I typically really enjoy Pam Jenoff’s books but I do have to say that I believe this is HER BEST YET. It was so hard putting it down; I wanted to know what was going to happen next.
This is a story of WWII Resistance, courage, anguish and Sisterhood. Yes, Sisterhood. The story is told from the perspectives of Grace in New York in 1946, Eleanor in London in 1943, and Marie in France in 1944. So readers who have difficulty with alternation timelines should find this story much easier to follow.
One morning as Grace Healey is rushing to work she comes across what appears to be an abandoned suitcase in the Central Grand Terminal. Her curiosity gets the best of her and she opens the suitcase to try to determine the owner. Inside she finds a dozen photos of women, some in what appears to be uniforms. Running late for work, she impulsively takes the photos and continues on her way. Later she learns that the suitcase belonged to Eleanor Trigg, who was the leader of a group of female secret agents who were deployed to Occupied Europe. The photos Grace holds are of the agents who disappeared, their fates unknown.
Now let’s jump back three years to when Eleanor Trigg comes before a furious Director of Special Operations Executive (SOE). Close to 300 agents have been sent into Europe to disrupt munition factories and rail lines prior to the planned invasion. The majority of the agents were sent into France but more and more of them are being killed. Most of the French young men were away at the war so the young male agents deployed to France stood out. Eleanor presents a plan to recruit and train women to send into occupied France, mostly as radio operators. She believes the women would be better able to blend into the local population. Surprisingly her plan is approved.
Marie Roux speaks fluent French and is quickly recruited. Abandoned by her husband, she leaves behind her young daughter as she enters training and is deployed to France. It is through Marie that we learn of the dangers these brave young women faced. What happened to these young women? Who betrayed them?
I was completely captivated with the writing and easily shifted time and place with the story. The characters came to life for me. I was eager to learn their stories and felt so angry at their betrayal. Who could have done that to these brave people?
This is a story of WWII Resistance, courage, anguish and Sisterhood. Yes, Sisterhood. The story is told from the perspectives of Grace in New York in 1946, Eleanor in London in 1943, and Marie in France in 1944. So readers who have difficulty with alternation timelines should find this story much easier to follow.
One morning as Grace Healey is rushing to work she comes across what appears to be an abandoned suitcase in the Central Grand Terminal. Her curiosity gets the best of her and she opens the suitcase to try to determine the owner. Inside she finds a dozen photos of women, some in what appears to be uniforms. Running late for work, she impulsively takes the photos and continues on her way. Later she learns that the suitcase belonged to Eleanor Trigg, who was the leader of a group of female secret agents who were deployed to Occupied Europe. The photos Grace holds are of the agents who disappeared, their fates unknown.
Now let’s jump back three years to when Eleanor Trigg comes before a furious Director of Special Operations Executive (SOE). Close to 300 agents have been sent into Europe to disrupt munition factories and rail lines prior to the planned invasion. The majority of the agents were sent into France but more and more of them are being killed. Most of the French young men were away at the war so the young male agents deployed to France stood out. Eleanor presents a plan to recruit and train women to send into occupied France, mostly as radio operators. She believes the women would be better able to blend into the local population. Surprisingly her plan is approved.
Marie Roux speaks fluent French and is quickly recruited. Abandoned by her husband, she leaves behind her young daughter as she enters training and is deployed to France. It is through Marie that we learn of the dangers these brave young women faced. What happened to these young women? Who betrayed them?
I was completely captivated with the writing and easily shifted time and place with the story. The characters came to life for me. I was eager to learn their stories and felt so angry at their betrayal. Who could have done that to these brave people?