Crossroads discussion

I love war stories and here is a place to post them.

"That there's a deep compulsion in the human spirit to overcome the selfish antics of the I in us. War grindingly, shifts one's perspective from I to we. Never again will many of us feel our lives so interpedently entwined as we do in thes times of war. Never again will someone else's loss or gain become such an integral part of our own store of resources."

It is passages such as that which made me loveThe Way Back to Florence by Glenn Haybittle. It was a great coincidence that I found this wonderfully exciting book, just as my book group presented a challenge of reading a book about World War II. This is an era that I love to read about and Haybittle did an extraordinary job of presenting the dilemmas of the time to the reader. His characters were layered and interesting and he brought to life the struggles of the population of Florence during that challenging time. Also of great interest is his depiction of the camaraderie that existed among the members of a bombing team of the RAF.

The three key characters of the story are Isabella, Freddie, her husband and Oscar who were classmates of an art studio, apprenticing under the Maestro. Once the war starts Freddie is forced to return to his native England while Isabella remains in Florence. Freddie becomes a bomber pilot. Oscar, a Jewish man moves to France and what he hopes is safety.

The book moves between characters as the reader learns their struggles and compromises to survive the war. I love a book which contains shifting perspectives and there are many in The Way Back to Florence. Here is an excerpt about Isabella as she continues painting:

"Today is a good day. Today she feels she is the master of her craft. Today she is free of the grinding tyranny of doubt that mocks her ambition. The voice that bites and slanders and causes her more heartache than any other voice. Today she is focused, she is exultant . Her every brushstroke like a wake of radiance."

Because much of the book is centered around an artist perspective, Haybittle makes liberal use of colors hues and vivid scenic descriptions in his prose. Here are a few examples:

His eye is drawn to the grotesque stone carvings ornamenting many of the old palaces - nightmare images underworld threshold guardians, here a Cyclops, there a serpent with bat's wings. Had they even existed yesterday?"

"By the old city wall, Isabella startles a cat that is nudging a maimed lizard with its paws. Dashes of red, like pigment, offset the luminous green scales . She knows a moment of shame for finding the contrast of colour beautiful."

I love historical fiction and am aware that authors frequently adjust history to more perfectly fit the plot of their books. There are a few instances of this in The Way Back to Florence as the author notes in a foreword:

"For purposes of heightening drama, I've taken one or two mischievous liberties with historical fact in this novel, most notably my RAF raid on Florence in 1943. This never happened. It was the USAAF who carried out this particular raid."

I really loved this book and would not hesitate to recommend it.

Booknblues wrote: ""That there's a deep compulsion in the human spirit to overcome the selfish antics of the I in us. War grindingly, shifts one's perspective from I to we. Never again will many of us feel our lives ..."

I usually prefer contemporary novels, but as my Father was a bomb aimer et al in the SAF/RAF, over Italy, will order it, thanks BnB

Lesley wrote: "I usually prefer contemporary novels, but as my Father was a bomb aimer et al in the SAF/RAF, over Italy, will order it, thanks BnB"

Wow! This should really touch base with you then. It is a really good book. And right now it is $1.99 in USA on Kindle.

A WWII story that I thought never received the recognition it deserved is 22 Britannia Road

I didn't write a review of of it but it haunted me for weeks after I read it.

Booknblues wrote: "Lesley wrote: "I usually prefer contemporary novels, but as my Father was a bomb aimer et al in the SAF/RAF, over Italy, will order it, thanks BnB"

Wow! This should really touch base with you then..."

Thanks I have bought The Way Back to Florence for US$1.99... wonderful...

Lesley wrote: "Booknblues wrote: "Lesley wrote: "I usually prefer contemporary novels, but as my Father was a bomb aimer et al in the SAF/RAF, over Italy, will order it, thanks BnB"

Wow! This should really touch..."

Thanks I have bought The Way Back to Florence for US$1.99... wonderful...

OOPS have already asked the Rural Library to purchase it... Sure others will be grateful...

Lesley wrote: "The Way Back to Florence."

Great! I think you will like it!

La’s Orchestra Saves the World by Alexander McCall Smith
★★★★

La (Lavender) goes to Oxford with no intention of being married before her late 20s, but ends up romanced, in love, married and then abandoned by her husband. Her inlaws, displeased with their son’s actions, kind and honest people, give her their summer cottage as a home and promise to take care of her after the divorce. She is living there when World War II breaks out. At that time she volunteers to help, and so ends up with two jobs. The official one is to help an arthritic farmer take care of his chickens and collect the eggs. The second one is to organize and conduct an orchestra which can only rehearse once per month.

This is a stand-alone, historical fiction novel by McCall Smith, and one I tend to like better than I think I will during parts of it where I might not be happy with what he’s doing with La’s life or something else. There is something endearing about La and the other characters in this novel, which, although the bulk of it is during WW II, spans a good thirty years or so. I think that one of the reviews on the back or the novel that has a sentence that fits, “A fresh and unforgettable story about the power of human kindness.” From the Booklist starred review, and, as the reviewer from The Scotsman wrote, “An excellent re-creation of a woman of her time.”

