The Wine of Solitude by Irene Nemirovsky - Revision history

Sue at 08:15, 26 September 2020

2020-09-26T08:15:38Z

Sue at 08:12, 7 August 2020

2020-08-07T08:12:36Z

Sue at 13:10, 31 March 2018

2018-03-31T13:10:11Z

Sue at 14:06, 14 January 2015

2015-01-14T14:06:04Z

Sue at 09:14, 18 August 2012

2012-08-18T09:14:30Z

Sue: Created page with '{{infobox |title=The Wine of Solitude |sort= Wine of Solitude |author=Irene Nemirovsky |reviewer=Sue Magee |genre=Literary Fiction |summary=A book which is heavily autobiographic…'

2011-10-22T10:25:28Z

Created page with '{{infobox |title=The Wine of Solitude |sort= Wine of Solitude |author=Irene Nemirovsky |reviewer=Sue Magee |genre=Literary Fiction |summary=A book which is heavily autobiographic…'

New review

{{infobox
|title=The Wine of Solitude
|sort= Wine of Solitude
|author=Irene Nemirovsky
|reviewer=Sue Magee
|genre=Literary Fiction
|summary=A book which is heavily autobiographical and perhaps not one of her best but still a good read.
|rating=4
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|paperback=0701185589
|hardback=0701185570
|audiobook=
|ebook=
|pages=256
|publisher=Chatto & Windus
|date=October 2011
|isbn=978-0701185572
|website=
|video=
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0701185570</amazonuk>
|amazonus=<amazonus>0701185570</amazonus>
}}

Helene adores her father but hates her mother, who neglects her and sees her as nothing more than an inconvenience. She grows up with the realisation that the only way that her mother can hurt her is to sack her French governess – the only person who has ever tried to give Helene a stable upbringing. The winds of war blow them all from a fictional Kiev, to a harsh St Petersburg and on to a snowy Finland to end up – finally – in France at the end of the First World War. Helene's father has made a lot of money from mining in Siberia but whilst the family might have money – ridiculous amounts of it – they have nothing else.

As I read I couldn't help but feel that I knew the essence of this story. I recently read [[The Life of Irene Nemirovsky by Patrick Lienhardt, Olivier Philipponnat and Euan Cameron|a biography of Nemirovsky]] and there could be little doubt that Bella Karol, Helene's mother, is based on Nemirovsky's mother and the moves around Europe and Russia much the same as Nemirovsky's family was forced to take. Even without knowing this you could be left in no doubt that St Petersburg, Finland and France were familiar to Nemirovsky – and that's she's capable of bringing them off the page in remarkably few words.

Sandra Smith's translation of the original text is, as ever, brilliant.

I admired this book, but I'm not certain that I enjoyed it. Certain themes seemed familiar, not just from Nemirovsky's life abut also from her book [[Jezebel by Irene Nemirovsky|Jezebel]]. I also found it difficult to warm to Helene in any way. She had the worst of upbringings, knew little in the way of familial affection and the result is someone who is hard as nails. The books is ''worth'' reading but there are other Nemirovsky novels which I'd go for first if your time is limited. My favourites are [[Fire in the Blood by Irene Nemirovsky|Fire in the Blood]], published posthumously and [[The Dogs and the Wolves by Irene Nemirovsky|The Dogs and the Wolves]], a poignant love story.

{{amazontext|amazon=0701185570}} {{waterstonestext|waterstones=8371722}}

{{commenthead}}

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 As I read I couldn't help but feel that I knew the essence of this story. I recently read [[The Life of Irene Nemirovsky by Patrick Lienhardt, Olivier Philipponnat and Euan Cameron|a biography of Nemirovsky]] and there could be little doubt that Bella Karol, Helene's mother, is based on Nemirovsky's mother and the moves around Europe and Russia much the same as Nemirovsky's family was forced to take.  Even without knowing this, you could be left in no doubt that St Petersburg, Finland and France were familiar to Nemirovsky – and that's she's capable of bringing them off the page in remarkably few words.
-Sandra Smith's translation of the original text is, as ever, brilliant.
+Sandra Smith's translation of the original text is, as ever, brilliant.  She also translated [[The Misunderstanding by Irene Nemirovsky and Sandra Smith (translator)|The Misunderstanding by Irene Nemirovsky]].
 I admired this book, but I'm not certain that I enjoyed it.  Certain themes seemed familiar, not just from Nemirovsky's life abut also from her book [[Jezebel by Irene Nemirovsky|Jezebel]].  I also found it difficult to warm to Helene in any way.  She had the worst of upbringings, knew little in the way of familial affection and the result is someone who is hard as nails.  The book is ''worth'' reading but there are other Nemirovsky novels which I'd go for first if your time is limited.  My favourites are [[Fire in the Blood by Irene Nemirovsky|Fire in the Blood]], published posthumously and [[The Dogs and the Wolves by Irene Nemirovsky|The Dogs and the Wolves]], a poignant love story.  For more from Finland, try [[Your Presence is Requested at Suvanto by Maile Chapman]].

