Book-a-book of the Month Club discussion

Discuss specific characters here - favorites, least favorites, etc.

I wanted to talk abt the first officer (I forgot his name) who lived in her (forgot her name too) house. Such conflict with allowing help and favors from him because of who he was and doing what needed to be done to help save her child. That part really made me think and wonder what I would have done in that situation.

Vicki wrote: "I wanted to talk abt the first officer (I forgot his name) who lived in her (forgot her name too) house. Such conflict with allowing help and favors from him because of who he was and doing what ne..."

I'm not that far yet, but am looking froward to it. My favorite novels are those that point out how NON black and white the world really is and how you never know what you will do in a situation until you are actually in it!

I am about 3/4 of the way through and I am still nervous that people are not who they seem to be on the surface . . .

What is interesting to me about characters in WWII (or any war books) is how much they change because of the war. I like to think that most Nazis were uncomfortable with the acts they were asked to perform by their government. But it is obvious, and is portrayed in this book, that some of them relished it.

Also, without the events in this book, (view spoiler)[ the sisters most likely would not have reconciled with each other and their father (hide spoiler)]. So, while the war was terrible, it did have its silver linings.

(view spoiler)[ So, Isabelle died as soon as she saw Gaet at the end?! (hide spoiler)]

Kandice wrote: "[spoilers removed]"

Yes - quite shocking!

Well then, that was the one surprise of the book for me. I think it's just that I've read so many stories and historical fic. about that time period that nothing shocks me anymore. Not that I don't find it horrifying, I do, but I can no longer be surprised by the depravity of some of those people.

So far, I'm at the point when the other teachers were fired based on the list provided by Vianne. She frustrates me as a character. Just how far in the sand was her head buried? Surely, something should have clicked before then that something was rotten in the state of Denmark (or France in this case). Such naive action for someone who is so "adult".

Richard - I thought that too- but I kept coming back to two things 1) I think she was convinced that it really couldn't be all that bad, and by the time she realized it was, it was too late and 2) what she did realize, she approached defensively instead of offensively. Both of these things the exact opposite of her sister. Does this make her weak? Hard to say - it was a tough time.

I had a hard time liking Vianne until more than the halfway point. I think Vianne was supposed to represent the majority of the population. Thinking over and over that "It won't get worse, this is as bad as it can get..." and then it does. The evil sneaks up on you. That's the danger. We don't want to believe in evil that deep.

Matthew and Kandice -- I understand what you are saying. After sleeping on it for a night, I realized that I am also using hindsight to judge Vianne. Taking a step back, it's hard to determine what she should and should not have done. People in the 1940's, especially in the countryside, were very cut off from other parts of the world. Then, Hitler stepped in and really severed communication. I can't say that would have acted with any more gumption than Vianne. I will say that her defensiveness is a nice foil to her sister's brazenness. I am definitely enjoying the change in vantage points as the story changes between Vianne and Isabelle.

Richard wrote: "Matthew and Kandice -- I understand what you are saying. After sleeping on it for a night, I realized that I am also using hindsight to judge Vianne. Taking a step back, it's hard to determine what..."

To further stress the cut off-ness during World War II - in another book set during this time, Between Shades of Gray, there is a period of time that the Lithuanians think that Hitler is their only hope for salvation. You are in a bad way if your only hope is Hitler!

I thought it was a really smart way to show the two ways most people reacted to the war. The sisters, I mean. I bet that most people were much like one or the other of them. I would probably have been more like Vianne. I think her view was more the "glass half full" type, which is sad, but that's what we get!

I take back everything I said before about these characters -- minus the fact that Vianne and Isabelle were foils. Dear Lord. What each went through. All of them. I can't even. Vianne's final words will stay with me for a very long time.

Isabelle - thank you for the extra character info!

Kandice wrote: "I thought it was a really smart way to show the two ways most people reacted to the war. The sisters, I mean. ..."

And I think just in general when it comes to siblings, there are the ones that are more conservative and maybe quiet, while the other is more outspoken and faces reality. (In Shanghai Girls, by Lisa See, the sisters are similar in that the older one was the conservative one and the younger one was the fighter)

Vicki wrote: "I wanted to talk abt the first officer (I forgot his name) who lived in her (forgot her name too) house. Such conflict with allowing help and favors from him..."

I, too, wondered what would I have done in that situation. Being a woman in that time period, a mother in that time period....... it's about survival not just for yourself but for your children. Also I thought it was interesting to see the human side of Beck. He was most definitely a Nazi soldier but yet at the same time he did try to help Vianne and Rachel.

This may seem like a trivial question, but I was wondering where the extra food came from when the second Nazi billeted with Vianne and he had “friends” over. I know it’s mentioned that he throws away their leftovers to keep her and the children from eating them, but she had to cook the food. I wonder if she squirreled some away as she was cooking.

I just assumed the Nazis brought it with them.

Kandice wrote: "I thought it was a really smart way to show the two ways most people reacted to the war. The sisters, I mean. I bet that most people were much like one or the other of them. I would probably have b..."

Yes, I agree. While I found each of them a little naive in their own way, I thought they did a great job of portraying two very different perspectives towards what was happening to them and their country.