Author: Andie Newton
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1789546672
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 352
Book Description
The USA Today bestseller 'A compelling and powerful read' – Gill Thompson, USA Today bestselling author of The Child on Platform One 'A powerful and thoughtful novel' – Louise Fein, author of Daughter of the Reich 'A gripping tale of wartime sacrifice and innocence lost in the cause of freedom' – Jina Bacarr, author of Her Lost Love She's done running. Now she fights. 1942. With the war raging in Europe, Adèle Ambeh dreams of a France that is free from the clutches of the Nazis. As the date of her marriage to a ruthless man draws closer, she only has one choice: she must run. Adèle flees to Lyon and seeks refuge at the Sisters of Notre Dame de la Compassion. From the outside this is a simple nunnery, but the sisters are secretly aiding the French Resistance, hiding and supplying the fighters with weapons. Adèle quickly finds herself part of the efforts to take down the regime. As each day fills with a different danger and she begins to fall for another man, Adèle's entire world could come crashing down around her. She must fight for her family, her country – and her own destiny. Praise for The Girl from Vichy: 'A beautiful story' NetGalley Reviewer 'A great historical read' NetGalley Reviewer 'This book is a wonderful book' NetGalley Reviewer 'Andie Newton's realistic, well-researched, and seamlessly delivered story-writing, immediately engages the reader in The Girl from Vichy' NetGalley Reviewer 'The Girl from Vichy offers the reader fully formed characters, a heart-pounding plot, and an ending that brought a tear to my eye' NetGalley Reviewer Praise for Andie Newton: 'A powerful debut!' Gill Paul, author of The Secret Wife 'A captivating story with a twist of romance threaded throughout' Glynis Peters, author of The Secret Orphan 'A heart-clenching emotionally evocative debut!' Terry Lynn Thomas, author of The Silent Woman 'A compelling tale of friendship, courage and espionage in a frightening and uncertain world' Charlotte Betts, author of The Dressmaker's Secret 'The Girl I Left Behind made me cry and left me wanting more, which to me are signs of a truly wonderful book, one that will stay with me long after I've finished reading' Lana Kortchik, author of The Story of Us 'Wonderful story where it has you on the edge of your seat but have the tissues with you!' NetGalley Reviewer 'The author has a gift for creating a sense of place whether the setting was on a snowy mountain or the streets of Germany in the early 1940s' NetGalley Reviewer 'Excellent story. Strong characters' NetGalley Reviewer
The Girl from Vichy
Author: Andie Newton
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1789546672
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 352
Book Description
The USA Today bestseller 'A compelling and powerful read' – Gill Thompson, USA Today bestselling author of The Child on Platform One 'A powerful and thoughtful novel' – Louise Fein, author of Daughter of the Reich 'A gripping tale of wartime sacrifice and innocence lost in the cause of freedom' – Jina Bacarr, author of Her Lost Love She's done running. Now she fights. 1942. With the war raging in Europe, Adèle Ambeh dreams of a France that is free from the clutches of the Nazis. As the date of her marriage to a ruthless man draws closer, she only has one choice: she must run. Adèle flees to Lyon and seeks refuge at the Sisters of Notre Dame de la Compassion. From the outside this is a simple nunnery, but the sisters are secretly aiding the French Resistance, hiding and supplying the fighters with weapons. Adèle quickly finds herself part of the efforts to take down the regime. As each day fills with a different danger and she begins to fall for another man, Adèle's entire world could come crashing down around her. She must fight for her family, her country – and her own destiny. Praise for The Girl from Vichy: 'A beautiful story' NetGalley Reviewer 'A great historical read' NetGalley Reviewer 'This book is a wonderful book' NetGalley Reviewer 'Andie Newton's realistic, well-researched, and seamlessly delivered story-writing, immediately engages the reader in The Girl from Vichy' NetGalley Reviewer 'The Girl from Vichy offers the reader fully formed characters, a heart-pounding plot, and an ending that brought a tear to my eye' NetGalley Reviewer Praise for Andie Newton: 'A powerful debut!' Gill Paul, author of The Secret Wife 'A captivating story with a twist of romance threaded throughout' Glynis Peters, author of The Secret Orphan 'A heart-clenching emotionally evocative debut!' Terry Lynn Thomas, author of The Silent Woman 'A compelling tale of friendship, courage and espionage in a frightening and uncertain world' Charlotte Betts, author of The Dressmaker's Secret 'The Girl I Left Behind made me cry and left me wanting more, which to me are signs of a truly wonderful book, one that will stay with me long after I've finished reading' Lana Kortchik, author of The Story of Us 'Wonderful story where it has you on the edge of your seat but have the tissues with you!' NetGalley Reviewer 'The author has a gift for creating a sense of place whether the setting was on a snowy mountain or the streets of Germany in the early 1940s' NetGalley Reviewer 'Excellent story. Strong characters' NetGalley Reviewer
