The setting is WWII in Nazi-occupied France and tells the stories of Vianne and Isabelle, two sisters with very different personalities and how they each respond in such dreadful times. Both are brave in different ways - rebellious Isabelle impetuously joins the resistance early on and Vianne is finally driven to risk her own life and her daughter's to save others. The descriptions of the brutality of the occupation and the concentration camps are heartrending but ultimately love and friendship shine through.
I understand that Isabelle's character is based on the late Andrée de Jongh (1916-2007) who repeatedly risked her life helping British and American servicemen escape on foot from Nazi-occupied Belgium and France.
(Christine Miller - bwl 77 Summer 2015 ) |
