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A review by delise
All the Lights Above Us by M.B. Henry
5.0
Thank you to Netgalley and Alcove Press for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book gives an in-depth look at D-Day, told from the perspective of five women from different backgrounds: Mildred or Axis Sally, an American radio broadcaster in Berlin, part of the Nazi propaganda machine and the first American woman convicted of treason; Flora, a resistance fighter in France; Adelaide, a mother boarding German soldiers in France; Emilia, a German secretary for the Nazi Intelligence Division (SD), stationed in France; and Theda, a British nurse. Each of them helps the reader see different sides of the war and their roles in it.
My main impression of D-Day was of the beach invasion, so it was great to learn about the other parts of the operation - the bombings (which killed many French civilians), the parachute droppings (some of them miscalculated, ending up with the soldiers' deaths), and the role of the French resistance. But the story goes much deeper than just the war. It's about women's lives: how women can sometimes be underestimated and taken advantage of; how a mother can feel useless once her child leaves; how women question whether they can have both a career and love or if they have to choose one or the other. I especially enjoyed Adelaide's journey through the French countryside in search of her daughter and Theda growing in her confidence.
The descriptions of the war were excellent, especially those recounting the sights, sounds, and smells of injured soldiers inside a hospital. I also loved how the German characters were humanized and not just evil puppets and how the Allied forces were not heroic saviors. All characters were complex and real.
Recommended for lovers of historical fiction and stories about WWII!
This book gives an in-depth look at D-Day, told from the perspective of five women from different backgrounds: Mildred or Axis Sally, an American radio broadcaster in Berlin, part of the Nazi propaganda machine and the first American woman convicted of treason; Flora, a resistance fighter in France; Adelaide, a mother boarding German soldiers in France; Emilia, a German secretary for the Nazi Intelligence Division (SD), stationed in France; and Theda, a British nurse. Each of them helps the reader see different sides of the war and their roles in it.
My main impression of D-Day was of the beach invasion, so it was great to learn about the other parts of the operation - the bombings (which killed many French civilians), the parachute droppings (some of them miscalculated, ending up with the soldiers' deaths), and the role of the French resistance. But the story goes much deeper than just the war. It's about women's lives: how women can sometimes be underestimated and taken advantage of; how a mother can feel useless once her child leaves; how women question whether they can have both a career and love or if they have to choose one or the other. I especially enjoyed Adelaide's journey through the French countryside in search of her daughter and Theda growing in her confidence.
The descriptions of the war were excellent, especially those recounting the sights, sounds, and smells of injured soldiers inside a hospital. I also loved how the German characters were humanized and not just evil puppets and how the Allied forces were not heroic saviors. All characters were complex and real.
Recommended for lovers of historical fiction and stories about WWII!