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A TROUBLED PEACE by L.M. Elliott

A TROUBLED PEACE

by L.M. Elliott

Pub Date: Sept. 1st, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-06-074427-4
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins

The end of World War II is nearing, and 19-year-old Henry Forester has made it home to Virginia after being shot down over Nazi-occupied France (Under a War-Torn Sky, 2001). Unsettled by a refusal of marriage, Henry decides he needs to know more about those who helped him escape, and now that France is free of German rule, he returns to try to resolve his doubts. Peace for his soul comes hard, as it does for the whole country, damaged and suffering from years of resistance and collaboration. Food is scarce, travel difficult and the chaos of daily arrivals from the eastern camps leaves everyone unsettled. As Henry retraces his steps looking for those who helped him, especially the boy Pierre, the ravages of war come clear. Stylistically, this novel doesn’t stand out; its strength lies in the evocation of its setting, where heroes and heroines emerge as sacrifices are counted and as their irrepressible spirits begin to reassert themselves. (Historical fiction. YA)