Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week the theme is Books I HAD to Have Immediately but Still Haven’t Read (this is a throwback topic from 2022). However, given that this is the last Tuesday for me to do a Paris in July related Top Ten Tuesday I am going down that route instead.
During last year's Paris in July, I shared a TTT post which was Historical Fiction set in France. When I put that list together I specifically excluded WWII fiction, so this week my theme is Historical Fiction Set in France - the WWII Edition. I have started with two books that come to mind instantly and then the rest are more recent books I have read set in France during WWII.
A Farewell to France by Noel Barber - in the 1990s I read a lot of Noel Barber books and I have such fond memories of them. I am not sure they would stand up all that well to read now though.
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah - I am looking forward to seeing the movie of this one whenever it ends up actually getting made
The Resistance Knitting Club by Jenny O'Brien - I am just about to read the follow up to this book and can't wait! (review)
The Girl From Normandy by Rachel Sweasey - I really enjoyed this read (my review)
The Madamoiselle Alliance by Natasha Lester - What a fascinating this read was. It is based on a true story which makes it even more amazing! (my review)
The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin - This one is set in both France and Portugal (my review)
The Paris Dancer by Nicola Rayner - I was nearly going to say WWII Paris, but then I remembered that the whole theme for this post is WWII which makes that kind of redundant! (my review)
The Resistance Bakery by Siobhan Curham - I love a book set in a French bakery so this was always going to be a winner for me! (my review)
The Last Train from Paris by Juliet Greenwood - I thought this was a really great read with an interesting story! (my review)
The Lost Sister of Fifth Avenue by Ella Carey - The title might make you think this one is not set in Paris, but the majority of the story is! (my review)
In 1942, Bethnal Green library in London was destroyed by a German bomb. The head librarian is killed and so children's librarian Clara Button starts a library in the tunnels of the nearby Tube station which is being used as a refuge from the nightly bombing raids for thousands of locals. Ably assisted by her best friend Ruby Munros, the library provides many valuable services to the community. They provide books to the local factory girls, they do children's story time, start a book club for the many women who otherwise wouldn't have any personal time and so much more.
Both Clara and Ruby have strong back stories. Clara is a widow whose mother and mother in law both dislike that she is working in the library. They both believe that she should be at home grieving her husband even though he has been dead for quite some time. Ruby has also suffered significant loss. She lost her older sister in a terrible tragedy and she blames herself. To numb the pain she drinks a lot, and parties hard, masking how much she is hurting underneath her brash exterior..
Clara clashes against her boss, the grandly named Mr Pinkerton-Smythe, who seems to think that libraries should only be available to the well to do, that only literature with a capital L should be available to readers. What libraries should absolutely not do is provide women with information or books that encourage them to take their own lives into their hands and decide things like they don't want any more children or that they don't have to stay in violent marriages. He does everything in his power to close Clara's version of the library down.
I loved the part of the book where the library is donated multiple copies of Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor. It is a book that I have read a couple of times back in my late teens initially and it is an absolute romp. Amber is resourceful and ambitious, will do what it takes to get what she wants. What a woman! I am tempted to find it and read it again. I am pretty sure I still have a copy on my shelves somewhere.
I love a good WWII historical fiction novel, and this is undoubtedly one of the better ones out there. What makes it even more interesting is that it is based on little known true life events. There really was a library in the rail tunnels under Bethnal Green station. Unfortunately, the terrible tragedy which shaped Ruby's life so much is also based on a tragic, real life event.
I really enjoyed the quotes at the beginning of each chapter which come from real life librarians, including contemporary librarians. From the authors notes, it is clear that she is passionate about libraries and has been involved in some battles to save local libraries when the politicians decide to cut back services.
Having now read this book and The Wartime Book Club I can now declare myself a Kate Thompson fan. While she keeps writing about libraries I will keep reading the book. I am now on the waitlist for her latest book from my library!
This was a 5/5 read for me and I highly recommend it.
I am sharing this review with British Isles Friday hosted at Joy's Book Blog, Bookish Books Challenge hosted at Bloggin' Bout Books and the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host here.
In 2012 a German woman named Margot Wolk shared a story that before then was unknown. She claimed that she was one of a group of 15 women who were forced to be the taste testers for Hitler's food, and that she was the only one of the women to survive the war. Some have cast doubts on the story, but whether it is true or not, it does make for an interesting tale. Le Assaggiatrici is an Italian movie which tells that story.
Rosa is a young woman who moves to a small town in what is now Poland to live with her in-laws. Her husband is a solder. They have been married 4 years but in that time she has only seen him for a few weeks as he has been off fighting the war. The letters have become at first infrequent and now non-existent so she is not sure if he is alive or not.
Not long after arriving, there is a knock at the door and Rosa is ordered to board a bus by soldiers. She doesn't know why or where she is going or who the other women already on the bus are. The women on the bus arrive at a facility where they are taken to a dining room where they are ordered to eat. At first the women are reticent, but food is food. It is only after they have eaten that they are told that they have now been conscripted to be the tasters of Hitler's food as the Fuhrer is paranoid of being poisoned.
