Code Name Sapphire
The unforgettable story of female resistance in WW2 inspired by true events
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4.8 • 5 Ratings
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- £4.99
Publisher Description
Discover the powerful and unforgettable story of female resistance from the New York Times bestselling author, inspired by real events
'Code Name Sapphire will break your heart and, at the same time, remind you of the courage and resilience of the human spirit' Kristin Harmel
A train bound for Auschwitz. One route to freedom . . .
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1942.
After her fiancé is killed in a pogrom, Hannah Martel narrowly escapes Nazi Germany and takes temporary refuge with her cousin, Lily, in Brussels.
Safe for now, but desperate to flee Europe for good, Hannah joins the Sapphire Line: a secret resistance network led by a mysterious woman named Micheline and her enigmatic brother, Mateo.
Freedom is tantalisingly close. But when Lily's family are arrested and slated for deportation to Auschwitz, Hannah finds herself torn between her loyalties and her own determination to escape . . .
How much is Hannah willing to sacrifice to save the people she loves?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Jenoff (The Woman with the Blue Star) draws on the activities of a WWII resistance network dedicated to getting downed Allied airmen to safety in her uneven latest. Hannah Martel created satiric anti-Nazi cartoons that her lover, Isaac, printed in his underground Berlin newspaper. But in 1942, after Nazis kill Isaac, Hannah flees Germany for Havana via passage on the MS Brittany. However, upon arrival, the refugees aren't allowed to disembark, and with America's shores closed to them as well, the ship returns to Europe, where some will be allowed to live in Belgium. Hannah ends up living with her cousin Lily Abel and her family, and seeking help from Micheline, 23, who runs a resistance effort to rescue downed Allied pilots and air crew. Hannah finds herself falling for Micheline's brother, Matteo, who's involved in his sister's campaign. In the final act, Jenoff reveals a complex web of connections between the Abels, Matteo, and Hannah. The author finds plenty of thrills in the historical material, which makes a melodramatic denouement involving a love triangle feel all the more unnecessary. Thin characterizations are another minus. There's little to help this one stand out from the glut of WWII fiction.
