Review: Code Name Sapphire

Why, yes, I am here with another review of another historical fiction novel set during World War II! I’ve been chasing the high Pam Jenoff gave me with The Lost Girls of Paris since I read it back in 2019 (review here). I was hopeful Code Name Sapphire, which was published back in February, would live up to my high expectations but I was just a wee bit let down. I definitely enjoyed the read but it won’t be one I remember for a long time.

Here’s the book’s description:

1942. Hannah Martel has narrowly escaped Nazi Germany after her fiancé was killed in a pogrom. When her ship bound for America is turned away at port, she has nowhere to go but to her cousin Lily, who lives with her family in Brussels. Fearful for her life, Hannah is desperate to get out of occupied Europe. But with no safe way to leave, she must return to the dangerous underground work she thought she had left behind.
Seeking help, Hannah joins the Sapphire Line, a secret resistance network led by a mysterious woman named Micheline and her enigmatic brother Mateo. But when a grave mistake causes Lily’s family to be arrested and slated for deportation to Auschwitz, Hannah finds herself torn between her loyalties. How much is Hannah willing to sacrifice to save the people she loves?

I really enjoyed reading about another resistance network during World War II. One would think I would get tired of it but that hasn’t happened yet! I’m here for the abundance of WWII novels but I’m also here for the ones that give me something a little unexpected. Did this book give me something unexpected? I’m not totally sure. I think I liked having a viewpoint from a city other than London or Paris. I don’t forget, exactly, that other countries would have been involved in the war. I am well aware that “world” is in the descriptor for this particular war. But so much of the media I tend to consume (books, movies, TV) focuses on a small portion of the affected countries so areas like Brussels and what those residents had to deal with aren’t top of mind. It’s a sobering reminder that there weren’t many countries that escaped unscathed from WWII.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: not all historical novels with more than one point of view are created equal. Some have multiple characters who all add their own important piece to the overall narrative. And some…well, some feel like there’s not enough story for one character to stand on their own so a second (or third) character is created and their story is mashed in wherever it can fit. Sometimes that can work. I didn’t really find that it did with Jenoff’s latest novel, which was disappointing. Hannah’s storyline was the strongest but Micheline’s was the more intriguing one. Lily’s POV served to show how easy it would have been for the average citizen to bury their head in the sand during the war and not realize (or want to realize) what was happening all around them. It’s frustrating to read but partially because who can say for sure what they would do in that kind of situation? As I said, Micheline’s storyline was the one I was a little bit more interested in but there wasn’t as much to her POV as I would have liked. Perhaps it’s because there’s not as much research on women resistance leaders, particularly in Belgium, and Jenoff didn’t want to take too many liberties with historical fact? Even though I didn’t love the tri-POV, I can see what Jenoff was trying to do and I do think I got a slightly better grasp on what it would have been like for many different women in Brussels during the war.

Sure, I wanted to like Code Name Sapphire more than I did but I still think Pam Jenoff has written an interesting historical fiction tale. The true stories that inspired her are fascinating and make me want to read and watch more about it. I still consider that a win for a historical novel!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, HTP/HarperCollins Canada, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: The Lost Girls of Paris

I'm a big historical fiction fan, especially when it comes to novels set in and around World Wars I and II. Bit of a depressing time frame, to be sure, but there are so many interesting stories to be told - and invented - during that time. I especially love that authors are diving into what it was like for women during that time and shedding some light on the women who served their countries in unconventional, hidden, or forgotten ways. Pam Jenoff's The Lost Girls of Paris is one such book as she tells a story inspired by a group of women who were spies in WWII.

Here's the synopsis:

1946, Manhattan. Grace Healey is rebuilding her life after losing her husband during the war. One morning while passing through Grand Central Terminal on her way to work, she finds an abandoned suitcase tucked beneath a bench. Unable to resist her own curiosity, Grace opens the suitcase, where she discovers a dozen photographs—each of a different woman. In a moment of impulse, Grace takes the photographs and quickly leaves the station.
Grace soon learns that the suitcase belonged to a woman named Eleanor Trigg, leader of a ring of female secret agents who were deployed out of London during the war. Twelve of these women were sent to Occupied Europe as couriers and radio operators to aid the resistance, but they never returned home, their fates a mystery. Setting out to learn the truth behind the women in the photographs, Grace finds herself drawn to a young mother turned agent named Marie, whose daring mission overseas reveals a remarkable story of friendship, valor and betrayal.
Vividly rendered and inspired by true events, New York Times bestselling author Pam Jenoff shines a light on the incredible heroics of the brave women of the war, and weaves a mesmerizing tale of courage, sisterhood and the great strength of women to survive in the hardest of circumstances.

Eleanor Trigg was inspired by a real person, Vera Atkins, who was in charge of a group of women who were sent to France to be spies. I highly encourage you to jump down the rabbit hole of research and learn more about the women who inspired Jenoff. Her novel is good but knowing the real story is so much better.

I often say that historical fiction can be quite tricky to get right. Personally, I want to read novels that are believable and really feel like they could have been written during that time period. I want authenticity but I also want a story. If I wanted to know the exact details of a battle, for example, I would find a history book (yes, this may be contradicting my above paragraph where I encourage actual, hard research. I stand by it.). But what I really want to know is what it would have been like for the people, especially the women. The stories of so many women have been lost because they weren't off fighting in the trenches like the men were. I appreciate when authors like Jenoff can tell the female side of war and what it was like for those not directly involved in battle.

There are three women at the centre of this novel - Eleanor, Marie, and Grace. I think Marie's story is at the forefront and is the most developed. Grace's is developed as well but I don't feel like her story is finished and I want more (this isn't a bad thing - I just could clearly see that Grace had so much more to offer than the novel allowed for). Eleanor is an extremely important character who I think could have been explored a bit more. Perhaps Jenoff was wary of diving too deeply into Eleanor's character because she was so closely based on a real person?

Now, I did give this book four stars on Goodreads because I really did enjoy reading it. That being said, I'm not really sure it's technically a very good book. Or maybe it might be that there are better books? The idea is a great one (and the cover is to die for) but I can't help but wonder if the actual execution could have been better. Perhaps I wanted the characters to be better, stronger, less...girly.

All in all, I liked The Lost Girls of Paris. I think Pam Jenoff found an interesting part of World War II's history that hadn't been explored in a historical fiction novel before. It's definitely worth a read if you're a historical fiction fan.

*An ARC of this novel was provided by the publisher, HarperCollins Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*