Ike and Kay

Ike and Kay by James MacManus   327 pages

History is no stranger to men, and women, having affairs. Sometimes it becomes common knowledge (I’m thinking particularly of JFK here), and sometimes it stays closeted in the past. History has left two memoirs by Kay Summersby (from the mid 1970s), that leave no doubt that she and Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower fell deeply in love during his time in England, North Africa, and France.

It all began in England, where Eisenhower was sent in May 1942 on a fact-finding mission. Kay Summersby was an ambulance driver reassigned to become Ike’s driver. It was her job to chauffer him to and from wherever he needed to go.

They took an immediate liking to each other. As time passed, the two became closer. When Ike had to go to North Africa, he insisted that Kay come along as his driver. In fact, he insisted that she go wherever he went: lunches with Churchill, meetings with Roosevelt, or drinks with other generals under his command. They spent quiet evenings alone playing bridge. She bought him a puppy and found him a cottage so he could rest more easily than in hotel.

Ike even went so far as to have Kay granted American citizenship and had plans to bring her to the States after the war. But there was one large hole in his grand plans: his wife, Mamie. When Army officials learn of his plans to divorce, they step in, knowing that great things lie ahead for the man who led the Allies to victory over the Nazis/

Historic fiction writer (most of the time, he does have a couple of contemporary novels under his belt) James MacManus has taken an historic footnote and created an atmospheric, compelling novel that was almost impossible to put down, even though readers know how it ends.  The novel did get off to a slow start for about the first 50 or so pages, but don’t get discouraged. It’s worth the read.  “Ike and Kay,” which receives 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

All the LIght We Cannot See

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr   531 pages

All the Light We Cannot See has been on the New York Times bestseller list for 37 week (as of this writing)   and was a 2014 National Book award finalist. The book jacket states it Doerr spent a decade writing this story. I can see why, it’s filled with historical details.

Marie-Laure has been blind since she was six years old.  Now fourteen, she and her father live in Paris on the eve of WWII.

Werner has a gift with radios. His “knack” leads the orphan boy to be admitted into a brutal branch Hitler’s Youth Army.

The story weaves back and forth between Marie-Laure and Werner, each chapter no more than two to three pages.

All the Light We Cannot See in not another WWII story. It’s not plot-driven, but character driven, except the small scenario of a stolen gem.

Marie-Laure and her father are forced to flee Paris as the Nazi’s march in. They escape to Saint-Malo to the home of her great-uncle and his eccentric housekeeper.

As Werner becomes a soldier and his expertise with radios and tracking signals becomes well-known, he isn’t sent to the front lines. He’s sent into France to help track the Resistance.

Eventually, and inevitably, Marie-Laure and Werner’s paths cross in Saint-Malo. The intertwined tales recreates in harrowing detail the deprivation for civilians in Nazi-occupied  France and the brutality of Hitler’s soldiers.

It almost seems that All the Light We Cannot See would be a hard book to read. However, given the magic of Doerr’s writing, it becomes a book of hope.