Each day they are bought to the dining room and they have to eat. They then have to wait for a prescribed period of time to see if they are ill after eating. Only then will the chef give the all clear for the food to be presented to Hitler. It is easy how this could absolutely affect your mind. After all, if someone is going to try to poison him, you could also be poisoned. The guards are very alert, and even if you aren't hungry, or not feeling well for other reasons, you must still eat or face the consequences.
At first, the women are wary of each other, especially of Rosa who is an outsider. These women are doing the best they can to survive a brutal war, to raise children, and for those who are single hoping for the opportunity to find love. Some of the women are also trying to keep their secrets safe, some more successfully than others. Over the course of the film, the dynamics between the women shift constantly from rivals, to uneasy friendships and strong bonds.
I wasn't sure about one aspect of the film which is when Rosa began a passionate secret affair with one of the lieutenants who was in charge of the group. It did add additional tension into the movie but it did seem like an odd decision.
As the war progresses, the desperation of the soldiers increases as well as the fear of what will happen if and when the Russians arrive.
This is a WWII movie which focuses predominantly on the experience of a group of women, which makes it unusual given that so often women are on the outside of the story. It is based on a bestselling book called The Wolf at the Table by Rosa Postarino
This movie was originally shown here as part of the German Film Festival in 2025. However, I missed it then so I was pleased when I saw it as one of the options on the plane when I was travelling recently and that I took the opportunity to watch it! I quite often watch foreign movies on planes. Given that we are travelling again soon it will be interesting to see what I find to watch on these flights!
Here's the trailer
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As much as I enjoy reading made up stories in historical fiction, there is something special about stories which are based on real life events, which is the case with this book.
The Islander's Daughter tells the story of a terrible massacre on the small Greek island of Milos in August 1943. 14 men were killed by the German occupiers in retribution for the bombing of the cargo ship, SS Artemis Pitta.
The story is predominantly told through the eyes of Dora, a young woman who has grown up on the island. Like many young women of her time, her life is all planned out for her. She is expected to marry family friend Zoodow, but it is more complicated than that as her brother also has feelings for Zoodow. Her brother is forced to leave home, with tragic consequences, leaving Dora at the mercy of her violent and unpredictable father.
The author really cleverly builds the tension, from the bombing of the ship, with the timelines counting down to the date of the massacre. Dora and her family are key to the events. Dora has a natural caring nature and so finds herself caring for a survivor of the boat explosion in secret, and soon finds herself falling in love. War brings out the best and worst in people and Dora experiences this first hand when she is betrayed.
If you read the blurb for this book it appears as though it is a dual timeline is, and I guess, technically, it is. However, it is only the prologue and epilogue that have a modern setting. To be honest, the reason why is only obvious in the last couple of pages. I do wonder if there was a different way of doing this.
This is my first book from Patricia Wilson, who retired to Greece many years ago. Just looking at the titles and descriptions of her books, it is clear that she loves the country. That enthusiasm shines through the pages of the book!
I am sharing this review with New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog and the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host here. Thanks to the publisher, Netgalley and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy. Be sure to check out other stops on the blog tour below.
Rating 3.5/5
About the book
The Islander's Daughter
When Trisha receives a mysterious letter to her Liverpool home, it opens a decades’ old mystery, drawing her back into her family’s forgotten past, the horrors of war, and a small island off the coast of Greece…
Eighty years earlier, on the island of Milos, Dora is dreaming of a better life, free from the oppression of the occupying army and, closer to home, the brutal rule of her father, an infamous horse breeder.
Then a German cargo ship is bombed in the harbour, killing dozens of the men on board. The islanders trawl the waters for spoilage from the wreckage – finding among the debris a badly injured man, who may just hold the awful truth about what happened.
Dora soon finds this man under her care, and it changes her life forever, introducing her to the possibility of love and freedom for the first time… But Dora cannot know, as she nurses the stranger back to health, that her actions will have devastating consequences for her beloved island. Consequences that will last for generations…
Born on the Wirral, Patricia Wilson is the author of emotional, escapist historical fiction set in the Greek Islands, including the Sunday Times bestseller Villa of Secrets. She has had seven bestsellers, and her books have been published worldwide and in thirteen languages. She is dyslexic, and fell in love with writing thanks to modern technology.
There's no doubt that there are a lot of dual point of view WWII novels out there and some of those books are average, so it brings a lot of satisfaction when you find one that stands out from the crown. The Silent Resistance by Anna Normann is one of those books. It's such a great read!
Anni Odland is doing the best that she can to keep what remains of her family together in German occuupied Norway during WWII. Her husband, Lars, is a merchant sailor. He left Norway years before, not knowing that he would not be returning home, leaving Anni to raise their young daughter Ingrid. Along with her mother in law, Guri, she also is doing what she can to resist the Germans.
One day, there is a knock at the door. Ingrid hides in her hiding spot, knowing if there is danger she needs to hide until she can run to her grandmother. However, it is not imminent danger. It is a German civilian who has come to inform Anna that her house has been requisitioned and he is going to be boarding in her house for the foreseeable future. This is going to make it difficult for her resistance activities to continue.
Whilst war brings out the best in people but it also brings out the worst. It doesn't take long for people to begin to gossip about the fact that Anni is a single woman with a German living in her house.
