The Cotillard sisters, Gaby, Martine and Simone, are trying to stay under the radar of the Nazis and survive the war. Gaby was a pianist and gave up her chance at romance to complete her musical work. Now she is hunted by a German officer to teach his stepdaughter how to play the piano, meanwhile she is also sending messages to England via pigeon…
The Secret Pianist is an historical novel set in France and England during WW2.
Having read several WW2 books recently, I did feel a little fatigued when I started this book. However, this was soon blown out of the water. I was quickly swept up in the village life as the sisters try to resist the Germans while also avoid detection. Neighbours spy on each other, ready to denounce for collaboration as well as resistance. The sisters are caught in the middle!
The book is written in the first person perspective of Gaby and the third person of Guy in London. Gaby doesn’t know who to trust except her sisters but their actions have dangerous consequences. Guy is thrilled that his pigeon drop has been successful but is haunted by the sheet music it is written on. I kept my fingers crossed that the two main characters would meet up and have a happy ending together (no spoilers if they do or not!)
I thought the historical elements of the book were really well researched. The French community is divided between ‘good’ and ‘bad’, those staying true to their country and those interacting with the enemy. However, this is not at all straightforward and the judgement of others often falls far from the truth. Gaby is compelled to give lessons, accept a German officer as a neighbour, take German business; all of which mark her out as a collaborator but she has no choice and is trying to protect others.
The Secret Pianist is an emotional and engaging historical novel about the triumph of hope in the face of adversity.
The Secret Pianist
Sisters. Traitors. Spies.
When a British RAF Whitley plane comes under fire over the French coast and is forced to drop their cargo, a spy messenger pigeon finds its way into unlikely hands…
The occupation has taken much from the Cotillard sisters, and as the Germans increase their forces in the seaside town of Boulogne-sur-Mer, Gabriella, Martine and Simone can’t escape the feeling that the walls are closing in.
Yet, just as they should be trying to stay under the radar, Martine’s discovery of a British messenger pigeon leads them down a new and dangerous path. Gaby would do anything to protect her sisters but when the pianist is forced to teach the step-daughter of a German Commandant, and the town accuses the Cotillards of becoming ‘Bad French’ and in allegiance with the enemy, she realizes they have to take the opportunity to fight back that has been handed to them.
Now, as the sisters’ secrets wing their way to an unknown contact in London, Gaby, Martine and Simone have to wonder – have they opened a lifeline, or sealed their fate?
Readers can’t get enough of USA Today bestselling author Andie Newton:
‘A brilliant tale of resistance, sisterhood and dangerous secrets. Andie Newton is a master storyteller!’ Sara Ackerman, USA Today bestselling author of The Codebreaker’s Secret
‘If you believe every WW2 story has already been told, think again. This one is special.’ Paulette Kennedy, bestselling author of The Witch of Tin Mountain
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Author Bio: Andie Newton is the USA Today bestselling author of A Child for the Reich, The Girls from the Beach, The Girl from Vichy, and The Girl I Left Behind. She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her family. When she’s not writing gritty war stories about women, you can usually find her trail-running in the desert and stopping to pet every Yellow Lab or Golden Retriever that crosses her path. Andie is actively involved with the reading and writing community on social media. You can follow her on X (Twitter) @andienewton and Instagram, or check out her author page on Facebook.
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Whilst reading The Girl From Provence this week, I was intrigued by the inclusion of a real life character, the pilot and author Antoine de Saint-Exupery. In this, his children’s book, The Little Prince, is used by the resistance to code messages so I thought I would find and read the original 1940s book.
The Little Prince plot centres around a pilot who crashes into the desert (an incident that really happened to Antoine). The pilot meets an alien who tells him stories about his journey to Earth.
The book is written from the pilot’s first person perspective as he recounts his encounter with the alien and the stories he is told. The tone and style surprised me due to the humour, insight and modern personal narration that I felt was unusual from a book written in 1943.
There are some very powerful messages in the book. I was particularly struck by the narrator’s description of how his childhood art was dismissed as unworthy by adults which resulted in him losing faith in himself. The Little Prince has an innocence about him that is not tainted by the negative elements of adulthood as he ventures to other planets inhabited by drunks, greedy businessmen etc.
The Little Prince is a children’s book but the themes are more suited to age 12+ in my opinion. I enjoyed the audio version and the foreword by the translator, but I wish I had seen the illustrations in a physical copy.
Angelica Leigh is the talk of London. A stunning beauty but also an incredible actress, she has capyured the hearts of several young men. Her most ardent admirer is Lord Latimer, a duke’s son, whose mother is determined to prevent an unsuitable marriage. The Duchess emlists the help of her widowed brother Ivor Asprey
A Scandalous Match is an historical novel set during the Regency period.
