Talia Carner

A very good story, and very interesting.
The setting is France during WWII, a little after and also in the late 1960's.
Jews are fleeing France and they are fleeing towards one of the free zones in France. Claudette, a young seamstress has a chance to help a Jewish peddler and his son, like the peddler had helped her when she was younger. Claudette and the son, in their short time together, fall deeply in love, before he is forced to leave. Unfortunately, once he is gone, she finds she is pregnant. Part of the story tells of her struggles to honor her lover and to keep her baby safe.
As so many Jews were forced from their home and gathered by both the Nazis and the French, many families became separated; sometimes leaving children behind and in the care of others.
After the war ended, and the Jews are looking to settle in Israel, there is a quest to find these missing children and reunite them with either relatives, or at least people of their faith. Youth Aliya was formed to find these children, and this is where we meet Uzi Yarden and follow his journeys and mission.
In the 1960's, Israel is collaborating with the French to build ships for their armed forces. The area around Israel is hostile and alliances are shifting. The political climate in France is also changing, and at risk are the ships near completion. A team from Israel goes to France to make sure the job is completed, with or without France's approval.
The story goes between these three times, and weaves a fascinating connection.… (mere)

There were several interesting historical events in this book. It touched on the Youth Aliyah, the sinking of the Dakar, and the Sa'ar boats built in France. The settings and descriptions were vividly rendered. I had trouble connecting with some of the characters, though.

At times, Claudette's storyline struck me as farfetched. Also, she seemed almost childlike to me. I found Sharon's story more interesting, but I couldn't understand why she didn't tell Danny upfront what she wanted to know and why. Also, I was uncomfortable with her digging around in someone else's private life, especially after they had already asked for her to stop. Of the three characters who had a featured point of view, Uzi was seen the least, but he had the most character growth. I also found it interesting to read about his assignment and its many challenges.

Thank you to BookClubGirls and NetGalley for the early read.… (mere)

dual-time-frames, grief, grieving, historical-novel, historical-places-events, historical-research, history-and-culture, Israel, Jews, relationships, Youth-Aliyah, orphaned, IDF, 1940s, 1960s

This ambitious novel tackles some of the answers to the questions of "what happened next". What happened to the supposedly orphaned children housed with (hardly) Christians, How did Jews escape the illegal embargo placed upon emigrés by the English and French. And how did a people survive the intense grief of survivor's guilt and the uncertainty of the fate of their loved ones. It is a novel written about two time periods: The 1940s and the 1960s. It's an amazing read, but best read in segments in order to have a better understanding of the meaning of history.
I requested and received an EARC from William Morrow/William Morrow Paperbacks via NetGalley.… (mere)