Hidden Yellow Stars

Hidden Yellow Stars by Rebecca Connolly 304 pages

 

Andrée Geulen. Ida Sterno. The world should know these names, but like many stories from World War II, they have been forgotten. Until now. Hidden Yellow Stars is not just another novel about Jewish people fighting in the Resistance. These two women, along with a cadre of undercover operatives, saved hundreds of Jewish from certain death by hiding them throughout Belgium.

 

The novel begins in 1942. Andrée is a young schoolteacher whose Aaryan features allow her to move about freely. Ida recruits Andrée to join her in her work with the Committee for the Defense of Jews (Never having heard of the CDJ, that was an interesting rabbit hole to go down!). Andrée immediately says yes and begins what is a fulfilling and harrowing journey.

 

The CDJ works with a complex variety of Belgian citizens, convents, schools and monasteries who can safely hide the Jewish children. Each child is given a non-Jewish name and their whereabouts are tracked through an elaborate coding system, that if ever seized by the Gestapo will certainly mean death, or something worse. Andrée vows to reunite as many families as she can once the war is over. She memorizes their true names, original place of residence and their parents’ names.

 

When Andrée is assigned a new child/children to relocate, she does her best not to stick out to the Nazis. A woman on a train with five children, for example, will certainly cause scrutiny. There are many harrowing, barely escaping episodes where Andrée was only one step ahead of the Gestapo.

 

The story is nail-biting. Will they be captured? And if so, what will happen to the children?

 

For some reason, when I was started reading, I wasn’t sure if this was based on a true story or not. But in reading the Author’s Notes, I understood more of the story behind the story. There were many acronyms used that I kept forgetting their meaning and had to turn back several pages to remember them. That is why Hidden Yellow Stars receives 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world instead of 6 out of 5.

  

The Porcelain Maker

The Porcelain Maker by Sarah Freethy 384 pages

 

There is a plethora of World War II novels on the bookshelves, and I expect a plethora more to appear as 100 years start to creep up on us. One hundred years since Hitler rose to power, one hundred years since he invaded Poland and the list goes on and on. The way time flies for me anymore, 2045 will be here in a week.

 

Many of the WWII books I have read center on the citizen soldier, the more formal Resistance the concentration camps, etc. with the goal of beating the Germans, Italians and Japanese. But The Porcelain Maker is different. It has a different tone and feel that made this novel. Debut novelist Freethy takes one item from the history books: the porcelain factory that was located near Dachau. The novel also has a structure that I so love: dual narratives.

 

It's 1993. Clara Vogel has never known who her biological father was. Now that her mother, the world-renown artist, Bettina, has passed away, Clara feels she can begin her search. Although she doesn’t hold much hope, she wants to try. Her mother refused to talk about the past, but Clara understands that there is a connection between Bettina’s art and the porcelain factory that I mentioned above. It’s all she has to go on.

 

The other narrative, 1925-1946, is Bettina’s story. A budding, talented artist, Bettina is making a name for herself in a Germany that didn’t know Hitler and his thugs. She falls in love with Max and the two begin to plan a life together. Max is an Austrian Jew who is also gaining respect from his peers around the world.

 

This book is about three voyages. Clara’s journey to learn her father’s name. Bettina’s is about to survive the war and keep her child safe, no matter what it takes. Max’s journey is also to survive the war and find his way back to Bettina so they can live they dreamed.

 

It’s also about faith, perseverance and the juxtaposition of beauty and unimaginable horrors. Readers will know the ultimate outcome of the novel before the end of the first chapter, but the journeys captured my heart. The Porcelain Maker gets 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

The Lipstick Bureau

The Lipstick Bureau by Michelle Gable 464 pages

Normally, I’m a big fan of author Michelle Gable’s. I fell in love with her work with her debut novel, “A Paris Apartment;” then again with her fourth (“The Summer I Met Jack”) and fifth (The Bookseller’s Secret”) novels. This woman can write historical fiction!

