The Paris Assignment by Rhys Bowent

The two great wars brought us so much good literature - each with a different perspective all so different and all riveting reading. This was no different. Maddie is one of the most conformist, mild souls you could envisage. Not one for confrontation, anything for the sake of peace she goes along with her family plans in a plodding manner until one day she decides to go as part of a study course to Sorbonne, falls in love with France, finds a love of her own and makes France her home. The story evolves from there, WWII breaks out, she and her young son forced to returnto England, her husband joining the Resistance and the heartbreak starts there. The story goes much further than this with really heart breaking consequences which no person should be called upon to bear. The imagery throughout this book is the steadfastness to a cause, the stoic bearing of misery still maintaining qualities of goodness isdifficul to imagine. Most people will break under that pressure, just give up any attempt to be humane. Powerful story Sent by Lake Union Publishing for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley. Just got discharged from hospital with so much medication. At least the good news is that they all finish within ten days.