Powerful
The Girl From Normandy by Rachel Sweasey is a powerful dual timeline that enthralled me from the start.
The novel is set during World War II in France, and also in 1998 in Poole and France. We see the intertwining lives that have come down the ages.
Fleeing Nazi-occupied Paris, the lead character suffers an unthinkable tragedy. She is made of strong stuff and uses the pain to propel her into working for the Resistance. We see the bravery and daring that was needed as well as the ability to hide her true thoughts as smiles whilst listening to Nazi secrets.
The Resistance was vital to the war machine. Everyone had a unique role to play. Without the Resistance, there would have been no D-Day.
In present day a grandmother’s family do not realise all that she went through. She is the matriarch of the family. Her strength is built on her sadness.
There are parallels between 1998 and the war years in the lives of the two lead characters. Both are fiercely independent and both fall deeply in love.
The ugliness of war contrasts with the beautiful French countryside. It seems incredible that beauty and ugliness exist side by side.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Girl From Normandy. It entertained me from the start. I read it in just two sittings, pausing only to sleep.
I received a free copy. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.
JULIA WILSON
The Girl from Normandy
Paris, 1940: Marie-Claire steps into the Gare de Lyon, not knowing it will be the last time she’ll see her husband and son. Fleeing occupied Paris, she travels into the countryside of Normandy, and stumbles upon a chateau near Caen and a growing resistance movement. Soon, Marie-Claire finds herself working in a cafe in the quiet village of Sainte-Mère-Église, where she tries to come to terms with all she has lost – but little does she realise that her presence in Normandy will change the course of history…
1998: Half a century later, Esther is returning to the Normandy village she visited as a teenager, seeking a break from her monotonous life. Back then, she’d fallen in love with a rustic farmhouse and the family that lived there – not least the charming eldest son, Jules Joubert. But now, when Esther discovers an old annotated cookbook in the family kitchen, she begins to realise that the place she holds so close to her heart may hide more secrets than even the Jouberts realise…
What stories does the area carry? And could this trip change Esther’s life for ever?
Purchase Link – https://mybook.to/GirlfromNormandy
Author Bio –
Rachel was born to English 10-pound-pom parents in sub-tropical Brisbane, Australia, and when the family moved back to Poole, Dorset, she was just 5 years old. She then grew up against the stunning backdrop of Poole Harbour where she sailed and played on the beaches of Brownsea Island and Studland, and walked across the Purbeck Hills, all of which inspired her imagination and provided the setting of her debut historical fiction novel set in WWII. Since then, Rachel has moved back to Brisbane, Australia.
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