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Code Name Lily
World War II certainly had its share of deserving heroes and heroines, many of whom have received their due recognition. But how many civilian women can say they saved the lives of at least 250 downed airmen in just over two years?"Code Name Lily" takes you on an unforgettable journey from Belgium, into France, and over the Pyrenees Mountains into Spain. An extremely clever and persuasive young Belgian nurse outsmarts the Nazis time and again, risking her life if she is caught, but protecting every airman she successfully aids to evade the Germans."Code Name Lily" is based on the true story of Micheline "Michou" Dumon-Ugeux, a legend in the Comet Line escape network from 1940-1944 who went only by the name of Lily. You, too, will fall in love with Lily.
292 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 6, 2018
156 people are currently reading
125 people want to read
About the author
Julien Ayotte
11 books15 followersB.S. in Accounting
MBA
PhD
College Graduate Professor
Corporate officer at Textron
Executive Director at two law firms
married, wife Pauline
three grown children
MBA
PhD
College Graduate Professor
Corporate officer at Textron
Executive Director at two law firms
married, wife Pauline
three grown children
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
September 5, 2019
Code Name Lily: Legend of the Belgian Resistance: Based on a True Story was written by Julien Ayotte. To be honest, I had my doubts about this book as I started reading it. It seemed to bounce around from one person to another without a purpose. I thought it was just another historical romance where someone told the story from the present and someone told the story from the past as those in the present found clues to follow. Then, in the end, there would be a meeting of the main characters once more. That wasn’t what I got with this book. I was surprised. The book does begin with the family finding a clue as to what their Father did during the war. It goes back through a journal to the past and is brought up to the present. Then it diversifies and talks about other people in the Comet Line and their exploits and includes those working against the Comet Line.
The people of Belgium who set up the Comet Line are talked about in detail in the novel. The background and exploits of the Comet Line were real. The people who manned the Comet Line were real. The men who infiltrated the Comet Line and tried to destroy it were real. Those who gave their lives without giving information to the Gestapo were real. The airmen they rescued and escorted from Belgium to Spain and back to the UK were real. Their humbleness and not wanting to publicize their achievements were true of many of those men who came back from being overseas. They had done their duty and it was over and now they had their lives to go on with sums up most of the men who served in the armed forces during World War II.
I was especially interested to find out about the Comet Line as I had heard about rescue and escape efforts but had not read how much the men and women who manned the line. I knew many inhabitants of the various countries helped; but didn’t realize those were true stories. It makes you wonder what you would do in a similar situation. Would you actively help or just watch from a distance? The book is definitely one worth reading and one which should not be missed.
October 29, 2019
Very good read about the heroes who helped run the Comet escape line over the Pyrenees mountains. Lily, was her code name and she was often talked about amongst the men she rescued. The author did a really good job at having a storyline that weaves together, yet gave each person their own part of the story. I still can’t fathom what these people truly did to save others. A highly recommended read for all WWII book lovers. Thank you Julien for the opportunity to read your novel, I am grateful for having learned about this escape line and the people who didn’t think twice about saving others.
July 27, 2023
Code Name Lily is a fictionalized account of the Comet Line of the Belgian Resistance during WWII, with "Lily" (Micheline Dumon) as one of the leading members of this all-volunteer group. The Comet Line was responsible for rescuing 773 downed pilots and leading them through Belgium and France and into Spain. Such stories of unselfishness and extreme bravery, especially in times of war, are inspiring.
March 9, 2019
Through the Discovery of an Unknown Journal, a Sweeping Epic Tale of World War Two Unfolds.
As the days pass, the silent howitzers of time [paraphrase from Lincoln’s 1838 “Young Men’s Lyceum” speech] have almost completed their cannonade on leveling the passing of those serving in World War Two. The apocalypse of war and the multifaceted specters the World War unleashed throughout the globe were beyond horrendous, they were stupefying. The disaster and conflict that ensued held its wartime thrall for six years in Europe. Depending on where one starts the opening of hostilities in Asia (1931 with the Japanese invasion of China, or the battle named the Marco Polo Bridge Incident that occurred in 1937), combat lasted eight to fourteen years. For the United States, the war went on for four years.
