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.
