The Girl You Left Behind

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This is an astonishing novel which beautifully connects present and past in a tale of war and love. I’m sorry. I’m all right now,” she went on. “Let’s all go inside. Mimi, we have a little milk I will warm for you.” She wiped her hands on her bloodied gown and held her hands toward me for the baby. “You want me to take Jean?”

The last I received from my eldest son came nearly three months ago. They were pushing forward toward Cambrai. Spirits good, he said.” I could taste that cheese. I was going to have a mouthful of Reblochon, smear it on a hunk of that warm bread, then pop a grape into my mouth. I could already taste the intense sweetness, smell the rich aroma. I propped myself up on one elbow and reached over Mimi and Jean to take my sister’s hand. “Yes, you can,” I said. “Of course you can. Jean-Michel will come home, and your life will be good. France will be free, and life will be as it was. Better than it was.” I sat down on the cobbles and began to laugh. I laughed until my skin grew chilled, and I didn’t know whether I was laughing or weeping. My brother, perhaps afraid I was becoming hysterical, took my hand and rested against me. He was fourteen, sometimes bristling like a man, sometimes childlike in his need for reassurance.Look, I know this probably doesn't make any sense, but could we possibly forget about the case? Just for one evening?" Her voice is too vulnerable. "Could we just be two people again?" Before you knew the truth about Liliane Béthune, how did you feel about the treatment she received at the hands of the other villagers? While I don’t want to give too much away, I will say that the story has a very satisfying ending — especially for a Fiction novel. One of the reasons I’m wary of reading non-Romance books is that they don’t always have endings that are satisfying enough for me. But this one genuinely tied up all the loose ends.

Another great read by Jojo Moyes. She sure knows how to write a powerful story, all the while weaving in polarizing topics, and different topic strands & well developed characters. Most of her protagonists feel like good friends by the end of the book. Her loaves live under the counter by themselves. They contain some special ingredients. Ingredients that I promise you go into none of my other loaves.”It has been decided you will provide meals for some of our officers. There is not enough room in the Bar Blanc for our incoming men to eat comfortably.”

the other thing I was trying to say before distracting myself was that this book is not for me, but it could be, quite possibly, for you.) Go!” I scolded him. I walked around the bar, pouring wine. I did not look at any of them as I placed the glasses on the tables, even though I felt their eyes on me. Yes, look at me, I told them silently. Another scrawny Frenchwoman, starved into submission by you. I hope my appearance rots your appetites. They ate for an hour. She and I sat in silence in the kitchen, lost in exhaustion and the confusion of our thoughts. Every time we heard a swell of laughter or a hearty exclamation, we looked up. It was so hard to know what any of it meant. I would also like to thank Jeremy Scott, partner at Lipman Karas, for his generous expert help on the issue of restitution, and for answering my many questions with patience. I have had to tweak certain legal points and procedures for the sake of the plot, and any errors or deviations from actual practice are, of course, my own. We have not touched one grain of rice, Herr Kommandant.” I almost spat it at him. Hunger will do that to you.

Sophie strikes a deal with the Kommandant in hopes that he, in turn, will reunite her with Édouard. Would you be willing to make a similar trade? Would most men appreciate Sophie’s sacrifice? They will find it, Sophie. It will take them minutes. And then...” Hélène’s voice rose, lifted by panic. The Girl You Left Behind presents the intertwined stories of a French family during World War I and a British protagonist in 2006. They are bound together by a fictional painting, called The Girl You Left Behind, which binds them in stories of love, loss, war, and law. When Live meets the charming Paul McCafferty she, for the first time since David's passing, finally feels she may have a chance at a romantic relationship again. That is, until she finds out that he works for a company that specialises in recovering stolen art and that a painting bought for her by David, 'The Girl You Left Behind', is currently being pursued by descendants of Edouard LeFèvre. Monsieur Suel must have informed on us. I heard them shouting from my room. They say they’ll take Aurélien if he doesn’t tell them where it is.”

I was outside in a matter of moments. I had woken Mimi, telling her only that she must come but to stay silent—the child has seen so much these last months that she obeys without question. She glanced up at me holding her baby brother, slid out of bed, and placed a hand in mine. We did good business in the early months, with French soldiers passing through and the British not far behind. Food was still plentiful, music and cheering accompanied the marching troops, and most of us still believed the war would be over within months, at worst. There were a few hints of the horrors taking place a hundred miles away: We gave food to the Belgian refugees who traipsed past, their belongings teetering on wagons; some were still clad in slippers and the clothes they had worn when they had left their homes. Occasionally, if the wind blew from the east, we could just make out the distant boom of the guns. But although we knew that the war was close by, few believed that St. Péronne, our proud little town, could possibly join those that had fallen under German rule. The mayor patted my hand. “You girls are too kind. I thank God that you returned here when you could have stayed in the safety of Paris.” France, 1916: Artist Edouard Lefevre leaves his young wife, Sophie, to fight at the front. When their small town falls to the Germans in the midst of World War I, Edouard's portrait of Sophie draws the eye of the new Kommandant. As the officer's dangerous obsession deepens, Sophie will risk everything--her family, her reputation, and her life--to see her husband again.The torch Liv carries for her husband, who had bought “The Girl You Left Behind” for her on their honeymoon, burns very brightly for very long, and then, when it appears she is about to slip through the safety net of her meager social life, she meets another man and falls for him. It is a risk to have it up at all. When the Germans went through Lille they burned art they considered subversive. Édouard’s painting is... very different. How do you know they won’t destroy it?” Many years later, we meet Liv, a widow with money troubles and a painting given to her by her husband. It becomes the subject of controversy when the family of Sophie's husband claims it was stolen during the war and rightfully belongs to the estate. Liv fights passionately to keep the painting because of the connection to her deceased husband, but as she fights she learns Sophie's story and starts to fight for something else. You exhibit tremendous empathy for Sophie and Liv, both of whom are unfairly condemned by public opinion. Have you ever found yourself—or someone you admire—in a similar situation? This is a novel with many tangents, little streams flowing off the main body of water in the way of so many tributaries. It’s a bit like reading a family tree and learning how every one of the main family members fared in life. The secondary characters are all believable and marvelously well-drawn. Here I think immediately of the commandant, but also of Sophie’s siblings, her heroic sister, her doubting Thomas of a younger brother and one fellow resident of Peronne in particular.