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dtab62's review against another edition
5.0
If Alex Kershaw has written a book that deserves less than five stars, I haven’t found it yet.
Avenue of Spies is the saga of an American doctor in Paris and his family. They became part of the Resistance and operated right under the noses of the Gestapo, helping British soldiers and pilots return to England.
I won’t add any spoilers, but they were discovered and taken to concentration camps. You have to read the book to finds how it ends.
Avenue of Spies is the saga of an American doctor in Paris and his family. They became part of the Resistance and operated right under the noses of the Gestapo, helping British soldiers and pilots return to England.
I won’t add any spoilers, but they were discovered and taken to concentration camps. You have to read the book to finds how it ends.
stevenyenzer's review against another edition
3.0
A solid enough account of one American family's experience in occupied Paris. Most of the characters, especially Dr. Jackson, felt flat to me — I didn't really get a sense of any of their personalities (perhaps not the author's fault).
lweihl's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent book. If you are a WWII fan and like to hear these amazing but untold stories this is an excellent read.
koreilly's review against another edition
4.0
A harrowing tale of one family's ordeal in Nazi occupied France and a nice Cliff Notes explained for the occupation itself. Sometimes you just want a no frills story from one of the most cataclysmic events in global history and this book delivers. The writing is dry and efficient and while there are some attempts at cliffhanger chapter endings towards the end it's a narrative with the comfy propulsion of a Toyota Camry. I enjoyed it.
mirificmoxie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
4.5
catgood's review against another edition
4.0
This is a really fascinating account of an American family who lived in Paris at the start of WWII and chose to stay in France instead of leave. I thought this was an interesting look at the German occupation of France during WWII. I really got caught up in the story and couldn’t wait to get to he end of the book to find out what happened to all the family members.
mlindsey441's review against another edition
3.0
This one was a struggle for me. I'm fairly certain my 11th grade History teacher may have skipped World War II -- either that or there was a cute boy in the class. Either one are equal possibilities here. My own lack of background knowledge of the resistance in Nazi-occupied Paris, as well as my ignorance about much of World War II, put me at a significant disadvantage as I read. The author assumes his readers have a rather strong working knowledge of this time period. There were parts that felt confusing to me and many names that were meaningless to me. This made the book drag on at times and I confess to perhaps drifting off from time-to-time in my reading.
At the same time, there were portions of the book that read like fiction -- narrow escapes, kind and heroic acts, and a few great action scenes. These parts of the book made me feel like I was watching a movie and were great redeeming features of my reading experience. I am glad I made the effort to push through the more difficult, slow going bits.
I think readers who are frequent readers of WWII history will really enjoy this book, as it is likely a little known story of resistance, so I appreciate it for that contribution. It also showed me my own gross ignorance about this time period and I am grateful to the opportunity to fill in some of the (rather embarrassing) gaps in my historical knowledge.
At the same time, there were portions of the book that read like fiction -- narrow escapes, kind and heroic acts, and a few great action scenes. These parts of the book made me feel like I was watching a movie and were great redeeming features of my reading experience. I am glad I made the effort to push through the more difficult, slow going bits.
I think readers who are frequent readers of WWII history will really enjoy this book, as it is likely a little known story of resistance, so I appreciate it for that contribution. It also showed me my own gross ignorance about this time period and I am grateful to the opportunity to fill in some of the (rather embarrassing) gaps in my historical knowledge.
joabroda's review against another edition
informative
sad
medium-paced
3.0
The Story of Dr. Sumner and Toquette Jackson, during the occupation of Paris in WWII. The Jackson's home was on Avenue Foch, the high-end address of the upper crust of Paris. Many of the homes were taken over by Nazi's when occupation began, but the Jackson's were fortunate (or maybe unfortunate) to be able to remain in their home. As the war and espionage grew deeper, Torquette found herself helping the Resistance, meanwhile her husband was doing the same at The American Hospital.
I was hoping to love this book, however it turned out just OK for me. This is my second book by Krenshaw and I enjoyed The Envoy: The Epic Rescue of the Last Jews of Europe in the Desperate Closing Months of World War II much more. It appeared to me that there was more than enough information to write an excellent account of this true story, however parts of it seemed forced and there was a lot of repetition throughout.
Not great, just ok.
I was hoping to love this book, however it turned out just OK for me. This is my second book by Krenshaw and I enjoyed The Envoy: The Epic Rescue of the Last Jews of Europe in the Desperate Closing Months of World War II much more. It appeared to me that there was more than enough information to write an excellent account of this true story, however parts of it seemed forced and there was a lot of repetition throughout.
Not great, just ok.