Scan barcode
nunuseli's review against another edition
5.0
'El baile' es un libro perfecto con todas las letras. No le sobra ni le falta nada. Es una pequeña obra maestra concentrada en menos de 100 páginas. Despierta mi envidia hasta límites insospechados.
Antoinette es una niña de 14 años, hija de un matrimonio que gracias a un golpe de suerte en la bolsa ha conseguido situarse en la alta sociedad del París de antes de la segunda guerra mundial. Por eso deciden celebrar un gran baile e invitar la flor y nata, pero no tienen pensado que Antoinette asista ni remotamente al baile, sino que dejarán que duerma en el cuarto de planchar, porque también necesitarán su habitación para que sirva de guardarropa. Evidentemente a Antoinette esto no le hace mucha gracia, que digamos.
No me gusta sólo porque todos los libros que se centran en chicas adolescentes me pirran, especialmente si están escritos por mujeres y puedo reconocer perfectamente lo que está relatando, porque Antoinette es un personaje tan real y tan creíble, con esos excesos melodramáticos y llenos de autocompasión, las fantasías de suicidio o los momentos "todo el mundo me odia". Pero no penséis que todo es angst, Némirovsky tiene un talento impresionante para analizar psicológicamente sus personajes, mostrándonos con realismo el egoísmo humano y nuestros peores defectos. Y lo mejor de todo es que no tiene piedad: es incisiva, mordaz y sarcástica. Critica tanto Antoinette con sus berrinches, como las pretensiones de los nuevos ricos, y también las envidias que despiertan en la gente que los rodea.
Pero a pesar de todo, a pesar de que los personajes están llenos de defectos, son tan reales que acabas compadeciéndote de ellos, porque todos sufren y tienen sus motivos, nada distintos de los nuestros: Antoinette, por ejemplo, sólo está impaciente para empezar a vivir, hacerse mayor y disfrutar de lo que le han prometido, mientras que su madre sólo se siente estafada porque no ha podido disfrutar de lo que le habían prometido y siente que se le está escapando el tiempo. Y es que la relación entre madre y hija está magistralmente descrita, de una forma cruda, detallando las envidias y los malentendidos que surgen entre ellas, ejemplificando lo distintas y lo iguales que son.
Pero no sólo por la descripción de personajes destaca esta obra, sino también por su estructura: con cuatro escenas yuxtapuestas nos cuenta unas vidas completas y la tensión va en aumento, creando un suspense incómodo, hasta el final impagable. Pocas veces me atrevo a recomendar libros, pero si recomendara éste creo que iría sobre seguro, porque es perfecto, ya lo he dicho antes.
Antoinette es una niña de 14 años, hija de un matrimonio que gracias a un golpe de suerte en la bolsa ha conseguido situarse en la alta sociedad del París de antes de la segunda guerra mundial. Por eso deciden celebrar un gran baile e invitar la flor y nata, pero no tienen pensado que Antoinette asista ni remotamente al baile, sino que dejarán que duerma en el cuarto de planchar, porque también necesitarán su habitación para que sirva de guardarropa. Evidentemente a Antoinette esto no le hace mucha gracia, que digamos.
No me gusta sólo porque todos los libros que se centran en chicas adolescentes me pirran, especialmente si están escritos por mujeres y puedo reconocer perfectamente lo que está relatando, porque Antoinette es un personaje tan real y tan creíble, con esos excesos melodramáticos y llenos de autocompasión, las fantasías de suicidio o los momentos "todo el mundo me odia". Pero no penséis que todo es angst, Némirovsky tiene un talento impresionante para analizar psicológicamente sus personajes, mostrándonos con realismo el egoísmo humano y nuestros peores defectos. Y lo mejor de todo es que no tiene piedad: es incisiva, mordaz y sarcástica. Critica tanto Antoinette con sus berrinches, como las pretensiones de los nuevos ricos, y también las envidias que despiertan en la gente que los rodea.
