Customer Reviews

War on the Margins: A Novel

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

The occupation of the channel islands by the Germans during world war Two gives the best possible insight into what life in Britain would have been like had Hitler won.
The remarkable account of the occupation is a must-read for anyone who wishes to get a flavor of the nazi mind-set, and how it affected the lives, loves and behavior of the islanders.
Perhaps the most frightening aspect of the occupation was just how gradually the Nazis tightened the noose around the island people. Impersonal, matter-of-fact bulletins from the German commander politely instructed Jews - anyone with slight Jewish antecedents - to report to the town hall to register their names. All quite innocent, and gradually the demands increase. Register any business interests, your nationality, wear identification, have a red mark on your file. It slowly builds up to the true horrors in store for those the Germans regarded as sub-human.

In the middle of this, how did the islands cope? How did life continue?

Libby Cone has produced a compelling account of just that. She takes you back to that dreadful time, when Hitler ruled Europe, and shows how ordinary people were caught up in the nazi horror. The gradual creeping of the restrictions on liberty have a resonance today.

Yet amid the harrow, there is love and humanity. To really understand how WW11 changed lives forever, read this book

At first I thought I wasn't going to be able to enjoy this book. Ms. Cone has a writing style unlike those I'm more familiar and comfortable with. Her sentence structure is terse and truncated. Then, as the characters came alive for me, the personal writing style morphed into a high intensity form of tension completely relaying the character's manic internal sense of survival.
Their daily struggle, in that little back corner of World War II, became riveting.
A solid read, through and through.

The following is a review of the Kindle Edition: "War on the Margins" is a very well researched, fascinating account of the frightening, horrendous Nazi occupation of the Channel Islands of England during World War II.

Focused primarily on Jersey Island, this historical-fiction novel follows a young Jewish woman, Marlene Zimmer, throughout the war years of occupation. We struggle with her as this heretofore timid and nervous young woman--and what innocent wouldn't be under these grim circumstances?--gathers strength and maturity to aid two famous French women in their Resistance efforts against the occupiers.

The French women, based on real individuals, are a pair of superb tricksters--especially during the war years. The two women, who serve as Marlene's mentors, are an integral part of the story. As such, they apply numerous, largely effective acts of Resistance against a relentless and remorseless enemy. How they do so is woven throughout the story, as you will learn, but which I've not included in this review to avoid introducing spoilers.

Even though experiencing virtual starvation and beset by fear, Marlene continues to develop an inner strength to try to help others and herself in their constant battle against the odds of survival.

I learned a lot of history and geography from reading this interesting book. and it has prompted me to research the Channel Islands of England even as they stand today.
Ginny

World War Two will likely be an endless source of interesting stories for as long as memory of the twentieth century survives. And while the great battles - and many minor ones - have been covered in exquisite detail, every once in a while there surfaces an unexpected gem like "War on the Margins."

The story centers on the inhabitants of the British channel islands, which ironically sit on the French side of the English channel, not all that far as the crow flies from Normandy. Winston Churchill ordered the islands evacuated after the German invasion of France, but many people decided to stay behind, and the Germans occupied the islands soon thereafter and remained there until the end of the war in Europe.

Among those who remained behind were a number of Jews and individuals of Jewish descent, including the main characters of the story: Marlene Zimmer, Suzanne Malherbe and Lucille Schwob. The story focuses on their efforts as part of the Resistance to avoid the Nazi witch hunt for the handful of Jews (including the heriones) on the island, and to do what they can to thwart the invaders. Later, the focus shifts to their determination to survive and keep their dignity as Marlene is forced into hiding, and Suzanne and Lucille are imprisoned.

In some ways, this story reminded me a lot of "Empire of the Sun" by J.G. Ballard. It doesn't have the gut-wrenching action of "Saving Private Ryan" or "Band of Brothers," but the courage displayed by a number of the channel islanders - the trio of heroines, in particular - is every bit as poignant. The weaknesses of the islanders are exposed, as well, from neighbors informing on each other to settle old scores, to actions taken by the heroines that - upon later reflection - were well-intentioned but had grievous consequences for others.

The style of the story is also unique, intermixing official correspondence between some of the island officials and the Germans with the events during the occupation, as told through the eyes of the heroines and other islanders. The correspondence serves both as a frame of reference as time passes during the occupation, and a frightful outline of the increasingly ominous Nazi policies toward the Jews.

All in all, it was a very engaging read, and highly recommended not only for those with an interest in the war or the Holocaust, but for anyone looking for a refreshing example of extraordinary courage demonstrated by ordinary people.

In using the British Channel Islands as her setting, Libby Cone provides us with an interesting microcosm of the Nazi European occupation during World War II. The fact that War on the Margins is based on Ms. Cone's master's thesis, with numerous historical references, provides an underlying feel of reality not often found in fiction. If this book has a weakness it may be that the reader is left wishing to know more about the characters who are introduced in vignettes at various points. Or perhaps that is the book's strength. Read War on the Margins and decide for yourself.

The book does a very nice job of showing the moral complexity of life under occupation. All of the rules of civilized society are gone and those (on the margins of society) are left to develop new modes of conduct in this marginal theater of WWII. The book is interesting in showing a relatively unknown area of WWII (located in the heart of the English Channel) and also for showing the moral complexity involved.

"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.

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.