Resistance by Eilidh McGinness ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

Bravery, courage, fear, treachery and love in a time of war.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site.  A free book was provided for an honest review.

June 2021; Indie; 978-1916245358
ebook, print (272 pages); historical fiction

Just when I think I'm getting tired of WWII fiction, another book comes along that grabs my attention.

This one looks at a small town in France and the French resistance in that area.  It's told by two main characters:  Sabine Faure and Hérisson.  They are both a part of the French Resistance even though they became part of it for different reasons.

Sabine is part of a farm family and her main job is selling the cheese she makes.  She is against the war and wants to help France regain freedom but isn't sure what she can do until her best friend admits she is part of a resistance group and asks Sabine to deliver a message.  Of course, Sabine needs to keep everything secret but it's difficult on a day-to-day basis because her father refuses to become involved and her sister is dating a German officer.  She continues to work with the Resistance even as life gets more dangerous for her and for her family and small town.

Herisson and three friends have escaped into the free zone to try to find a resistance group that they can join.  They want to do anything they can to help France be free of the German armies.  They meet a small group in the woods and after extensive training, they are invited to join.  Their operations to harm the enemy gets more dangerous as the Germans tighten the noose around the town and work to destroy the resistance groups in the area.

Of course, Sabine and Herisson meet and fall in love.  She ended her engagement to another man because she was so enamored with Herisson.  True love is hard to maintain during wartime when people are busy performing dangerous missions and their romance is very rocky.  At the end of the book, the main question is whether they will ever be able to have a life together after the war is over.  This book is a look at bravery, courage, fear, treachery, and love in a time of war.

At the end of the story, the author lists all of the French who died in this area in France during the war.  It's very emotional to see so many names on the list and it really hits home how many people were getting killed to make France free again. 

This is the first book in a new trilogy set in France during WWII.  It's basically a family saga of small-town life during the war.  It's apparent that the author did considerable research before writing this book. I am looking forward to reading the next books in the trilogy.

RESISTANCE: BOOK 2 EQUALITY November 2021

RESISTANCE: BOOK 3 FRATERNITY  May 2022

Buy Resistance at Amazon

Susan Roberts lives in North Carolina with her husband of over 50 years.  She grew up in Michigan but now calls North Carolina home. Since her travel plans had to be canceled for this year, she is starting to make plans for travel in 2021. She reads almost anything (and the piles of books in her house prove that) but her favorite genres are Southern fiction, women's fiction, and historical fiction. Susan is a top 1% Goodreads Reviewer. You can connect with Susan on Facebook, Goodreads, or Twitter. 

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