In this, her sixth novel, we get a World War II saga that is based on the real life OSS operative Lauwers. It never fails to surprise me that with all the WWII-era books out there based on real figures that there is anyone left to influence a novel.

This one is a little different. Instead of resistance groups, concentration camps and those left behind on the home front, author Gable takes readers into the moral operations within the OSS (predecessor to the CIA).

Czech-born Niki Novotna has become an American, a newlywed with a failing marriage, and stationed in bomb-shattered, yet liberated Rome.  Her job is to write false propaganda that can dropped behind enemy lines. Looking as if the leaflets were produced in Germany, they disseminate such false information that Hitler is dead, the Allies are closer than then they think and the end of the war is very near.

Then Niki’s job is to get the prepared publications in the enemy’s hands.  That is the hard part! She comes up with a rather unorthodox way to get the information to the enemy, especially since the Air Force and the Army are more interested in dropping bombs than dropping propaganda. Her new idea borders on violating the Geneva Convention.

This book looks at the interactions of the Special Operations: Rome than how the enemy perceives the information.

Niki and her officemates are referred to as “The Lipstick Bureau,” but there were as many men in the office as women. Maybe it includes the “other” group of Italian women Niki paid to get the information out.

Y’all know how I love dual narratives. Most of the book takes place from 1943-45 and 1989. It doesn’t work. It wasn’t necessary and could have easily been deleted. However, it had to stay because this book is loosely based on the real-life operative, Barbara Lauwers, and their efforts to help win the war.

I found the office workings often tedious and lacking a forceful plot. Therefore, “The Lipstick Bureau” received 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

 

That Summer in Berlin

That Summer in Berlin by Lecia Cornwall 464 pages

England, 1935. Hitler has risen to power in Germany, yet the world isn’t sure if he poses a danger or merely a nutcase.

On the England’s south coast, debutant Viviane Alden is headed to a party. The same boring type of party with the same people, all looking for a suitable partner for marriage. Trouble is, Viviane isn’t interested in marriage. Not right now anyway. She was to take photographs, and she is excellent at it.

The right people see her photographs, and she is recruited as a spy. It’s not unusual for Viviane to go to Berlin in 1936. After all, the world is flocking there for the Summer Olympics that are slated to take place. They should be quite the spectacle as the world waits to see how Hitler will handle any Jews on any team. 

While the world turns its attention to Berlin, Hitler and his gang of thugs are on their best behavior. They erase any sign of antisemitism, welcoming visitors with examples of peace and goodwill. It’s Viviane’s job to use her camera as a tool to uncover the darkness that hides right beneath the surface.

She is partnered with a journalist, Tom, to reveal the truth that Germany is preparing for war. The two manage to get into a few scraps and dangerous situations, but I never felt they were truly in harm’s way. The novel did not have as much tension as I had expected. In places it plodded along.

However, I was captivated by the Opening Ceremonies of the 1936 Summer Olympic Games. Seeing the event through Viviane’s lens was quite remarkable, but it wasn’t enough to propel this novel into a 4-star read. Therefore, “That Summer in Berlin” received 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan 432 pages

In today’s world, we think we know about supply shortages due to covid. However, what we are experiencing today is nothing like the Europeans experienced during World War II. Shortages are at the heart of Jennifer Ryan’s latest novel, in particular wedding dresses.

Three female protagonists help tell the story of the women on England’s Homefront as they band together to help each other through the war years. The novel is set in Aldhurst Village and London

Readers are first introduced to Grace Carlisle. Daughter of the local Vicar, Grace is a shy, quiet young girls, helping however and whenever she can. She is engaged to a vicar from another village. Throughout the novel, Grace comes to realize that she is marrying Lawrence for all the wrong reasons. With the wedding not far off, Grace tries desperately to mend her late mother’s wedding dress that has been eaten by moths and mites.

