Two years ago a student told me that I should read this book because it is so good. I believed her and put it on my list of "must-read-books". Unfortunately I took my sweet time about getting to it. She was right, this marvelous book is very good and I feel like I should have highlighted it more often for other readers if I'd gotten to it sooner. Oh well, now it will get lots of recommendations from me.
Set in occupied Holland during WWII it deals with the lives of several people involved in the Dutch Resistance. It also jumps ahead fifty years and carries the thread of the story forward by two generations. The title tells us what to expect in the story: spying, passion, and betrayal. All of it exciting and well-written. I found the book and the information that I learned about the war in Holland to be fascinating.
On a "small world" note, the day that I finished reading the book I met a man living in Tacoma who just got out of the Dutch Army. I told him about Tamar and what I learned about the Dutch Resistance. He replied that the Dutch were just as likely to be in the resistance as they were to be collaborators with the Nazis. He also explained that people working in the resistance didn't get along or coordinate their efforts. For example, two different groups might show up to blow up the same bridge and be angry that the other group got there first.
This could possibly be my favorite read for the whole summer.
YA Lit; My rating: 5 out of 5 stars.
The Dutch were like the French in that regard. They resisted, but also collaborated. I think their resistance was more organized though.
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