Pero a pesar de todo, a pesar de que los personajes están llenos de defectos, son tan reales que acabas compadeciéndote de ellos, porque todos sufren y tienen sus motivos, nada distintos de los nuestros: Antoinette, por ejemplo, sólo está impaciente para empezar a vivir, hacerse mayor y disfrutar de lo que le han prometido, mientras que su madre sólo se siente estafada porque no ha podido disfrutar de lo que le habían prometido y siente que se le está escapando el tiempo. Y es que la relación entre madre y hija está magistralmente descrita, de una forma cruda, detallando las envidias y los malentendidos que surgen entre ellas, ejemplificando lo distintas y lo iguales que son.
Pero no sólo por la descripción de personajes destaca esta obra, sino también por su estructura: con cuatro escenas yuxtapuestas nos cuenta unas vidas completas y la tensión va en aumento, creando un suspense incómodo, hasta el final impagable. Pocas veces me atrevo a recomendar libros, pero si recomendara éste creo que iría sobre seguro, porque es perfecto, ya lo he dicho antes.
lorees_reading_nook's review against another edition
sad
tense
fast-paced
3.75
Real rating 3.7
Despite the brevity of both stories in this book, I felt that the author expertly captured the essence of her main characters and was able to convey them to her readers. Antoinette is a typical teenager, self-centred with violent mood swings, that she gives into without thinking of the consequences as long as she has her revenge. It was uncomfortable to deal with her petulance but it made for a very realistic read. None of the Kampfs are likeable but I believe that this is intended. As a reader, I was never sure where my sympathies lay. Probably with none of them.
Snow In Autumn is a sadder story. The protagonist, Tatiana. Is an elderly servant who remains loyal to her masters even when faced with poverty and exile. It was heart-breaking to read about the plight of this stoic woman who left her beloved country and customs behind and tried to adapt to a new way of life. The writing is exquisite and Tatiana’s grief is palpable.
Both stories offer an insight into the harsh realities of family dynamics. But, whereas Le Bal is tense and dramatic, Snow In Autumn has a slower, melancholic pace. It was definitely my favourite of the two.
I highly recommend this book as an excellent introduction to Irene Nemirovsky’s writing.
Despite the brevity of both stories in this book, I felt that the author expertly captured the essence of her main characters and was able to convey them to her readers. Antoinette is a typical teenager, self-centred with violent mood swings, that she gives into without thinking of the consequences as long as she has her revenge. It was uncomfortable to deal with her petulance but it made for a very realistic read. None of the Kampfs are likeable but I believe that this is intended. As a reader, I was never sure where my sympathies lay. Probably with none of them.
Snow In Autumn is a sadder story. The protagonist, Tatiana. Is an elderly servant who remains loyal to her masters even when faced with poverty and exile. It was heart-breaking to read about the plight of this stoic woman who left her beloved country and customs behind and tried to adapt to a new way of life. The writing is exquisite and Tatiana’s grief is palpable.
Both stories offer an insight into the harsh realities of family dynamics. But, whereas Le Bal is tense and dramatic, Snow In Autumn has a slower, melancholic pace. It was definitely my favourite of the two.
I highly recommend this book as an excellent introduction to Irene Nemirovsky’s writing.
milesjmoran's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 for Le Bal. I really liked this story but I wasn't moved by it at all really. The premise is great, and the execution is good but I wanted a little something more from this.
4 for Snow in Autumn. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, which I think may have been due to the setting/subject (a wealthy Russian family flee to France in the wake of the Russian Revolution). Emotive, haunting and beautifully written, this is one I'll think about for a while.