I recommend this novel.

Storyheart wrote: "A WWII story that I thought never received the recognition it deserved is 22 Britannia Road

I didn't write a review of of it but it haunted m..."

Just checked it out, Story, Many strong reviews from people whose taste I often agree with. Another one on the TBR - I can't win.

The The Way Back to Florence is still $1.99 US so another one bought as well as added to the TBR.

Denizen wrote: "The The Way Back to Florence is still $1.99 US so another one bought as well as added to the TBR. ."
Dang those $1.99 deals. They are deadly.

Booknblues wrote: "Denizen wrote: "The The Way Back to Florence is still $1.99 US so another one bought as well as added to the TBR. ."
Dang those $1.99 deals. They are deadly."

Didn't like this one, even for $2 bucks..

Lesley wrote: "Didn't like this one, even for $2 bucks."

Sorry to hear that.

Booknblues wrote: "Lesley wrote: "Didn't like this one, even for $2 bucks."

Sorry to hear that."

I am sure I am just too picky.. No matter, I had a great run, for a while, and am sure to , again..

We like what we like and there is no changing that:-)

Denizen wrote: "We like what we like and there is no changing that:-)"

So kind.. So true..

☊ All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr ★★★★★+❤❤❤
When Marie-Laure Leblanc, born with congenital cataracts, becomes blind at age six, her father, locksmith at the museum, builds her a detailed miniature of their neighbourhood to allow her to memorize it by touch, although it takes a couple of years of outdoor practicing with him turning her around three times at various points and telling her to find their way home before it really clicks. Werner grows up in an orphanage with his sister, Jutta. Frau Elena, a Huguenot, tells them stories in French daily. He is tiny for his age, a mechanical genius who repairs and makes a simple radio work for he and his sister to listen to. One day they come across a fabulous French radio broadcast about science and they are mesmerized.

The Nazis ascend to power, and less than a year until Werner is to be sent to work in he local mines, his mechanical genius is discovered by a Nazi officer when Werner is called to repair a radio no one else locally has been able to fix. Werner, naturally, fixes it, and at fourteen, desperate to avoid working in the very mines that killed his father, he ends up being sent to a brutal academy for Hitler Youth. Throughout the rest of his schooling and career, warning words from his sister continue to haunt him as he increasingly begins to question what they are doing, yet has always been someone who does what is expected of him.

Just before the Nazis reach Pari, Marie-Loure and her father leave their apartment, forced to go on foot when no train arrives, and end up in the home of her reclusive great uncle Etienne, who hasn’t been right since tragedy struck when he was serving in WW I. With them they are carrying something which may or may not be one of the most valuable items from the museum.

This is not only an exquisitely well written and crafted novel, but the audiobook narrator is perfect for the book. Part him, part, I expect, due to the director of the recording, but he captures the feel of the writing and the story. He wisely refrains from trying to make women sound like women, but uses more subtle means of conveying who is speaking and it works marvelously. This is perhaps the best newer book I’ve read in a long time.
Highly recommended.

Henrietta’s War by Joyce Dennys ★★★★
This is a compilation of a set of fictional letters based one the real WW II experiences in Joyce’s town. While she and her family are given different names, everyone else in the book is fictional as is the childhood friend they are addressed to. They were printed in a London newspaper throughout the war.

The humour is lovely, the characters endearing and the writing good. Naturally, WW II was a serious time, but there is almost always a time and place for humour to help people cope, and I think this is a good one. This book ends during 1941, and I’m waiting for the second in this two book series to arrive to read the letters from the rest of the war.

Karin wrote: "☊ All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr ★★★★★+❤❤❤
When Marie-Laure Leblanc, born with congenital cataracts, becomes blind at age six, her father, locksmith at the museum, builds her a detail..."
I loved this one as well.

Karin wrote: "Henrietta’s War by Joyce Dennys ★★★★
This is a compilation of a set of fictional letters based one the real WW II experiences in Joyce’s town. While she and her family are given different names, ev..."

Sounds good! I love this time period.

Booknblues wrote: "Karin wrote: "Henrietta’s War by Joyce Dennys ★★★★
This is a compilation of a set of fictional letters based one the real WW II experiences in Joyce’s town. While she and her family are given diffe..."

I'm waiting for the sequel, with the rest of the letters, but there are few in the library network.

Just finished When Books Went to War. (can't link on phone). It was good. It's about the endless need and desireability of sending books (called Armed Service Editions) to soldiers in WWII. Inspired by the Nazi book burnings, it relieved the intense boredom of the soldiers in between periods of battle.

I doubt if I will finish Morris Gleitzman well written but not my thing, book "Soon" .. No 5 in a series, and maybe it's a YA.. Hard to tell.

Blueberry wrote: "Just finished When Books Went to War. (can't link on phone). It was good. It's about the endless need and desireability of sending books (called Armed Service Editions) to soldiers in WWII. Inspire..."


This sounds interesting. Sadly, I am temporarily banned from adding books to my tbr. This is an entirely self-imposed ban, but if it's not for a challenge, I can't add anything until I read all the books I have that are due at the library soon (this could take until most of my library books are read).