The Girl in the Blue Beret
Posted: January 16, 2012 Filed under: Book Reviews | Tags: France, historical fiction, World War II Leave a comment »
The Girl in the Blue Beret, by Bobbie Ann Mason
Marshall Stone, a commercial airline pilot, is being forced to retire in 1980 at age 60. Now that he has more free time, he wonders what happened to the people he met in 1944, when his B-17 bomber was shot down and crash landed in a Belgian field near the French border. Recently widowed, he rents a temporary flat in Paris, and revisits his past. He writes to his surviving crew mates, and meets Nicolas Albert, whose parents hid him and other aviators as part of the French resistance. Nicolas helps Marshall trace the people and places he encountered in the months before he was smuggled back to England. He most wants to meet Annette Vallon, the girl in the blue beret, and her friend Robert. As Marshall remembers his wartime experiences, Nicolas, Annette, and Robert’s daughter gradually explain what happened to them. The author was inspired by the real-life adventure of her father-in-law, and the people who helped him. A moving and memorable book, it reminds me of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. For more information about the book, visit the author’s web site.
Brenda
Prague Cemetery
Posted: December 8, 2011 Filed under: Book Reviews | Tags: France, historical fiction, thriller Leave a comment »
Prague Cemetery, by Umberto Eco
“I hate, therefore I am” describes the main character Simonio Simonini in this historical novel set in mid-nineteenth century Paris. Simonini, as well as his alter ego Abbe Dalla Piccola, is a talented forger and conspirator who seems to be behind numerous slanders concerning Jews, Jesuits, Freemasons, the Illuminati, and other groups lurking behind government and heads of state, all trying to subvert the body politic with their schemes for world domination. Simonini hates the Germans, the French, the Italians, the British, and just about everyone else. He is phobic about women and values fine cuisine. The novel is about his escapades during the Franco- Prussian war and his involvement in “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” and the Dreyfuss affair.
I like Eco’s writing because he is funny and erudite, but it is an acquired taste. This book is not for everyone as it shows the rampant anti-Semitism present in Europe at that time. The Prague Cemetery takes conspiracy theories to the ultimate level, and is recommended for fans of conspiracy thrillers.
Joel
Ysabel
Posted: December 7, 2011 Filed under: Book Reviews | Tags: fantasy, France Leave a comment »
Ysabel, by Guy Gavriel Kay
A historical mystical fantasy with Celtic elements and a harrowing love story; Ysabel, by Guy Gavriel Kay, has been called astonishing. It swept me away. Winner of the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 2008 and a Locus Award finalist.
See the author’s web site to find out more about Ysabel.
Beth