Angelica enchants her audience but has no birth, money or expectation to help her find a husband. Her mother is the lover of a rich man but she has never met her father. Definitely not a desirable bride for a man waiting to inherit a dukedom! Lord Latimer won’t be deterred and his anxious mother calls upon her brother Ivor to intervene. But can Ivor keep his own heart safe?
I enjoyed the historical elements of the book and felt immersed in the period depicted. However, there are several archaic terms (did anyone know a queue is a plait of hair?) as well as French words which slowed down my ability to read at my usual pace. The chapters were also long which I personally don’t like.
It is pretty clear what direction the romance would take but I liked the extra detail that came from Ivor’s observant daughter. There are other subplots that add other dimensions to the characters (the mystery surrounding Angelica’s father, the romance of Elinor’s governess, the desire to return Miss Fitzjames’ fortune). The political and social background to the plot and characters is also well developed.
A Scandalous Match is a detailed Regency romance.
A Scandalous Match
‘Angelica had always known her lack of high birth, fortune or influence debarred her from being presented as an eligible young woman worthy of marriage. To cap it all, being an actress assured she was utterly beyond the pale of respectability.’
Nightly at the Covent Garden Theatre in London, an enchanting actress is wowing the crowds with her affecting portrayal of Ophelia. Preyed on by rakes and opportunistic young bucks, feted by dukes and earls, even the Prince Regent himself, Angelica Leigh is a sensation.
But in Regency England, beauty and talent are not enough to be considered marriage material, so when the eminently eligible Lord Charles Latimer sets his heart on Angelica, his uncle is sent to intervene.
As a highly respected, hard-working and wealthy lawmaker, The Honourable Ivor Asprey, is himself seen as desirable husband material, but widowed with an eleven-year-old daughter Elinor, he has forsaken all thoughts of romance. Lord Latimer’s mother, the Duchess of Arlington, despairs of her son, despite being reassured by Ivor that his infatuation with the actress will pass. But there is something about Angelica Leigh that demands attention, and even the austere and upstanding Mr Asprey isn’t immune to her charms.
Sunday Times bestselling author Jane Dunn brings the Regency period irresistibly to life. Perfect for fans of Jane Austen. Janice Hadlow, Gill Hornby, and anyone with a Bridgerton-shaped hole in their lives.
Author Bio –
Jane Dunn is an historian and biographer and the author of seven acclaimed biographies, including Daphne du Maurier and her Sisters and the Sunday Times and NYT bestseller, Elizabeth & Mary: Cousins, Rivals, Queens. She comes to Boldwood with her first fiction outing – a trilogy of novels set in the Regency period, the first of which, The Marriage Season, is to be published in January 2023. She lives in Berkshire with her husband, the linguist Nicholas Ostler.
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TRIGGER WARNING: Nazi racial ideology and brutality
1938, Linz, Austria. Ella is excited as her 21st birthday approaches. She is hoping to get engaged to Max and is happily thinking ahead. Germany and Austria unite under the Fuhrer, with promises of a bright future. But Ella discovers the reality is very different…
The Austrian Bride is an historical novel set in Austria in 1938.
Ella is hopeful for the future although she doesn’t share her boyfriend Max’s fervour for the Anschluss which joins their homeland with Germany under the might of the Nazis. The reality of the unification quickly becomes clear, and whilst Max becomes more zealous, Ella takes dangerous action to save Jewish lives.
Ella’s mother Marlene is going through the menopause and struggling to adapt to the physical changes. She is secretly meeting a man who is not her husband, and has some connection to Max’s father and HItler. These two strands are not tied up until the very end of the book, creating plenty of scope for contemplating the mystery.
The book is written from the third person perspectives of Ella and Marlene. Both women are bravely trying to undermine the horrors of the Nazi regime and put themselves in danger. There are sex scenes which are not necessary to the plot but do give us a refreshing look at first love and established love.
Due to the Nazi actions, there are episodes of violence including sexual violence which readers may find upsetting. The emotional elements to the characters are explored fully so I genuinely cared about them (particularly Marlene) and I felt fearful for their safety as the plot unfolded.
The Austrian Bride is a well researched historical novel.
The Austrian Bride
Austria, 1938
After years of hardship, Ella is full of hope for a better future for Austrians, and when Hitler marches into Linz, she can’t help but become swept up in the euphoria of her boyfriend, Max.
