... gripping ... Clayton’s book offers an evocative love story layered with heroism and intrigue—the film Casablanca if Rick had an artsy bent. It’s a vividly rendered, dramatic world, even a bit escapist (as long as notes of rising authoritarianism from the present day don’t ring in your ears). This is another powerful historical novel from Clayton ... an homage to the courage of creative acts, to the refuge of art and its reminder, or insistence, on our shared humanity.
Clayton excels at creating fictional worlds, weaving historical details with lively dialogue and rich scene-setting details ... Tension builds throughout the novel, culminating in a grueling, dangerous escape attempt that's full of surprises.
Clayton’s title is somewhat misleading. As a 'postmistress,' Nanée does deliver messages to those in hiding from the Nazis, but she also strikes out on her own, plotting daring rescue attempts that will take her to a notorious internment camp, then deep into occupied territory. And although Nanée has a posh Parisian apartment, much of the novel’s action takes place in and around Marseille, where her rented villa provides shelter to a cast of characters that includes the Surrealist icon André Breton and a wholly fictional photographer, Edouard Moss ... suspenseful.
Based on the true story of American heiress Mary Jayne Gold, who used her connections and fortune to help refugees during WWII, this gripping historical love story from Clayton brings readers into the courageous lives of those struggling just to stay alive and those risking everything to help.
Clayton expertly renders the story of a courageous American woman’s role in the French Resistance during WWII ... Clayton’s lyrical, thought-provoking prose breathes life into her characters. This sterling portrait of a complex woman stands head and shoulders above most contemporary WWII fiction.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay[/caption]