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1789546672
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 352
Book Description
The USA Today bestseller 'A compelling and powerful read' – Gill Thompson, USA Today bestselling author of The Child on Platform One 'A powerful and thoughtful novel' – Louise Fein, author of Daughter of the Reich 'A gripping tale of wartime sacrifice and innocence lost in the cause of freedom' – Jina Bacarr, author of Her Lost Love She's done running. Now she fights. 1942. With the war raging in Europe, Adèle Ambeh dreams of a France that is free from the clutches of the Nazis. As the date of her marriage to a ruthless man draws closer, she only has one choice: she must run. Adèle flees to Lyon and seeks refuge at the Sisters of Notre Dame de la Compassion. From the outside this is a simple nunnery, but the sisters are secretly aiding the French Resistance, hiding and supplying the fighters with weapons. Adèle quickly finds herself part of the efforts to take down the regime. As each day fills with a different danger and she begins to fall for another man, Adèle's entire world could come crashing down around her. She must fight for her family, her country – and her own destiny. Praise for The Girl from Vichy: 'A beautiful story' NetGalley Reviewer 'A great historical read' NetGalley Reviewer 'This book is a wonderful book' NetGalley Reviewer 'Andie Newton's realistic, well-researched, and seamlessly delivered story-writing, immediately engages the reader in The Girl from Vichy' NetGalley Reviewer 'The Girl from Vichy offers the reader fully formed characters, a heart-pounding plot, and an ending that brought a tear to my eye' NetGalley Reviewer Praise for Andie Newton: 'A powerful debut!' Gill Paul, author of The Secret Wife 'A captivating story with a twist of romance threaded throughout' Glynis Peters, author of The Secret Orphan 'A heart-clenching emotionally evocative debut!' Terry Lynn Thomas, author of The Silent Woman 'A compelling tale of friendship, courage and espionage in a frightening and uncertain world' Charlotte Betts, author of The Dressmaker's Secret 'The Girl I Left Behind made me cry and left me wanting more, which to me are signs of a truly wonderful book, one that will stay with me long after I've finished reading' Lana Kortchik, author of The Story of Us 'Wonderful story where it has you on the edge of your seat but have the tissues with you!' NetGalley Reviewer 'The author has a gift for creating a sense of place whether the setting was on a snowy mountain or the streets of Germany in the early 1940s' NetGalley Reviewer 'Excellent story. Strong characters' NetGalley Reviewer
The Girl I Left Behind
Author: Andie Newton
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1789546680
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 327
Book Description
From the USA Today bestselling author of The Girl from Vichy 'A powerful debut!' Gill Paul, author of The Secret Wife. 'A captivating story with a twist of romance threaded throughout' Glynis Peters, author of The Secret Orphan. 'A compelling tale of friendship, courage and espionage in a frightening and uncertain world' Charlotte Betts, author of The Dressmaker's Secret. What would you risk to save your best friend? As a young girl, Ella never considered that those around her weren't as they appeared. But when her childhood best-friend shows Ella that you can't always believe what you see, Ella finds herself thrown into the world of the German Resistance. On a dark night in 1941, Claudia is taken by the Gestapo, likely never to be seen again, unless Ella can save her. With the help of the man she loves, Ella must undertake her most dangerous mission yet and infiltrate the Nazi Party. Selling secrets isn't an easy job. In order to find Claudia, Ella must risk not only her life, but the lives of those she cares about. Will Ella be able to leave behind the girl of her youth and step into the shoes of another? Perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The German Midwife and Kate Furnivall. Praise for The Girl I Left Behind: 'A gripping historical page-turner about an audacious eighteen-year-old girl in Nazi Germany, who finds herself at the heart of the Reich. It's a thrilling tale of female friendship, young love, and extraordinary courage, laced with chilling reminders of the fate Ella will face if her treachery is discovered. A powerful debut!' Gill Paul, author of The Secret Wife. 'The Girl I Left Behind made me cry and left me wanting more, which to me are signs of a truly wonderful book, one that will stay with me long after I've finished reading' Lana Kortchik, author of The Story of Us. 'Wonderful story where it has you on the edge of your seat but have the tissues with you!' NetGalley Reviewer. 'The author has a gift for creating a sense of place whether the setting was on a snowy mountain or the streets of Germany in the early 1940s' NetGalley Reviewer. 'Excellent story. Strong characters' NetGalley Reviewer.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1789546680
