The Peaceful Village by Paulette Mahurin #Historical European Fiction #Book Review #The Peaceful Village

 

MY THOUGHTS AND BOOK REVIEW

I'm a great fan of historical World War novels. I truly enjoyed this book, Stories of various villagers in Oradour were told in an authentic manner by Paulette Mahurin. This was France in 1940's, a civilized nation. What the French police did - Thousands of Jews, men and women, were rounded up put in trucks, and sent to camps. Parents shoved into trucks when children were left in the streets with outstretched arms. 

I loved the story about the Oradour sur Glane village, a wonderful peace-loving place for all who call it home at the time of WW2. Oradour was a place of safety where the Germans rarely entered for bloodletting. Sixty six year old Jean Desourteaux was Oradour's mayor as well as doctor of this peaceful Village. The war was happening far from Oradour. 

While Oradour-sur-Glane enjoyed calmness and the lack of German presence, twenty-two kilometers to the northwest in Limoges, the Germans were reacting with increasing cruelty to organized attacks on their soldiers by the armed resistance organization Francs-Tireurs et Partisans (FTP). 

The villagers least expected the SS would enter thier vibrant pastoral homes but they were not immune from ravages of war. On hitting the 2nd Waffen-SS Panzer Division, two men from the German Lines were hurt, Kampfe's death, who was not just a highly decorated Sturmbannfuhrer, who had been awarded the knight's cross of the Iron Cross, the highest award in the German military, he was Diekmann's personal friend. Karl Gerlach, Orderly officer and Commander's Kidnapping, having blame pointing the Village and wanting revenge by Diekmann, the very reason the SS stormed down the streets of Oradour - sur - Glane. Guingouin was one target for the Nazis, a man the SS sought as priority capture and kill.

Loved the Character Father Chapelle and Marquerite who were closely associated as Oradour's citizens. Well researched events of the Great war in Europe. I would rate it 5 star!

I just reviewed the book, The Peaceful Village by Paulette Mahurin. Thanks to the author and publisher, Paulette Mahurin and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book for my honest review.

Book Description

During the German occupation of France, nestled in the lush, verdant countryside in the Haute-Vienne department of central France was the peaceful village of Oradour-sur-Glane. It was a community where villagers woke to the medley of nature’s songs, roosters crowing, birds chirping, cats purring, and cows plodding on their way out to pasture. The people who lived there loved the tranquil nature of their beautiful home, a tranquility that existed year-round. Even with the German occupation, Oradour-sur-Glane – the village with cafés, shops, and a commuter tram to Limoges – remained relatively untouched by the stress of the occupation.

While Oradour-sur-Glane enjoyed the lack of German presence, twenty-two kilometers to the northwest in Limoges, the Germans were reacting with increasing cruelty to organized attacks on their soldiers by the armed resistance organization Francs-Tireurs et Partisans (FTP). Headed by Amédé Fauré, the Limoges FTP was considered the most effective of the French Resistance groups. Fauré’s missions prompted the German military to kill and incarcerate in concentration camps anyone perceived as supporters or sympathizers of the Resistance.

Up until the middle of 1944, the German anti-partisan actions in France never rose to the level of brutality or number of civilian casualties that had occurred in eastern Europe. A little before the Allies landed in Normandy, all that changed, when German troops, and in particular the Waffen-SS, stationed on the Eastern Front were transferred to France. It was then that FTP’s increasing efforts to disrupt German communications and supply lines were met with disproportionate counter attacks, involving civilians. Fauré’s response was to target German officers. When he set his sights on two particular German officers, all hell broke loose.

Based on actual events as told by survivors, The Peaceful Village is the fictionalized story of the unfolding of the events that led up to one of the biggest World War II massacres on French soil. Much more than an account of Nazi brutality and the futility of war, this is a story of love. The love of family. The love of neighbor. The love of country. Compassion and courage burn from the pages as the villagers’ stories come alive. Written by the international bestselling author of The Seven Year Dress, Paulette Mahurin, this book pays homage to the villagers who lived and loved in Oradour-sur-Glane.

• Disclosure of Material: I have received a review copy of this book by the publisher in the form of e-book from NET GALLEY as Advance Reader Copy. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”