I mentioned that this is a dual point of view, as opposed to a dual timeline. The reason I make this distinction is that Ingrid's story starts from when she is a young girl being bullied by her schoolmates and wondering when her family is going to be reunited. We then follow Ingrid across the decades as she move to England and then tries to find out exactly what happened to her mother in the days immediately following the end of the war, facing silence and obstacles at every turn. I was very moved at several points in this book, particularly towards the end.
I do have a little familiarity with the WWII history of Norway through a couple of books, plus the movie Number 24 and some documentaries but I wouldn't call it comprehensive! In this book, there were some particular aspects that I hadn't heard of before. I found myself wondering how the government in exile expected women like Anni to manage when they made the laws.
Anna Normann is a pseudonym for two authors who write together, Natalie Normann and Anan Singh. They have been writing together in Norwegian for years, but this is their first book writing in English. I was very impressed. There were a couple of idioms that had me wondering but other than those minor moments this was a fantastic read. I would definitely be interested in reading more from these authors, either together or individually.
If you are looking for a really compelling read with a rare setting, an interesting story, fascinating history and an emotional payoff then give this book a go! I loved it and this is a 5 star read for me!
I am sharing this review with the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host here. Thanks to the publisher and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy. Be sure to check out other stops on the blog tour below.
Rating 5/5
About the book
The Silent Resistance
Occupied Norway, 1944. Anni endures the war alone, aiding the resistance while longing for news of her sailor husband. Her daughter, Ingrid, is her joy, and Anni is determined to keep her safe. But when a German official is billeted at their home, danger escalates, and Anni faces an agonising dilemma.
London, 1952. Ingrid has been trying to understand her mother’s mysterious disappearance at the war’s end. Clinging to Anni’s promise that she would always come back for her, Ingrid sets out to discover what happened all those years ago.
Anna Normann is the pseudonym of authors Anan Singh and Natalie Normann, and it all happened because of a bet. Sometime in the nineteen eighties, while watching a movie with a so-so plot, they started arguing about improving the plot and how they could write a better story than that mess. And then Anan’s wife said ‘I bet you can’t’ …
Since then, they have published seven books together in Norwegian, exploring different genres. Their first novel, set in WW2, won a competition in 1995 for ‘Norway’s best entertainment novel’.
It never ceases to amaze me how many little known stories there are about the events in WWII that are still being told in new stories. This is another one which features characters who share messages in their knitting and is based on a true story.
When an elderly woman has a stroke, her family is shocked when she suddenly starts speaking fluent French, her family are completely shocked. They had no idea that their mother/grandmother who refused to leave their Channel island home could speak French. It turns out, she had a whole other life that she never told them about.
Young Lennie Gallienne is an orphan who lives a very restricted life on the isle of Guernsey. When she received the dreaded telegram to tell her that her beloved brother is missing presumed dead, she refuses to accept it, and heads to London to try to find the truth. An unexpected meeting in the War Office, sees Lennie in training to be a spy .Of course, the men aren't necessarily happy to have a woman recruit with them. And they are even less enamoured when she uses her knitting to teach herself morse code. Her superior officers find out and think it is a great idea and so they all have to learn to knit.
Lennie finds herself working in a bookshop in Paris, helping distribute tracts and pass information back to London. Being a spy is a dangerous business though. It's hard to know who you can trust and if you catch the attention of the wrong people, it can be a matter of life or death. Even if you make it out alive, you can be left with enduring memories and guilt.
In some ways this book felt a little like a thriller, with each chapter headed by a date and time, with the tension building and building as the time and dates got closer and closer together.
Whilst this book is probably technically a dual time line, the modern parts of the story really only bookends the main story and form a very small part of the book. I do think that it added something even though it was only a very small part.
Unfortunately, the other thing that ended up playing only a very small part of the story is the knitting. Yes, there was a group of knitters that Lennie spent time with in Guernsey before she went to London, and then when she was teaching the other recruits. However, there wasn't much obvious knitting when she was in Paris which is the majority of the book. It feels like a bit of a missed opportunity, particularly given the title of the book.
I did find myself quite engrossed in the story very quickly. This is the first book in a series, and I am definitely intending to read the next book in the series.
I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog, British Isles Friday hosted at Joy's Book Blog and the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host here. Thanks to the publisher and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy. Be sure to check out other stops on the blog tour below.
Rating 4/5
About the Book
The Resistance Knitting Club
Inspired by the true story of a woman who used knitting patterns to encode intelligence during World War Two.
Guernsey, 2010. After a stroke, an elderly woman shocks her family by speaking perfect French – a language they never knew she possessed. As her granddaughter unravels seventy years of silence, a hidden wartime story emerges...
Paris, 1941. After her brother is declared missing in action at Dunkirk, eighteen-year-old Lenny Gallienne vanishes into Churchill’s secret army. In a bookshop on Rue de la Pompe, she poses as a simple shop girl while encoding intelligence from Nazi headquarters into knitting patterns. Each sweater smuggled to prisoners contains flight paths. Each scarf holds radio frequencies. Each mistake means execution.
Fellow agent, Harry Dennison is the only person who knows her real name. But when the SS close in, Lenny faces an impossible choice in the Metro tunnels beneath Paris – one that will haunt her family for generations. Because in the resistance, the most dangerous secrets are the ones you keep from those you love most.
