Small Acts of Defiance
Michelle Wright
Reviewed by Helen
This is a really well written debut story that is set in occupied Paris during World War 2, taking in the terrible things that happen to the Jewish people we meet a young Australian girl sixteen year old Lucie who has arrived in Paris at the start of the war with her French mother Yvonne after tragedy in Australia, times were very hard and Lucie grew from strength to strength, from child to woman.
When Lucie and her mother arrive to live with her uncle Gerard there is a lot of worry and tension as the Germans are taking over Paris and Lucie is shocked and horrified by the things that they seem to be doing and life was very different from the one she had known but Lucie still had her sketchbook and pencils and was capturing the faces of the people as she learned her way around Paris.
It wasn’t long before Lucie met up with Aline a young university student and her family they are Jewish and Lucie is soon helping as much as she can with drawing tracts that are being left around Paris with the hope that people will stay strong and stand up to the Nazis. Things are getting harder and the Nazis are taking the Jewish people away to who knows where but still Lucie helps anyway she can in dangerous conditions.
I have read a lot of stories set in this era lately and they involve the Resistance with this one MS Wright has taken a really good look at the plight of the Jews in Paris and the cruelty that they had to put up with but it also showed the strength and courage of those who helped them and supported these people, people like Lucie and her mother Yvonne even when the danger was so strong with neighbours reporting each other. This is a heart wrenching story at times but it also showed what people can do even if they seem to be small acts of defiance to stand up to the cruelty in the world.
A fabulous debut, one that I would highly recommend the characters are bought to life and the emotions flowed.
My thanks to Allen & Unwin for my copy to read and review.
When Lucie and her mother arrive to live with her uncle Gerard there is a lot of worry and tension as the Germans are taking over Paris and Lucie is shocked and horrified by the things that they seem to be doing and life was very different from the one she had known but Lucie still had her sketchbook and pencils and was capturing the faces of the people as she learned her way around Paris.
It wasn’t long before Lucie met up with Aline a young university student and her family they are Jewish and Lucie is soon helping as much as she can with drawing tracts that are being left around Paris with the hope that people will stay strong and stand up to the Nazis. Things are getting harder and the Nazis are taking the Jewish people away to who knows where but still Lucie helps anyway she can in dangerous conditions.
I have read a lot of stories set in this era lately and they involve the Resistance with this one MS Wright has taken a really good look at the plight of the Jews in Paris and the cruelty that they had to put up with but it also showed the strength and courage of those who helped them and supported these people, people like Lucie and her mother Yvonne even when the danger was so strong with neighbours reporting each other. This is a heart wrenching story at times but it also showed what people can do even if they seem to be small acts of defiance to stand up to the cruelty in the world.
A fabulous debut, one that I would highly recommend the characters are bought to life and the emotions flowed.
My thanks to Allen & Unwin for my copy to read and review.
4 stars
Published June 1st 2021 by Allen & Unwin
