I read this novel with a heavy heart and tears in my eyes, heavy and painful for what author Kristin Hannah has revealed on the page of a war seen through the eyes of those in the rear. There was no need to take up arms and go to war, and there was no need to drag each other down to bomb shelters; the mothers and wives who stayed there had already suffered enough from the hand of war. They are wives dealing with the news that their husbands have been taken prisoner, with a bleak, uncertain future, unsure whether they will be able to see their husbands again after the war is over. Those are the wives who must gather the broken pieces of their hearts to write a few lines of encouragement for their husbands far away on postcards and bags containing personal belongings secretly sent for him by Captain Beck - a decent man despite being a Nazi soldier. Those are the mothers who must endure the heartbreak of being forced to leave their children or witnessing their children die in front of their eyes as a result of stray bullets. And then there are the children whose innocent childhoods have been robbed by war, forcing them to grow up in constant fear, without clothing or food.
War, as portrayed by Kristin Hannah's simple, idyllic but haunting pen, has emerged as the most brutal, most miserable thing mankind has ever devised to torment others. Brutal war with mothers who have lost children and do not even have time to mourn them. Brutal war with Isabelle and Gaeton, the guerrilla fighter she secretly loves, and thousands of other boys and girls who love each other without pausing to get to know each other, date, hang out, and fantasize about a bright future ahead. Such luxuries have no place in war, which is why war is so cruel, when the only thing people care about is how to stay alive, how to breathe one more day, how to fight to save a country engulfed in a senseless war. With her natural affection and feminine desire for Beck - the man who had awakened her desire to be kissed - the war was brutal to Vianne herself. Their story had no chance of starting, not only because they were both parents, but also because they were on opposite sides of the road.
And in the midst of it all, Vianne, like her sister, has evolved into a silent heroine, making decisions that alter who she is and how she views the war. She became a foster caretaker and adopted one of the children of Jewish women who were sent to concentration camps, as well as forging identification documents for the children. She had to kill to protect her sister, all in front of the Nazis, risking not only her own but also her daughter's life. However, she continued to take risks, choosing to help her countrymen and friends over the benefit and safety of her family.
I admit that I could never be as tough and daring as Isabelle; I was more like Vianne, someone who wanted to be humble and peaceful so as not to provoke the German soldiers and draw attention to herself. Vianne had a reason to choose that path at first, as she needed to protect her child, her blood, and Antoine, the couple's only child alive after a series of miscarriages. stillbirth. And I wondered, if I were Vianne, if I had spent more than five years in a seemingly never-ending war, would I have the courage to change my mind and rejoin the fight? Fighting like Vianne: no longer a passive housewife, she rose in her own right, becoming a silent heroine with no medals or memorials, but contributions. Her contribution is significant in saving the lives of innocent and helpless children.
In the end, in keeping with the tone of the war, sacrifices were made: the father sacrificed himself to save his daughter, identifying himself as "nightingagle" only to die at the firing range; Vianne had to sacrifice her body due to a lack of food, accepting to dedicate herself to Major Von Richter, who forced her to step right on her wedding bed whenever he wanted to protect the safety of the children - The rapes resulted in her becoming pregnant with his child. And the soldiers returned, including Vianne's husband, changed not only in appearance but also in their hearts - the war had scarred and haunted their souls. Nobody is the same as they were at the start, and there are gaps, deep pits, and depressions that cannot be filled in a lifetime. But, thankfully, they still love each other.
There have been losses, separations, and painful deaths, and happy futures together are now only hazy memories. But love endures, as evidenced by the dead apple tree under which Vianne tied cloths in memory of loved ones who died during the war. It is the love shared by a husband and wife, a sister and brother, a father and son who are not blood relatives, a big sister for a brother who is not her blood relative, and a mother and her adopted son. She was forced to give it back to the boy's family. It is love that heals - it heals the loss, soothes the pain, and erases the hatred, allowing those who are still alive to begin a new chapter in their lives, to live their lives. yourself and understand what's important:
"Those are my memories. The injuries have healed. Love is eternal.
We're still here."
