I learned a lot about France during WWII, and Surrealist Art. Very well-developed characters..some, but not all based on real people. Unfortunately, it was a little slow, and some of the dialogue seemed stilted. Otherwise, not bad. ( )

I wanted to like this book. Interesting topic, based on a real-life heroine who spent ww2 using her obscene wealth to get people out of occupied France, save them from the Nazis, etc, but I could not warm to the main character. As the author described her she comes across as soulless, caring most for her dog of all the other characters.
The author’s created characters also seem oddly unemotional. The situation they are in is frequently dire and yet the tension only raises once during their escape- there is never any doubt that with the heroine’s money and American papers all will come
To right.
Tiny bit annoying to have everyone say how she was safe because she has those US papers, like everyone involved genuflected at anyone who said they were American. And of course the American woman was more competent than all of the other women who didn’t have the magic papers and yet did the same or more dangerous work.
There’s a stuffed kangaroo that is inserted for increased twee. And the male hero insists on carrying his films with him everywhere despite the danger to him and his child if he does so.
A story of the privileged during ww2, living in chateaus and hosting parties. It galled a bit with the backdrop of the bombing of Ukraine. ( )

This novel of World War II, set in France after the German invasion, was inspired by real-life American socialite Mary Jayne Gold, who used her charms, smarts, and money to help artist and writers escape European occupation. Clayton reimagines Gold as Nanee, a volunteer known as the Postmistress for her courier work with real-life journalist Varian Fry. Nanee, an adventurist at heart, is always looking for ways to help refugees sought by the Gestopo, which leads her to try to free photographer Edouard Moss, a German Jewish refugee imprisoned in Camp des Milles, a man she'd met only once previously yet is unable to stop thinking about.

The book is a fast read, with a good sense of time and place, requisites for historical fiction. Along with the action and intrigue, there is also the compelling attraction between widowed Edouard and Nanee, complicated by Edouard's need to find and reunite with his young daughter Luki. And peppered throughout are discussions about art, the need for it and the philosophy of it. The story is straight-forward while the main characters are complex fully formed They and the story linger in my mind, just the way I love books to end. ( )

I enjoy reading historical fiction, especially when I learn about someone I had not known about previously. Nanee is modeled on the heiress Mary Jayne Gold who helped smuggle artists and other intellectuals out of France.
In this book, Nanee is a pilot who is working as a postmistress so she can pass information in support of the resistance. She meets and falls in love with Edouard Moss, a widower and Jewish photographer who has escaped the Nazis, but is put in a French internment camp. He gives his daughter Loki to friends to keep her safe. Nanee wants to help them escape.
This is a tale of resistance and love, as well as sacrifice. I am amazed at the courage of those who put their lives on the line to help others escape the regime of the Nazis. ( )

This book was inspired by the life of Mary Jayne Gold, a Chicago heiress. She worked with Varian Fry who is known for smuggling Jewish artists and intellectuals out of France during WWII. This book tells Ms. Gold’s story, how she played an important role in helping European Jews and intellectuals escape Nazi Germany in 1940-1941. The story is told from the perspectives of Nanée and photographer Edouard Moss.

Nanée, yearning for freedom and adventure, becomes a pilot. This leads to her joining the resistance when the Germans roll into Paris. In Marseilles, she is introduced to Varian Fry. Working with him, she becomes known as the Postmistress because she delivers messages to those in hiding. She courageously risks her life many times sheltering refugees and helping them escape through the mountains to Spain or smuggling them aboard freighters leaving Europe.

Edouard Moss, a German Jewish photographer, escaped Germany with his young daughter. However, he is interned in a French labor camp leaving his daughter in France. Clayton writes of the horrors he encounters in the camp and his longing to find a way back to his daughter.

Moss’ name is on Hitler’s list of artists and intellectuals who need to be silenced. Nanée is assigned to rescue him, find his daughter, and get them to safety. Over time, romance blooms between Nanée and Edouard.

This book was difficult to get into. I was about halfway through it before it sparked my interest. It also seemed really disjointed, not flowing smoothly. Fortunately, I was already familiar with Varian Fry’s work so that held my interest. But from the beginning, I loved Nanée’s canine companion Dagobert.

Interspersed throughout the book are quotes from Mary Jayne Gold’s book “Crossroads Marseilles 1940.”

I recommend this book for its historical aspect. Gold helped subsidize the operation Fry worked for. The organization is credited with participating in the rescue of some 2,000 refugees. Among the escapees were artist Marc Chagall and writer Hannah Arendt. ( )