4 for Snow in Autumn. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, which I think may have been due to the setting/subject (a wealthy Russian family flee to France in the wake of the Russian Revolution). Emotive, haunting and beautifully written, this is one I'll think about for a while.
d_iris's review against another edition
3.0
I thought that this book was harsh. The messed up realities of families and their dynamics are fascinating and heartbreaking. So I liked this book, I did, but I don't think I'd read it again.
bella_mckinnon's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
La Bal:
* well-written
* sharp, intense, fierce
* related to the angsty teen struggle of a child who despises their parent, thought it was clear and on-the-nose
* Antoinette’s lines about being so alone and knowing that things will get better one day while acknowledging her current situation is hopeless, was also painfully relatable and i though sensitively done
* good wit about the story
* sweet touch with the ending, on a surprising empathy and increased understanding of a petty woman going through her own struggles and projecting them on others
* good, enjoyable, quick read
* 5/5
Snow in Autumn:
* sharp, harsh
* paints vivid image of a cold, desperate, bleak living for a struggling family
* tragic
* loved the historical setting, their pov of the impact of the Bolsheviks
* excellent vivid descriptions of everything from the weather, to feelings, to despair, to human faces, and so on
* enjoyed the continuation of what seems to be a pattern in Nemirovsky’s works; sharp, straightforward characters hardened by lifetimes of misfortune
* as a lover of history, I pondered on this for a while “Death. He wasn’t afraid of it. But to leave this earth in the turmoil of a revolution, forgotten by everyone, abandoned…It was all so absurd…” — thought this was really interesting. It’s true we learn more about the drama of the revolutions and then how Bolshevism led to Lenism, Trotskyism and Stalinism, then the USSR and all that…amidst all that drama, we forget about the indivisible stories of the people who were immediately affected by the Bolshevik revolutions and later Russian history. Loved this line of thought.
* harder to follow than La Bal as there were more characters and the names were foreign to me so they took longer to get to, but this is no complaint really, just need to read a little bit more methodically
* really enjoyed, good read again — I feel like Nemirovsky could have had a lucrative career had she not been lost to us due to the horrific events of the Holocaust. Really tragic, she had immense potential.
* 4.75/5
* well-written
* sharp, intense, fierce
* related to the angsty teen struggle of a child who despises their parent, thought it was clear and on-the-nose
* Antoinette’s lines about being so alone and knowing that things will get better one day while acknowledging her current situation is hopeless, was also painfully relatable and i though sensitively done
* good wit about the story
* sweet touch with the ending, on a surprising empathy and increased understanding of a petty woman going through her own struggles and projecting them on others
* good, enjoyable, quick read
* 5/5
Snow in Autumn:
* sharp, harsh
* paints vivid image of a cold, desperate, bleak living for a struggling family
* tragic
* loved the historical setting, their pov of the impact of the Bolsheviks
* excellent vivid descriptions of everything from the weather, to feelings, to despair, to human faces, and so on
* enjoyed the continuation of what seems to be a pattern in Nemirovsky’s works; sharp, straightforward characters hardened by lifetimes of misfortune
* as a lover of history, I pondered on this for a while “Death. He wasn’t afraid of it. But to leave this earth in the turmoil of a revolution, forgotten by everyone, abandoned…It was all so absurd…” — thought this was really interesting. It’s true we learn more about the drama of the revolutions and then how Bolshevism led to Lenism, Trotskyism and Stalinism, then the USSR and all that…amidst all that drama, we forget about the indivisible stories of the people who were immediately affected by the Bolshevik revolutions and later Russian history. Loved this line of thought.
* harder to follow than La Bal as there were more characters and the names were foreign to me so they took longer to get to, but this is no complaint really, just need to read a little bit more methodically
* really enjoyed, good read again — I feel like Nemirovsky could have had a lucrative career had she not been lost to us due to the horrific events of the Holocaust. Really tragic, she had immense potential.
* 4.75/5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse
Mother is pretty verbally abusive to her daughter in 'Le Bal; gives me very narcissistic parenting vibes so if that's a trigger, fair enough.thedearest's review against another edition
4.0
Nemirovsky is my current literary love affair. She writes the most brilliant colourful bits of life. Le Bal is wickedly clever; Snow in Autumn is poignant. I'm gushing because I wouldn't review her in any other way.
jaymoran's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 for Le Bal. I really liked this story but I wasn't moved by it at all really. The premise is great, and the execution is good but I wanted a little something more from this.
4 for Snow in Autumn. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, which I think may have been due to the setting/subject (a wealthy Russian family flee to France in the wake of the Russian Revolution). Emotive, haunting and beautifully written, this is one I'll think about for a while.