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 327
Book Description
From the USA Today bestselling author of The Girl from Vichy 'A powerful debut!' Gill Paul, author of The Secret Wife. 'A captivating story with a twist of romance threaded throughout' Glynis Peters, author of The Secret Orphan. 'A compelling tale of friendship, courage and espionage in a frightening and uncertain world' Charlotte Betts, author of The Dressmaker's Secret. What would you risk to save your best friend? As a young girl, Ella never considered that those around her weren't as they appeared. But when her childhood best-friend shows Ella that you can't always believe what you see, Ella finds herself thrown into the world of the German Resistance. On a dark night in 1941, Claudia is taken by the Gestapo, likely never to be seen again, unless Ella can save her. With the help of the man she loves, Ella must undertake her most dangerous mission yet and infiltrate the Nazi Party. Selling secrets isn't an easy job. In order to find Claudia, Ella must risk not only her life, but the lives of those she cares about. Will Ella be able to leave behind the girl of her youth and step into the shoes of another? Perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The German Midwife and Kate Furnivall. Praise for The Girl I Left Behind: 'A gripping historical page-turner about an audacious eighteen-year-old girl in Nazi Germany, who finds herself at the heart of the Reich. It's a thrilling tale of female friendship, young love, and extraordinary courage, laced with chilling reminders of the fate Ella will face if her treachery is discovered. A powerful debut!' Gill Paul, author of The Secret Wife. 'The Girl I Left Behind made me cry and left me wanting more, which to me are signs of a truly wonderful book, one that will stay with me long after I've finished reading' Lana Kortchik, author of The Story of Us. 'Wonderful story where it has you on the edge of your seat but have the tissues with you!' NetGalley Reviewer. 'The author has a gift for creating a sense of place whether the setting was on a snowy mountain or the streets of Germany in the early 1940s' NetGalley Reviewer. 'Excellent story. Strong characters' NetGalley Reviewer.
The Girls from the Beach
Author: Andie Newton
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1789546699
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 328
Book Description
USA TODAY BESTSELLER 'We'd heard stories about the nurses in tent seven. A secret mission, stolen money, and spies...' In 1944, four American nurses disappeared for five days. No one knew what happened to them. Until now. When Kit and Red set foot on French soil during the Normandy landings, they know they have to rely on each other. As they head for the battlefield, their aim is simple: save lives. But when they're called away on a top-secret mission to patch up a few men behind enemy lines, everything changes. Alongside fellow nurses, Roxy and Gail, they're told to prepare for the worst, trading in their nurses' fatigues for civilian clothes and hiding medical supplies under their skirts. But it's a lie. Their real mission tasks them with the impossible – to infiltrate the Reich and steal something the Nazis desperately need to win their losing war. In an ultimate test of courage and comradeship, each woman must decide what she is prepared to risk and what she has to live for. Praise for The Girls From The Beach. 'One of my favorite books of 2021 and a true must-read for all fans of the genre. It's not just a story of friendship, but a story of patriotism, heroism, and selfless sacrifice in the name of freedom. Absolutely riveting!' – Ellie Midwood, USA Today bestselling author of The Violinist of Auschwitz. 'A wild ride of a book, laced with beautifully flawed characters, impeccable research and a story that will make you cry with tears of joy and sorrow. A resounding five-star read!' – Terry Lynn Thomas, USA Today bestselling author of The Silent Woman 'What a story! The Girls from the Beach took me on a rollercoaster ride of mystery and suspense. The Girls from the Beach is a testimony to courage, integrity and female friendship. And that ending – wow!' – Gill Thompson, bestselling author of The Oceans Between Us 'The Girls from the Beach is a unique and incredibly imaginative story inspired by the nurses who worked on the front line in World War Two. It is action-packed and full of unexpected drama around every turn – I just had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next! Readers who enjoyed Newton's earlier books will be sure to love this one' – Louise Fein, bestselling author of People Like Us