The war took a terrible toll on the Axis Powers and the Allies, as well as any place in the world where the war was fought. The cost of the war in terms of the dead range from over 60 million to 70-80 million. These casualty rates mean that 2.5 to 3 percent of people worldwide perished based upon the 1940 global population of 2.3 billion people (“U.S. Census Bureau World Population Historical Estimates of World Population”).
Depending upon the military historian one asks about when the tide of war changed in favor of the Allies, the answer varies from Pearl Harbor being attacked on 7 December 1941, the 4 and 7 June of 1942 Battle of Midway, the invasion and conquering of France by Germany in May of 1940, the Royal Air Force defeat on 31 October 1940 of the Luftwaffe for the Luftschlacht um England [The Air Battle for England], or the victory over Stalingrad toward the end of January 1943 when the Red Army successfully encircled the German Sixth Army.
According to statistics shared by the The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, 16,112,566 members of the United States Armed Forces served our nation during the war. Of these men and women, 291,557 died as a result of combat; other deaths in service (non-theater) amounted to 113,842, while there were 670,846 non–mortal wounds. As of September of 2018, three percent, that is 496,777, of these people are left alive today. “Every day, memories of World War II—its sights and sounds, its terrors and triumphs—disappear. Yielding to the unalterable process of aging, the men and women who fought and won the great conflict are now in their late 80s and 90s. They are dying quickly . . .” (“The Passing of the WWII Generation”).
Indeed, the voices of World War Two are quickly vanishing away from us. With this thought in mind, to read Julien Ayotte's (2018) novel Code Name Lily is a remarkable experience because it is written with the language, knowledge and experience of those years and events that still have such a profound effect upon the 21st century. Written as historical fiction, I was not prepared for this authenticity when I first started reading Ayotte’s book.
What Ayotte accomplishes in his novel is nothing short of amazing. A gifted storyteller, and a patient and clever researcher, he brings to his reading audience a tale based upon a true story about the Reseau Cométe [Comet Line]. Lily is the code name of Micheline “Michou” Dumon–Ugeux and she is the major focus of Ayotte’s story. Lily saved the lives of at least 250 downed British and American airmen. She was a member of a resistance force that operated in Belgium and France during World War Two. This group helped return Allied servicemen to Britain. Estimates have been made in which 2,373 British and Commonwealth servicemen and 2,700 Americans were aided by such escape lines during the war.
The line originated in Brussels where, once found, soldiers and downed airmen were immediately fed, given false identity papers and a crash course, especially for the Americans, on blending in with the local civilian population. Hidden in attics and cellars, a network of people, Lily being one of these courageous resistance fighters, helped lead them south through occupied France, neutral Spain and then home through British–controlled Gibraltar.
The story starts out innocently enough. Present day details are given about Dr. Antoine “Tony” Papineau, a just retired, 70–year–old dermatologist from Cranston, Rhode Island. In May of 2018, Tony receives a phone call from Luke Dale who now owns a small farm on Little Pond County Road, Cumberland, Rhode Island where the Papineau’s used to live for five years in the mid-1940s. Dale, a Vietnam veteran and night shift guard at the nearby Norfolk State Prison, explains to Tony what he has discovered in his upstairs renovation project. In knocking down what was thought to be the wall between two bedrooms, he discovers another small room, which had been sealed, between the master bedroom closet and their son’s bedroom. Upon entering this room, he finds that there is only one item in it, which is a green metal box the size of a toaster oven with an envelope taped to it. “Sergeant Gerard Papineau, Air Gunner, B-17 Bomber, 1943,” is labelled on the box. Dale leaves it unopened.
Tony hardly knew his father. Gerry died in 1953 from cancer; Tony didn’t even know his dad was in World War Two. One in three airmen survived the air battle over Europe. Their losses were beyond understanding. The word numbing comes to mind. By 1944, there was no statistical basis where airmen would survive a 25–mission assignment.
On a sunny, warm May afternoon day, Tony brings his baptism certificate from St. Joan of Arc Roman Catholic Church on Mendon Road to meet with Luke. After speaking with Dale, Tony brings the box back to his home and places it on his workbench in his garage where he breaks the old–fashioned lock on it with a hacksaw. He finds two begrimed medals with ribbons whose respective inscriptions are difficult to read. In the bottom of the box is a journal written on an essay composition pad. Handwritten in ink, it is easily discernible and legible, and contains about ten pages.
