Listen free for 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Fires of Autumn cover art

The Fires of Autumn

Written by: Irène Némirovsky
Narrated by: Veronika Hyks
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $13.65

Buy Now for $13.65

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

With elegant simplicity and unswerving honesty, Irene Nemirovsky chronicles the brutalizing effects of war on three ordinary Parisian families whose lives intertwine, spanning the years between 1912 and 1941.

What starts out as a glorious campaign in 1914, full of optimistic declarations of France's greatness, soon turns to shame and cynicism as the conflict drags on. Parisians, suffering from cold and hunger, seem unable or unwilling to comprehend the horrors of the trenches. Others, seeing the main chance, prosper as black-market racketeers.

Bernard, who had enlisted with high hopes, returns from the Western Front hardened and disillusioned; his one aim, as he faces the interwar years, is to make money in whatever way possible and to indulge his senses. For his childhood friend, Therese, widowed at 22, the pursuit of happiness now seems an impossible dream.

Public Domain (P)2015 Aquarium Audio Books

What the critics say

"To say this is a 'disturbing' novel is to simplify the response it arouses. One puts it down with unqualified admiration and a shudder of the mind." (John Sutherland, The Times)
"Beautifully promising...powerful, poignant." (Michele Roberts, Independent)
"Her writing is harder and more vicious.... Nemirovsky is fascinated by the impact of war on human behavior." (Louise Heighes, Metro)
"Revelatory...gripping and illuminating." (Peter Kemp, Sunday Times)

What listeners say about The Fires of Autumn

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.