Jenny O’Brien writes complex thrillers and heartbreaking historical fiction, as well as intriguing romances. Silent Cry, initially self published, topped the Amazon kindle chart in both the UK and the USA. Most of her books have followed suit.
Jenny has over 40 years experience as a qualified nurse. She turned to creative writing as a hobby when her children were born.
Born in Ireland, she now lives in Guernsey with her husband and children. BOOK NEWS
The Resistance Knitting Club comes out in February, 2026. A blend of Jenny’s two hobbies - knitting and reading. For more check out The Resistance Knitting Club Facebook Page. Join the conversation as well as share your crafting projects.
Young Italian woman Giulia Leone lives on the shores of Lake Maggiore in Northern Italy. Her father runs a hotel and amongst the guests are some Jewish people, including Ester who is her best friend. It is 1943 and the Germans approaching Giulia and her family come up with a plan to help their Jewish guests, but it all goes terribly wrong. Giulia is the only person to escape. She doesn't know what happened to any of them, including her own parents, and now she finds herself on the German's wanted list.
After finding a safe house for a while, it soon becomes clear that the Germans are still determined to find her. She therefore has no choice but to head to the hills and join a small band of partisans who are lead by Raffaele, the son of the hotel manager. Raffaele resents being lumbered with a spoilt rich girl but soon he begins to appreciate her willingness to work hard for the cause. However, she is not always keen to follow orders, especially as she is determined to find out what happened to her friends and her parents,
Lake Maggiore straddles the border between Italy and Switzerland so you can see why people would head to that area in the hope of being able to escape from persecution, and if you have a look at the pictures it looks like a gorgeous part of Italy. I was glad to see that there were moments where the characters could appreciate the views, even if it was just for a fleeting moment
I do enjoy the stories that Siobhan Daiko brings us. This is the fifth book featuring Girls and each is set in a different region and often the stories are based on true events from WWII. They aren't strictly a series given that there aren't recurring characters. I have read The Girl from Venice, from Sicily and now from Lake Maggiore (as well as some of her other books set in Italy) but I still need to read Portofino and Bologna. I think I own both of them. Actually though, my introduction was through one of her book set in the Pacific theatre of war and I would love it if we got another story from there.
This time though, the book didn't work as well as it might have. Some of the dialogue seemed somewhat simplistic and it detracted from the overall reading experience. It could be that it is not that different from previous books but I did really notice it this time.
Will I still be reading the next book from this author. Most likely!
I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog and the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host here.
Over the last few years I have seen reviews of the books in the Emmy Lake series by people I trust, and my attention has been piqued. Finally, I got around to reading the first book in the series and now I get it. I get why people love the series so much!
Emmy is working as a secretary in a solicitor's office as well as working in a fire station answering the many phone calls reporting bombs and fires. However, Emmy wants to be a serious journalist, and she would love to become a Lady War Correspondent. When she sees an advertisement for a Junior at Launceston Press Ltd, she knows that this is her job!
In addition, Emmy has been engaged to childhood sweetheart Edmund for some time and is shar a ing with her best friend forever Bunty. All three of them come from a rural village but now are living in big city London.
After successfully getting the job, Emmy is looking forward to her new role, but it soon becomes clear that perhaps she should have asked more questions in her interview. Rather than an exciting role in a newspaper, she finds herself working for Mrs Bird, erstwhile agony aunt, in the failing Woman's Friend magazine. Mrs Bird has a very long list of what are un acceptable topics. Mrs Bird will not respond to questions about any kind of marital relations (pre, extra etc)any kind of sexual relations, religion, politics, the war. The list is very long. She is also Very Busy with many Good Causes, leaving Emmy to keep herself busy a lot of the time.
One of Emmy's job is to search through the dwindling number of letters arriving at the magazine for the few letters that she can give to Mrs Bird, and the rest are supposed to be destroyed. However, Emmy is nothing if not curious and she finds herself reading the unacceptable letters, and it isn't too long before she is tempted to start responding to the letters.
Emmy's cheerful can do tone starts from the very first line and continues throughout the book. Here's an early example.
I knew that as a Junior I was starting at the bottom, but I didn't mind in the least. I pictured myself becoming friends with Lively Types, discussing the news of the day in between admirable amounts of hard work, typing like billy-o, or taking down impossibly fast dictation. Perhaps - given time - suggesting an idea for a news feature, or, should someone very unfortunately be taken ill, stepping up to the mark and filling in for them at the scene of a terrible crime or during a raid in the middle of the night.
While the book does have this cheery tone that helps make it a delightful read, there are some terrible events covered. This is after all WWII London. Every day Emmy and co-workers, especially those at the fire station, take risks. War brings high emotions of every kind, from grief to betrayal, to despair, to hope, new beginnings and Emmy faces it all, especially when the unimaginable happens in one of her most valued friendships.
And what will happen when Mrs Bird inevitably finds out what Emmy has been up to?
I try to avoid words like charming and delightful too often when describing books, but in this case these really are the right words to describe this book. I can't wait to read more about Emmy and the people she surrounds herself with! The fourth and final book in this series was released earlier this year. It really is going to be a question of just how quickly I can read them all between my other reading commitments!
I am sharing this review with the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host here.
