Customer Reviews

Outwitting the Gestapo

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..Set in Lyon after the Germans had invaded the southern 'zone libre' this book purports to be a diary, written during a nine month period of 1943 by one of the most France's most famous resistance 'personalities'. Claude Berri's acclaimed 1995 film 'Lucie Aubrac' was based on the events described. As a number of reviewers have already remarked , many scenes in this account appear to have been directly conjured up from the author's imagination and the Aubracs themselves, subject to media scrutiny as France's resistance history is increasingly put under the microscope have admitted that this book is indeed part novelisation. Translated from the French 'Ils partiront dans l'ivresse' the author revels in her self portrayal as mother, heroine, & machine gun toting guerilla fighter and resistance cell leader. No where does she state that she and her husband were leading lights in a communist resistance grouping and no light is shed at all on what their role might have been in the capture by the Gestapo of De Gaulle's envoy and resistance unifier Jean Moulin in Caluire, a suburb of Lyon during June 1943. One of the main espisodes of the book is Aubrac's attempt to liberate her husband, captured at the same time as Moulin and held by Gestapo chief Klaus Barbie. The facility with which she is able to come and go from Gestapo headquarters in Lyon has led more than one writer to question whether or not the Aubracs were indeed on Barbie's payroll; either that or many elements of Raymond Aubrac's subsequent escape are pure invention. Of course Klaus Barbie muddied the waters somewhat at his trial in the late 80's but the brutal portrayal of him here simply begs the question...how could he possibly have been taken in as Aubrac suggests. Post Liberation, Aubrac's husband oversaw the 'épuration' or cleansing in and around Marseilles and effectively presided over a killing spree as suspected collaborators were ruthlessly hunted out of French society and summarily executed in many cases. Facts that sit uneasily with the rather rose-tinted view of resistance presented here...In France the Aubrac's are still taking to court authors who question the veracity of their accounts...

Lucie Aubrac's first hand account of her "career" as a key member of the French resistance in the city of Lyon can't help but evoke an emotional connection between the author's gripping story and the reader sitting in comfort at home. I mostly second all that the previous reviewer lauded. The story itself is compelling, and the glimpse that it offers of a woman's struggle to balance the cares of wife, mother, "girlfriend," "fiancee," patriot, etc., provides a much needed balance to our understanding of the total effects of a conflict such as WWII. The personalness of the book is perhaps its greatest strength.

The translation is extremely fluid and detracts not at all from the author's tale.

Some criticism to keep in the back of the mind: it could simply be the author's purpose, however, I was struck by the seeming lack of concern of being caught -- until the end of the book (I won't spoil it for you). Lucie's life seems to be minimally impacted by her resistance ties. Like I said, maybe she left out those details on purpose, I don't know. The other thing the "bothered" me was the unconvincing account of how she was able to arrange for the purchase of silencers in Switzerland, travel to Switzerland to pick up the silencers, and then recross the border the same day without arousing suspicion. I doubt she was able to pick up the telephone and call a gun dealer to arrange the transaction -- maybe I missed it. Whatever, just something to consider.

On the whole, I heartily endorse this book; it is exciting without being Bond-ish, and it is personal without being too proximate. Furthermore, it convincingly demonstrates the various motives of resistance, and it illustrates the fact that even a single person can make a difference in a struggle as vast as a world at war.

Outwitting the Gestapo is the real life experience of one woman's determination, at all costs, to save her husband, her true other half, from execution by the infamous Klaus Barbie, "Butcher of Lyon." That is what makes it so compelling. I was drawn to this memoir, written in diary form, from May 14, 1943 through February 12, 1944, because I had seen the French film, * Lucie Aubrac *. A gorgeous film, that follows the same experience as this book, I was left wanting more. I was richly rewarded by reading this intimate revelation of the French Resistance and the couple who are equally committed to each other and the freedom of France. This story is a vivid portrait of devotion and fortitude. Raymond, Lucie Aubrac's husband, and the father of her young son and the child she carries in her womb, is arrested and sentenced to die. Lucie has been involved with the resistance since its beginning, but with the advent of this new ordeal, she masterminds a terrifying attempt to free her beloved husband. With her "buddies" in the resistance, a plan is orchestrated that involves the increasingly expanding Lucie to have almost daily contact with Klaus Barbie. Singlehandedly, she attempts to convince this monster to allow a contact with Raymond, making Barbie believe that she is an unwed mother who must marry Raymond to give her child a name. Constantly changing names and domains, Lucie and the other members of the resistance live with the constant fear of being caught, yet nothing inteferes with their goals. Their unflinching resolve is what makes for true heroism; their dedication to each other redefines friendship for me. The film is indeed beautiful, but it is in many ways short-sighted. There is so much more to this story than is presented on celluloid. Lucie Aubrac tells her remarkable story while enveloping her comrades into her heart, and presents the reader with the depth of her love for Raymond and France. This book gives a more complete picture of France and the Resistance, and of course, the love that many people would want to die for. Outwitting the Gestapo gave me a deep feeling of satisfaction.