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1789546699
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 328
Book Description
USA TODAY BESTSELLER 'We'd heard stories about the nurses in tent seven. A secret mission, stolen money, and spies...' In 1944, four American nurses disappeared for five days. No one knew what happened to them. Until now. When Kit and Red set foot on French soil during the Normandy landings, they know they have to rely on each other. As they head for the battlefield, their aim is simple: save lives. But when they're called away on a top-secret mission to patch up a few men behind enemy lines, everything changes. Alongside fellow nurses, Roxy and Gail, they're told to prepare for the worst, trading in their nurses' fatigues for civilian clothes and hiding medical supplies under their skirts. But it's a lie. Their real mission tasks them with the impossible – to infiltrate the Reich and steal something the Nazis desperately need to win their losing war. In an ultimate test of courage and comradeship, each woman must decide what she is prepared to risk and what she has to live for. Praise for The Girls From The Beach. 'One of my favorite books of 2021 and a true must-read for all fans of the genre. It's not just a story of friendship, but a story of patriotism, heroism, and selfless sacrifice in the name of freedom. Absolutely riveting!' – Ellie Midwood, USA Today bestselling author of The Violinist of Auschwitz. 'A wild ride of a book, laced with beautifully flawed characters, impeccable research and a story that will make you cry with tears of joy and sorrow. A resounding five-star read!' – Terry Lynn Thomas, USA Today bestselling author of The Silent Woman 'What a story! The Girls from the Beach took me on a rollercoaster ride of mystery and suspense. The Girls from the Beach is a testimony to courage, integrity and female friendship. And that ending – wow!' – Gill Thompson, bestselling author of The Oceans Between Us 'The Girls from the Beach is a unique and incredibly imaginative story inspired by the nurses who worked on the front line in World War Two. It is action-packed and full of unexpected drama around every turn – I just had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next! Readers who enjoyed Newton's earlier books will be sure to love this one' – Louise Fein, bestselling author of People Like Us
Not the Germans Alone
Author: Isaac Levendel
Publisher: Northwestern University Press
ISBN: 9780810118430
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 364
Book Description
Winner of the Prix Franco-Européen On the eve of D-Day, Isaac Levendel's mother left her hiding place on a farm in southern France and never returned. After 40 years of silence and torment, he returned to France in 1990 determined to find out what had happened. This is the story of how, with perseverance, luck, and official help, he gained access to secret wartime documents laying bare the details of French collaboration-and the truth about his mother's fate.
Publisher: Northwestern University Press
ISBN: 9780810118430
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 364
Book Description
Winner of the Prix Franco-Européen On the eve of D-Day, Isaac Levendel's mother left her hiding place on a farm in southern France and never returned. After 40 years of silence and torment, he returned to France in 1990 determined to find out what had happened. This is the story of how, with perseverance, luck, and official help, he gained access to secret wartime documents laying bare the details of French collaboration-and the truth about his mother's fate.
Bad Faith
Author: Carmen Callil
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307279251
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 674
Book Description
Bad Faith tells the story of one of history’s most despicable villains and con men—Louis Darquier de Pellepoix, Nazi collaborator and “Commissioner for Jewish Affairs” in France’s Vichy government.Darquier set about to eliminate Jews in France with brutal efficiency, delivering 75,000 men, women, and children to the Nazis and confiscating Jewish property, which he used for his own gain. Carmen Callil’s riveting and sometimes darkly comic narrative reveals Darquier as a self-obsessed fantasist who found his metier in propagating hatred—a career he denied to his dying day—and traces the heartrending consequences for his daughter Anne of her poisoned family legacy. A brilliant meld of epic sweep and psychological insight, Bad Faith is a startling history of our times.