Cressida Westcott is a well-known fashion designer in London. She is a workaholic, never marrying or having children. During the Blitz, Cressida’s home and design house are victims of the Nazi planes, leaving her homeless and without a source of income. She has no choice but to go to her ancestral home in Aldhurst Village, where her only niece and nephew reside. Will they take her in? Or are they like their father, Cressida’s brother? A hate-filled old goat.

The third protagonist is Cressida’s niece, Violet Westcott. With all the men away at war, aristocrat Violet is sure she will wind up a spinster, unable to make a suitable match with a titled man. Then Violet’s conscription letter arrives. She is in despair at the boring uniform.

Cressida goes to the village sewing circle. A group of women meet every week and sew together. Grace goes for help with her mother’s dress. Cressida goes to teach the women some basic sewing skills, and Violet goes for want of anything else to do.

This circle is where the wedding dress for every bride is born. The village women donate their dresses while Cressida contacts her old clients to donate theirs, and a movement is born. The idea of a white dress for every bride is true. Be sure to read the author’s notes for the scoop on how dresses for brides grew and grew, eventually with the United States participating,

I enjoyed reading “The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle.” It interesting, but not riveting; therefore “The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

The Last Bookshop in London

The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin  320 pages

Two young women, both eighteen years old, come to the big city of London from the English country side. Grace and Viv have aspirations of being shop assistant’s at Harrod’s. However, they need letters of recommendation, but only Viv has one. Grace had been living with her uncle’s family and running his store since the death of her mother. He was a mean man and refused to help his niece.

Upon their arrival in London, the girls had a place to stay---with Mrs. Weatherford and her son, Colin. Mrs. Weatherford had been her mother’s closest friend. The girls felt comfortable staying with her.

It’s August 1939. Hints of the impending war are being seen around London. Viv gets her position, leaving Grace to feel left behind. Mrs. Weatherford steps in and arranges for Grace to work at the Primrose Hill Bookshop. Browbeating the owner, Mr. Evans is more like it though. At first, Grace is extremely apprehensive about taking the position. She has never been a reader and knows nothing about books and literature.

When she arrives for her first day, she is dismayed by the clutter, the dust, and the lack of any kind of structural organization for the books. Grace knows how to organize and clean, so she gets to work.  It’s a daunting task, but she has no choice if she wants that recommendation letter.

Soon, Grace has made inroads to the mess. She even begins to offer help to the store’s customers. She meets one of the store’s regulars, George, an RAF pilot who loves the written word. George sees her distress and encourages her to read. She starts with “The Count of Monte Cristo.” As Grace falls into the story, she and George strike a small romance, sharing books and plotlines.

The Germans begin their attack on England with the London Blitz. Viv leaves Harrod’s to join the war effort with the ATS (Auxiliary Territorial Service – a branch of the British Army). Again Grace is left behind; With Colin recently drafted, she feels she cannot leave Mrs. Weatherford or Mr. Evans.

Grace, though does part and becomes an ARP (Air Raid Patrol) warden. With her partner, Mr. Stokes, she walks the blacked out streets, helping those who have been impacted by the nightly bombings. 

As the bombs fall, Grace, on her nights off, and Mrs. Weatherford are forced to join the rest on London’s citizens taking cover in the underground tube station. There she sees her neighbors and some of the bookshop’s customers. To make the nights less scary, Grace begins to read aloud. Soon, many of her tube-mates join the ever-growing circle around Grace’s voice. It is here, safe as possible from falling German bombs, that Grace begins to learn the power of books.

 Author Martin does  a wonderful job in pulling me in from the very first page. I also like how the Blitz is a character, doing what it needs to do so that Grace can stay connected.  I really enjoyed this novel, and The Last Bookshop in London receives 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

 

Lana's War

Lana’s War by Anita Abriel 336 pages

Paris 1943. Lana Hartman, formerly Lana Antanova, is hurrying to visit her musician husband, Frederic, at the convent where he teaches. She cannot wait to share that they are to have a baby! She slows when she sees a German truck parked in front.

