Daughters Beyond Command

In Olmi’s sprawling family saga (after Beside the Sea), three sisters grow up in 1970s Aix-en-Provence while seeking independence from the stifling morals, education, and Catholicism of their parents. When middle sister Hélène, a vegetarian, refuses to dissect a frog in school, her older sister Sabine mockingly calls her a defender of animal rights. Later, with the rise of reproductive rights, women’s liberation movements, and a factory rebellion, the sisters debate animal rights, and Hélène argues with her mother about green politics and studies biology in college. Meanwhile, Sabine aspires to be an actor in the fickle theater world of Paris, and asthmatic Mariette, the youngest, keeps the shattering secrets of their parents’ wobbly marriage as she watches their mother assert herself as one of the country’s few female mail carriers. The leisurely pacing takes getting used to, but Olmi does a lovely job at blending historic moments with the characters’ personal touchstones without letting one overtake the other. For patient readers, Olmi’s panoramic vision packs in plenty of rewards. (Jan.)