The Girl Who Fell From the Sky – Simon Mawer
A scintillating tale of espionage
in German occupied France.
This is the eagerly awaited
follow up to the booker shortlisted ‘Glass Room’, set in Britain and then
France during the German occupation in WW2. The protagonist is one Marian
Sutro, aliases Alice, Anne-Marie Larouche and Lawrence, and her journey is a
profound one from innocent young woman to cunning spy always looking over her
shoulder. Yet there are larger concerns for Marian then simply becoming a spy (this
in itself, however, is no small feat), she has been sent to bring home one of
France’s top scientists to help other expats work on the theory of an atomic
bomb. The fact that this man is also her childhood sweetheart, newly married
and with a child, simply adds to the atmosphere of intrigue Mawer has created.
We follow Marian from her beginnings
being plucked from the Women’s army, through her training and onto the
frontline. One the way Mawer takes advantage of the world her is working within
to have Marian learn everything from blowing up a bridge to encrypting a
letter. I found this to be an unflinching look at the lengths people will go to
in a time of war. Mawer poses the question, how far would any of us go? Who
would be become, in the right, or wrong, circumstances? As is to be expected
from a writer of Mawer’s talents, this was a really entertaining and thouroughly
authentic read.
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