4 for Snow in Autumn. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, which I think may have been due to the setting/subject (a wealthy Russian family flee to France in the wake of the Russian Revolution). Emotive, haunting and beautifully written, this is one I'll think about for a while.
carinofajardo's review against another edition
3.0
from The Book Hooligan
"A kind of giddiness took hold of her: the wild need to do something outrageous and evil. She clenched her teeth, crumpled up all the invitations, tore them into little pieces and threw them into the Seine. For a long while, her heart pounding, she watched them floating, caught against one of the bridge's arches. And then the wind finally swept them deep into the water." - Narrator, from Le Bal
"Back and forth they went, between their four walls, silently, like flies in autumn, after the heat and light of summer had gone, barely able to fly, weary and angry, buzzing around the windows, trailing their broken wings behind them" - Narrator, from Snow in Autumn
I love it when chain bookstores like Fullybooked and National Bookstore have sales. When you enter their bookstores and you see bins with books that are priced for as low as 50 pesos per book, then you will feel no guilt in buying books by authors that you have practically never heard of because that is what I do when I go to their sales and that is how I discovered authors like Paul Auster, Philip Roth, and Irène Némirovsky.
I bought Némirovsky's Le Bal at a Fullybooked sale held last July at The Fort. I knew nothing about her but I took a leap and bought her book because it seemed interesting and I have not regretted that decision. The book actually contains two novellas titled Le Bal and Snow in Autumn that discusses two different themes; the former discussed adolescent angst and the latter discussed the immigrant experience of Russian nobles after they were driven from their homes by the Bolsheviks. The two novellas are miles apart when it comes to their plot but they possess the same nuanced and pained writing by Némirovsky.
Le Bal is about Antoinette Kampf, an adolescent girl who grew in 1930s Paris under the shadow of poverty and only to be suddenly yanked from the shadows and then thrust into the glimmer of Parisian high society as their situation improves when her father comes across wealth through the stock market. She has a distant relationship with her father and a violent one with her mother as they both hate each other vehemently. Her mother is obsessed with gaining acceptance into high society and she can't be bothered to raise her daughter while Antoinette dislikes how her mother treats her and tries to conceive of a plan that will ruin her mother. When Madame Kampf decides to throw a grand ball, she refuses to present her daughter to admirers because she does not want Antoinette to steal the spotlight. Antoinette, who is in charge of the invitations, executed her revenge by ripping the invitations, in a fit of fury, to shreds and throwing them into the river Seine. The resulting absence of all of Parisian high society at the ball destroyed Madame Kampf, who does not know of Antoinette's revenge, and left her marriage in shambles as she wishes that her daughter does not suffer the same humiliation.
Such a story has been prevalent in modern pop culture especially in local films and television and it has been retold many times. But Le Bal possesses certain uniqueness as it tells the story without being melodramatic and contrived. Although I have heard that Némirovsky often uses the conflict between mother and daughter as a plot device to the point that it becomes tiresome, I have not yet read any of her works for me to complain about such a plot point. For me, the relationship and the conversations between the mother and the daughter is what drives the whole story.
However, my major gripe about Le Bal is that it does not possess a likable character and it doesn't even have a moment where you will like Antoinette. For me, it's okay if the character possesses unlikable characteristics but I think it's important for a reader to have a moment where he can sympathize, connect, or like the main character. Even Catcher in the Rye, a novel with a similar angst-riddled teenager, has moments where a reader can sympathize with the main character. Yes, Madame Kampf treats Antoinette horribly but Antoinette's thoughts are selfish and angry to the point where she has no redemption as a character. That, in my opinion, is a major flaw of the novella but it does not take away all of the pleasure in reading this piece and that may be because Le Bal is short therefore the readers does not have to suffer the unlikability of its characters.
