Excellent WWII HF set in France. This book told a different side of WWII story. This was really the story of a small farming and fishing village located along the Normandy coast. It was told from the perspective of one woman, Emma, who was tasked with baking bread for the German commandant every morning. But she begins to mix in ground straw to get more loaves which she secretly delivers to those neighbors most in need. Emma shows us how the village members had to live after being conquered by the German army and with the army's presence in their town - the new laws, the violence, the fear - but also how the human spirit strengthens and keeps you going. THey lived this way for a couple of years before the D Day invasion. The last third of the book is actually about the invasion, but from the perspective of the town. While they were beyond happy that the Allies finally came to their help, their town was also bombed, homes lost, people died as a result of the bombs dropped right before the invasion started. Well written and well told story told from a different perspective. Great characters, great story.
