Review: Unique and compelling WWII story
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 14, 2012
Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world during World War II, Gabriela Reyes walks into the Red Rooster. And therein begins a riveting tale of occupied France.This book takes the reader into a world turned upside down, where hard choices must be made in order to survive. Gabriela is smart, nave, brave, and frightened--and always believable and sympathetic. She's highly conflicted about the path she chooses, and the fact that she makes mistakes along that path is what grounds her story in reality. There are simply no easy answers in her world, at that time, but there are plenty of situations in which the reader wonders: what would I do in her place?She finds an unlikely ally in a German as conflicted as she is, whose choices are nearly disastrous for both of them. Threatening them both is the Nazi who brings evil to excruciatingly believable life.The settings--Paris, Berlin, Marseilles, and the unforgettable factory in Strasbourg--are so well textured and layered that the reader feels very much on the scene. Poignantly, scarily so.An excellent read.