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The Girl From Normandy by Rachel Sweasey

Jun28

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.

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Kitty’s War by Eimear Lawlor

Jun23

Powerful

Kitty’s War by Eimear Lawler is a powerful historical novel that I read in just one sitting.

The novel is set in Southern Ireland in 1941. As the tale opens, the leading lady is heading home from the mainland to look after her brother.

We see that German origins can be a curse even though the leading lady has no ties with Germany.

Although Southern Ireland was neutral, the war still touched lives as there were bombing raids and German pilots were shot down. The Germans had all been perceived as evil Nazis but many were just young men with families who missed them.

Catholic Southern Ireland had some harsh and cruel laws for unmarried mothers and homosexual men. There were those who were kind and passed no judgement. It is awful to see how many had to hide their true selves.

Grief is a terrible master. It threatens to sink characters.

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Shrapnel Boys by Jenny Pearson

Jun17

Moral Courage

Shrapnel Boys by Jenny Pearson is a powerful, children’s historical novel that entertained me from the start.

The action is set in London from 1939 and seen from the point of view of a young boy called Ronnie. It is told in the first person and therefore we get to know Ronnie intimately. He is extremely likable, always trying to do the right thing.

We follow Ronnie and his younger brother Mickey and best friend Lugs as they try to navigate life, family and war.

The war was a mixture of excitement and being scared after the Phony War of 1939. “Life in London didn’t change much in those first few weeks… War, it seemed, had forgotten to show up.” Once World War II begins in earnest, there is more than just bombs to navigate as an opportunist turns up, turning Mickey’s head.

We witness those who profit in war, thinking nothing of preying on the misery of others.

Jenny Pearson has shown the danger of the banned group The Blackshirts, whose ideology lined up with Hitler.

As we follow Lugs, we see his fears as a Jewish boy in London. His father is a pacifist but still conscripted into the war as a stretcher bearer. “It was courageous to march onto a battlefield with a gun in your hands, but treading the ground without one… was even braver.” As Ronnie declares “to me, Lug’s Dad was a hero.” The reader can only echo that statement.

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The Bookseller Of Paris by Suzanne Kelman

Jun17

Echoes Down The Years

The Bookseller Of Paris by Suzanne Kelman is a powerful, heart-wrenching dual timeline novel that I loved. It is the second book in The Paris Sisters but can be read as a stand-alone.

The action is mainly set in Paris in 1941 and also in 2011. This is a cosmopolitan read as in 2011 we travel from London to Scotland to Berlin and to Paris. In 1941 we journey between Paris and Berlin.

In present day a granddaughter is trying to piece together her grandfather’s past. She wants to know her heritage – could she really be related to a high-ranking Nazi? Her grandfather has been a recluse tainted by his father’s stance. He has spent a lifetime feeling guilty for the sins of his father.

Books are central to the story. In both time periods, the leading ladies are passionate about books. Novels by Jewish authors were smuggled out of Nazi Germany during World War II or they would have been lost forever. Books and writings tell our stories. “Our personal stories… They connect us to the past and remind us of who we are.” Books are more than just a social commentary on the time. “Books are our testament to having lived, loved and learned.”

We see the courage needed to stand up against the Nazis. “Love can drive us to do the most courageous things, especially in the darkest of times.” We never know what is in our core until it is called out of us.

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