 Unsure of what is happening, she peeks in the window just in time to witness Frederic trying to hide Jewish children. The Gestapo is relentless and soon discovers another girl hiding in the piano. Lana is watching when the Gestapo shoots Frederic in cold blood.  She stumbles to their apartment where she loses the baby.

Through her ties to the convent, Lana is introduced to Henri, a member of the French Resistance. He has come to tell her the name of the Nazi-bastard who killed Frederic and, ultimately, the baby and recruit her.

 Henri is interested in more than helping Lana getting revenge. Lana is the daughter of a Russian countess. She is beautiful. She is young. She is royalty. She would be an asset with their work on the French Riviera.

I’ve read a lot of novels about the French Resistance, but none of those novels ever took place in one of the most beautiful spots in the world. It was a nice change of pace, and the landscape becomes one of the characters.

Lana throws some of her mother’s evening gowns in a bag and boards a train. Her cover is that she is the live-in mistress of wealthy Swiss industrialist and fellow fighter. Lana’s job is to use her beauty and elegance to gain information from the Nazis who were enjoying some time off from the war that would help them to help Jews escape. Lana and Guy are the perfect couple and attend parties most evenings.

I enjoyed Abriel’s novel as it was a little different. The tension was adequate, but not high. What really forced me to give Lana’s War 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world is the ending.  It was so predictable. The novel would have been much more realistic without it.

I'm Staying Here

 I’m Staying Here by Marco Balzano (translated from the Italian by Jill Foulston)  224 Pages

If you like suspense, I think you’ll enjoy “I’m Staying Here.” The book has a quiet suspense that builds with every sentence. This also caused some weird feelings as I read it because a mother, Trina, is narrating this story to her long-lost daughter, Marcia. I knew that Trina would address Marcia as “you,” but it always unnerved me.

The story opens in 1923 as the flames of Fascism begin to rise. Seventeen-year-old Trina lives in the small community of Curon in South Tyrol, in the annexed Austrian territory. She has qualified to teach, but Mussolini has outlawed German, Trina’s native language, as a teaching language. She goes underground, teaching wherever she can.

In 1939, as Hitler and his Nazism expand, Germany offers the people of Curon a choice. They can participate in the “Great Option,” ---leave Italy and join the Reich. The town is divided and afraid. Trina and her family decide to stay, that is their home. At one point they try to escape, but climbing the mountains to reach Switzerland is treacherous. Not only the physical strength required but also by the emotional and psychological strength to hide from the Russians and the Nazis. What is home and what makes a place a home is at the heart of this novel. It is something that Trina and her family wrestle with as the novel progresses.

I’m Staying Here receives 5 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.

 

 

Last Voyage of the Valentina

Last Voyage of the Valentina by Santa Montefiore   416 pages

I first learned of English author Santa Montefiore by reading the Royal Rabbits of London series that she co-authors with her husband.  I wanted to read one that was entirely hers, so I chose Last Voyage of the Valentina, mainly because half of the story takes place on Italy’s Amalfi Coast.

 The story focuses on Alba who lives in the London suburb of Chelsea on a houseboat named the Valentina, named after her deceased mother. Alba is one of the unhappiest characters that I have come across in recent memory. She hates to be alone, which explains why she has a steady stream of fellows going in and out of her boat each and every night.

Alba is basically a slob, but one day when she peers under her bed and finds a rolled up piece of paper wedged between the slats. It’s one of the three portraits her father drew of her mother before she died. She takes the portrait to her father’s home, hoping this might ease the chasm between them.  It also stirs something deep inside Alba….the need to find her mother’s family.

The novel weaves back and forth between 1945 Italy when her parents met and courted to 1971 London, Alba’s time.

