Paris Undercover

Finished May 4

Paris Undercover: A Wartime Story of Courage, Friendship, and Betrayal by Matthew Goodman

This was an enlightening and informative read. It tells the story of two women, along with others who they interacted with, during World War II. 

Etta Shiber, an American, and Kate Bonnefous, an Englishwoman, who married a French man, were friends. After Etta's husband died, she moved to Paris and the two women lived together. Etta was a person who seems to be carried along by whatever is happening around her. Kate was a woman driven by her sense of justice. 

As World War II came to Paris, Kate became aware of British soldiers held in military hospitals and devised a plan to smuggle them out. Etta was involved solely as someone who was along with her friend. At first, the two smuggled men in the trunk of Kate's car as they drove around on Red Cross missions. But then some were smuggled to them by others, showing up at their Paris apartment. 

It wasn't too long before both women were arrested by the Gestapo. After their trials, where Kate and two of her French contacts received death sentences, Etta was exchanges for a German woman in a prisoner exchange with the United States. Kate's sentence was commuted to life

But things get darker after this. Etta was hailed as a hero on her return, and convinced to write about her activities. But she wasn't a natural writer and the publishing agent she worked with hired a fiction writer to integrate her story into a book they were writing. But unbeknownst to the writer, the subsequent book was published as a memoir written by Etta. The book was a bestseller, and because the story in the book differed from that of reality, the real people in the book were endangered further. 

Kate was questioned and tortured again, asked to reveal the details she hadn't before, details that she wasn't aware of, because they were from the book. This betrayal touched others as well. 

The author did significant research for the book, using military records, court records, and personal testimonies to uncover the consequences of Etta's book's publication. 

A striking story that unveils another piece of history. 

Paris Echo

Finished October 14

Paris Echo by Sebastian Faulks

This novel is haunted by the past but set in present-day Paris. Hannah is an American graduate student, in Paris to do research on women living in occupied Paris for a paper she is writing. She is haunted by the memories of her earlier time in Paris when she fell in love and then had the relationship end. She is also haunted by the stories of the women whose stories she finds. Listening to the recorded voices of the women, collected by a small archive in the city, she finds some hopeful, some sad, and some full of anger. Early in her stay, she finds a young woman on the street, cold and tired. She takes her in, letting her stay in the small second bedroom in her rented apartment. The next day, she finds a young man Tariq has also arrived in her flat, a friend of the woman, and she soon agrees to let him stay there.

Tariq is nineteen and from Morocco. He has come to Paris partly to escape his life there, and partly to see the city that his mother, long dead, was from, and maybe learn about her. Tariq is an open young man, who quickly finds a job, and begins exploring the city. He takes on some of the stories that Hannah is researching and connects them to people he sees in the streets. He also learns more about French history and the people of this country, from many angles. 

Hannah has also reconnected with a professor from her earlier time, an Englishman named Julian and finds herself confiding in him and bouncing ideas off of him. He too finds himself drawn into her research, looking up information on that time in history, and making connections for her. 

As the characters grow closer to each other and learn more about the city, its past, and themselves, they also find new paths forward for themselves.

I really enjoy Faulks writing and this book is one I highly recommend.

The Paris Library

Finished October 5

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles

This novel has two timelines, one in Paris starting in 1939 and going until 1944 and the other in small town Montana starting in 1983 and going until 1989. The link between the two is Odile, a French woman who married an American just after the war and settled in the town, Froid, in Montana. 

In Paris, Odile is interviewed and gets a job at the American Library, a place she is in awe of and has aimed to work at for years. We see Odile as well as the other staff at the library over this time period, getting to know the situations and some of the personalities.

Odile's father is a high-ranking police officer who doesn't understand Odile's need for a career and just wants to see her happily married, bringing home junior officers to Sunday dinner to try to make a match. Odile's twin brother Remy is interested in politics and trying to change the world. 

Odile makes friends with her coworkers as well as some of the regular staff, including a lonely wife of an American diplomat who becomes a volunteer at the library.

Odile is young and impulsive and at times her actions end in regret. We see how one of these actions compelled her to make her choice of an American husband and run from her life in Paris.

In the modern day story, teenage Lily is close to her mother Brenda, and finds herself unmoored when Brenda becomes ill. Lily has long been fascinated by Odile, a woman who has never really fit in in their town, and has recently called on her to find out more about her and Paris, using a school assignment as leverage. With Brenda's illness, Lily spends more time at her neighbour Odile's house and even begins to learn French from her. As we see Lily go through her high school years, dealing with the changes that happen in her family and the normal angst of growing up, we see how Odile is a positive influence in her life, guiding her in a way to learn from and avoid some of the mistakes that Odile herself made in her youth. 