Taking the journal into his home with him, he tosses it on his desk and prepares himself a four–ounce glass of apricot brandy. Adding a few ice cubes from the fridge to it, he returns to his office, sits down in his recliner and starts reading his father’s journal.
Based on Tony’s discovery of the box’s contents, the novel sweeps the reader into an epic and moving story of the Second World War. I must confess that it had me crying over the romance, danger and lost opportunities that war takes away from everyone involved in it. I rate this book Julien Ayotte: Code Name Excellent.
As the days pass, the silent howitzers of time [paraphrase from Lincoln’s 1838 “Young Men’s Lyceum” speech] have almost completed their cannonade on leveling the passing of those serving in World War Two. The apocalypse of war and the multifaceted specters the World War unleashed throughout the globe were beyond horrendous, they were stupefying. The disaster and conflict that ensued held its wartime thrall for six years in Europe. Depending on where one starts the opening of hostilities in Asia (1931 with the Japanese invasion of China, or the battle named the Marco Polo Bridge Incident that occurred in 1937), combat lasted eight to fourteen years. For the United States, the war went on for four years.
The war took a terrible toll on the Axis Powers and the Allies, as well as any place in the world where the war was fought. The cost of the war in terms of the dead range from over 60 million to 70-80 million. These casualty rates mean that 2.5 to 3 percent of people worldwide perished based upon the 1940 global population of 2.3 billion people (“U.S. Census Bureau World Population Historical Estimates of World Population”).
Depending upon the military historian one asks about when the tide of war changed in favor of the Allies, the answer varies from Pearl Harbor being attacked on 7 December 1941, the 4 and 7 June of 1942 Battle of Midway, the invasion and conquering of France by Germany in May of 1940, the Royal Air Force defeat on 31 October 1940 of the Luftwaffe for the Luftschlacht um England [The Air Battle for England], or the victory over Stalingrad toward the end of January 1943 when the Red Army successfully encircled the German Sixth Army.
According to statistics shared by the The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, 16,112,566 members of the United States Armed Forces served our nation during the war. Of these men and women, 291,557 died as a result of combat; other deaths in service (non-theater) amounted to 113,842, while there were 670,846 non–mortal wounds. As of September of 2018, three percent, that is 496,777, of these people are left alive today. “Every day, memories of World War II—its sights and sounds, its terrors and triumphs—disappear. Yielding to the unalterable process of aging, the men and women who fought and won the great conflict are now in their late 80s and 90s. They are dying quickly . . .” (“The Passing of the WWII Generation”).
Indeed, the voices of World War Two are quickly vanishing away from us. With this thought in mind, to read Julien Ayotte's (2018) novel Code Name Lily is a remarkable experience because it is written with the language, knowledge and experience of those years and events that still have such a profound effect upon the 21st century. Written as historical fiction, I was not prepared for this authenticity when I first started reading Ayotte’s book.
What Ayotte accomplishes in his novel is nothing short of amazing. A gifted storyteller, and a patient and clever researcher, he brings to his reading audience a tale based upon a true story about the Reseau Cométe [Comet Line]. Lily is the code name of Micheline “Michou” Dumon–Ugeux and she is the major focus of Ayotte’s story. Lily saved the lives of at least 250 downed British and American airmen. She was a member of a resistance force that operated in Belgium and France during World War Two. This group helped return Allied servicemen to Britain. Estimates have been made in which 2,373 British and Commonwealth servicemen and 2,700 Americans were aided by such escape lines during the war.
The line originated in Brussels where, once found, soldiers and downed airmen were immediately fed, given false identity papers and a crash course, especially for the Americans, on blending in with the local civilian population. Hidden in attics and cellars, a network of people, Lily being one of these courageous resistance fighters, helped lead them south through occupied France, neutral Spain and then home through British–controlled Gibraltar.
The story starts out innocently enough. Present day details are given about Dr. Antoine “Tony” Papineau, a just retired, 70–year–old dermatologist from Cranston, Rhode Island. In May of 2018, Tony receives a phone call from Luke Dale who now owns a small farm on Little Pond County Road, Cumberland, Rhode Island where the Papineau’s used to live for five years in the mid-1940s. Dale, a Vietnam veteran and night shift guard at the nearby Norfolk State Prison, explains to Tony what he has discovered in his upstairs renovation project. In knocking down what was thought to be the wall between two bedrooms, he discovers another small room, which had been sealed, between the master bedroom closet and their son’s bedroom. Upon entering this room, he finds that there is only one item in it, which is a green metal box the size of a toaster oven with an envelope taped to it. “Sergeant Gerard Papineau, Air Gunner, B-17 Bomber, 1943,” is labelled on the box. Dale leaves it unopened.