The story is a rather predictable and I didn’t get as much Amalfi Coast scenery as I would have liked.  Therefore, Last Voyage of the Valentina receives 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

 

The Only Woman in the Room

The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict   336 pages

Everyone has a cellphone these days.  I cannot of anyone I know who doesn’t have one.  And we can thank old Hollywood actress, Hedy Lamar, inventing the technology that led to its creation.

Today, however, Hedy is mostly remembered for her beauty, and there is no doubt about it, she was gorgeous. And she could act. But what has been forgotten is her intelligence and her inventions that helped end World War II and ultimately change the world.

The first half of the book takes place when she is Hedwig Kiestler, an Austrian Jew as the world marches toward war.  She is an actress in those early days but is still controlled by her parents. Fritz Mandl, Austria’s wealthiest man and munitions magnate, falls in love with her and asks for her hand in marriage. Her parents agree, as it seems the best way to protect her from the growing anti-Semitism and the impending Nazi invasion.

As soon as the ring is slipped on her finger, her marriage turns abusive. Although she has been reading as much as she could about her husband’s business, she is regulated to mere arm candy. She is not allowed to pick out her clothes or to talk while accompanying him to many business dinners. But Hedwig listens intently to their conversations, knowing that if she could just talk with them, she could contribute. As Fritz becomes increasingly violent, Hedwig begins to saves any money she can get her hands on and flees Austria. First she migrates to England, then onto the United States.

The second part of the novel concerns Hedwig’s transformation into Hedy Lamar, her success in the movies, and her relationship with MGM Studio Head Leo B. Meyer. On the periphery of that is her scientific work, which was more important to her than an acting career. This part of the novel seems to lack focus, jumping between her burgeoning movie career and her desire to create ways that she can help others and prevent the senseless murder of European Jews. Based on what she learned from Fritz and his business dinners, Hedy was able to patent an idea that laid the foundation for secure communications and ultimately cellphone technology.

The Only Woman in the Room receives 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

 

The Black Swan of Paris

 The Black Swan of Paris by Karin Robards   480 pages

Fans of  Kate Quinn’s “The Alice Network” and Pam Jenoff’s “The Lost Girls of Paris” will love Karen Robards’ latest novel, “The Black Swan of Paris.”

Paris 1944.  The French Resistance is in crisis. One of its leaders, Baron Paul de Rocheford is dead following an air raid and his wife, Lillian, has been captured and sent to Germany. The Nazis are certain that Lillian knows the exact time and date of the upcoming Allied Invasion and will stop at nothing to get the information out of her.

British officer Max Ryan has been given the assignment to rescue Lillian…or kill her if a rescue cannot be carried out. No matter what, Lillian cannot give the information to the Nazis or the world is doomed.

 Max is working undercover as the show business manager of Genevieve Dumont, the singing toast of Europe, known for long black hair.  The Nazis adore Genevieve. But what no one, not even Max, knows who Genevieve’s people are as she has been estranged from them for a dozen years. Genevieve is the daughter of Paul and Lillian de Rocheford, and she may not have had contact with them, she cannot allow the Nazis to have their way with her mother.

Genevieve reaches out to the Resistance, and she joins their efforts without Max’s knowledge. The Resistance puts Genevieve in contact with her sister, Emmy, and the two plot on how to free their mother.

The first half of the novel didn’t flow as fast as I had wanted it to, but something told me to keep reading.  And I’m glad I did!  The second half ripped and roared to a stunning conclusion. Therefore,  “The Black Swan of Paris” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

 

The Queen's Secret: A Novel of England's World War II Queen

The Queen's Secret: A Novel of England's World War II Queen by Karen Harper     384 pages

