Synopsis
One woman’s struggle to fight back against the enemy in order to protect the ones she loves.
When Arlette Blaise sees a German plane fly over the family farm in 1940, she’s comforted by the fact that the occupying forces are far away in the north of the country. Surely the war will not reach her family in the idyllic French countryside near to the small town of Oradour-sur-Glane?
But then Saul Epstein, a young Jewish man driven from his home by the Nazis, arrives at the farm and Arlette begins to realise that her peaceful existence might be gone for good …
Available as an eBook and audio download on all platforms. Paperback available from all good bookstores and online stores.
Angela Barton
Angela Barton was born in London and grew up in Nottingham. She is married with three grown up children and two spoilt spaniels she calls her ‘hairy daughters.’ Passionate about writing both contemporary and historical fiction, Angela has won and also been shortlisted for several writing competitions. She reads avidly, makes book-related jewellery and loves a nice cup of tea. Having recently planted a field of lavender with her husband in south-west France, she is looking forward to spending more time writing in Charente and watching their lavender grow.
Angela is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and Nottingham Writers’ Studio.
Angela writes for both Choc Lit and Ruby Fiction.
Not to be missed – a compelling and incredible read.
Set during the Second World War in rural occupied France, a farmer discover a Jewish fugitive hiding in one of his barns. The family manage to conceal Saul for four years, while at the same time they struggle to exist, knowing that if he’s discovered they would all face certain death. The author has woven a compelling and emotional love story based around the chaos, deprivation and horrors of war. Genuinely the best book that I’ve read this year.
This evocative, well written story set in southern France beginning in 1940 and ending in 1948 is spell binding. You learn about Arlette’s life on the family farm and the difference the war makes. You live through the terror of the German occupation and how it effects her.
You meet her love and the desperation of this. Though it all she glows a bright light in dark times. The lowest point is the true story of Oradour. This village suffered the cruellest of fates committed by the Germans. It is described in it’s full, terrible horror, made worse by the knowledge it is not fiction. Despite what I have said above it is not a sad book, quite the reverse, it is a story if love and hope, joy and sunshine against a dark background which highlights it even more. I will not say more as I would give too much of the plot away, but this is a real romance on many levels. One of the best books I have read in a few years.
This evocative, well written story set in southern France beginning in 1940 and ending in 1948 is spell binding. You learn about Arlette’s life on the family farm and the difference the war makes. You live through the terror of the German occupation and how it effects her.
You meet her love and the desperation of this. Though it all she glows a bright light in dark times. The lowest point is the true story of Oradour. This village suffered the cruellest of fates committed by the Germans. It is described in it’s full, terrible horror, made worse by the knowledge it is not fiction. Despite what I have said above it is not a sad book, quite the
reverse, it is a story if love and hope, joy and sunshine against a dark background which highlights it even more. I will not say more as I would give too much of the plot away, but this is a real romance on many levels. One of the best books I have read in a few years.
Best book of the year! This tells the story of one woman’s fight to survive during the Nazi brutalities in France. It is beautifully written and really makes you think about the difficult choices such women had to face during the war. An emotional story which sucks the reader into this troubled and harsh time, and looks at how people were still able to hold onto their humanity. Very moving story.
A brilliant debut novel!
Wow ! When I started reading this I did not expect it to turn into such a powerful and emotional rollercoaster ride.
This was so cleverly written. The suspense and questions raised kept you wanting more. Never knowing what would happen next. Keeping you on the edge the whole way through. Challenging even my own suspicions and thought process as to what was going to happen.
This is based in World War 2 under Hitler’s reign. Set in France the story is of a teenage girl’s view of how the war unfolded and the atrocities that follow.
I have read books based around this time but oh my word – this was different. It hit home how devestating it was and the torture people were put through and faced with.
I whole-heartedly recommend this but be weary … keep some tissues close by.
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A beautifully written novel, so rich in detail it made me feel I was actually in war-torn France living with Arlette Blaise and her family and viewing at first hand their experiences – some of them quite terrible. Saul Epstein, a young Jewish medical student is sent to work on Arlette’s father’s farm. Their romance is set at a very gentle pace not taking away the main focus: the family’s daily struggle to survive during the German occupancy of the nearby town. Arlette is a tough and resilient young woman whose life, with the arrival of war and German soldiers in her town is faced with many challenges. One of the worst is the unwanted attentions of Kommandant Steiner who has requisitioned the local manor house for himself and his soldiers.
There’s a good supporting cast of characters who work well within this story of German Occupation in a small French town. Parts of this story are quite harrowing– the massacre at Oradour-sur-Glane (which actually happened) being the worst of them. All in all a compelling and very realistic read – an amazing debut.