Tony hardly knew his father. Gerry died in 1953 from cancer; Tony didn’t even know his dad was in World War Two. One in three airmen survived the air battle over Europe. Their losses were beyond understanding. The word numbing comes to mind. By 1944, there was no statistical basis where airmen would survive a 25–mission assignment.
On a sunny, warm May afternoon day, Tony brings his baptism certificate from St. Joan of Arc Roman Catholic Church on Mendon Road to meet with Luke. After speaking with Dale, Tony brings the box back to his home and places it on his workbench in his garage where he breaks the old–fashioned lock on it with a hacksaw. He finds two begrimed medals with ribbons whose respective inscriptions are difficult to read. In the bottom of the box is a journal written on an essay composition pad. Handwritten in ink, it is easily discernible and legible, and contains about ten pages.
Taking the journal into his home with him, he tosses it on his desk and prepares himself a four–ounce glass of apricot brandy. Adding a few ice cubes from the fridge to it, he returns to his office, sits down in his recliner and starts reading his father’s journal.
Based on Tony’s discovery of the box’s contents, the novel sweeps the reader into an epic and moving story of the Second World War. I must confess that it had me crying over the romance, danger and lost opportunities that war takes away from everyone involved in it. I rate this book Julien Ayotte: Code Name Excellent.
December 29, 2019
This book reads like something written to document a family history. In the first few pages, there is a lot of backstory and the dialogue is repetitive (the contents of a phone conversation between Tony and the current owner of Tony's childhood home is repeated to Tony's wife, then later to his children) and banal. Though the members of the French Comet Line are heroic (they rescued downed airmen from the Germans) their story is told in a distant omniscient point of view and often reads like a repetition of facts gleaned from research, but without any emotional connection with Tony or Gerard or Lily.
December 7, 2019
I love historical fiction and I really, really wanted to love this book. I was sadly disappointed. To me, it reads like a bad mashup of fiction and nonfiction. The fictional narrative is interrupted by large chunks of Wikipedia-ish writing, interspersed with wooden dialogue. The plot wanders back and forth between storylines, past and present. The story would be better served written as pure historical fiction or as a nonfiction book about The Comet Line.
see my entire review here: https://www.thebookdelight.com/2019/1...
see my entire review here: https://www.thebookdelight.com/2019/1...
April 6, 2020
Wonderful tribute!
What a wonderful tribute to those who stepped up during a very trying time in history to aid those who came to their aid. WWII was a horrific period when unimaginable acts were committed against the people of Europe and the story tells of the acts of those who stood up against the Reich to assist the allies in any way they could. Many thanks for sharing the amazing acts of those who contributed to the Comet line, and just as many thanks to those who actually worked the Comet line. What amazing people!
What a wonderful tribute to those who stepped up during a very trying time in history to aid those who came to their aid. WWII was a horrific period when unimaginable acts were committed against the people of Europe and the story tells of the acts of those who stood up against the Reich to assist the allies in any way they could. Many thanks for sharing the amazing acts of those who contributed to the Comet line, and just as many thanks to those who actually worked the Comet line. What amazing people!
October 26, 2019
Loved the history and learning all about this network set up to save downed pilots during WW II. Mostly, I love that Ayotte chose to educates us on the bravery of these civilians and the important roles women took on. It's an important work for documenting these events and for giving recognition to the contributions of women during this war.
Perhaps because I was interested mainly in the non-fictional portions of the book, I did not really care for the fictionalized accounts of the characters.
Perhaps because I was interested mainly in the non-fictional portions of the book, I did not really care for the fictionalized accounts of the characters.
November 16, 2019
This is a paid review through Online Book Club. All opinions are my own.
This book told a beautiful story about the resistance and Comet Line in Belgium during World War II. However, while the book was well researched and exposed a little-known aspect of the war, I found it to be repetitive and a bit dry in parts. Large chunks of the book read like a textbook.
But, if you like World War II historical fiction, I would recommend trying this book out.
