In the Shadow of the Pyrenees is another of Kathryn Gauci’s impeccably researched historical fiction novels set during World War II. France has fallen to the Germans, and the Vichy government, headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain, is ruling in Germany’s name. The Maquis Resistance, local guerrilla groups, are resisting German occupation. Also thrown into the mix are Spaniards who opposed Franco during the Spanish Civil War who have escaped to France and Spaniards who act as guides for the refugees. I’ve read many WW2 historical fiction books over the years, but never one set in along the French-Spanish border, so the location was a nice surprise, and I enjoyed learning more about the area other than what I’ve read in Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises.
Set against this taut backdrop is the story of the Joubert family, told in several points of view. Armand Joubert was a schoolteacher in the village of Mont-Saint-Jean in the Donezan region of France. He and his daughter work for the French resistance. Gauci gives us a close view of the war as it influences the area as well as the humanitarian efforts and the work of the Maquis. Joubert and his daughter face immense danger in their efforts to help others, French maquis and Allied soldiers, escape into Spain.
Gauci’s thorough research gives us a close-up view of daily heroism in the Pyrenees. The atrocities committed by Germans are neither glorified nor glossed over. An excellent read.
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In the Shadow of the Pyrenees: The Freedom Trail to Spain (Ebony Publishing, October 4, 2023) is available through:
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You can read my review of Gauci’s The Embroiderer here and my interview with her here.
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