Considered by many to be the iconic French memoirist’s defining work, The Years is a narrative of the period 1941 to 2006 told through the lens of memory, impressions past and present, cultural habits, language, photos, books, songs, radio, television, advertising and news headlines. Annie Ernaux invents a form that is subjective and impersonal, private and communal, and a new genre – the collective autobiography – in order to capture the passing of time. The Years is a monumental account of twentieth-century French history as refracted through the life of one woman.

This was an interesting read and a very interesting way to structure a nonfiction biographical story that skips through the time periods around world war 2 (i am not completely sure if it starts when the author herself was born 1940 or a little early or later? but around there) until 2016 (?).

it gives little snippets of insight into the historical moments, daily life and typical moments of the country during the times, reading almost like flipping through a photoalbum and getting little thoughts and memories of the person that put the album together.

it reminded me a bit if „Ducks, Newburyport“ in the way it was written (even though i am pretty sure this book „the years“ was written before the one i just mentioned but i read the other one before reading this one …) in that it felt as if we as the readers are getting the wandering thoughts of a person on topics -or in this books case specific times in history- but never to deep and in-depth but simple remembering something, shortly thinking about it before letting the mind wander on to the next topics.


i personally found that not the best style for a nonfiction work. if i get information about historical moments be it big evens or typical daily lives of everyday work people i want a bit more details. i want to be able to understand and feel and picture what is happening.

and sure in a way with this book and time time periods it talks about that is possible since most of us either have parents or grandparents that are in a similar age as the author and if you are European it’s very likely that -if the survived the ww2- they shared at least a little about the time around and/or after or what it was like growing up during a time directly after a horrendous war that left many places in europe in shambles.
also it is still pretty recent history and i would hope that most countries still teach the aftermaths of ww2.

what i mean with saying all that is that even without too many details a good of readers will understand most of what’s being said because in many cases it could connect with a personal story they have been told or something similar.

but is it really a good book and well written if it’s leans pretty heavily on the believe that the reader will have a basic understanding of those times in France and specifically Paris to fill in the missing pieces to make it all actually be meaningful?

clearly it is working since most other reviews i have seen so far from this book are highly rated and raving about how wonderful and even emotional this book and the reading experience was for them.

and i do understand how that could be that way…. but again maybe not necessarily because of how fantastic this book tells what it says but rather because the way it reminds readers of things?

and if that was the purpose?
well done!

but again i do not read autobiographical nonfictions to get snippets and skips through time that feel rather impersonal to the authors life.


i think this is a clear case of what you want from this type of book and how you will enjoy the writing style and what you want to read into the book.


if you want a clear cut nonfiction that just tells you the what and how? not the book for you!

if you want a book that is different and a bit strange not your typical nonfiction? go for it!

The Years is a narrative period of Annie Ernaux's life from 1941 to 2006. Having never having read anything by the author before I was intrigued; however, the style of writing did take me a few pages to get into the style of writing but then I read the book in one sitting. Interesting and evocative of each chapter of the author's life; now I'd like to read more of her work.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review

The Years is a personal narrative of the period 1941 to 2006 told through the lens of memory, impressions past and present—even projections into the future—photos, books, songs, radio, television and decades of advertising, headlines, contrasted with intimate conflicts and writing notes from 6 decades of diaries.

This is a history of a lifetime told through key world events and societal changes with a specific focus on how these changes affect women in France. There are no named characters instead we hear different thoughts from different women in different times as we move from the 1941 to 2006, my thoughts are the author herself is one of the women we hear from multiple times as there is mention of wanting to write this history, but in terms of character there is no one to relate to specifically or to develop with.

Plot development has the same issue this is the story of world events and as such there is no beginning, middle or end, there is no progress toward a central resolution or storyline in fact this book could carry on ad infinitum by relating new events as they occur.

I liked what this book was aiming to do however I think it fell short in the execution.

I never read Annie Ernaux before and I was a bit wary as it could have been a very sophisticated and dry book.
i was wrong: it's a memoir that talks about a collective experience, makes you think and remember similar experiences.
An excellent book, a great storyteller.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Ernaux very ably tracks a life from the first inchoate impressions and on through the years. Merging words, books, cinema, fashion, politics and giving us clear snapshots for all the years. Changing tone for the changing years.

I imagine the great amount of research undertaken to build up this book. I think if I was French I would have formed a greater connection to the book. As it is, most of the references flew right by me so I lost a lot because of that. That and the aloofness she maintains throughout the book are I think what made me not enjoy this as much Ias I thought I would.

An ARC kindly provided by author/publisher Fitzcarraldo, via Netgalley.

The Years – Annie Ernaux (translated from French by Alison L Strayer)

“All the images will disappear. ‘Thousands of words, the ones used to name things, faces, acts and feelings, to put the world in order, make the heart beat and the sex grow moist, will suddenly be nullified.”

Huge thank you to @fitzcarraldoeditions and @netgalley for giving me the opportunity to add to my Ernaux reading experience!

And what an experience this was. Having read books like “Happening” and “A Simple Passion”, I was not at all prepared for The Years. Whilst both those books and accompanying diaries are laser-focused, deeply personal affairs, “The Years” for me seemed to be attempting to tell the story of an entire generation, yet somehow also making it deeply personal as well.

Is such a thing even possible? Remarkably, yes – this short but dense book manages to cover 60 years of both personal memories and a shifting society, a generation born in the rubble of WWII and watching seismic changes in the world around them. Ernaux uses “we” or “they” throughout, melding her own experiences of sexual awakening, her family life and the advancement of her writing. I really enjoyed allusions to other events covered in more detail in her other works – her reference to learning Russian connects to “A Simple Passion”, her mother’s deteriorating health covered heartbreakingly in “I Remain in Darkness”.

The style is fascinating: a mix of colloquialisms, slogans from the time, song lyrics and film references mixed with photos and other aids to memory, both personal and cultural. Again, it’s that mix of the individual and the collective, the personal and the group, that really made this such a unique reading experience for me.

I loved this, but I’ve really enjoyed everything that Ernaux has published. My only reservation is whether you should start your Ernaux journey with this, or one of her more condensed and focused works, something like “Happening” or “A Simple Passion”. That said , this is an amazing book, and one of the best things I’ve read this year. Go out and get it.

Have you read Ernaux yet? Do you have a favourite?