This is the story of nine young women who had been captured by the Germans and transported to various concentration and labor camps during World War II. The things that got them into trouble, mostly being in the resistance fighting against Nazi policies, are mentioned in flashbacks. The book is mostly about the escape this group made during the death march their group of prisoners was on. It is not the story of one or two women, but of the group as a whole. They would not have made it to the front lines and back to Paris without all of them working together.
Each of the early chapters did concentrate on one of the women. We get their past, the things they did as resistance work, how they were captured and where they met other members of the group. They partnered up early in their captivity, and worked to remain in the same labor group. By the time the war was winding down and they were moved from camp to camp, they were a tight group. When the opportunity to escape came, they went as a unit. They stayed that way until they crossed the front line, regardless of the temptations to split up.
The middle section of chapters concentrated on the escape. They were on foot in a foreign country that was still at war. There was little food. Shelter was mostly in barns or ditches. They were ill, hungry and cold. Still they found help on the way.
The final chapters covered the years after the war. Some of the women wrote about their experiences. Others didn't tell anyone what had happened to them.
The book was written by the great-niece of the unacknowledged leader of the group. Even she had trouble getting information from the survivors. It does seem to be a time that the people who lived through wanted to completely forget. Even now, information is scarce.
I received the copy of the book I read for this review from BookishFirst.
Each of the early chapters did concentrate on one of the women. We get their past, the things they did as resistance work, how they were captured and where they met other members of the group. They partnered up early in their captivity, and worked to remain in the same labor group. By the time the war was winding down and they were moved from camp to camp, they were a tight group. When the opportunity to escape came, they went as a unit. They stayed that way until they crossed the front line, regardless of the temptations to split up.
The middle section of chapters concentrated on the escape. They were on foot in a foreign country that was still at war. There was little food. Shelter was mostly in barns or ditches. They were ill, hungry and cold. Still they found help on the way.
The final chapters covered the years after the war. Some of the women wrote about their experiences. Others didn't tell anyone what had happened to them.
The book was written by the great-niece of the unacknowledged leader of the group. Even she had trouble getting information from the survivors. It does seem to be a time that the people who lived through wanted to completely forget. Even now, information is scarce.
I received the copy of the book I read for this review from BookishFirst.