Customer Reviews

The Unfree French: Life Under the Occupation

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've been looking around for a good book to cover the entirely confusing subject of France in World War II, and THE UNFREE FRENCH seemed to fit the bill. However, on actually reading it I discovered that this book is not, as I would hoped, a general history on the subject, but instead a socio-cultural study of the French people enduring German occupation.

As such it is a well-written and thorough book -- if possibly somewhat more than most readers would feel any need to know; personally, I would have found it a better read if it had been cut down to half its length, and it would lose nothing to me thereby. To be sure, scholars have good reason to be thorough, and overall I have to judge that the author did a very good job -- there's much fascinating material in it, for example a discussion of how de Gaulle was actually well to the Right of Petain. However, I have to give it three stars instead of four, which on its own merits it deserves, as a warning that this book is for advanced students of the topic and not so good for a novice.

This is a very well researched and comprehensive book that does not purport to be a history of Vichy France or even a history of the French under the German (and very briefly, Allied) occupation. If you want a basic history of Vichy France, read Robert Paxton's classic, _Vichy France_. It will give you all of the background to better appreciate Vinen's work. Vinen sets out to dispel much mythology and stereotypes about French reaction to the occupation. Some conservatives joined the resistance, some socialists and communists backed Vichy, everyone made choices. He underlines that not everyone faced the same challenges and, thus, were not forced to make decisions. Only those in close proximity to the Germans were forced to decide how to accommodate themselves to their predicament. His discussion of the black market is especially nuanced and insightful. Almost everyone had to participate in it to some extent just to survive. Yes, this book is for advanced readers with some knowledge about Vichy France and the German occupation. It doesn't pretend to take on all subjects and gives only scant attention to many, such as political developments within the Vichy government. That's OK--there are other books for that. I highly recommend this work for its nuanced and sophisticated rendering of the French in dire straits.

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If you are beginning a study of France in WWll, start with this book. This is the best general overview of Vichy France. It is comprehensive, carefully researched and unbiased.

I particularly appreciated Vinen's examination of the social upheavals caused both by occupation and by liberation.

Vinen's book will give you the underpinnings you need to understand the era. It is a suberb accompaniment to Sweet's lazer-sharp study of life in the 1940s in the town of Clermont-Ferrand: "Choices in Vichy France."

"The Unfree French" is definitely worth reading.

Kim Burdick
Stanton, Delaware

A balanced and perceptive account, a bit opaque in places. One gets a good idea of the situation provided one is prepared to make allowances for the French mentality.
Not the first or the best on the subject but an important and valuable contribution.

This is a well written, enjoyable and quick read on an area of WWII that doesn't get a lot of coverage at least in the States. My one complaint is that he uses a lot of French terms, titles and names without translating. Possibly he or his editor felt it wasn't necessary to understanding the story which it wasn't. It would have been nice though. Now here's the part where the comments will fly. From this Yanks point of view it proves that ( as Jay Leno pointed out a few years ago)the French wouldn't even fight for their own country. Thank God for Winston, The Brits (and as much as he could until the Day Of Infamy) FDR