carey

A very well written novel that explores issues around loyalty and collaboration and the difficult choices people have to make. On one level I thought Massie was too soft on the Vichy regime, but maybe that's because he writes with the assumption that the reader already knows how cosy they were with the Nazis and exploring one man's choices in detail requires a more sympathetic approach. The attitude of the French during this period is vividly drawn and very depressing - a mixture of fatalism at the impending German invasion and grudging respect for German success, with anti-semitism being the norm amongst ordinary French people. Not an uplifting read, though tense and thought provoking.