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307279251
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 674
Book Description
Bad Faith tells the story of one of history’s most despicable villains and con men—Louis Darquier de Pellepoix, Nazi collaborator and “Commissioner for Jewish Affairs” in France’s Vichy government.Darquier set about to eliminate Jews in France with brutal efficiency, delivering 75,000 men, women, and children to the Nazis and confiscating Jewish property, which he used for his own gain. Carmen Callil’s riveting and sometimes darkly comic narrative reveals Darquier as a self-obsessed fantasist who found his metier in propagating hatred—a career he denied to his dying day—and traces the heartrending consequences for his daughter Anne of her poisoned family legacy. A brilliant meld of epic sweep and psychological insight, Bad Faith is a startling history of our times.
Village of Secrets
Author: Caroline Moorehead
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0062202499
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 223
Book Description
“Le Chambon has long been mythologized in France for the actions of its inhabitants. . . . But, as this riveting history shows, the story is more complex. . . . If the picture Moorhead paints is messier than the myth, this only serves to enhance the heroism of the main actors.”— The New Yorker From the author of the New York Times bestseller A Train in Winter comes the absorbing story of a French village that helped save thousands hunted by the Gestapo during World War II—told in full for the first time. Le Chambon-sur-Lignon is a small village of scattered houses high in the mountains of the Ardèche, one of the most remote and inaccessible parts of Eastern France. During the Second World War, the inhabitants of this tiny mountain village and its parishes saved thousands wanted by the Gestapo: resisters, freemasons, communists, OSS and SOE agents, and Jews. Many of those they protected were orphaned children and babies whose parents had been deported to concentration camps. With unprecedented access to newly opened archives in France, Britain, and Germany, and interviews with some of the villagers from the period who are still alive, Caroline Moorehead paints an inspiring portrait of courage and determination: of what was accomplished when a small group of people banded together to oppose their Nazi occupiers. A thrilling and atmospheric tale of silence and complicity, Village of Secrets reveals how every one of the inhabitants of Chambon remained silent in a country infamous for collaboration. Yet it is also a story about mythmaking, and the fallibility of memory. A major contribution to WWII history, illustrated with black-and-white photos, Village of Secrets sets the record straight about the events in Chambon, and pays tribute to a group of heroic individuals, most of them women, for whom saving others became more important than their own lives.
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0062202499
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 223
Book Description
“Le Chambon has long been mythologized in France for the actions of its inhabitants. . . . But, as this riveting history shows, the story is more complex. . . . If the picture Moorhead paints is messier than the myth, this only serves to enhance the heroism of the main actors.”— The New Yorker From the author of the New York Times bestseller A Train in Winter comes the absorbing story of a French village that helped save thousands hunted by the Gestapo during World War II—told in full for the first time. Le Chambon-sur-Lignon is a small village of scattered houses high in the mountains of the Ardèche, one of the most remote and inaccessible parts of Eastern France. During the Second World War, the inhabitants of this tiny mountain village and its parishes saved thousands wanted by the Gestapo: resisters, freemasons, communists, OSS and SOE agents, and Jews. Many of those they protected were orphaned children and babies whose parents had been deported to concentration camps. With unprecedented access to newly opened archives in France, Britain, and Germany, and interviews with some of the villagers from the period who are still alive, Caroline Moorehead paints an inspiring portrait of courage and determination: of what was accomplished when a small group of people banded together to oppose their Nazi occupiers. A thrilling and atmospheric tale of silence and complicity, Village of Secrets reveals how every one of the inhabitants of Chambon remained silent in a country infamous for collaboration. Yet it is also a story about mythmaking, and the fallibility of memory. A major contribution to WWII history, illustrated with black-and-white photos, Village of Secrets sets the record straight about the events in Chambon, and pays tribute to a group of heroic individuals, most of them women, for whom saving others became more important than their own lives.
Vichy and the Eternal Feminine
Author: Francine Muel-Dreyfus
Publisher: Duke University Press
ISBN: 9780822327745
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 406
Book Description
Argues that the Vichy regime used symbolic violence to reshape a liberal culture based on individual rights into one of deference to hierarchical authority.