Anna relies on the kindness of a select number of people like the banker to help her survive. Other than that, she remains hidden in her apartment with the days running into each other. That's what you have to do when you are a Jewish woman who has lost her husband and whose immediate family has already escaped to America. It's a big change from her previous life where she was a trusted worker in the office of a prominent shipbuilder in Genoa.
Little did she know but it turns out that things could get worse, when her home is destroyed and she lost what little she had. Left dazed, while she was being comforted, she meets a Jesuit priest. Anna doesn't trust anyone, and certainly does not trust priests but when you have no other options then you have to take a chance.
This is how Anna finds herself hiding in the home of Bernardino and Silvia who are key members of a group that helps Jews escape from Genoa, which is in Northern Italy. Other key members include Father Vittorio, the priest that saved her, and mysterious Mister X. They all face danger as they provide new documents for the Jews who are fleeing the Germans.
Anna, who is using a different identity, uses some of her skills to become useful in helping create the identity cards, often accompanied by the cat. Soon she is spending extended time with both Father Vittorio and Mister X and their friendships and they begin to create a bond. There is, however, danger in getting close to people when everyone is hiding their true identity and danger lurks around every corner. One unwise word could put the whole organisation at risk, along with the lives of everyone involved
This book really highlights the role of the Catholic church and in particular a group known as DELASEM or the Delegation for the Assistance of Jewish Emigrants, and some of the characters in the book were influential in real life. Several of them were honoured for their work
I really liked that there were several ways that the author connected the story to what was actually happening in Genoa at the time. Before the book even started there was some Essential Information painting the picture of the racial laws that had been enacted before the story in the book started. At the end there was a section called What Happened Next and then What Happened Afterwards. There was also notes on names and sources.
I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews and with the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host. Thanks to the publisher, Rachel's Random Resources and Netgalley for the review copy. Check out the other stops on the blog tour as well!
Rating 4/5
About the Book
Daughter of Genoa
In Nazi-occupied Italy, keeping secrets could be deadly…
Genoa, 1944:
Widowed and alone, Anna Pastorino has been surviving on her wits since the Germans invaded. The daughter of a prominent Jewish antifascist, Anna lives a hidden life in her small flat near the harbour ... until an RAF bomb destroys her only shelter. When a Jesuit priest approaches her offering help, she has no choice but to accept. She follows her new friend, Father Vittorio, to a safe house above a printers’ shop in a quiet street near via Assarotti.
But the Tipografia Guichard is more than just a refuge. It’s a forgery workshop: a key part of the secret rescue operation headed by Massimo Teglio, the “Scarlet Pimpernel” of Genoa’s persecuted Jewish population. Drawn into a world of clandestine resistance, Anna discovers a new sense of purpose, a circle of friends, and a passion that brings her alive.
Soon, the little flat above the shop holds more secrets than anyone could imagine. As Anna grows closer to both Teglio and Vittorio, she must confront a past trauma of her own: a secret that might endanger her and everyone she loves.
Kat Devereaux was born near Edinburgh, and lived in the United States, Russia, France, Chile, Germany, and the Czech Republic before finally settling in Italy. She is a writer and translator with a special focus on Italian literature.
Ernestina has lived a comfortable if sheltered life as the only daughter of an Italian count. Tina's parent's story was like a fairytale. She was a poor girl who caught the rich count's eye and they married quickly. After some disappointments finally Tina was born but the cost was high as her mother died in childbirth.
Tina's father has always been very strict and distant with his daughter although he himself is something of a philanderer. Thank goodness for Allegra who was her mother's best friend and has practically raised Tina, showing her love and teaching her many skills. The one thing that Allegra won't do is talk about Tina's mother.
One day Tina finds a hidden path which leads to an overgrown garden. Tina can't believe that she has never known about the garden and soon she is inspired to try and coax the garden back to life. It turns out that the garden was her mother's passion and refuge from an unhappy marriage. Allegra warns Tina not to ever mention the garden to her father and warns her to stay away but Tina can't help herself. Soon she is weeding, pruning and reinstating many of the beautiful features
Whilst Tina has lived a very sheltered life, it is not possible for her to remain sequestered away forever. It is, after all, 1930's Italy and Mussolini's particular brand of fascism is forcing the poor to become poorer, and other people, like Tina's father, to grow wealthier. And even worse, war is coming.
One day Tina meets a group of young people who are around her age, her first friends. Among them are Olivio, Luisa and Sergio. With the arrival of war the friends need to make choices about which side they are going to be on, and whether they can trust each other. After all, Tina's father is an influential fascist. Can Tina prove useful in the resistance movement? Can their friendships survive betrayal and tragedy? And how will they and their town all be changed by the events during the war?
I have read several of Angela Petch's books now, and her love of Italy has shone through each of the books. This was an interesting read and featured a technique I haven't seen in the author's previous books. Whilst Tina's mother died in childbirth, she still managed to be a presence in the book and to influence the events.
I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews and with the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the review copy. Check out the other stops on the blog tour as well!
It hides a family secret that could change the course of the war.
Italy, 1930s. Tina lives in the crumbling castle of Montesecco with only her strict father and their maid, Allegra, for company. She’s never been allowed to ask questions about her mother, who died in childbirth. But the day Tina discovers a hidden, crumbling door, everything changes.