An exquisitely excellent book.  OMgosh!   You will feel as though you are going through the air raids right along with them.   The juicy secrets that will be told will make your jaw drop, it did mine.  The writing will carry you back to the 1930s and 40s and give you insight into so many venues - political, social and social politics.    You will feel as though you can hear the planes overhead you will be that captivated by this story it is riveting and you will not be able to put this one down.   I had to make myself stop reading and sleep but you won't want to.   This book is a delicious blend of the lives of the Royals, Winston Churchill, FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt, Hitler's Blitzkrieg and the Allies retaliation along with some very human emotions and frailties and some of the boldest happenings and yes, slap your face because you won't see it coming secrets that will have you telling everyone you know about this book.  Highly recommended.   A good showing of no matter how high one may seem to be in life there is always a skeleton or several in every closet.  Teens to adults,  I keep forgetting that tweens are the new 20s so maybe mature Middle Schoolers, too, though, I would hope that youngsters would keep the secrets with the decorum they call for.   Great book.

 - Shirley J.

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.

Code Name Helene

 Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawhon   464 pages

 Over the years, I have a read a lot of novels about the French Resistance during World War Two, but I feel I can honestly say this is the first time I have ever felt as if I was embedded in a group of fighters.

This biographical fictional piece centers on Nancy Grace Augusta Wake, an Australian freelance journalist living and working in Paris. The book covers the time period of 1936-1944. Right before the Germans march into the City of Lights, Nancy and Henri, a wealthy industrialist,  fall in love and marry. Then Nancy gets involved in helping fight the Nazis.

What truly amazed about this novel is the complexities of the timelines (I counted six!) that tell Nancy’s story that takes place from 1936 through 1944, and in some ways, it is written backwards. I cannot image how author Ariel Lawhon managed to keep it all straight.

I mentioned six timelines: Nancy and her four code names (Madame Andree, Lucienne Carlier, 

Helene and The White Mouse) plus Henri. There is so much detail and yet it seems like there is hardly any; each element enriches the story. I never felt lost or confused about who was who and what was happening. Like the war itself,  Nancy’s story is too grand to have only one aspect of it spoken about or recorded.  The research Lawhon must have done probably lasted years!

I could not put this book down.  “Code Name Helene” receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Paris Never Leaves You

 

Paris Never Leaves You by Ellen Feldman  368 pages

Ages ago, I read author Ellen Feldman’s “Lucy,” and it was a wonderful read.  I’m sorry to say tht I haven’t read any of her five books since then, but I plan to rectify that soon. In this, her sixth, novel, Feldman deals with a form of PTSD as invoked by the title.  Charlotte can never forget what happened in Paris during the Nazi Occupation. Her daughter, Vivi, was barely a toddler, but the events of those extraordinary times also seem to prey on her.

The novel opens in Paris, in 1944. Charlotte and other Jews are ripping the stars from their clothing.  Paris had been liberated and with it the camps. But the opening scene turns frightful when an angry mob attacks a woman known as a collaborator.

The scene then shifts to New York, 1954 (I love dueling timeline!). Charlotte is a book editor at the prestigious  publishing house of Gibbon & Field. The “Field” is none other than Horace Field, one of Charlotte and Vivi’s sponsors, which allowed them to come to America.

A letter, not the first, has arrived at Charlotte’s desk. She’s on her way to a meeting and slips it into the trash. Readers don’t know who it is from and Charlotte’s apprehension regarding opening it foreshadows the fear she feels that her past is about to come for its revenge.

One of the things that I admired most about this novel was the seemless transition between Charlotte’s life as a bookseller in Occupied Paris to her contemporary circumstances without using chapter breaks.

In Paris, Charlotte is managing a bookstore with ther friend and the store owner, Simeone. Many think they are sisters, but they are not. One afternoon a Nazi officer comes into the bookstore, just browsing. Fear races through Charlotte’s veins, but she manages to stay calm.  That officer’s arrival will have implications in her life forever.

I don’t want to give too much away, and I was surpised that there was no synopsis on the book’s cover. But as Feldman weaves her story, she drops little bombshells ar just the right time to make this reader sit up straighter and stay up way past her bedtime. Even when I thought the book was going to plateau, another little bomb oes off, and I’m up even later. Therefore, “Paris Never Leaves You” receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.