Shadows of a Childhood: A Novel of War and Friendship

By Élisabeth Gille

Book Overview

Ir ne N mirovsky's posthumous Suite Fran aise has become a publishing phenomenon, selling more than half a million copies since its publication in 2006. As those who know it are keenly aware, N mirovsky was killed by the Nazis before she had a chance to write the last three sections of what she intended to be a five-part work. As Claire Messud wrote in Bookforum, N mirovsky's "hope in the midst of hopelessness . . . is a rare gift."

As they were being deported to concentration camps, N mirovsky and her husband, like so many other German Jews, sent their two young daughters, then five and seven, to live under assumed identities--in this case in a Catholic boarding school in the south of France--which enabled them to survive the war. The younger daughter, Elisabeth Gille, became a well-known French publisher, and chronicled her wartime experiences in her own novel, Shadows of a Childhood.

Originally published long before the manuscript of Suite Fran aise was discovered, Shadows of a Childhood is now available for N mirovsky fans who want to know more about the circumstances of her death and her daughters' survival. Gille's haunting novel is a moving sequel to her mother's masterpiece and an important part of an extraordinary family's literary legacy.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1595583564
• ISBN13: 9781595583567
• Release Date: April 2008
• Publisher: New Press
• Length: 138 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

I couldn't put it down

I became a fan of Irene Nemirovsky after reading Suite Francaise and was anxious to read her daughter's book. To read this fictionalized account of what Elisabeth Gille endured and how she dealt with the horrors was engrossing to say the least. Very well written, very articulate. I did not want to put it down. She did not shy away from the realities of the Holocaust, but dealt with them very honestly.

Haunting, unforgettable, and compelling book

I just finished reading this compelling book and I must say it will be imprinted in my mind for a long time to come. It is a unique look at the lives of two youth during the WW2 war in France. It reveals some of the impact on their lives in a most unsual way. The separation and possible loss of their parents is something I do not think has been touched in such a soul searching account before by children who were not held captive by the Nazis. This book speaks to that subject and the profound effect it had on the characters in the book.Since this is based on the life of the author it is all the more moving and tragic. The literary skills of the daughter evoke the same skills of her mother who wrote Suite Francais.

A novel of war and friendship

When I finished reading Suite Francaise I became interested in Irene Nemirowsky and came across this book written by her daughter, Elisabeth Gille. It is a short and heartbreaking story of the waste, horror and senselessness of war and its aftermath. I highy recommend it.

Great book

I loved this book because of how it showed that not only did the Nazis wreak havoc on the people they killed but also the lives of These families