But she soon realises her mistake. When she witnesses a woman being shot in the street and a childhood friend’s Jewish department store is closed down, she knows she must do something.
It’s a dangerous time to be a resistor, especially when her fascist boyfriend proposes to her. Knowing the secrets she can uncover, Ella enlists in a Reich Bride School, finding herself propelled into the social elite of the Nazi circle.
Ella knows she has a duty – to her family, her friends, and her country – so while Europe teeters on the brink of WW2, a desperate race begins to save the people she loves. But betraying the Nazis could be her death sentence…
A powerful and unforgettable story of the strength of women and the unwavering courage of those who seek a better world. Fans of Suzanne Goldring, Mandy Robotham and Debbie Rix will devour this heartbreaking tale.
Author Bio –
Helen Parusel is a debut historical novelist, having been a teacher and a clothes buyer for M&S. She lives in Hamburg, and her first book is based on the Nazi invasion of Norway in 1940; while her second is inspired by war stories from her mother’s homeland of Austria, where she spent her early holidays.
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TRIGGER WARNING: Nazi brutality, anti semitism
France 1942, Lilou’s life remains largely unaffected by war until the Germans arrive in her village. Her Jewish friend Joseph and his mother are seized and deported then her brother is sent to be a labourer in Germany. Incensed, Lilou decides to join the resistance and fight for freedom for all…
The Girl From Provence is an historical novel set in France during WW2.
Lilou is a young woman holding her family together. Her mother has never recovered from the death of Lilou’s father, and her younger brother is immature. Life changes forever when the Nazis arrive in the village and Freddie is sent to Germany and her mum declines further. Lilou has to make difficult choices as she has to choose between her family and her country.
The book is written from multiple thrid person perspectives to show the experiences of different characters. Lilou is brave but impulsive, often putting herself in danger. Kristian is a German conscript, horrified by the atrocities he witnesses. Marie-Madeleine is a resistance leader, pregnant by a lover but determined to continue fighting for freedom. Eliot is a young boy whose parents are being interrogated by the Gestapo but he may hold the key to victory.
I thought the geographical and historical setting were well researched and explored. The inclusion of a real life character (French writer and pilot Antoine) added an authenticity to the book. There is plenty of emotion, in particular related to Eliot’s experience. Love, grief and hope are important themes in the book, and Kristian’s concern about his countrymen highlights that being a German didn’t mean being a Nazi.
The Girl From Provence is an enjoyable historical novel.
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The Girl from Provence: Absolutely gripping and heartbreaking WW2 historical fiction by Helen Fripp
South of France, 1942. Twenty-one-year-old Lilou is selling lavender honey in the village square when the Nazis arrive in her beloved Provence. And when her best friend is dragged away simply for being Jewish, Lilou is horrified. As the village begins to take sides, Lilou secretly swears through angry sobs that she’ll sacrifice everything to fight for what’s right.
Drawn in to the French Resistance, soon Lilou is smuggling hidden messages in fresh-baked loaves of bread and meeting Allied pilots in remote moonlit fields. She lives in fear that Kristian, a blue-eyed German soldier, knows about her work – but does he keep her secrets because he is undercover, too?
Everything changes when Lilou is given her most important task: to keep a frightened little boy, Eliot, hidden safe in her farmhouse. All alone in the world, Eliot refuses to speak as he clutches his treasured children’s book close to his chest. Inside is a beautiful story of stars, planets and the night sky. But why is this innocent child the one, among thousands, who Lilou must save?
When she is told Eliot’s book will help her decipher coded messages, Lilou knows he must have knowledge that could change the course of the war. But the day Kristian arrives at her farm searching for hidden Jewish families, Lilou is terrified that Eliot is in more danger than ever…
Can Lilou trust the one person who could tear her world apart? And will she ever help Eliot find his way home?
A totally stunning and heartbreaking read about the incredible sacrifices ordinary people are forced to make each day in wartime. Perfect for fans of Fiona Valpyand Rhys Bowen.
About the author:
I love delving into the past and uncovering new stories, and in my writing, the tiniest historical detail can spark an idea for a whole chapter. My female characters rail against the social constraints to which they are subject and often achieve great success, but they are of course flawed and human, like the rest of us. It’s the motivations, flaws, loves and every-day lives of my characters that I love to bring life, against sweeping historical backdrops – and I will find any excuse to take off and research a captivating location or person for my next story.
My first novel is set in the Champagne region in France, and I’m currently working on my next one, set in late eighteenth century Paris. I spent a lot of time in France as a child, have lived in Paris and spent a year with my family in a fishing village in South West France, so that’s where my books have ended up being set so far. Who knows where next!
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