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{infobox
+{{infobox1
 |title=The Wine of Solitude
 |sort= Wine of Solitude
@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 |date=October 2011
 |isbn=978-0701185572
-|website=
+|cover=0099520370
-|video=
+|aznuk=0099520370
-|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0099520370</amazonuk>
+|aznus=0701185570
 }}

@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 Helene adores her father but hates her mother, who neglects her and sees her as nothing more than an inconvenience.  She grows up with the realisation that the only way that her mother can hurt her is to sack her French governess – the only person who has ever tried to give Helene a stable upbringing.  The winds of war blow them all from a fictional Kiev, to a harsh St Petersburg and on to a snowy Finland to end up – finally – in France at the end of the First World War.  Helene's father has made a lot of money from mining in Siberia but whilst the family might have money – ridiculous amounts of it – they have nothing else.
-As I read I couldn't help but feel that I knew the essence of this story. I recently read [[The Life of Irene Nemirovsky by Patrick Lienhardt, Olivier Philipponnat and Euan Cameron|a biography of Nemirovsky]] and there could be little doubt that Bella Karol, Helene's mother, is based on Nemirovsky's mother and the moves around Europe and Russia much the same as Nemirovsky's family was forced to take.  Even without knowing this you could be left in no doubt that St Petersburg, Finland and France were familiar to Nemirovsky – and that's she's capable of bringing them off the page in remarkably few words.
+As I read I couldn't help but feel that I knew the essence of this story. I recently read [[The Life of Irene Nemirovsky by Patrick Lienhardt, Olivier Philipponnat and Euan Cameron|a biography of Nemirovsky]] and there could be little doubt that Bella Karol, Helene's mother, is based on Nemirovsky's mother and the moves around Europe and Russia much the same as Nemirovsky's family was forced to take.  Even without knowing this, you could be left in no doubt that St Petersburg, Finland and France were familiar to Nemirovsky – and that's she's capable of bringing them off the page in remarkably few words.
 Sandra Smith's translation of the original text is, as ever, brilliant.
-I admired this book, but I'm not certain that I enjoyed it.  Certain themes seemed familiar, not just from Nemirovsky's life abut also from her book [[Jezebel by Irene Nemirovsky|Jezebel]].  I also found it difficult to warm to Helene in any way.  She had the worst of upbringings, knew little in the way of familial affection and the result is someone who is hard as nails.  The books is ''worth'' reading but there are other Nemirovsky novels which I'd go for first if your time is limited.  My favourites are [[Fire in the Blood by Irene Nemirovsky|Fire in the Blood]], published posthumously and [[The Dogs and the Wolves by Irene Nemirovsky|The Dogs and the Wolves]], a poignant love story.
+I admired this book, but I'm not certain that I enjoyed it.  Certain themes seemed familiar, not just from Nemirovsky's life abut also from her book [[Jezebel by Irene Nemirovsky|Jezebel]].  I also found it difficult to warm to Helene in any way.  She had the worst of upbringings, knew little in the way of familial affection and the result is someone who is hard as nails.  The book is ''worth'' reading but there are other Nemirovsky novels which I'd go for first if your time is limited.  My favourites are [[Fire in the Blood by Irene Nemirovsky|Fire in the Blood]], published posthumously and [[The Dogs and the Wolves by Irene Nemirovsky|The Dogs and the Wolves]], a poignant love story.  For more from Finland, try [[Your Presence is Requested at Suvanto by Maile Chapman]].
 {{amazontext|amazon=0099520370}}

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 |buy=Yes
 |borrow=Yes
 |pages=256
 |publisher=Chatto & Windus
@@ Line 31: / Line 27: @@
 I admired this book, but I'm not certain that I enjoyed it.  Certain themes seemed familiar, not just from Nemirovsky's life abut also from her book [[Jezebel by Irene Nemirovsky|Jezebel]].  I also found it difficult to warm to Helene in any way.  She had the worst of upbringings, knew little in the way of familial affection and the result is someone who is hard as nails.  The books is ''worth'' reading but there are other Nemirovsky novels which I'd go for first if your time is limited.  My favourites are [[Fire in the Blood by Irene Nemirovsky|Fire in the Blood]], published posthumously and [[The Dogs and the Wolves by Irene Nemirovsky|The Dogs and the Wolves]], a poignant love story.
-{{amazontext|amazon=0099520370}} {{waterstonestext|waterstones=8371722}}
+{{amazontext|amazon=0099520370}}
 {{commenthead}}