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This Strange Eventful History: A Novel

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Longlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize • Longlisted for the 2024 Giller Prize • Winner of the 2024 Deborah Pease Prize A 2024 New York Times Best Historical Fiction Book • One of the Washington Post's 10 Best Books of 2024 • A New Yorker Best Book of 2024 • A Boston Globe Best Book of 2024 • A Financial Times Best Book of 2024 • A Vogue Best Book of 2024 • An Oprah Daily Best book of the Year • A Slate Best Book of the Year • A Chicago Public Library Must- Read of 2024 • A Literary Hub Best Book of 2024 • A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2024 • A Bookpage Best Book of the Year • A Publisher's Weekly Best Book of the Year • A Booklist Best Book of 2024 An immersive, masterful story of a family born on the wrong side of history, from one of our finest contemporary novelists.Over seven decades, from 1940 to 2010, the pieds-noirs Cassars live in an itinerant state―separated in the chaos of World War II, running from a complicated colonial homeland, and, after Algerian independence, without a homeland at all. This Strange Eventful History, told with historical sweep, is above all a family story: of patriarch Gaston and his wife Lucienne, whose myth of perfect love sustains them and stifles their children; of François and Denise, devoted siblings connected by their family’s strangeness; of François’s union with Barbara, a woman so culturally different they can barely comprehend one another; of Chloe, the result of that union, who believes that telling these buried stories will bring them all peace.Inspired in part by long-ago stories from her own family’s history, Claire Messud animates her characters’ rich interior lives amid the social and political upheaval of the recent past. As profoundly intimate as it is expansive, This Strange Eventful History is “a tour de force…one of those rare novels that a reader doesn’t merely read but lives through with the characters” (Yiyun Li). Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company (May 14, 2024)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 448 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 039363504X


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 41


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.4 x 1.5 x 9.4 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #3,932 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #93 in Family Saga Fiction #204 in Family Life Fiction (Books) #476 in Literary Fiction (Books)


#93 in Family Saga Fiction:


#204 in Family Life Fiction (Books):


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • Brava to Messud!
Messud is quite the masterful writer, which is showcased here to perfection through a fascinating storyline, elegant, picturesque prose and intricate character development. Long-listed for the Booker in July 2024, this work of historical fiction is something of a roman a clef about Messud’s French-Algerian family. As they cope with diaspora created by fleeing a country that ceases to exist, the “Cassat” family is followed from the 1920’s to 2010, and through multiple host countries, including France, Switzerland, Argentina, Australia, Canada and the US. The Epilogue reveals a family shocker. Well done! ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2024 by Cactus Wren
    • Melancholy, poignant family saga of exile
In this sweeping novel, Messud clearly depicts the trauma of exile that can be passed down through families--and the longing for a country that no longer accepts you. The landscape, the light, the sea are part of the characters' DNA. But here's my criticism. Though I stand in awe of Messud's talent as a writer--her lyrical passages, her use of time to tell a great story--I found myself bogged down in this novel on occasions. Because it traverses at least 70 years and several generations, it's easy to get lost in the genealogy, particularly that of the earlier pied-noir characters. SPOILER ALERT: A diagram of the family relationships would have been helpful, yet after finishing the final chapter I understand why that was not included. But the revelation left me wanting more explanation surrounding the oldest generations. Still, I gave the work four stars, because I believe that so few writers could handle the complexity of such a work, which left me a feeling of deep melancholy. Those who are expecting a quick read, with lots of action, will be disappointed. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2024 by Garance
    • A hard slog
I am a person who loves to read. Just finished Turn of the Screw again. Well it had been 30 years so I had forgotten much of it. Even though the writing was very dense and slow going, it drew me in and I could not wait for the next chance to pick it up. There are so many things about this book that were frustrating and caused me to not want to read any further. First, the author tells the story from the point of view of almost every character. But when she starts a chapter with a new character she doesn’t even hint at which character it is until you are several pages in and the person becomes known. What a peculiar way to write! Next irritating thing is that the book is almost Russian in the long long list of characters involved. I wish I would have kept a list but by the time I realized where we were going it was too late. And I had also come to find most of them rather mundane. No big thoughts in this book! I plowed ahead and did finish the book, but I felt nothing when it ended. The author tried to squeeze a tear out of me but I did not feel anything for the main character at all. He just whined A LOT and bemoaned his fate, and felt under appreciated when he actually was not a nice person. This book has been lauded by many. It didn’t do a thing for me. I recommend The Turn of the Screw. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2024 by Wolfe
    • New knowledge
Fascinating to learn about the pied-noir of Algeria, the generations of French nationals born in Algeria who considered it their country, had to leave at the time of the revolution, but were not really accepted in France and no longer felt like they had a home. Based on author's family history, good characters and plot, very well-written. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2024 by Jayne T.
    • Good novel.
Interesting novel encompassing a broad time in history, geography, and a family. I enjoyed its broad view but sometimes it felt a little too spread out. Still recommending it!
Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2024 by E DIEPPA Jr
    • story of three generations of a pied-noir family from Algeria, brilliantly told
I found this book beautifully written and so fascinating I could not stop reading once I was a third of the way into it. I have read other of Messud's books and this is my favorite. Each character is fully developed; the historical background is well-done, fully drawn and intrinsically interesting; and each of the characters has his or her own hidden flaw or tragedy yet all engage the reader's sympathy. The prose is alternately spare and stately, and there is never gratuitous sex or violence as there is in so many novels today. Yes, there is a "secret" at the heart of the novel but it is not the main point. And one can feel throughout that there is love as well as misunderstanding between every one of the characters. The book reads as if we are encountering a real family--one we might, under different historical circumstances have lived in ourselves. A masterpiece. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2024 by pangur
    • Sweeping family saga; blockbuster ending.
A novel that encompasses 50 years, three generations, 7 family members, six countries, three cultures - beautifully unified on the last few pages. The best sentences I have read in years: flowing, multiple meaning, and lyrical. Thank you Ms. Messud.
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2024 by Tedrowe
    • Very used book
Review Image by Brenda Donald Brenda Donald
Review Image by Brenda Donald Brenda Donald
I don’t recall ordering a used book, but if I did, I wouldn’t expect it to look like this. It appears as though someone used it as a cup holder. And there’s no dust jacket so I can’t even read the synopsis. Oh well, I hope It’s a good read
Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2024 by Brenda Donald Brenda Donald

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