This book told a beautiful story about the resistance and Comet Line in Belgium during World War II. However, while the book was well researched and exposed a little-known aspect of the war, I found it to be repetitive and a bit dry in parts. Large chunks of the book read like a textbook.
But, if you like World War II historical fiction, I would recommend trying this book out.
November 18, 2019
This book outlines the achievements of the Comet Line during WWII with the addition of dialogue and a fictional romance. I read this book expecting more on the fiction side, but it read more like a history report about the important figures of the effort to rescue downed airmen during the war. The book seemed well researched but was very repetitive. The narrative also felt disjointed -jumping from past to present and introducing the same figures multiple times. I admire the efforts of the Comet Line and the author’s intense research but I did not enjoy the writing style.
My full review is available on online book club:
https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/vie...
I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
My full review is available on online book club:
https://forums.onlinebookclub.org/vie...
I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
April 14, 2021
This is a remarkable story written by one of the premier mystery thriller writers of our time. Though he does not generally write historical novels, this gem leaves the reader with a sense of being at the scene of these historic events while becoming part of the non-stop action. This is not one to miss.
July 25, 2022
This book is such a disappointment, especially having recently finished Sisters of Night and Fog, which also deals with the Comet line. The writing is stilted, and dealing with the present day characters which have only a tangential connection to the main story.
It was so poorly written I bailed on it. There are too many good books to read to waste time on those that fall so short.
It was so poorly written I bailed on it. There are too many good books to read to waste time on those that fall so short.
January 26, 2019
True heroics during WW II
Amazing true story about the resistance in Belgium. I was in awe at the determination and dedication of the group who aided down airmen to reach neutral territory. The Gestapo were constantly on alert to arrest the downed airmen and their helpers.
Amazing true story about the resistance in Belgium. I was in awe at the determination and dedication of the group who aided down airmen to reach neutral territory. The Gestapo were constantly on alert to arrest the downed airmen and their helpers.
Read
September 23, 2019The Comet Line was an escape route for downed fliers run by the Belgian Resistance. The story of its exploits are told in this historical novel. Had it not been for this piece of fiction I would have remained unaware of these actions. For that reason I enjoyed the story.
March 27, 2021
Bravery at its bestt
The bravery of these ordinary people who many didn't know about is astounding. They risked their lives every move they made.Totally in awe of what they did . A free an
The bravery of these ordinary people who many didn't know about is astounding. They risked their lives every move they made.Totally in awe of what they did . A free an
Read
April 15, 2021The narrative starts out as a mismatch of 1st and 2nd person. Goes on to sprout facts instead of weaving a storyline. I do wonder if this a self funded publish. Maybe, Julien should have stuck with accounting.
Could not finish.
Could not finish.
September 4, 2021
This book was quite different from what I had expected but I found it a good experience. I had a reasonable knowledge of the Comet line and other such escape lines during WW2 but they way in which this was written still peaked my interest in the individual characters enough for me to research them. Its probably not a book for someone expecting a jaunty read but for somebody who has an interest in the specific genre.
January 26, 2022
Excellent book on the incredible people who fought behind the lines of the battlefields!
A well written account of the people who risked all to help liberate Europe from the Nazi stranglehold and saved the lives of Allied soldiers.
A well written account of the people who risked all to help liberate Europe from the Nazi stranglehold and saved the lives of Allied soldiers.
December 25, 2018
Fascinating, inspiring bravery with ties to RI. Can’t stop thinking about it, couldn’t put it down.
May 31, 2019
Truly amazing story about not only a part of WWII that is not well known - the resistance in Belgium - but how strong a role women played in helping those captured.
August 6, 2019
A good story with a local twist
A part of World War II history I didn’t know about
A part of World War II history I didn’t know about
December 30, 2019
I love stories about the quiet heroes. I truly am fascinated by such bravery exhibited by the civilians in saving the lives of airmen by helping them get to a safe place.
April 23, 2021
Amazing story
Wow This book really bring history to life. A great story , brilliantly told. It was totally compelling and utterly fascinating.
Wow This book really bring history to life. A great story , brilliantly told. It was totally compelling and utterly fascinating.
April 20, 2022
A very enjoyable novel that shows that ordinary people , who believe in freedom & justice, will always eventually be victorious in the end.
June 3, 2023
Excellent story. Loved the references to Rhode Island.
