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Belated Recommended Reading: "David Golder"
April 2, 2008

Yesterday I got a call from a friend of a friend. Our mutual acquaintance thought this woman and I might hit it off (plus, we live less than half a mile apart). She seemed very nice and we chatted amiably for a while. Then she asked the inevitable: "You work in books and I love to read. Do you have any recommendations for what I should read next?"

I could feel my eyelid begin to twitch. I knew, of course, that our mutual acquaintance has excellent taste in literature -- but the two of them haven't seen each other in many, many years. What if, in a corollary to yesterday's post, this new friend preferred romance to Russo?

My dilemma was solved by realizing that honesty is always my best policy. "I have one book I'm urging everyone to read," I told her. "Have you ever heard of Suite Francaise?"

She laughed in delight. "I haven't read it yet, but it's on the pile next to my nightstand!"

Sweet relief. A new friend, indeed.

If you haven't already read Suite Francaise or Fire in the Blood by Irène Némirovsky, I urge you to pick one or both up soon. But if you a) have finished both or b) want something a bit briefer, I highly recommend the new Everyman's Library edition of Némirovsky's novellas: David Golder, The Ball, Snow in Autumn, The Courilof Affair:

                                                                  

Posted by Bethanne Patrick on April 2, 2008 | Comments (1)