Inside is an overgrown garden. Ivy and roses adorn the stone walls. Fresh water springs from a fountain and the scent of wild herbs fills the air. How did she never know this beautiful place existed? Excitedly begging Allegra for answers, the elderly woman’s face turns pale. ‘You must never mention this to your father. It’s not safe. You’ve found your mamma’s garden.’
The Count believes Tina’s mother died because of the garden: but Allegra refuses to say more. Certain she can feel her mother watching over her, Tina secretly tends to the garden herself. And when war breaks out, Tina’s encounters with local resistance fighters mean the garden becomes a place of refuge, a place of hope – and a place of great danger when Tina must prove where her loyalties lie once and for all…
Will Tina ever discover the truth about her mother? Or was the garden, with all its secrets, never meant to be disturbed?
An absolutely breathtaking and stunning historical novel about the incredible risks people took in wartime, family secrets, loss and love. Perfect for fans of Fiona Valpy and Santa Montefiore.
About the author
Angela Petch is an award winning writer of fiction – and the occasional poem. Every summer she moves to Tuscany for six months where her and her husband own a renovated watermill which they let out. When not exploring their unspoilt corner of the Apennines, Angela disappears to her writing desk at the top of her converted stable.
In her Italian handbag or hiking rucksack she always makes sure to store a notebook and pen to jot down ideas.
The winter months are spent in Sussex where most of her family live. When she's not helping out with grandchildren, she catches up with writer friends.
When A Bakery in Paris was announced as one of the selection for Cook the Books I was very pleased. Runyan is an author who I have been meaning to read for a long time and I started this book with pretty high expectations. Fortunately, I was not disappointed. I enjoyed this a lot.
This is a dual timeline novel with a difference. Both timelunes are historical. The first timeline tells the story of Lisette Vigneau who lives in an affluent area of Paris at the time that that the Prussians are blockading the city in 1870. The second timeline is set in the immediate aftermath of WWII. It is 1946 and Micheline Chartier is a young girl who is doing her best to look after her younger sisters until her mother returns.
Lisette is a young woman who has been bought up in a life of privilege. Her parents are wealthy but they are remote, and often Lisette is invisible to them. As a child all her best memories are from the times that she spent in the kitchen with their cook, Nanette. It is 1870 and the Prussians are at the gates of Paris. Many of the other wealthy inhabitants of Paris have previously left the city but her father doesn't believe that the Prussians will be successful and if they are, then he isn't going to give up his house without a fight.
One day, Lisette borrows the kitchen servants dress to go to the markets in disguise. She meets a young National Guardsman who helps her with an embarrassing situation, and Theo asks her to come and learn how the other half lives in Paris.
With her parents arranging a marriage to a worth (in their opinion) man, and Lisette's growing feelings for Theo, she leaves behind everything she knows - all the wealth, the food and more. With her skills that she learned in the kitchen, Lisette is able to start a bakery in her local area of Montparnasse, and become an integral part of the local community. It isn't always easy, especially as the siege tightens and ingredients become scarce. Things come to a head as Lisette and Theo become involved in the communard uprising of 1871.
In the second timeline, Micheline is struggling to care for her sisters following the death of her father early in the war and the subsequent disappearance of their mother. Micheline is determined that her mother must still be alive and does everything in her power to find her, despite the authorities telling her they have no news. Her family has a little income from the rent of the little restaurant below their apartment, but when the tenants leave unexpectedly she knows that life is going to get a lot harder for the little family.
Fortunately, Micheline has something of a fairy godmother in the form of Madame Dupuis who offers to support the family while Micheline completes a course which will enable her to re-open the bakery. At first, Micheline struggles a little with the course, but she prevails, often assisted by another student on the course, Laurent.
Armed with the cookbook that originally belonged to her grandmother and working together with Laurent, Micheline practices many of the recipes that she learnt at her mother's feet, determined to do the best that she can in her mother's absence, and to re-open the bakery.
This was a great selection for Cook the Books. The operation of the bakery in both time lines was integral to the story, and we watched as Micheline, in particular, learned all the skills she needed to be able to be successful. There were also lots of recipes throughout the book including for brioche, croissants, hot chocolate, clafoutis aux fruits and so much more. I am almost a bit sad that I need to return this book to the library.
I do still like a dual timeline novel, but I did really like that the timelines were both historical. Normally you would see a modern timeline with a WWII timeline. Even the fact that the second timeline was set just after the end of the war was a point of difference too. The war was still very much an influence on every day life in Paris, particularly for families like the Chartiers.
When it came to choosing a recipe to make I struggled a little bit as there were almost too many options. I did think about making the macaron kit that I have sitting here but eventually decided against it given that I did not recall seeing the word macaron once in the book! I might still make that next weekend and post about it for Paris in July but we'll see if that happens or not.
In the end I decided to try and make a clafoutis which is a traditional dish, originally from the Limousin region of France. The question then was whether to make the most traditional version which is made with cherries or to do a variation like a caramelised apple version (recipe here). In the end I decided to use a Mary Berry recipe which calls for raspberries, but I used the frozen mixed berries that I had in my freezer.
This is a deceptively easy recipe, and very tasty, with a kind of baked custard texture.
