War on the Margins: A Novel (Paperback)

~ Libby Cone (Author)
Key Phrases: parsnip coffee, The Margins, Miss Viner, Miss Schwob (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"War on the Margins is based on Cone's master's thesis in Jewish Studies, and includes abundant quotes from source materials, including communications describing the restrictions placed against Jewish residents of the Channel Islands. What begins as the requirement to register quickly snowballs into restrictions on business, finance, communication, and even the ability to leave their homes. The fortitude and strength of those who rebelled against the Nazi policies is inspiring, as are the acts of heroism committed by ordinary people who are willing to fight for freedom and equality for all.

This novel was a quick read, but it was substantive, and the research that went into its creation was significant, illuminating the history of a lesser-known home front during World War II. Recommended." -- Nanette Donohue--Historical Novels Review Online

The story is gripping from the beginning. You see how different people react to various levels of danger. The effect becomes more intense when you realize that these events really did take place. Libby Cone gives you the story with clever use of actual correspondence and public notices from the time. She weaves her characters around those building each scene on the facts. The evil that was the Nazis is carefully but clearly developed in the story. People lived in fear not only of the Germans, but of each other too. The book does an excellent job of draping the whole in a cloak of doubt and suspicion. This is one good read. -- Nothing Binding

This is an unforgettable read about the effects that WW11 had on the lives of the people of Jersey. To read it is to weep at the atrocities and unfairness, to rage at how this was allowed to happen, but ultimately to rejoice in the determined survival spirit that shone through. The fact that these events really took place and that they are not the invention of the author makes it all the more heart wrenching to read. Libby Cone has written her book in a sensitive manner and even allowed moments of humour to creep in. The author also used actual radio broadcasts of the time and several of the book's characters were real people, not inventions from Cone's mind, which makes the book all the more poignant. -- BCF Book Reviews - Posted by kehs on August 27, 2008

Review

This is an unforgettable read about the effects that WW11 had on the lives of the people of Jersey. To read it is to weep at the atrocities and unfairness, to rage at how this was allowed to happen, but ultimately to rejoice in the determined survival spirit that shone through. The fact that these events really took place and that they are not the invention of the author makes it all the more heart wrenching to read. Libby Cone has written her book in a sensitive manner and even allowed moments of humour to creep in. The author also used actual radio broadcasts of the time and several of the book's characters were real people, not inventions from Cone's mind, which makes the book all the more poignant.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 338 pages
• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (April 24, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1419689959
• ISBN-13: 978-1419689956
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,203,461 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Impressive Work that Brings it all Home, May 7, 2008

By	Edward C. Patterson (Allentown, PA) - See all my reviews

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Libby Cone's War on the Margins is quite an eye-opener for anyone who has adopted their view of World War II solely from the History Channel. In her own words: "War is not neat and tidy." This view of the Nazi occupation of the Channel Islands and the struggles of the natives and immigrants, is thorough and brings home the isolation and trevail of war, and this particular war with its anti-semetic acts.

Blending memoranda, epistolary and journal-style narrative, Libby Cone shows us how the sensitivities of people trying to cope with their outer and the inner world, either rise to the occassion or fight their personal arcs. From wrestling and slaughtering a pig in a bathtub to having to visit foreign code on your former neighbors, we see a different aspect of this terrible conflict in human terms. This isn't your newsreel. This is watching people who live in History's margin - marginalized people, if you will, struggling to stay true and loyal to their ideals, or at least minimizing the compromise. When I first picked up this book I thought I would be reading about some footnote in history, but as it turns out, Libby Cone has introduced me to the headlines of real people who lived through the confict. Impressive.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Life on the Island, May 26, 2008

By	B. Saffron (Princeton, NJ) - See all my reviews

Although it is impossible to put yourself in the place of the characters of this novel, there are parts of the book which let you come close. Particularly haunting is the way the Nazi machine "benignly" registers Jersey citizens, and then quickly moves on to more and more malignant methods of alienation of its Jewish citizenry. War on the Margins, although not a great read for a weekend on the beach, was quite fitting for Memorial Day. Sprinkled in through out the text are beautiful metaphors which further provide a sense of place and feeling. Highly recommended.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 3.5 stars, October 22, 2008

By	L. Langston (Surprise, AZ) - See all my reviews

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"War on the Margins" will make you painfully aware of the harsh reality Jewish citizens were subjected to during one of the most tragic events in recent history - WWII and the Holocaust. It is confounding how such horrifying things could be perpetrated upon our fellow humankind, and it only serves to remind us how a lack of tolerance and acceptance of our racial and/or religious differences can inflict true suffering.

One of the reasons I fail to rate this book at four stars or better - and it easily could have been - is due to the disjointed manner in which the book is written. It simply didn't flow well for me.

Additionally, there were many missed opportunities to enhance the dialogue between characters, which I believe would have given more balance to the story as it would have offset the nonfictional correspondence that is quite prominent throughout the book.

Finally, the main characters could have been more fully developed to give the reader a deeper connection with them. This, too, goes back to the sparseness of dialogue and liberal use of actual documents and correspondence.

"War on the Margins" was still a very sobering story that I think most people would benefit from reading.