Well, in honor of Valentine's Day, here's a book with a teen heroine and a love triangle set largely in the City of Love:
In The Violins of Autumn,
Adele and Denise are two young women visiting Paris and the surrounding
countryside, taking in the sights, visiting French cafes, and falling in love.
Doesn’t sound like my usual fare, does it? Well, all is not what it seems. The
year is 1944, and Adele and Denise are members of the British Special
Operations Executive, a paramilitary force that served behind enemy lines in
World War II. They are tasked with aiding French resistance fighters hindering
the German forces prior to the coming Allied invasion at Normandy, and when
Adele isn’t torn between a French resistance fighter and a downed American
fighter pilot, she’s tearing the Nazis a new one via espionage and sabotage.
Violins of Autumn isn’t
particularly memorable, but it’s an enjoyable way to kill a few hours (it’s a
very quick read). Author Amy McAuley seems to have done her homework, and the book celebrates some unsung heroes, the few women who
fought behind the frontlines against the Axis for the Western powers (there
were 55 female SOE agents, 13 of whom were KIA or died in captivity).
-Mike, out.
No comments:
Post a Comment