Raspberry Clafoutis (Mary Berry)
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (plus a bit extra to butter the dish) ½ cup plain flour ¼ cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar small pinch of kosher salt 3 large eggs zest of 1 lemon ¼ cup + 2 tbsp whole milk 1½ pints raspberries (about 3 cups) icing sugar, for dusting
Set your oven to 350°F (or 175°C). Grease the outsides of a shallow baking dish. Melt the butter and allow to cool a little.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Crack in the eggs, the melted butter and the lemon zest.
Gradually add the milk, whisking as you go until the batter is smooth and a little bubbly.
Pour your batter into the buttered dish then scatter the raspberries over the top
Bake for about 30 minutes until the edges are puffed and the centre is just set
Cool for approximately 10 minutes and then dust with icing sugar just before serving.
Note: You can use frozen fruit for this but don't thaw them out before adding them to the batter. Also, when you take the clafoutis from the oven the puffed edges will deflate. This is meant to happen.
Now I just need to decide which book I am going to read by this author next! There are several that are of immediate interest.
The next four selections for Cook the Books have been announced, so if you would like to join us you would be most welcome. A couple of the new selections are a bit tricky for me to get hold of, and one of the others is a book that I already read, but I will be doing my best to join in when I can.
I am sharing this review with Cook the Books, Foodies Read hosted at Based on a True Story, the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host and with Paris In July hosted by Words and Peace. It was also one of the books that I nominated for 20 Books of Summer and I counted it as a read for the my read on a theme book club where the theme was war.
Rating 4.5/5
Weekly meals
Saturday - Malaysian Chicken Curry with roti Sunday - Spaghetti Bolognaise Monday - Chicken Stirfry Tuesday - Out for dinner Wednesday - Baked potatoes with beef brisket Thursday - Green Curry Chicken Pie Friday - Out for dinner
Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page
Sometimes when you pick up a book you just know straight away that it is really going to work for you! This is one of those books. I was hooked by the end of the prologue and basically couldn't stop reading from that point on!
Ghostwriter Lily Christie wants to continue to write for a living, but she is a bit disheartened after her last couple of gigs with people who barely cared about the story that they were telling even though it was their own story! She could do with a break. When she is contacted by her agent with a request for her to write a new book, she is a little bit surprised by the secrecy surrounding it. Having been presented with a Non Disclosure Agreement:
"Go on then, put me out of my misery - who's the client?" I ask as I sign it, praying I won't be disappointed.
"Sofia Castello," she replies enigmatically
I frown. "The singer."
"Yes!" She smiles.
"The singer who sang "Ocean Longing"?" I ask, certain I must be mistaken.
"The very one."
"But it can't be." A shiver runs up my spine. "She's been dead for years!"
The book then follows Lily to Portugal where she meets the enigmatic Sofia who both wants to tell her story but also wants to keep her secrets. It's a difficult path for Lily who knows that Sofia isn't telling the whole truth . She doesn't understand why Sofia would specifically request Lily as a ghostwriter but then not be willing to be honest.
As far as the world is concerned, Sofia died in a plane accident during WWII when the plane she was travelling in was shot down by the Germans. Prior to her death, Sofia had a meteoric rise to stardom. Originally from a small fishing village in the north of Portugal, Sofia moved to Lisbon when she was 16 and became a varino, selling fish while dressed in colourful costumes. What set Sofia apart from the other varinas? Her ability to make up witty songs about her fish. One day, a man from a bar offers Sofia a chance to sing in his bar, and thus, from these humble beginnings a star is born. Right from the beginning though, the story of who Sofia is has been blurred between what the public knows and what the truth is. Soon, Sofia is working with major record companies, recording songs that will soon become anthems for Portugal during these troubled times.
Portugal was a neutral country during WWII, but that doesn't mean that Lisbon wasn't a hot bed of political activities from spying to German agents hunting down Jewish refugees and more. With Sofia's growing public profile she is able to attend events where she becomes useful for what she can learn and share. She also becomes friends with a young German girl, which brings her great joy in the friendship but they are both in danger.
It isn't only in Portugal that Sofia's fame is growing, and so she is sent to London to put on a show to help raise morale. There, Sofia falls in love with a man who she knows very little about, other than that he does important war work. Even here, the line between truth and untruths is very fine. Who can Sofia trust? Maybe just her musical partner?
I loved this book! There were twists and turns all along the way. There were some things that I saw coming but there were also a couple of reveals that I didn't!
The modern storyline which is set in the year 2000 was interesting too, with Lily using the time in Portugal to really take stock of her life, but the real star of the show was Sofia's story. I didn't think that the Lily's story really needed the nice little bow that was presented in the epilogue, but I do understand why the author chose to finish the book that way.
The sights, sounds and food of Portugal came to life as well. I could really do with a Portuguese custard tart right about now just thinking about this book! And the description of the air raids on London that Sofia witnessed were so well done.
I have read a number of Siobhan Curham books now, and I have liked them all. Sofia Castello's story will stick with me for a long time and I think it is Curham's best book yet! I loved it from the very beginning to the end
I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews, with the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host, and with Bookish Books challenge hosted at Bloggin' Bout Books. This also counts for my read on a theme book club where the current theme is War. At 402 pages, this also counts as a Big Book of Summer! Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the review copy.
