detachment to the follies of the characters in the book that give it a sharp observer's edge and turns it into more of anthropological study than a melodrama. Many nuances of rural life and the social mores of the pre-WWII French are delivered spot-on by the Ukrainian born writer. Nemirovsky seduces the reader in the end, as secrets are revealed, and we get a brief flicker of the passion and the fire that had been elusive in the rest of the novel (hidden in gossip and observations after the fact) in the closing pages and haunting final lines. For Nemirovsky, true love dances across the whitewashed walls of our memories like shadows before the flame is snuffed out and we go to sleep for the rest of our lives in utter darkness.

One can only assume that this brief work would've been fleshed out and revised a few more times had Nemirovsky been given the chance. It lacks the epic scope and immediacy of her other lost masterpiece. While superficially it may seem like a frivolous afterthought in the wake of "Suite Francaise", Nemirovsky makes it clear with "Fire in the Blood" that even at their basest levels matters of the heart are no small affair.

Fire in the Blood
I cannot imagine a more beautifully written or narrated (Mark Bramhall) book. This is a masterpiece that engrosses the reader with the tastes, smells and textures of the French countryside in the early 1900's. Of course there's plenty of gossip and family scandal in this relatively short work of 3 CD's. You won't regret a minute spent in the company of Silvio, the character telling this quiet, but fascinating tale.

This is a great read. The character development is outstanding, and the lives of the "paysans" in this small French village, in the years before the war, are as complicated as the most sophisticated characters in any metropolis. Nemirovsky employs Silvio as narrator, and the twists and turns in the plot unfold masterfully in her writing. I kept thinking about movie star casting as I read this. The world lost a real literary treasure when her life ended so early. I really enjoyed this read. Job Reader, Milwaukee, WI

I have just finished "Fire in the Blood" by Irene Nemirovsky and am utterly overwhelmed by how good of a read it was. The narrative is rich but not so overly detailed that it is taxing. The characters are painted so carefully, so accurately, that their humanity is palpable. The story is captivating and has ... oh but I don't want to even risk spoiling it!

This book should be widely read. And if you are a sensitive soul, you'll enjoy it very much.

I was so excited to get a copy of Irene Nemirovsky's "new" book, Fire in the Blood after reading and adoring Suite Francsaise. This little book will not disappoint her fans.
Set in the French countryside, the reader is introduced to a variety of interesting characters, starting with Silvio, the narrator, who all have secrets that are revealed in the story. I was worried I would be bored with this one, but I was compelled to read the book, and it is a quick read, and like Suite Francaise will leave you wanting more. Gorgeous writing and incredible imagery, Nemirovsky had such talent for relating the thoughts and feelings of the people she depicts--her tragic death is a great loss for the world. Had she survived the war, who knows what opus of her writings would exist now. I believe in time, her books will be considered classics. I can defintely see this novel as well, standing the test of time with other authors sich as Hemingway and Steinbeck. More "required" reading!

A book that has resonated with me since I read it and could not put it down. The reader identifies immediately with narrator as he creates a captivating vignette of life in rural France. The interconnectedness of the characters mirrors the interconnectedness of past and present. I would highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in romance, historical fiction or just plain good reading.

Nemirovsky was a master of mood. Spare, elegant writing that transports the reader to another time and place. Mundane lives of the characters may seem a bit boring at first. Stick with it. The conclusion is a surprise and will leave the reader thinking about life. Outstanding reading.

"Fire in the Blood" is a less ambitious novel than Irene Nemirovsky's recently published "Suite Francaise," but it has a layered richness and commentary on life that the reader finds in the latter. Other reviews have done a fine job of describing the story line so i will just add that I found this book beautifully constructed and its characters wonderfully developed. Nemirovsky had terrific insights into human behavior that is well-reflected in this short novel.
The success of "Suite Francaise" appears to be leading the translation and publication of Nemirovsky's earlier books, which is a happy development for fans of 20th Century literature. That said, "Fire in the Blood" stands on its own as a highly enjoyable read with an interesting rural French context.