Educating And Entertaining
The Ambassador’s Daughter by Pam Jenoff is a marvellous historical novel that captures the atmosphere in post war Paris 1918 – 1919. It is a time of turmoil, with lives still reeling from the losses in war.
Paris is a cosmopolitan city but wearing a German uniform is still greeted with hostility. War has hardened hearts. War designed by politicians has disrupted and devastated ordinary lives. All over Europe and beyond, mothers of all nations are grieving sons, husbands and fathers – sacrificed as cannon fodder on the battlefields of Europe.
The novel surrounds the peace treaty. Ideally it will be “Peace without blame.” The Treaty Of Versailles was a disaster, with the German delegation being excluded from the negotiations. The terms were dictated to them. Those who signed the treaty were referred to as the November criminals. The so called peace treaty paved the way for World War II.
Ordinary lives were changed by war. “The girl I was before the war was someone I barely remember.” Values changed. Hopes and dreams changed. Focusing on two lead characters showed a microcosm of a macrocosm happening all over Europe.
A beautiful father-daughter bond is portrayed.
As a historian passionate about the period from 1900 to the end of the second World War, I loved The Ambassador’s Daughter. Pam Jenoff has perfectly captured the post war mood as she blends fact with fiction. The Treaty Of Versailles was a travesty. World War II inevitable.
A fabulous story that entertains, educates and gives a glimpse into post war life.
JULIA WILSON