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4.38 AVERAGE
4.38 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book follows the various roles that Nancy Wake assumed during WWII in the aim of supporting the Allies in WWII. She grew up in NZ and then comes to Europe. The book follows her adventures as a spy, journalist and her courtship with Henri Fiocca. This lady has chutzpa, charisma, sass, gumption and is based on a real woman who was an extremely decorated heroine from WWII. Apparently, she really swore and drank like a sailor too! An interesting read that weaves the various roles she played together.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Ariel Lawhon (https://www.ariellawhon.com/about/) is a masterful author of historical fiction, and I can state that with some authority after having read three of her books – this one, The Frozen River (https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/60972cd4-d382-4df3-b1d7-ed0b45661ac7) and The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress (https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/aa72f871-4a7f-4019-ad05-3be2c2acd989).
Okay, so that's a lot of long links in an otherwise brief paragraph. What makes Lawhon's books so well written? Research, lots of it, a fascination with her main character(s), and an ability to tell an historical story as if we - the reader - were a fly on the wall watching and listening. In addition, at the end of each book Lawhon provides Author's Notes that are chock full of background information and well worth reading but not till after reading the story! This book is about Nancy Grace August Wake, born in New Zealand, raised in Australia, and then settling herself in Paris where she procured a job as a journalist, and that was just the beginning of her very active life filled with covert actions.
Nancy's involvement in the French Resistance during World War Two forms the basis of the book, but before that she married Henri Fiocca, a wealthy businessman, and they settled in Marseilles. By all accounts they had a very loving marriage where they honored each other for who they were. Thus, Henri did not try to stop Nancy from engaging with the Resistance. What began as mostly courier work to aid Jews and others in escaping from Vichy France wound up turning into becoming a spy as well as leading men in the Resistance to fight and stymie the Germans. To successfully do her work she had several aliases: Madame Andrée (her code name when she was on the ground fighting and leading men to fight), Lucienne Carlier (her code name when acting as a courier), Hélène (in her capacity as a spy), and the name given to her by the Germans: The White Mouse.
I completed reading this book yesterday on July 4th, Independence Day in the United States and found the history of Nancy's story resonant with what has been happening in the US and the current president. Because of that I think the reality of her situation and the horrors she witnessed hit me particularly hard. I took heart from her efforts because my country's purported leader is at war with that which has defined this country for almost 250 years. The masked ICE agents are no different than the German brownshirts of Hitler's Nazi state. The concentration camps were no different than the horrific detention centers both in the US and in those countries that are willing to take innocent people and incarcerate them. I could continue but it is truly too discouraging to do so.
Nancy Wake is a compelling hero, fearless and driven by a strong sense of values. She saw countless horrors and rather than sitting by and doing nothing, she dedicated herself to taking action, and wow, did she ever do just that!
To learn more about Nancy:
Okay, so that's a lot of long links in an otherwise brief paragraph. What makes Lawhon's books so well written? Research, lots of it, a fascination with her main character(s), and an ability to tell an historical story as if we - the reader - were a fly on the wall watching and listening. In addition, at the end of each book Lawhon provides Author's Notes that are chock full of background information and well worth reading but not till after reading the story! This book is about Nancy Grace August Wake, born in New Zealand, raised in Australia, and then settling herself in Paris where she procured a job as a journalist, and that was just the beginning of her very active life filled with covert actions.
Nancy's involvement in the French Resistance during World War Two forms the basis of the book, but before that she married Henri Fiocca, a wealthy businessman, and they settled in Marseilles. By all accounts they had a very loving marriage where they honored each other for who they were. Thus, Henri did not try to stop Nancy from engaging with the Resistance. What began as mostly courier work to aid Jews and others in escaping from Vichy France wound up turning into becoming a spy as well as leading men in the Resistance to fight and stymie the Germans. To successfully do her work she had several aliases: Madame Andrée (her code name when she was on the ground fighting and leading men to fight), Lucienne Carlier (her code name when acting as a courier), Hélène (in her capacity as a spy), and the name given to her by the Germans: The White Mouse.
I completed reading this book yesterday on July 4th, Independence Day in the United States and found the history of Nancy's story resonant with what has been happening in the US and the current president. Because of that I think the reality of her situation and the horrors she witnessed hit me particularly hard. I took heart from her efforts because my country's purported leader is at war with that which has defined this country for almost 250 years. The masked ICE agents are no different than the German brownshirts of Hitler's Nazi state. The concentration camps were no different than the horrific detention centers both in the US and in those countries that are willing to take innocent people and incarcerate them. I could continue but it is truly too discouraging to do so.
Nancy Wake is a compelling hero, fearless and driven by a strong sense of values. She saw countless horrors and rather than sitting by and doing nothing, she dedicated herself to taking action, and wow, did she ever do just that!
To learn more about Nancy:
- Australian War Memorial (https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P332)
- The National Archives, UK (https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/stories/nancy-wake/)
- League of Women Voters' of Indiana (https://www.lwvin.org/content.aspx?page_id=5&club_id=42001&item_id=67755)
- Nancy Wake Wikipedia entry (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Wake)
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No