Customer Reviews

The Children of Freedom

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Based on the World War II experiences of the author's father and uncle, Children of Freedom is a riveting testament to the bravery of the young resistance fighters in France. The missions that they undertake almost defy belief--but then again, so do many of the horrors of the Nazi era. The final section of the book is particularly horrific and gripping. But the overall tone is curiously distancing, so that the appeal is more to the intellect than to the emotions. Some of this may be due to the English translation, which is a bit clumsy in places. On the whole, though, the book is a worthy ode to the heroes it depicts.

I read Children of Freedom first in French several years ago, and reread it when it became available in English when purchased in London. Curiously it took an extra year to get to the US. I love this book, and have given copies as gifts to many of the adults in my life.

It is marketed wrong. From the cover and the blurbs, it makes it sound like it is a romance set against the French Resistance. In reality, it's a fictionalized account of a band of resistance fighters where there is little romance to be found amongst the danger and death. But what it does tell is a gripping story of youth joining together to resist the Nazi Occupation and Vichy government in France. The final sequence is particularly harrowing, and the tone of the novel completely changes.

The cover of the book really should have a drawing of a Holocaust transport boxcar, with military aircraft flying above in the clouds. Read the book, you will see what I mean.

One word of caution -- Marc Levy is one of the most popular, if not THE most popular writer in France. His prose is light, filled with double entendres, and feels very "real". This translation is not good. Words and meanings are not translated well, and characters call each other by pet names that would never be used in France. As a result, it feels less "real" in English. If you can, read the French novel "Les enfants de la liberté"....But if not, don't hesitate to read Children of Freedom. You won't be able to put it down.