Tag Archive | Ruth Druart

The Last Hours In Paris by Ruth Druart

Jul7

The Circle

The Last Hours In Paris by Ruth Druart is a powerful dual timeline novel that consumed me.

The action is set in Paris in 1944 and in a provincial village in 1963. It alternates between the two time periods and from three different points of view. “The past is part of who we are.” It links to the present as it cannot be severed. A lost life is calling with bittersweet memories.

Paris of 1944 was under Nazi occupation. It was a terrifying time. A period of distrust and distress. Lives could be interrupted at any time.

Against this backdrop, love can still bud and blossom. There were pockets of happiness creating warm memories.

Not all Germans were Nazis. We follow some of the action through the eyes of a broken young man, reluctantly conscripted into the Hitler youth, and then the war. At the eastern front he witnessed scenes that cannot be ‘unseen’ and was forever changed.

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While Paris Slept by Ruth Druart

Mar13

Great Love

While Paris Slept by Ruth Druart is a powerful historical novel that will break your heart.

The action is mainly set in occupied Paris in 1944 and in Santa Cruz in 1953. The voices alternate within the chapters.

This is a novel about the great love for a child. It is a love that is self-sacrificing as needs are put aside to do whatever is best for the child.

Occupied Paris was a terrible place to be. Suspicion lurked around every corner. Trust was in short supply. Terror reigned. “It’s amazing how quickly people learn when taught with fear.”

There were extraordinary acts of great courage performed by ordinary men and women with everything to lose and nothing to personally gain. They acted because it was the right thing to do. In the face of great evil, personal safety was pushed aside.

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