Shadow War: The Resistance Fighters' Literary Club

by Debra Finerman

We're in Occupied Paris, June 1940. German tanks have rolled in. The stylish cafes and nightclubs cater to Nazis now. Daily supplies are rationed, fear is plentiful. France is crushed but the SHADOW WAR has just begun. A British S.O.E. spymaster teams with a partisan leader in Burgundy to organize The Resistance Fighters' Literary Club. Composed of blacklisted writers and artists, their clandestine headquarters in Paris is the Balzac Bookshop. A young American Embassy attache and a beautiful French-Russian countess are two female agents sent by London HQ to kidnap a top Nazi art official, the head of Dienststelle Westen, and smuggle an iconic French masterpiece to safety from the thieving Nazis. These characters are based on actual people and true events. The Resistance fighters carry a shadow self within, as we all do, while saving France in a dangerous SHADOW WAR.

Genres: Fiction

430 pages, Paperback

First published September 2, 2014

About the author

Debra Finerman is an American writer who lives part-time in Paris. YOU LUCKY DOG is a humorous novel that asks the question, what if a man's soul transmogrifies into his dog's body when they both suffer a car crash? Jake the man dies but Jake the dog survives and the result is a funny and poignant story of love and loss and identity. The surprise ending will keep readers wondering.
YOU LUCKY DOG is a lighthearted departure from her previous two historical novels. SHADOW WAR- The Resistance Fighters' Literary Club was inspired by the plaques affixed to walls and bridges throughout Paris dedicated to the brave, often painfully young Resistance Fighters who died on the spot, shot by Nazi patrols. During research for this book, she traveled to the Imperial War Museum in London and to Resistance Museums in many regions of France. Her journeys led her to meet former members of Resistance groups. Espionage is a familiar subject for her, as her uncle was a CIA agent for many years. Her first novel MADEMOISELLE VICTORINE published in 2007 by Random House Three Rivers Press has been translated into six languages worldwide. She is a former journalist for such publications as Capital Style, The Hollywood Reporter monthly magaine, Beverly Hills Today and Beverly Hills Magazine. A graduate of UCLA, she earned her academic degree in Art History and Connoisseurship at Christie's, New York.

Reviews

[Taja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh wow. This was absolutely riveting! I'm quite new to historical fiction to be honest (not sure why because it seems right up my alley), but I can say without a doubt that it is becoming one of my favourite genres.


What I loved:

1. The complexity of the story. It interconnects a number of different characters and skips blocks of time, but it works, it really works. The story is told so well there is no confusion and every single word seems to matter, is written for a reason. A beautiful experience.

2. The characters. They were well rounded and flawed, and though the story hopped from one to another, the author managed to go in depth when it came to each personality, drawing it not only with their words and thoughts but also with their actions.

3. The slight involvement of art and books. Loved the mention of Peggy Guggenheim (I recently visited her museum in Venice), and in general loved the fact that the art and literary scene are mentioned as they are an integral part of painting an image of what war can do to our culture. Loved the pseudonyms of the members of the resistance as well.

4. Natalia
What a character! I loved everything about her, except maybe her belief in god, but I suppose religion plays a part in every war and settles amongst desperate people and people who hope for a better future.
Oh I adored her still, she was brilliant! Her feministic morality, her strength, her cunning and above all her courage. In the end, she proved she belonged to absolutely no one else, but herself.

Just take a look at the following quote - Warning, slight, miniscule spoilers (if you squint (very hard)):

"I can't share him," Georgette's tone was firm.
"Do you think you can own someone? Silly girl, He's an individual with a free will. A man can love two women equally."
"But that's not what people say."
"Who are these people?"
Georgette didn't actually know who "they" were.
"Nonsense. You're parroting the rubbish of a patriarchal society. 'They' diminish women. 'They' encourage us to compete against one another. Let's stand together and fight together."


5. A view of the Nazi France. I read so many books focused solely on Germany, or (rarer) Poland but this book offered a fresh new perspective.

What I disliked:

1. Paul
A man with such obvious internalized mysoginy is someone I just cannot grow to love. Still a very well written character however; my main complaint is only that he personally bugged me. His love for his children was sweet though. Might be a trait that could redeem him.

That's all.

I would like to thank the author Debra Finerman for this wonderful book, as I did receive it from her.
I will spread my love for this among my fellow bookworm friends as I am sure they will find it just as unputdownable.

[Carol]

The back story for this book intrigued me. Knowing the author's family member participated in the French Resistance appealed to me. The book price was pricey so I thought carefully before buying it. First of all the book is poorly bound. The print runs downward into the middle of the book binding, leaving a useless, wide whitespace in the margin. I thought I was reading the script for a soap opera. The main character is not believable. The romantic elements were oddly introduced, and cheapened the romance novel genre. If you are considering reading this book, move on and search for something else.

[Debbie Carnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love history and most interested in WWII . This book was so wonderful and rich with history and the what it was like to be there.

I highly recommend this book . I will be looking into the rest of the books written by Debra Finerman