Find Me in Havana

Find Me in Havana by Serena Burdick 336 pages

I have to admit that I was not familiar with the name Estelita Rodriguez, “one of Hollywood’s most celebrated actresses.” However when I Googled her, I did, somewhat, recognize her, mostly from the John Wayne film, “Rio Bravo.” Estelita died in 1966, but author Bursick interviewed her daughter, Nina, to help gain insight into this interesting woman.

The story is told in letters or journal entries from Estelia and Nina, but I found them awkward; I it was hard for me to know what year each entry was in.

It starts out as a mystery. Nina discusses her mother’s death. It seems that she doesn’t know if Estelita died of natural causes or was murdered. I think that is supposed to central to the novel, but I found it mostly to be an afterthought.

One of the biggest problems I had with reading this novel is that I was never sure who was really talking because the voices sounded exactly alike. Each chapter had a title and either “Mother” or “Daughter” to delineate the difference, but after I turned the page, I would forget who was talking.  

The hardships they endured, however, could never cut the ties between the two women. In fact, the mother-child relationship takes center stage and that part fascinated me. But, for me, the plot never went anywhere. There was little tension, even in the most desperate of times. And I’,m still not sure exactly how Estelita’s life ended. Therefore, Find Me in Havana receives 2 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

 

The Paris LIbrary

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles 368 pages

This fabulous novel explores the meaning of friendship, loyalty, and most important, the need--- and the desire---for information. It illustrates how important libraries are, even in these days of Google and the internet.

The library in this novel is The American Library in Paris. A real, still-functioning library in Paris’ 7^th arrondissement, ten minutes from the Eiffel Tower, celebrated its 100^th anniversary in 2020.  From their website: “The American Library in Paris was established in 1920 under the auspices of the American Library Association with a core collection of books and periodicals donated by American libraries to United States armed forces personnel serving their allies in World War I. The Library has grown since then into the largest English-language lending library on the European continent. It operates as a non-profit cultural association…”

I loved looking at the website photos to help clarify my visions of what the library looked during the novel’s time frame (1939-1944).  That is one timeline in this fabulous story. The other is 1986-87 and takes place in Montana.

The war years’ part of the story mostly takes place in the library. There is a whole cast of employees and patrons that readers get to know as the noose of the German Occupation grows tighter and tighter. However, the main protagonist is Odile (Oh-deal) Souchet. The Montana part of the story gives readers full-circle about what happened after the war.

Odile has just landed her dream job at the library. She is so happy to be there, she doesn’t even mind that her parents are desperately trying to find her a husband. Her dad, a police commissioner, is always bringing single officers home for Sunday dinner. Odile has no interest in marriage.

As the Nazis goose-step down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, most Parisians flee the city, except for the library employees and a few faithful patrons. The employees stay behind because they believe in their mission, to provide information and entertainment.

What happens in this novel is not unlike what is happening at libraries in 2021. They are doing their best to stay open and meet patrons’ needs. I work at a library (not on the frontlines though) and felt a symbiotic relationship with Odile and the others. Even when they were in danger (as our staff is with the coronavirus running amuck), they showed up to complete their mission---even if that meant home deliveries and hiding patrons of a certain religious persuasion.

I cannot recommend this novel highly enough. I also recommend visiting The American Library in Paris; website at americanlibraryinparis.org.

The Paris Library receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

 

The Girl from the Channel Islands

The Girl from the Channel Islands by Jenny Lecoat  304 Pages

This debut novel will make a great movie. Cinematically, yes. The scenery is breathtaking. But I doubt the acting will be able to match the authenticity of the people, place, and plot that author Lecoat puts into it.

In 1938, Hedy Bercu fled Vienna to avoid the Nazis; she had no doubts as to what will happen to her if she is ever outed as a Jew. This story begins place two years later on the island of Jersey, one of the archipelago of Channel Islands in the English Channel off the French coast of Normandy. 

I fell in love with the opening paragraph…so beautifully written that I read it three times to savor the imagery. It sets the beauty of the island front and center.  I love many mentions of the sea, the beaches and the waves throughout the novel.

But back to Hedy’s dilemma. Since her arrival she has been a nanny for the Mitchell family, but they have left the island with no plans to return. They leave behind everything they cannot carry and their cat, Hemingway.

Needing employment, Hedy registers with the Aliens Office.  Since Hedy speaks both German and English, she applies for a job as a German translator.  The Germans, desperate for her skills, ignore the large J on her registration card and put her to work. She keeps her head down and makes little contact with the other workers on the German base.

I found it a little hard to swallow that Hedy was not recognized.  It’s an island; I would think most of the residents know each, by sight if nothing else. 

Hedy has a few friends on the island, most notably the island doctor and her BFF, Anton. She meets the German Lieutenant who seems sympathetic to the Islanders’ plight.  But all through the story, Hedy doesn’t seem to know any of the other Islanders, which I found odd.

As the Germans and the Islanders settle into a wary co-existence that hovers over each page. Hedy decides to fight back. Her choice of resistance is extremely dangerous, but good for the island. When a large portion of the German Army lands on the island, Hedy is forced into hiding. Author Lecoat does a wonderful job with describing how Hedy manages this….as well as the rationing, the Islanders’ fear and the other sanctions of life on an occupied land.

Lecoat spent years researching and writing this little gem of a novel.  The fact that it is based on a true story makes it extra meaningful.

And somehow, through all this, Hedy finds love. I was most impressed with the beauty of the Island. I hope that it is still as beautiful.  The Girl from the Channel Islands receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

 

The Prisoner's Wife

 The Prisoner’s Wife by Maggie Brooks   400 pages

 It’s hard to imagine that with the plethora of World War II historical novels on the market that an author could stumble upon something new.  Luckily for readers everywhere, author Maggie Brooks has done just that. She first heard about it from an elderly man, Sidney Reed, in an elevator of all places. He told her he “had been in a Nazi prison camp where they sheltered a Czech woman disguised as a British solider.”  Brooks was hooked and met with Reed a few days later for the whole story. Reed wasn’t able to give full details, like the woman’s name, but the things he did tell her---like the names of the camps—were verifiable.  That information alone was enough to set Brooks on a research journey like no other.

It seemed that a British soldier, whom she called Bill, had been captured by the Nazis, in Czechoslovakia. He and other prisoners were sent to work on a farm, helping bring in the crops and other assorted jobs. Only an old woman, her daughter and her young son were left to do the work. The daughter was given the name of Izabela, or Izzy. The two fall in love. Izzy helps Bill escape, they marry. Izzy disguises herself as a British soldier so that if they are captured, they can stay together.

Of course, they are captured, bur her disguise works. The main focus of the story is how Bill and some of the other prisoners guard her. How they help and guard her during her periods, showers and using the latrine leaves little detail to the imagination. Horrifying reading, but this reader was unable to put the book down.

While the details of everyday life in the camps is nothing when it comes to the Long March West  they are forced to endure from Eastern Europe to Germany---500 miles with little clothing and even less food---in January through March of 1945. The weather is horrifyingly cold, snow falls almost all the time, and sometimes they are forced to sleep outdoors. Again, the descriptions of the cold, the hunger pains, the walking with frozen feet, the dysentery, the stomach cramps, the bare clothing are not left to the imagination.

I’ve read an enormous amount of World War II historical fiction, but this is the most detailed about the atrocities the POWs faced. I highly, highly recommend this book, and “The Prisoner’s Wife” receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.