Fleeing France: A WWII Novel of Sacrifice and Rescue in the French Ambulance Service
Driving an ambulance in France after the fall of Dunkirk, an American nightclub singer races to evacuate a British pilot and a Jewish orphan across more than 4,000 miles towards a precarious freedom in this emotional, action-packed story of sacrifice, hope, and devotion inspired by real wartime events. France, 1939: A talented singer, Ruth Lacroix has left Maine to live with her aunt and uncle, dreaming of performing at the Casino de Paris. But with the outbreak of war, and the heartbreaking news that her cousin has been killed by German forces, that goal is supplanted by another--to support France in any way she can. Though Ruth has never driven a vehicle larger than the tractor on her parents' farm, she joins a friend in enlisting as a driver for the French ambulance corps. On their way to transfer injured soldiers to Dunkirk for evacuation, they encounter Jimmie, a British Royal Air Force pilot with No. 73 Squadron RAF, who has bailed out of his burning plane. As Dunkirk falls, blocking off the route to the northern coast, word spreads of a daring Allied plan to rescue the remaining troops and civilians from ports in western France: code name Operation Aerial. Over two hazardous weeks, Ruth and Jimmie will journey hundreds of miles together, helping other refugees as they rush to reach the sea before they are overtaken by the Germany army. But all their courage and resilience offer no certainty in wartime, when a single stroke of luck, or a split-second decision, can mean the difference between life and death . . .
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Community Reviews
“Fleeing France” takes us on a journey during the turbulence of WWII following three character viewpoints/ perspectives. First, Ruth, an American born singer who lives in France pursuing her dream of singing on the big stage, but has a change of heart and decides to join the war effort as a volunteer following a familial tragedy. Second, British fighter pilot Jimmie, who thinks of his family often especially his polio-affected younger sister Nora, while fighting with the Allied forces through the air. Finally, Winston Churchill, Britain’s newly appointed Prime Minister as he prepares “to lead the British people to victory in its war against tyranny “. This novel was able to really speak to not only the atrocities that France endured during this war but also the bravery and courage that it would have taken so many men, women, and children to persevere through events such as these. I found the characters to be exceptional and I fell in love with each of their stories. I appreciated that author, Alan Hlad, did loads of research to add factual details to the story that I knew little about prior to reading this book. This was not only touching but also heartbreaking, I would recommend this to others.
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