In the middle of World War II, in Lyon in Nazi occupied France, a young Frenchwoman joins her husband in the French Resistance. After the war she wrote "Outwitting the Gestapo," a remarkable day-by-day memoir of the year before British Intelligence flew her, her husband, and their small son to London on a midnight flight straight out of a Alan Furst thriller. Two days later Lucie Aubrac delivers her daughter, and names her Catherine, the nom-de-guerre her young mother had used as she repeatedly outwitted the Gestapo. Modest as Aubrac's memoir is, her story is far more thrilling than the very best fiction.
Perhaps not the usual book one reads to celebrate Mother's Day, but how better to encompass the courage, resourcefulness, and unimaginable love of all mothers, here polished by daily danger, to the brightest and deepest glow. Lucie's children, husband, and comrades could be nothing but proud and awed at the courage and fortitude of this clever Frenchwoman, who personally outwitted the Gestapo's Klaus Barbe, the "Butcher of Lyon." Not once, but three times she organizes prison escapes for her husband and other leaders of the Resistance, the last time ambushing the Germans on the highway with silenced Sten guns.
One must admire the resilience and unity of the resisting French in the face of their brutal occupiers, and especially the remarkable ploys that Aubrac planned and risked to free her spouse and fellow resisters, totally supported by the French community.
These death-defying resisters also make one wonder how successful any occupying power can truly be when countrymen and women, be they French, Iraqi, or Afghan, feel the inevitable oppression of occupation and choose to give their all to resist.

Outwitting the Gestapo by Lucie Aubrac is a personal account written as a diary about the author's role in the resistance. The author grew up in a family with substantial wealth because they were wine growers. She was also a history teacher and a communist. In the 1930s, she met foreign students and sympathized with them over the political oppression they dealt with from fascism. Many of these students were socialists and communists (3). This experience along with marrying a Jewish engineer persuaded her to join the French Resistance after Germany defeated France. The purpose of Aubrac writing this book is to leave a memoir about her role in the resistance. This book also provides insight on what it was also like to live in occupied France.

The story takes place in Lyon where Lucie is a history schoolteacher and a member of the resistance while she is pregnant with her second child. Her personal account is mostly about her role in the resistance and surviving under German occupation. She also notes some of her tactics to "outwit" the Gestapo. For example, Aubrac had a doctor establish a spurious record claiming she was a former tuberculosis patient; she could not teach if she still suffered from it by school policies. She used her fabricated medical certificate to get two weeks of absence in order to do missions for the resistance (33). Aubrac also portrays the French resistance to be a unique group of people. According to the author, the resistance is made up of "engineers, draftsmen, teachers, middle-class or workers, every one of us entered the world of cheating and lies with utmost serenity" (47-48). One of the roles of the resistance was to print false identification cards for Jews, in order to help prevent them from not being deported (46).

Overall, Outwitting the Gestapo is an interesting personal account about her struggle to survive in occupied France. Aubrac tells an intriguing story with a vivid picture that is rich in detail of what it was like to live in occupied France and serve in the resistance. However, one of the weaknesses of this book is the author's personal bias. Aubrac often portrays herself to be fighting against fascism, racism, and any oppression of any kind, however, she makes no mention of the atrocities committed by her husband, Raymond Aubrac. According to historian Patrick Marnham, Raymond Aubrac was appointed by the French government to restore the city of Marseille and instituted a "reign of terror" of hunting down and killing suspected collaborators without a trial. Aubruc completely ignores this and claims that both her and her husband returned to normal lives after liberation (233). Outwitting the Gestapo by Lucie Aubrac should be read by anybody who wants a first hand account of serving in the resistance and surviving in occupied France, however, the reader should be well aware of the author's own personal bias.

Mrs. Aubrac paints a detailed picture of life during World War II in Lyon, France, starting with a rather graphic account of the birth of her second child in early 1944. The story then backtracks <ahem> nine months earlier. She and her huscand are important members of the resistance movement in France. I found the little pieces of information sprinkled throughout the book very interesting. She puts in little details, for instance, about the food and ration card system. She and her husband both have multiple identities, and she is always trying to get the most out of their rations. Every adult gets 1 liter of wine every 10 days; special rations are given to different classes of people - J3, for example, are the adolescents; there are special rations for "hard laborers" - and pregnant women fall into that category! I found that humorous. <wink>

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This "diary" was written 40 years after the events, so given that memories fade or are embellished, it's a little hard to know what to believe. I was hoping for another "Berlin Diaries" by Marie Vassiltchikov, but alas, it doesn't come close. A good editor was needed here because names are tossed around with little or no explanation, plus though it's in diary form, there are many lengthy flashbacks, making it confusing at times as to what is actually going on. You really don't know who half the people are but if you just forget about that and go with the story, it doesn't really matter. The other reviewers admirably described what Lucie Aubrac accomplished. Even if Raymond was a Nazi informer, as has been intimated, I don't think Lucie could have ever known or believed it. She is remarkable in that she doesn't just accept her husband's death sentence, she thinks up a clever plan to rescue him. She is tenacious and despite setback after setback, she just keeps focused. Unlike the Germans, Austrians, Belgians, etc., the French have had a very good public relations campaign to perpetuate the belief that just about everyone was in the Resistance. Of course now we know that only a small percentage of the populace were actively in the French Resistance. Lucie's book is a little biased--she rarely encounters anyone who doesn't feel the way she does. She takes few precautions and doesn't seem to be afraid of being caught. And sometimes it is hard to believe what she gets away with--you wonder if she really was as fearless as she portrays herself. Still, it's a good story and shows what people are capable of if they refuse to sit on the sidelines.

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Was very happy with the price and quick shipment of the book I ordered. When the book came in I noticed that the last 4 pages, afterword, had been torn in half. I contacted Better World Books, who sold the book and asked if they would fax the pages from another copy. They replied that they would send out another book by express mail and to keep r donate this one. This book came in in very good condition. I commend their excellent service and highly recommend them to everyone.

Lucie Aubrac captivated me. She writes about facts with the warmth of a woman who is dedicated to the Resistance, to her husband, and to her child. When you read this you are plunged into the French Resistance almost as if you had been there!!!