This story is a sad one, although it has many joyful moments. Odile's choice to run from her life, cutting off all ties is one that to me is heart-wrenching, both for her and for those she left behind whose stories after that we don't know much of at all. There is so much they won't have understood about her never returning, and it seems like they may not have tried which is even sadder.

Lily's story is more hopeful, despite her own losses, partly because of Odile's influence in her life. 

This was an interesting story which compelled me and made me reflect. 

Les Parisiennes

Finished October 11
Les Parisiennes: How the Women of Paris Lived, Loved, and Died under Nazi Occupation by Anne Sebba.

This is a fascinating look at history with a female focus. The book is set up chronologically, with each year getting a chapter up until 1944, which gets two chapters. 1947 to 1949 is one chapter. There were overviews on what was happening generally and then a focus on particular women that we see in more than one time period.
These individual women are mostly from higher social classes as more is known about them and thus available to researchers. They include women active in the Resistance, women resisting in less formal ways, women who collaborated at various levels and with various degrees of success, Jewish women targeted for their heritage, Jewish women who managed to fly under the radar of the authorities, and women who just tried to live their lives however they could manage.
Some women were driven by personal circumstances, some by love for a man, some by love for a cause, some really didn't seem to really understand the reality of their situation, even after the war was over.
I learned a lot about these women, and about the lack of support and recognition that they received. Whether it was the Red Cross refusing to approach the Germans about Ravensbruck because it wasn't a POW camp (even though many of the women held there had been sent into action by Allied forces), or the lack of recognition of the role women played by political leaders and historians until more recently, this is a story too of suppression of women's voices and accomplishments.
It is also a story of Paris, showing its role in history before this time and since, its role as a fashion capital of the world, and the ingenuity of many of its citizens.
Very readable and well-researched, an excellent addition to the history book collection for any library, academic or public.

Paris Never Leaves You

Finished September 2
Paris Never Leaves You by Ellen Feldman

This novel takes place in 1954, with flashbacks to World War Two in Paris. The main character, Charlotte lived in Paris and was working in a bookstore during the war. Her husband Laurent was killed while fighting and she was raising her young daughter Vivienne on her own. The owner of the bookstore was in a German camp, and Charlotte and her friend Simone ran the store. Charlotte tried to be careful in the actions she took, aware of the need to protect her young daughter, but Simone sometimes took risks, such as setting the clock in the store to Paris time rather than the German time they were supposed to be using. When a German officer begins coming to the bookstore, Charlotte is even more careful, but a couple of situations have her developing a complicated relationship with the young man, Julian Bauer.
In the present, Charlotte has been sponsored by a colleague of her father's, Horace Field, to come to New York and is working as an editor for his publishing company. She is good at her job, and Vivi is growing up to be a loving and thoughtful young woman. Horace and his wife Hannah have not only sponsored them, but given them an apartment in their own home. Hannah is a therapist and has tried to talk to Charlotte about her experiences, but Charlotte keeps her past to herself, not wanting it to follow her into her new life. Horace was injured in the war and is now confined to a wheelchair, but he is still an extremely capable and observant man, and he feels that he and Charlotte have more between them due to their war experiences.
They both have their secrets, but Charlotte is now getting letters from someone in her past, and Hannah seems to be encouraging Vivi to dig into this part of her life as well, causing disputes between Charlotte and her now-teen daughter.
I liked how this book dealt with a character who lived through the Occupation of Paris but wasn't involved in the Resistance, who was just trying to stay alive. The focus on the stresses on ordinary people was one not often seen in fiction of this time period. There is also some guilt that Charlotte carries from this time that has some complexity to it, and that she needs to deal with to be able to truly move forward with her life.
Definitely recommend this one.

Sarah's Key

Finished May 13
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

This read was for my upcoming book club meeting. It is a WWII story of a young girl, ten years old, who is awakened early one July morning in 1942 by pounding on her apartment door. She wakes her mother, and tells her. They family isn't that worried as Sarah's father has been sleeping in the cellar after rumours of police seizing men have become widespread. This morning, however the police order Sarah's mother to pack a bag and also tell Sarah they will be taking her. When Sarah enters her bedroom to get clothes, and wake her younger brother, only 4, he refuses to go.
The children had a deep cupboard they often played in and hid from their parents in fun. He goes in there and Sarah locks him in, promising to come back later.
As the police shepherd the two from the building, Sarah's mother screams for her father, and he joins them. They are part of a roundup of Jews in Paris, in which busloads are taken to the Vel' d'Hiv'.
Sixty years later, Julia Jarmond, an American woman reporter, who has lived in Paris for twenty-five years, and married a Parisian, is assigned to do a story on the sixtieth anniversary of this horrible event. Julie hadn't heard of it before, and as she does research, she is horrified.
When she discovers that her husband's family has a connection to the event, she is determined to find out about the family that used to live in the apartment her husband's grandparents lived in.
As we follow Sarah's story in 1942, we also follow Julia's investigation into the past.
This is a novel of a fictional family, set around a true event, and a terribly sad one. This particular raid was enacted by Frenchmen on Nazi orders, men who did not protest acting against their fellow citizens. This is a novel that was written to help enlighten the people of today about their past, and look toward a future of truth and acknowledgement.

