Ally
This book is a lot of things: historical fiction, a well-executed dual timeline narrative, a little bit of magical realism, a family drama. And it comes together beautifully!
The timeline switches between modern day Virginia and WWII era occupied France. In the modern day, Louise learns her family's secret in a very dramatic way. Helene's (Louise's great-grandmother) timeline fleshes out that secret as she trains as a nurse while under Nazi occupation.
There's a little bit of a plot twist at the end, which I knew existed from other reviews, and had been trying to predict throughout my reading of the book. I never figured it out, but it fits just perfectly with the whole story!
Overall, the book is both an entertaining story and an appreciation of nurses & healers, mothers & daughters, and all women. It honors those who "aren't afraid to sing in the darkness."
This book is a lot of things: historical fiction, a well-executed dual timeline narrative, a little bit of magical realism, a family drama. And it comes together beautifully!
The timeline switches between modern day Virginia and WWII era occupied France. In the modern day, Louise learns her family's secret in a very dramatic way. Helene's (Louise's great-grandmother) timeline fleshes out that secret as she trains as a nurse while under Nazi occupation.
There's a little bit of a plot twist at the end, which I knew existed from other reviews, and had been trying to predict throughout my reading of the book. I never figured it out, but it fits just perfectly with the whole story!
Overall, the book is both an entertaining story and an appreciation of nurses & healers, mothers & daughters, and all women. It honors those who "aren't afraid to sing in the darkness."