Publisher: Duke University Press
ISBN: 9780822327745
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 406
Book Description
Argues that the Vichy regime used symbolic violence to reshape a liberal culture based on individual rights into one of deference to hierarchical authority.
From Vichy to the Sexual Revolution
Author: Sarah Fishman
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190248629
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 297
Book Description
In the decades after World War II, French ideas about gender and family life underwent dramatic changes, laying the groundwork for the sexual revolution of the 1960s. This book offers a broad view of changing lives and ideas about love, courtship, marriage, giving birth, parenting, childhood, and adolescence in France from the Vichy regime to the sexual revolution of 1960s.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190248629
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 297
Book Description
In the decades after World War II, French ideas about gender and family life underwent dramatic changes, laying the groundwork for the sexual revolution of the 1960s. This book offers a broad view of changing lives and ideas about love, courtship, marriage, giving birth, parenting, childhood, and adolescence in France from the Vichy regime to the sexual revolution of 1960s.
Sarah's Key
Author: Tatiana de Rosnay
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 0312370830
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 305
Book Description
An American journalist researches the notorious roundup of Parisian Jews and uncovers her French family's war-era secrets.
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 0312370830
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 305
Book Description
An American journalist researches the notorious roundup of Parisian Jews and uncovers her French family's war-era secrets.
Charlotte Gray
Author: Sebastian Faulks
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0804152608
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 604
Book Description
Faulks's first novel since the extraordinary success of Birdsong is written with the same passion, power and breadth of vision. Set in England and France during the darkest days of World War II, Charlotte Gray, like Birdsong, depicts a complex love affair that is both shaped and thwarted by war. It is 1942. London is blacked out, but France is under a greater darkness, as the occupying Nazi forces encroach ever closer in a tense waiting game. Charlotte Gray, a volatile but determined young woman, travels south from Edinburgh. Working in London, she has a brief but intense love affair with an RAF pilot. When his plane is lost over France, she contrives to go there herself to work in the Resistance and to search for him--but then is unwilling to leave as she finds that the struggle for the country's fate is intimately linked to her own battle to take control of her life. Faulks's novel is an examination of lost paradises, politics without belief, the limits of memory, the redemptive power of art and the existence of hope beyond reason. It is also a brilliant evocation of life in Occupied France and, more significantly, a revelation of the appalling price many Frenchmen paid to survive in unoccupied, so-called Free France. As the men, women and children of Charlotte's small town prepare to meet their terrible destiny, the truth of what took place in wartime France is finally exposed. When private lives and public events fatally collide, the roots of the characters' lives are torn up and exposed. These harrowing scenes are presented with the passion and narrative force that readers will recall from Birdsong. Charlotte Gray will attract even more readers to Faulks's remarkable fiction.
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0804152608
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 604
Book Description
Faulks's first novel since the extraordinary success of Birdsong is written with the same passion, power and breadth of vision. Set in England and France during the darkest days of World War II, Charlotte Gray, like Birdsong, depicts a complex love affair that is both shaped and thwarted by war. It is 1942. London is blacked out, but France is under a greater darkness, as the occupying Nazi forces encroach ever closer in a tense waiting game. Charlotte Gray, a volatile but determined young woman, travels south from Edinburgh. Working in London, she has a brief but intense love affair with an RAF pilot. When his plane is lost over France, she contrives to go there herself to work in the Resistance and to search for him--but then is unwilling to leave as she finds that the struggle for the country's fate is intimately linked to her own battle to take control of her life. Faulks's novel is an examination of lost paradises, politics without belief, the limits of memory, the redemptive power of art and the existence of hope beyond reason. It is also a brilliant evocation of life in Occupied France and, more significantly, a revelation of the appalling price many Frenchmen paid to survive in unoccupied, so-called Free France. As the men, women and children of Charlotte's small town prepare to meet their terrible destiny, the truth of what took place in wartime France is finally exposed. When private lives and public events fatally collide, the roots of the characters' lives are torn up and exposed. These harrowing scenes are presented with the passion and narrative force that readers will recall from Birdsong. Charlotte Gray will attract even more readers to Faulks's remarkable fiction.