The Unfree French

Finished August 3
The Unfree French: Life Under the Occupation by Richard Vinen

This heavily researched book looks at the lives of the people who lived in occupied France during the Second World War. The book is organized roughly in the order in which things happen, with the first chapter about the summer of 1940 and the last chapter about the liberation. There are also some experiences grouped by type here. Chapters are given over to the prisoners of war, the French who were in Germany, women, Jews, and the youth forced to work for the Germans.
While there were descriptions of individuals here, they were not gone into in depth, and I found the book gave a very good accounting of what was going on with different groups, and at different times, and in different areas, but this is not a piece of narrative nonfiction, giving us a connection to the people that lived under German control, which is what I was hoping for when I bought this book.
I learned a lot and I found the book very informative, but a tad dry. It was more academic than I expected.

Last Train to Istanbul

Finished August 28

Last Train to Istanbul by Ayşe Kulin, translated by John W. Baker

This historical fiction novel is set before and during World War II. It centers around two Turkish sisters, Sabiha and Selva. They are the daughters of Fazil Reşat Paşa, one of the last Ottoman pashas, educated well, and raised to be enlightened. Sabiha, the oldest, does what is expected of her, marries Macit, a young man of good background who has a promising government job as a member of the general staff working in foreign affairs under President Inõnü. 

Selva is more intelligent, the pride of her father, and knows her own mind. When she falls for a young man from a good family, Rafael Alfandári the problem is that he is Jewish. Both families are opposed, but Selva is determined. Once her family realizes that she won't do what they want, they agree to a civil marriage, but Fazil cuts her out of his life. Feeling ostracized, the young couple decide to start their lives in Paris, But when the Nazis move in, their situation becomes dangerous. They move to Marseilles where Rafo puts his money into a chemist shop where he also works, and Selva gives English and piano lessons. But their situation becomes more difficult, and now they have a child to consider as well, young Fazil, named for his grandfather. 

Back in Turkey, Sabiha is very worried about her sister, trying to get Macit to intervene in some way, pleased when Tarik Arica, the young man from the diplomatic corps she has been tutoring in French gets a posting in Paris, hoping he can do what her husband Macit seems unable to and bring Selva home. The two sisters' stories work together to bring the real history of this time to life. We see the Turkish diplomats in Ankara, Paris, Vichy, and Germany working to save their citizens from all religious backgrounds, looking back at their long history of tolerance, and trying to stay neutral to keep their own country safe. We see the plight of other Jews in France as well, and how some of their histories entwine with those of the Turks. 

A good read that will have your emotions involved with these characters. 

Léon & Louise

Finished June 2
Léon & Louise by Alex Capus, translated by John Brownjohn

This novel follows the two title characters from before the met during World War I to decades later. Léon is from Cherbourg and when he determines that he doesn't wish to continue his schooling, finds work in a small town on the Marne as a Morse code operator at a railway station. Certain quirks of his character are already set, like his love for odds and ends, developed in Cherbourg when scouring the beaches for flotsam and continued throughout his life. In this small town, Léon meets Louise, a young woman similar in age to himself and also a war worker. Louise works as an office girl for the mayor. Slowly the two develop a friendship, one that looks to endure. But one day, when they are bicycling back from an excursion they are caught in German shelling and air attack and both are injured. After being treated for his wounds, Léon tries to find her, but cannot. It is only a decade later when a chance encounter connects them again. But Léon is married and Louise will not intrude upon that situation. When World War II comes, Léon is forced to do work at the behest of his SS superiors despite his best efforts, and Louise is shipped off to Africa on secret duties. It is several years before she returns to Paris and the story of the two continues.
Told by one of the grandsons of Léon, as a look back following Léon's death, the story shows two good people, connected in a way few are, and determined to do the right thing. An absolutely charming novel.

