This beautifully written novel follows the blossoming of a love affair under sunny Basque skies and its subsequent demise in a drab Paris Autumn. Set in France after the Great War the novel also examines what happens when there is inequality, both of wealth/status and need in a relationship. Nemirovsky's beautiful prose evokes the sights, sounds and smells of the seaside resort of Hendaye which work their magic on Denise, a bored but wealthy young wife and Yves, a young man, fallen on hard times, who is taking his annual break from an unfulfilling desk job in Paris. However, once back in Paris the gap between their lifestyles and their ways of loving become unbridgeable and they become incapable of understanding each other - it is inevitable that the idyll will end. We leave Denise, the abandoned mistress, to reflect sadly "So it's over, it's over...And I didn't even know that was happiness ... And now, it's over ..." If you care about the art of fiction - if it is important to you to feel empathy with the characters and to see into their hearts, don't miss this!

A short book, but full of intricate yet delicate language. This is both a credit to the author and the translator, who has managed to translate her prose wonderfully, without losing meaning in translation, or losing readers in the difference in culture. A timeless story, which could be told over in different times and cultures, well written with just enough not answered, to leave you wanting, and also knowing that in love not everything is answered, or has reason. The translators notes and additional historical information in the book also help to place the story, and it is very appealing that a woman of such a young age in post WWI France could write such a novella

If not very original, The Misunderstanding is very moving. Surprisingly for such a young writer, Irene Nemirovsky perfectly succeeded in translated the complexity of the main protagonists' feelings and in many occasions I found myself empathising with Denise and reminiscing on personal experience. I found her character irritating, sometimes even infuriating, which is a definite positive: what good would a book do if it didn't stir strong emotions in the reader? The Misunderstanding is a quick, very pleasant read on a classical, well analysed topic.

Fans of Suite Francaise are sure to enjoy this novel. Shorter in scope and ambition than her later work, The Misunderstanding was written by Irene Nemirovsky when she was only twenty one. The story is set in South West France and in Paris just after the Great War and is a portrayal of a love affair worn down by the realities of everyday life and raises the question of what love means in a world radically changed by war. Romantic and lyrical, this first novel may lack the subtlety and depth of Nemirovsky’s later work but nevertheless shows the promise of the emotional and psychological insights that we see in her mature novels and short stories. Nemirovsky invites us into the hearts and the minds of Yves and Denise as they embark on an extra-marital affair, and seamlessly weaves their narratives, leaving us with empathy and understanding, if not total sympathy for both characters.

This book may be short, but the story it contains is captivating. It is in essence a story of a couple in love, and misunderstandings which may arise through their behaviour. It is a pleasure to read.