Set during World War II, ‘Ashes’ tells the story of Belgian, Simone Lyon, (daughter of a World War I hero, General Joseph Lyon), and her Polish friend Hava Daniels, daughter of a devout Jewish family. Simone is of the Catholic Faith, but despite their religious differences, they are completely inseparable.
The girls, both 18 years of age, have rather innocent perceptions of life, they dream of meeting Clark Gable after reading Gone with the Wind, draw lines on the backs of their legs to make it appear that they’re wearing stockings, take picnics to the park - they enjoy life, but with war very much on the horizon, this will bring their rather privileged lifestyle, which until now, has been completely unaffected by the cruelties of life, very much to an end.
When France and Britain declared war on Germany in September 1939, Belgium remained strictly neutral while mobilising its reserves. Simone listened to radio reports of the Germans invading other countries, but to her it all seemed so far away, she preferred to ignore the growing threat, and besides, Belgium was a neutral country so the Germans wouldn’t be bothering them!
How wrong she was - without warning, the Germans invaded Belgium on the 10th May 1940, and Simone and Hava found themselves fleeing without their families, from the death and utter devastation that had been wrought on their beloved city by the invading enemy. It’s easy to feel the terror of the people as they try to flee the bombs, the invading army, the horror, the chaos - but where do they flee to? With other countries being invaded, where do they go?
Their long and eventful journey, trying to keep one step ahead of the Germans, is told from Simone’s perspective, and it’s a journey fraught with danger, illustrating as it does, how war can bring out the very best in people, but also the very worst, with acts of unimaginable cruelty in pursuit of world power. Their journey together comes to end when they are separated in a most brutal and frightening way, but Simone vows that she will find her friend when all this madness is over.
There were parts of this novel that I really enjoyed - felt emotionally invested in, but then other parts felt rushed and impersonal, particularly towards the end - things happened without explanation, in an effort (it seems) to bring about a swift conclusion, but it did rather spoil my overall enjoyment of it, and that is reflected in my rating.
The girls, both 18 years of age, have rather innocent perceptions of life, they dream of meeting Clark Gable after reading Gone with the Wind, draw lines on the backs of their legs to make it appear that they’re wearing stockings, take picnics to the park - they enjoy life, but with war very much on the horizon, this will bring their rather privileged lifestyle, which until now, has been completely unaffected by the cruelties of life, very much to an end.
When France and Britain declared war on Germany in September 1939, Belgium remained strictly neutral while mobilising its reserves. Simone listened to radio reports of the Germans invading other countries, but to her it all seemed so far away, she preferred to ignore the growing threat, and besides, Belgium was a neutral country so the Germans wouldn’t be bothering them!
How wrong she was - without warning, the Germans invaded Belgium on the 10th May 1940, and Simone and Hava found themselves fleeing without their families, from the death and utter devastation that had been wrought on their beloved city by the invading enemy. It’s easy to feel the terror of the people as they try to flee the bombs, the invading army, the horror, the chaos - but where do they flee to? With other countries being invaded, where do they go?
Their long and eventful journey, trying to keep one step ahead of the Germans, is told from Simone’s perspective, and it’s a journey fraught with danger, illustrating as it does, how war can bring out the very best in people, but also the very worst, with acts of unimaginable cruelty in pursuit of world power. Their journey together comes to end when they are separated in a most brutal and frightening way, but Simone vows that she will find her friend when all this madness is over.
There were parts of this novel that I really enjoyed - felt emotionally invested in, but then other parts felt rushed and impersonal, particularly towards the end - things happened without explanation, in an effort (it seems) to bring about a swift conclusion, but it did rather spoil my overall enjoyment of it, and that is reflected in my rating.