Suite Francaise characters

First appears in chapter 3

The devout, status-conscious mother of the large Pericand household. As German forces approach Paris, she organizes the family's hurried departure with children, servants, luggage, and an elderly relative, trying to preserve domestic order amid the general panic.

First appears in chapter 3

Charlotte's teenage son, restless under his family's conventional expectations. The flight from Paris excites his desire to act independently and to take part in the national crisis rather than remain among the civilians.

First appears in chapter 3

Charlotte's adult son, a Catholic priest placed in charge of a group of troubled orphan boys during the exodus. Earnest and dutiful, he believes moral discipline can hold his charges together while ordinary institutions collapse around them.

First appears in chapter 2

A celebrated, self-important writer who flees Paris with Florence, his companion. He regards comfort, food, and the preservation of his manuscripts as matters of exceptional importance, even as he is forced onto the same crowded roads as everyone else.

First appears in chapter 5

A wealthy bachelor and collector whose attachment to beautiful possessions outweighs his sympathy for other refugees. He leaves Paris with treasured objects packed into his car and treats the disorder of the road chiefly as a threat to his private world.

First appears in chapter 6

A modest bank employee caught in the evacuation with his wife, Jeanne. Their employer denies them space in his car but still expects them to report for work away from Paris, leaving the couple to make the dangerous journey on foot.

First appears in chapter 6

Maurice Michaud's practical and devoted wife. She shares his exhausting journey out of Paris while both worry about their soldier son, Jean-Marie, from whom the invasion has cut off reliable news.

First appears in chapter 12

Maurice and Jeanne Michaud's son, a young French soldier separated from his unit during the retreat. Wounded and dependent on strangers, he experiences the war far from his anxious parents.

First appears in chapter 6

The Michauds' bank director, preoccupied with his business and his mistress during the evacuation. He expects obedience from employees whose safety he has done little to protect.

First appears in chapter 32

A young woman living in the village of Bussy with her formidable mother-in-law while her husband is a prisoner of war. Reserved and lonely within the Angellier household, she must receive a German officer billeted in their home.

First appears in chapter 32

Lucile's wealthy, severe mother-in-law, who manages family property and rents with close attention. She despises the occupying army and insists that Lucile maintain a cold, formal household around their German lodger.

First appears in chapter 33

A cultivated German officer assigned to the Angelliers' house in Bussy. A composer in civilian life, he behaves with restraint and courtesy, complicating Lucile's determination to see him only as a representative of the occupying force.

First appears in chapter 34

A farmer in Bussy who has returned from French military service embittered by defeat and occupation. Proud, suspicious, and protective of his household, he resents the German soldier billeted on his farm.

First appears in chapter 34

Benoit's young wife, admired in the village and unsettled by the attention of the German soldier lodged at the farm. Before marrying Benoit she had cared for the wounded Jean-Marie Michaud during the French retreat.

First appears in chapter 35

A German soldier billeted with Benoit and Madeleine. More intrusive than the officers quartered elsewhere in the village, he takes an unwelcome interest in Madeleine and deepens Benoit's anger at the occupation.

First appears in chapter 36

A local aristocrat who presents herself as dutiful and charitable under occupation. Her public concern for the village coexists with a strong instinct to protect her family's standing and property.