Another wonderful book by Irène Némirovsky. Not beautiful like Suite Française but harsh and bleak. It is a portrait of an old, rich, Jewish man who lives for business. He is thoroughly merciless and almost without love, but for his only daughter. The story takes you to a glittering world of jewels and houses by the sea but doesn't leave you envious as this world is so empty and unsatisfying. While the characters aren't likeable, their story is fascinating right up to the conclusion. A very enjoyable look at capitalism and perceptions of Jewishness in the 1920s.
David Golder is available at the Junee and Cootamundra branches of the Riverina Regional Library.
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