The Journal of Helene Berr

Finished December 15
The Journal of Hélène Berr  by Hélène Berr, translated by David Bellos

The first portion of this journal, from 1942, was written as a private diary. Then there is a gap of about nine months and the second portion from later 1943 through early 1944 is written as a record of what is happening around her and for her fiancé should she not be here when he returns.
Berr is a university student at the Sorbonne, from a well-to-do family who have been settled in France for generations. She struggles with falling in love for the first time, determines to do the right thing in the face of the occupying Germans, and wanting to help those who need it.
We see her reaction to the order forcing Jews to wear yellow stars and how she reacts to those who react to  that. She is open in her journal about her emotions, and her struggles with what to do in the face of increasing restrictions. Because she was involved in assisting those arrested and awaiting deportation, she was more aware of what was going on than most, but that didn't save her from her own fate.
An interesting historical account from a unique perspective.

World War II Mystery

Finished July 27
On Pain of Death by Jan Rehner
This is the first book I've read by Canadian writer Jan Rehner and I was glad to find I loved it.
This book is set in France during World War II, most of it during the German occupation. The main character is a young female student from Canada, Juliette Benoit. Julliette came to France to study at the Sorbonne, and she makes friends with a group of students, who help her improve her French, teach her about French culture, and give her a love for Paris. When the war begins, the students at first live in denial, but the German occupation makes them unable to ignore their situation. Juliette gets help in concealing her identity, and then finds herself working to help the French people in whatever ways she can. When she is asked to escort a young Jewish girl to freedom, she becomes involved more directly in the Resistance and goes through some harrowing situations as she crosses the country to get Sophie out of France.
A second primary character is Gabrielle Aubin, a young woman whose husband has just been shot for killing a German soldier, something she knows he did not do. Gabrielle feels compelled to join the Resistance movement that her husband Jean was involved in, partly out of defiance and partly to discover the real killer of the soldier. Both women work towards the freedom of France and her people in their own way, and when they finally encounter each other, they discover they have more in common than they initially suspected.
Both characters are driven by their connections with others and helped by them as well.
I loved this book and will definitely look for more from this author.

A Good Listen

Finished October 4
The Collaborators by Reginald Hill, read by Michael Tudor Barnes
This one took a while to get through (13 CDs) but was excellent. The book was came out in 1987, but the audiobook is recent. The story is set in Paris from 1940 to 1945, mostly during the German occupation. Janine Simonian, daughter of patisserie owners Claude and Louise Crozier, married Jean Paul Simonian who is missing in action. When she tries to flee Paris ahead of the Germans, her car is destroyed by German planes and she and her children, Paulie and Cece, return to Paris. Janine is fiercely anti-Nazi and yet ends up being helped by a German Abwehr officer, Gunter Mai, when she tries to find out what happened to her husband. She turns to Mai later in the war when her children are rounded up after staying with their Jewish grandmother. With Paris under German occupation, some residants accept the patronage, some work with them, some collaborate openly, and some join the resistance. As the characters show their priorities and personal as well as national loyalties and do what they feel they must to survive, the complications emerge. After Paris is liberated, Janine is accused of supplying information to the Germans that led to the arrest and torture of members of the resistance, and to the murder of her husband. What is the truth of it, and where do the betrayals lie. I found the complex characters, the situation in Paris during this time and the actions of the plot engrossing and moving. I would definitely recommend this book.

One to read and one to listen to

Finished May 1st
April in Paris by Michael Wallner
Roth is twenty-one, a German soldier in occupied Paris doing translations in the back offices. He is suddenly transferred to the SS office, translating for interrogations. Roth finds himself drawn more and more to the French whose language he speaks so well. He takes a chance and finds an empty building where he can change into civilian clothes, and wander the streets as a Frenchman instead of an occupying soldier. He calls himself Antoine, stops at cafes and buys items in shops. One day he sees a young French woman outside a bookstore and becomes drawn to her. When he finds that due to his work in the interrogation room he knows that Chantal's friends are in danger he warns them, but not all escape. When a bomb goes off in a nightclub used by the Germans, he comes under suspicion and is interrogated himself. All that keeps him going are thoughts of Chantal. The drama is high and the writing well done. I really enjoyed this one.

Every Mother's Son by Lyn Andrews, read by Julie Maisey
This story takes place in Liverpool, where Molly Keegan and Bernie O'Sullivan, originally from Ireland, now live. The story takes us through Molly's wedding to Joe, a policeman, for which she has to give up her business of making soft furnishings. Bernie is courted by their landlady's son Bertie, a seaman. As the Second World War begins and the young people find themselves caught up in the bombings of Liverpool and the effect this has on their families, they take comfort in their lifelong friendship and find the strength to keep going. The story contains tragedy and happiness and great detail of the daily life in Liverpool during this time as well as life in Irish countryside where the girl's parents still live. I found it quite true to the time and enjoyable.