March 12, 2020
Loved this book. Learning history via a novel makes me hunger for more. I knew a little about the partisans helping allied airmen over the Pyrennes into Spain, but learned so much more thanks to this book. Well done.
July 24, 2019
I loved this book, partly because I know the author and partly because my husband and I visited many of the locations in the Basque regions of France and Spain mentioned in this true story.
A retiring dermatologist is busily preparing himself for a life of leisure at age 70. He and his wife of over forty years have lived comfortably in the same house in Cranston, Rhode island. Tony and Marge Papineau are ready for their golden years, but a sudden phone call from the current owner of Tony's childhood home in Cumberland (R.I.) opens a world he had never known before. The discovery of a metal box in a sealed room between two bedrooms in his old homestead introduces him to information about the father he hardly knew. His father had died of cancer in 1953 when Tony was only five years old. The contents of the metal box reveal that his father, Gerard Papineau, had served as a gunner on a B-17 bomber in World War II, had parachuted to the ground in war-torn Belgium in 1943, and had been wounded before jumping out of his crashing bomber. The box also contains a detailed journal of his rescue by a young female member of an escape network in Belgium, called the Comet Line. His savior goes simply by the code name of Lily, as she nurses him back to health from his arm wound, and prepares to lead him to the safety of Spain and the British Embassy there. But first she must take him through France, and then prepare him for the treacherous journey over the Pyrenees Mountains into Spain.
Tony's wife, Marge, finds an old letter hidden in the journal, which was written by Lily a few years after the war. The letter reveals her true identity. The famous Lily in the Comet Line, a legend in the escape network, is Micheline "Michou" Dumon-Ugeux. The letter to Gerard clearly indicates that they were in love, but that their separation over time and distance prevented them from ever seeing each other again. Tony is dumbfounded by all of this news, and begins to search the internet for information about Madame Dumon-Ugeux, amazed to find that she was one of the key leaders in the escape network, and had received recognition from the United Kingdom, Belgium, and the United States for her wartime exploits in rescuing over 250 downed airmen during the war. He also discovers that his own father had received the Distinguished Flying Cross from the U.S., and the Distinguished Flying Medal from the U.K. for his heroism during the war, a war he had not even known his father served in. This is a true story of heroism!
A retiring dermatologist is busily preparing himself for a life of leisure at age 70. He and his wife of over forty years have lived comfortably in the same house in Cranston, Rhode island. Tony and Marge Papineau are ready for their golden years, but a sudden phone call from the current owner of Tony's childhood home in Cumberland (R.I.) opens a world he had never known before. The discovery of a metal box in a sealed room between two bedrooms in his old homestead introduces him to information about the father he hardly knew. His father had died of cancer in 1953 when Tony was only five years old. The contents of the metal box reveal that his father, Gerard Papineau, had served as a gunner on a B-17 bomber in World War II, had parachuted to the ground in war-torn Belgium in 1943, and had been wounded before jumping out of his crashing bomber. The box also contains a detailed journal of his rescue by a young female member of an escape network in Belgium, called the Comet Line. His savior goes simply by the code name of Lily, as she nurses him back to health from his arm wound, and prepares to lead him to the safety of Spain and the British Embassy there. But first she must take him through France, and then prepare him for the treacherous journey over the Pyrenees Mountains into Spain.
Tony's wife, Marge, finds an old letter hidden in the journal, which was written by Lily a few years after the war. The letter reveals her true identity. The famous Lily in the Comet Line, a legend in the escape network, is Micheline "Michou" Dumon-Ugeux. The letter to Gerard clearly indicates that they were in love, but that their separation over time and distance prevented them from ever seeing each other again. Tony is dumbfounded by all of this news, and begins to search the internet for information about Madame Dumon-Ugeux, amazed to find that she was one of the key leaders in the escape network, and had received recognition from the United Kingdom, Belgium, and the United States for her wartime exploits in rescuing over 250 downed airmen during the war. He also discovers that his own father had received the Distinguished Flying Cross from the U.S., and the Distinguished Flying Medal from the U.K. for his heroism during the war, a war he had not even known his father served in. This is a true story of heroism!
April 6, 2021
This book did not read as a novel. It started well using a two time period design 1979 and 1940's but failed to built on this connection. The author filled the book with factual records based his historical research which was interesting but detracted from the novel. There was no character development.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews