Sing, Luna, sing

by Paule du Bouchet

Varsovie, 1939. Luna, jeune Juive d'origine polonaise, n'a qu'une passion, la musique et le chant. Sa voix est merveilleuse. Elle a quatorze ans lorsque les troupes allemandes entrent en Pologne. Très vite, la population juive est enfermée dans le ghetto. Commencent alors la persécution, la misère, la peur, la mort. Luna voit peu à peu disparaître tous les siens. Dans le cauchemar de la guerre, elle participe à la résistance du ghetto de Varsovie avec, pour seules forces, sa voix hors du commun et sa volonté de vivre et d'aimer...
Un roman bouleversant et un magnifique hymne à la vie.

Paule du Bouchet est née en 1951. Passionnée de musique et pianiste, elle a enseigné la philosophie puis s'est orientée vers l'édition et la littérature de jeunesse. Elle est actuellement responsable du département Musique de Gallimard Jeunesse.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Paule du Bouchet a été journaliste à Okapi (Bayard Presse) de 1978 à 1985 et éditrice dans la collection Découvertes Galllimard de 1984 à 1996. Depuis 1996, elle dirige le département Gallimard Jeunesse Musique. Elle est l'auteur de nombreux ouvrages documentaires et d'albums ainsi que de six romans pour le jeune public. Paule du Bouchet a publié en 2011, chez Actes Sud, un récit autobiographique intitulé Emportée.

Reviews

[Ozy]

Before diving into the book itself, I’d like to say a few words about the author, though unfortunately I could find very little information. I only know that she was born in 1951, worked as a journalist, and has written books that are documentary in nature, along with two youth novels.

Şarkı Söyle Luna takes us into the heart of World War II. The story is set in 1939 Warsaw, and the protagonist, Luna, is a Polish-Jewish girl. Through her and her family, we witness the brutal transition from childhood to adolescence, as well as Luna’s first love, all against the backdrop of war.

Luna’s closest companions are her father and grandmother, and the bond with her father is through music. Luna has an extraordinary voice—captivating and emotional, able to move people to tears even at a young age.

Events do not unfold suddenly. It’s reminiscent of the metaphor of the frog in slowly heated water: by the time they realize the danger, it is too late. This is exactly what happens to Luna and her family. Everyone senses the tension and fear in the air, but leaving one’s home for an uncertain journey is no simple matter.

When the waters start to rise, Luna’s father and grandmother try to convince her mother to leave while they still can, especially since she is pregnant. However, she refuses to leave before the baby is born, and by the time the child arrives, it is already too late.

Walls are erected in the heart of the city, and Jews who remain on the other side are confined within. Posters warning of typhus start circulating, and soon, a typhus outbreak occurs. Many people are left destitute in a small area, struggling to survive. Food and basic supplies become nearly impossible to find, and corpses of those who succumb to starvation or disease litter the streets. Eventually, people become desensitized to the deaths around them, focusing solely on survival.

Despite all precautions, typhus reaches Luna’s home, claiming her mother. After this, Rosa joins their household. She, too, has lost family members to the German soldiers and seeks refuge with Luna’s family. The household now becomes a place of survival and quiet resilience.

Eventually, the inhabitants begin organizing themselves, even as the threat of concentration camps looms. People are promised food if they register to work in the camps, and trains filled with people head toward the gas chambers. Luna herself will ultimately join the resistance, guided by the hope and courage brought by Rosa, who, even amid so much tragedy, gives birth to a child, a source of life and joy for the fighters.

Throughout this, Luna’s path crosses with a man—a German soldier, no less—whose presence leaves a deep mark on her heart. Their love is impossible, constrained by the horrors surrounding them. He secretly tries to save as many people as he can, but they can never be together.

I’ve told this in a very factual, almost dry way, but had I written immediately after finishing, I would have conveyed it with much more feeling. I cried many times while reading. Although the book is published under a youth imprint, it is not really a children’s book. Adults can read it without losing engagement. The story is harrowing, poignant, and deeply affecting, much like any book or film set against war. For me, it left a far stronger impression than I can fully convey here.

Read more of my book reviews and literary essays at ozyverse.substack.com

[Isobel Ramsden · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short novel is set in the Jewish ghetto in Warsaw during World War Two. The story is narrated by a young girl, Luna, who lives with her family in the ghetto. She tells of the wall that is built to imprison the Jews, the scarcity of food, the spread of disease and ultimately the move to totally exterminate them. However, she also tells of the resistance movement, which smuggles out children, sources essential supplies and eventually takes on the Nazi soldiers in battle. Luna eventually joins the resistance movement. But before that she shows her own form of resistance - she sings. As the author says, you have to have some life in you to sing, so singing is Luna's way of clinging to life and hope. I'd highly recommend this book as it is well written, moving and gives a vivid picture of life in the Warsaw ghetto.

[Nadia · Rating 3 out of 5]

C'est un roman assez bien écrit et je pense avoir appris de nouvelles choses sur le contexte sociohistorique de cette époque de guerre.
Par contre, il y a beaucoup de choses qui m'ont déplu dans la forme, comme la longueur des chapitres. Ils étaient si longs que cela ajoutait à la lourdeur du récit. Je préfère les chapitres courts de manière générale. Aussi, le fait que l'histoire soit narrée par Luna, bien qu'on découvre pourquoi à la fin dans ce riverement peu original, enlevait le potentiel de suspense à l'histoire. Puis, les personnages mourraient et je n'ai ressenti aucun attachement. C'est un roman qui m'a fait ni chaud ni froid.

[Mohamed · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to cry so bad..this book is so sad yet so real.
Can't express my feelings now.
Review to come.

[Isa Gosselin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luna représente l'espoir dans un monde où la guerre lui enlève tous ses repères. À lire absolument !

[Chat-Rlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Le rythme de l'histoire est très varié, dommage que la romance ait été si courte, la fin en perd en intensité.

[Silvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

J'ai pleuré en lisant se livre, tellement il m'a ému. Je le conseil absolument!!
Mon cœur bat encore si fort en y pensant, hors je l'ai lu il y'a quelques années...

[Aide au lecteur Drummondville]

Varsovie, 1939. Luna, jeune Juive d'origine polonaise, n'a qu'une passion, la musique et le chant.
Sa voix est merveilleuse. Elle a quatorze ans lorsque les troupes allemandes entrent en Pologne.
Très vite, la population juive est enfermée dans le ghetto. Commencent alors la persécution, la misère, la peur, la mort. Luna voit peu à peu disparaître tous les siens. Dans le cauchemar de la guerre, elle participe à la résistance du ghetto de Varsovie avec, pour seules forces, sa voix hors du commun et sa volonté de vivre et d'aimer...