Esther has loved everything French since she started learning the language during her teenage years in school. She lives in Dorset and often gets to travel to Normandy for work. It is her favourite place in France. She loves the food, the countryside, the culture, and she loves the Joubert family.
Giselle Joubert was her high school pen friend, and when Esther's school did an exchange program, Esther stayed at the Joubert's rustic farm near the small town of Sainte-Mere-Eglise. There she met and had a schoolgirl love affair with Jules, Giselle's older brother. They stayed in contact for a while, but then the letters stopped coming. Even though Esther has visited the Jouberts many times since, she has rarely crossed paths with Jules and they barely made eye contact. Now Esther is going to be godmother to Giselle's second child, and Jules is going to be godfather, even if only by proxy if he can't be there in person.
On one of her previous visits, Esther had found a recipe book and between it's pages there was a sheet of paper which had a recipe for preserving wild garlic on one side and on the other a poem written in both French and English. Captivated, Esther kept the piece of paper but now she wonders if that was a mistake and so she is determined to ask elderly Grand-mere Joubert about the book and the poem.
The opening of the book focuses on a young woman living in Paris in late 1940. Marie-Claire is married to Benjamin, a Jew, and mother of a young child named Antoine. With the coming of the Nazis, the little family knows that they have to escape and so plans are made to catch the train to the south of France where she has family. However, things go terribly wrong, and Marie-Claire ends up travelling north to Caen, separated from her baby. There, she meets a man who, seeing her distress, takes her to a chateau where a small group are gathering to form a resistance group. With her hatred of the force that destroyed her family, Marie-Claire joins the group.
Given her cooking skills, the perfect cover for Marie-Claire is to run a cafe in the small town of Sainte-Mere-Eglise. Here, she can listen into conversations and gain information to share with the Resistance, but she does become actively involved in some of the more dangerous activities of the group. One of her key roles though is to share messages through the community in the form of recipes which contained secret codes! Being busy doing something to undermine the Nazis gives her purpose and helps her begin to heal from her terrible losses.
While we are learning about Marie-Claire's life and role in the war, in the modern story line, Jules and Esther finally have time to work through their dormant feelings for each other and decide if there is any chance of a future together. However, it is never going to be all plain sailing given that Jules has a very successful career in Paris and Esther lives in England.
Throughout the story we hear about the role that Dorset played in the planning for the D-Day landings, about the paratrooper who got stuck on the spire of the church in the town and had to play dead for a few hours before he could be rescued and so much more.
We visited Normandy when we went to Europe and really loved it. We liked the WWII history, the food, and the cider was so good, as in really, really good. However, we couldn't visit every little town. It's a shame not to have visited Sainte-Mere-Eglise as there is an Airborne museum there, and they commemorate the paratrooper getting stuck which is based on a true story. When I was looking at some information about the town I found it really interesting that the coat of arms for the town now even includes two parachutes.
I hadn't read Rachel Sweasey before and I am happy that I have now. I am really keen to read her back list each of which feature the region around Poole (which is where her family is from), and WWII France. I was interested to see that Rachel now lives in Brisbane.
As part of the promotional information for the blog tour, we were sent a recipe for Marie-Claire's Poulet Vallee d'Auge which sounds delicious! Because this is a Weekend Cooking post, I had to share the recipe with you all!
I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews, with the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host, and with Foodies Read hosted at Based on a True Story. This also counts for my read on a theme book club where the current theme is War. Be sure to check out other stops on the tour shown below. Thanks to the publisher, Netgalley and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy.
Rating 4/5
About the book
The Girl from Normandy
Paris, 1940: Marie-Claire steps into the Gare de Lyon, not knowing it will be the last time she'll see her husband and son. Fleeing occupied Paris, she travels into the countryside of Normandy, and stumbles upon a chateau near Caen and a growing resistance movement. Soon, Marie-Claire finds herself working in a cafe in the quiet village of Sainte-Mère-Église, where she tries to come to terms with all she has lost – but little does she realise that her presence in Normandy will change the course of history…
1998: Half a century later, Esther is returning to the Normandy village she visited as a teenager, seeking a break from her monotonous life. Back then, she'd fallen in love with a rustic farmhouse and the family that lived there – not least the charming eldest son, Jules Joubert. But now, when Esther discovers an old annotated cookbook in the family kitchen, she begins to realise that the place she holds so close to her heart may hide more secrets than even the Jouberts realise...
What stories does the area carry? And could this trip change Esther’s life for ever?
Rachel was born to English 10-pound-pom parents in sub-tropical Brisbane, Australia, and when the family moved back to Poole, Dorset, she was just 5 years old. She then grew up against the stunning backdrop of Poole Harbour where she sailed and played on the beaches of Brownsea Island and Studland, and walked across the Purbeck Hills, all of which inspired her imagination and provided the setting of her debut historical fiction novel set in WWII. Since then, Rachel has moved back to Brisbane, Australia.
Saturday - Beef Stroganoff and rice Sunday - Leftover Beef Stroganoff Monday - Spicy Pork and Bean Stirfry Tuesday - Steak, air fried sweet potato and vegies Wednesday - Pork chop, mashed potato, broccoli and gravy Thursday - Enchiladas Friday - Takeaway
Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book reviews (novel, nonfiction), cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs, restaurant reviews, travel information, or fun food facts. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page
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