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4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
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2 star
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M. H. Bayliss
5.0 out of 5 stars His best book yet and a riveting WW II read
Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2017
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What a journey to see how Kiernan's writing and level of sophistication just keeps getting better. This one is his best work yet. Reminiscent of books like All the Light We Cannot See (with a dash of Babette's Feast - I can almost the bread and of course the boiled pig), Kiernan traces a tale of a young baker's apprentice in a small coastal town in France near the Normandy Beaches occupied by the Nazis prior to the invasion that seems like it will never come. Though she asserts she's not officially part of the resistance, she has the uncanny ability to feel people's wants and needs and by knowing every back path of the village and countryside, she runs a black market bartering ring that literally keeps the villagers alive. We see the declining days of the occupation through the eyes of the inhabitants as they slowly starve to death under the Germans while their spirit stays alive through signs of passive/aggressive resistance from smuggling to the small "V"s found all over the village (and on the bottom side of every loaf of bread the protagonist bakes).

Though there are some horrific scenes of Nazi atrocities, Kiernan humanizes the drama which plays out on the small screen of Verbier with its many memorable characters, many of whom will stay with you long after the final page is turned. A very mature novel, well paced and well told.
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Cindy Adair
4.0 out of 5 stars Hope and survival
Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2017
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I enjoy historical fiction and find stories set during World War II particularly interesting. This book did not disappoint. A small, coastal town in France has been overtaken and occupied by German troops for years with the villagers starving and controlled by the occupying troops. One girl, Emma, is a baker and has been ordered to bake twelve loaves of bread each day for the Kammandant or face the penalty. She discovers a way to make 14 loaves leaving 2 that she can secretly share with people in the village. Unwittingly she becomes the "black market gypsy" of goods traded among the villagers for survival.

There are many memorable characters in this story, and the author does a good job of letting the reader understand why they do what they do to survive. But underneath it all, they treat their community as a family with a common enemy. There is a lot of suspense, examples of bravery, and action in this story.

I did not give this book 5 stars for a couple of reasons. First, I found the writing a little choppy and hard to follow at times. Second, I had to read a publisher's description to confirm what I suspected, that the historical event the story revolves on is D-Day and that the village was in Normandy. The author never specifically mentions the event or place (or I totally missed it). Maybe this was intentional to keep the focus on Emma, but I would have found it more meaningful to know for sure.

Aside from that, the author uses a baking metaphor throughout the book, using how something tastes to describe the feelings at the time. Ending on the taste of hope was a good way to end. I recommend this book!
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A great, great read
Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2017
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I had to add my 2 cents. I just finished the book and can't stop thinking about it. Poignant without being sappy, touching, witty- it was hard to put down.it is a testament to the resiliency of the human spirit, a little like The Pianist. But most of all I loved, loved the way he used words. I've never read a book quite like it. I would re-read some pages and let the prose roll over in my mind, almost like tasting them and savouring them. Great character development, great use of words, it keeps a good pace & never drags.
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E. Piper
VINE VOICE
1.0 out of 5 stars MEH
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2020
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I have read many, many books about WWII and this one was not one of the better ones. The characters were flat, two dimensional, the action moved so slowly that I had to put the book down several times to read another book that I was reading simultaneously. The book felt like a documentary which did make sense in that the author was a journalist but that doesn't explain the unrealistic and poorly researched aspects of this book. A teenage baker who adds ground straw to the bread she is baking for the Nazi Commandant in order to get 2 extra loaves to feed starving villagers? Not believable if one has ever baked bread and seriously, how far can two loaves go in a small village. Siphoning enough gas from a Nazi's motorcycle to power a fishing boat? I don't think so.

Not my favorite WWII book and I don't really recommend it to other readers. Read Beneath A Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan if you want to read a wonderful book about that terrible war. Don't waste your time or money on this book.
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Valene Archibald
5.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting book
Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2017
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This book is about wartime and how Emma developed a network to help save the people affected by the war. She was a baker and made bread every morning for the opposition. They gave her enough flour every day to make twelve loafs of bread. She would grind straw every day that was so fine and add it to the bread dough so that she could make two extra loaves of bread to help feed the village.
Emma soon bartered for different things that the people in the village needed. Because of the war there is death and she witnessed friends being shot. There is sadness and some joy in the book.
War was very hard on the village. I enjoyed reading the book.
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, Believable and Heartbreaking Novel.
Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2017
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I truly loved reading this book! I am fascinated by this time period in history, as my father was an Army Air Corps pilot who bailed from his burning Flying Fortress and was Missing in Action for more than three months. He was helped by the Resistance, and was smuggled to the south of France where he walked across the Pyrenees Mountains to safety. The heroine in this book was wonderfully created by this author. Believable and heartbreaking.
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Top reviews from other countries

Sherry Cooper
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book in Time of COVID
Reviewed in Canada on August 24, 2020
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This wonderful story of the French villagers struggle under Nazi rule is a great lesson in resilience. Working for common survival save many lives and is a heart-warming lesson in 2020. This is the story of the years before and during the Normandy invasion—beautifully written.
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Cindy
3.0 out of 5 stars A decent,if facile, war story
Reviewed in Canada on May 15, 2018
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The story is about a young woman in France during the time of occupation. Thru tragedy the resolves to help the people of her village as much as possible. Some things are a bit hard to believe. At times the story jumps and hoped for details are lost in getting to certain conclusions. It’s an easy read but not necessarily awe inspiring.
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Harriet Wolman
3.0 out of 5 stars This was an interesting read. Many books about this ...
Reviewed in Canada on June 13, 2017
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This was an interesting read. Many books about this period concentrate on the Holocaust which, of course, is very important. However, as an important part of WW2 History it is also important to learn the plight of ordinary citizens under the occupation and the role individuals played in resisting the Nazis. It is a worthwhile read.
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Cookie
5.0 out of 5 stars WWII tale from the common people's viewpoint
Reviewed in Canada on July 23, 2020
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The book showed real feeling for those who came into contact and supression by the Nazis. It was inspiring to see how one person could manage to look after so many in her village, while still at a very young age.
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SMitch
5.0 out of 5 stars but all and all highly recommend.
Reviewed in Canada on July 18, 2017
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This is a quick and enjoyable read, with well defined characters and an interesting story. I wasn't ready for it to end, and felt it could have wrapped up in a slightly more robust way, but all and all highly recommend.
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