Vianne Mauriac and Isabelle Rossignol are sisters trying to survive Nazi occupied France, during World War 2. Married with a child, Vianne will do anything to stay safe, while younger sister Isabelle decides to take action by any means necessary. Finding herself kicked out of another boarding school she moves in with Vianne, whose husband has been drafted into the war. Their father thinks it best for her to flee to country from his apartment in Paris, hoping to keep them out of the fray. Experiencing the first war left him a broken man, who seeks refuge in bottles of liquor. This doesn’t deter Isabelle, who puts her family at risk fighting for the liberation of her country. An arduous journey made on foot, Isabelle isn’t there long before joining the underground movement against the Third Reich. Things become increasingly tumultuous when a Nazi is billeted at Vianne’s. What are they willing to do to survive?
What a book. The constant shifts in the storyline, along with the complexity of plot twists and characters, made this addictive. I couldn’t put it down, devouring over 500 pages in a matter of days. Once it was over I missed their world, becoming attached to the protagonists quotidian lives. An amazing read. I cried.
Spoiler:
A deeper dive for those who’ve read the book already. Vianne is one of my least favorite characters of ALL time. Throughout the story she remained dangerously naive, making poor decisions that harmed more people than anything firecracker Isabelle did. At what point was she going to realize it’s A FUCKING WARRRRRRR. Get a grip. When Herr Captain frantically searched for the missing pilot and she almost told him the barn door was open, I was finished with her. This solidified that Vianne is a moron. Delusion in believing her bff Rachel had escaped concentration camp and made her way back, is the sole reason she kept quiet. The girl is S-L-O-W. Due in large part to her husband taking care of EVERYTHING. Apparently this left her without a single brain cell. How did she not learn when she gave the lists getting homosexuals, Jews and more fired from their jobs? Or from taking no precaution when hiding Rachel, letting her leave the secret cellar to take a bath in broad daylight, leading to her capture. All because Vianne didn’t see anyone getting rounded up that morning during the rationing queue, DESPITE Herr Captain giving her a warning to hide her friend…done with her. Saving those children was the least she could do.
The deaths of Isabelle and their father was heart-wrenching. Geez.
Current events have gravely influenced my feelings throughout this read. I did not feel bad for Jewish people, maybe one or two. Seeing how they’ve held America and more hostage, this is precisely why the Nazis started offing them up (read The Nazi’s Were Doing The Right Thing). Better safe than sorry. I did get irate about everyone else catching strays because of them, though. Via: Target
Updated: 10/17/2026 1:00am