The second novella, Snow in Autumn, tells the story of Tatiana, a servant of the Karines who are members of the Russian aristocracy who has fled Revolutionary Moscow for Paris. In Paris, the Karines and their servant, Tatiana, faces a life filled with hardship that is far from their comfortable life in Moscow. As time goes by, however, their stay in Paris seems to be taking a greater toll on Tatiana than on the members of the Karine family because, after a while, the family has moved on and has come to reluctantly accept their life of poverty in Paris while Tatiana still dreams of the day that she will return to the snows of Russia. Because of the increasing business of the Karines, Tatiana is neglected and she slowly spirals into despair and, one day, she hallucinates the coming of winter and snow and she goes out of the house, into the river, and drowns.
Némirovsky's skilled juxtaposition of the modern and fast-paced life of Paris and the provincial and moral life of Russia embodied by Tatiana is one of the more profound things that can be found in the novella along with how the Karines handled the immigrant experience that was cruelly forced upon them without warning. The way they bore their misfortunes at the hands of the Bolsheviks, their son dying, their losing their estate and the other hardships that they suffered just goes to show that revolutions and change are not always good.
Snow in Autumn is much better than Le Bal because Tatiana is more developed and more likable when compared to Antoinette. Also the struggle in Le Bal dwarfs in comparison to the monumental sufferings of the Karines in Snow in Autumn. That does not mean that struggles about adolescent life and about high society does not matter in the world of literature, it's just that Némirovsky, in my opinion, has failed to properly tell the conflict in Le Bal.
All in all, this collection of Némirovsky's novellas is a worthwhile read for anyone who is interested in authors that have almost faded into obscurity. Most of Némirovsky's work is published posthumously and it is lucky for readers around the world that her works have been recently rediscovered. That is certainly how I feel and I am looking forward to her other works which I have already bought in eager anticipation.
"A kind of giddiness took hold of her: the wild need to do something outrageous and evil. She clenched her teeth, crumpled up all the invitations, tore them into little pieces and threw them into the Seine. For a long while, her heart pounding, she watched them floating, caught against one of the bridge's arches. And then the wind finally swept them deep into the water." - Narrator, from Le Bal
"Back and forth they went, between their four walls, silently, like flies in autumn, after the heat and light of summer had gone, barely able to fly, weary and angry, buzzing around the windows, trailing their broken wings behind them" - Narrator, from Snow in Autumn
I love it when chain bookstores like Fullybooked and National Bookstore have sales. When you enter their bookstores and you see bins with books that are priced for as low as 50 pesos per book, then you will feel no guilt in buying books by authors that you have practically never heard of because that is what I do when I go to their sales and that is how I discovered authors like Paul Auster, Philip Roth, and Irène Némirovsky.
I bought Némirovsky's Le Bal at a Fullybooked sale held last July at The Fort. I knew nothing about her but I took a leap and bought her book because it seemed interesting and I have not regretted that decision. The book actually contains two novellas titled Le Bal and Snow in Autumn that discusses two different themes; the former discussed adolescent angst and the latter discussed the immigrant experience of Russian nobles after they were driven from their homes by the Bolsheviks. The two novellas are miles apart when it comes to their plot but they possess the same nuanced and pained writing by Némirovsky.
Le Bal is about Antoinette Kampf, an adolescent girl who grew in 1930s Paris under the shadow of poverty and only to be suddenly yanked from the shadows and then thrust into the glimmer of Parisian high society as their situation improves when her father comes across wealth through the stock market. She has a distant relationship with her father and a violent one with her mother as they both hate each other vehemently. Her mother is obsessed with gaining acceptance into high society and she can't be bothered to raise her daughter while Antoinette dislikes how her mother treats her and tries to conceive of a plan that will ruin her mother. When Madame Kampf decides to throw a grand ball, she refuses to present her daughter to admirers because she does not want Antoinette to steal the spotlight. Antoinette, who is in charge of the invitations, executed her revenge by ripping the invitations, in a fit of fury, to shreds and throwing them into the river Seine. The resulting absence of all of Parisian high society at the ball destroyed Madame Kampf, who does not know of Antoinette's revenge, and left her marriage in shambles as she wishes that her daughter does not suffer the same humiliation.
Such a story has been prevalent in modern pop culture especially in local films and television and it has been retold many times. But Le Bal possesses certain uniqueness as it tells the story without being melodramatic and contrived. Although I have heard that Némirovsky often uses the conflict between mother and daughter as a plot device to the point that it becomes tiresome, I have not yet read any of her works for me to complain about such a plot point. For me, the relationship and the conversations between the mother and the daughter is what drives the whole story.
However, my major gripe about Le Bal is that it does not possess a likable character and it doesn't even have a moment where you will like Antoinette. For me, it's okay if the character possesses unlikable characteristics but I think it's important for a reader to have a moment where he can sympathize, connect, or like the main character. Even Catcher in the Rye, a novel with a similar angst-riddled teenager, has moments where a reader can sympathize with the main character. Yes, Madame Kampf treats Antoinette horribly but Antoinette's thoughts are selfish and angry to the point where she has no redemption as a character. That, in my opinion, is a major flaw of the novella but it does not take away all of the pleasure in reading this piece and that may be because Le Bal is short therefore the readers does not have to suffer the unlikability of its characters.
The second novella, Snow in Autumn, tells the story of Tatiana, a servant of the Karines who are members of the Russian aristocracy who has fled Revolutionary Moscow for Paris. In Paris, the Karines and their servant, Tatiana, faces a life filled with hardship that is far from their comfortable life in Moscow. As time goes by, however, their stay in Paris seems to be taking a greater toll on Tatiana than on the members of the Karine family because, after a while, the family has moved on and has come to reluctantly accept their life of poverty in Paris while Tatiana still dreams of the day that she will return to the snows of Russia. Because of the increasing business of the Karines, Tatiana is neglected and she slowly spirals into despair and, one day, she hallucinates the coming of winter and snow and she goes out of the house, into the river, and drowns.
Némirovsky's skilled juxtaposition of the modern and fast-paced life of Paris and the provincial and moral life of Russia embodied by Tatiana is one of the more profound things that can be found in the novella along with how the Karines handled the immigrant experience that was cruelly forced upon them without warning. The way they bore their misfortunes at the hands of the Bolsheviks, their son dying, their losing their estate and the other hardships that they suffered just goes to show that revolutions and change are not always good.
Snow in Autumn is much better than Le Bal because Tatiana is more developed and more likable when compared to Antoinette. Also the struggle in Le Bal dwarfs in comparison to the monumental sufferings of the Karines in Snow in Autumn. That does not mean that struggles about adolescent life and about high society does not matter in the world of literature, it's just that Némirovsky, in my opinion, has failed to properly tell the conflict in Le Bal.
All in all, this collection of Némirovsky's novellas is a worthwhile read for anyone who is interested in authors that have almost faded into obscurity. Most of Némirovsky's work is published posthumously and it is lucky for readers around the world that her works have been recently rediscovered. That is certainly how I feel and I am looking forward to her other works which I have already bought in eager anticipation.
canadianbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
These two novellas are strong stories,with most of the story within the protagonist's head. In Le Bal, a nouveau riche couple plan to hold their first ball, but don't include their young teen daughter in the invitations. As we look at things from young Antoinette's point of view as she exercises revenge for her mother's dismissive attitude, we see the desparation for acceptance of Madame Kampf, the relationship between the Kampf's and their social situation.
In the second story, we look at things from the point of view of a devoted servant, who has served the Russian aristocratic family for years, and emigrates with them to Paris. Tatiana has been with the family since the current master was a baby and she finds that changed finances of the family difficult as well as being homesick for the Russian winters.
These are both strong stories, very character driven, and one cannot help but wonder if they would have evolved into novels had Nemirovsky lived.
In the second story, we look at things from the point of view of a devoted servant, who has served the Russian aristocratic family for years, and emigrates with them to Paris. Tatiana has been with the family since the current master was a baby and she finds that changed finances of the family difficult as well as being homesick for the Russian winters.
These are both strong stories, very character driven, and one cannot help but wonder if they would have evolved into novels had Nemirovsky lived.