Review: Whisper on the Wind by Maureen Lang

Whisper on the Wind (The Great War #2)
By: Maureen Lang
Publisher: Tyndale
ISBN: 978-1-4143-2436-4

Review:

Wealthy and privileged Isa Lassone and her parents escaped the German onslaught that would ultimately overwhelm her beloved Belgium at the start of the Great War. But her freedom exacted a steep emotional toll, for Isa was abandoning not only her home but her heart, leaving behind Genny, the innkeeper's wife who practically raised her and whose son, Edward, Isa's loved since childhood. Against all reason and advice Isa makes arrangements to sneak back into Belgium with enough gold and jewels to successfully smuggle those she loves across the border, far from their German oppressors. But when Isa arrives with her unexpected treasure, the welcome she receives is far cooler than she'd hoped -- Edward, stripped of his once-vibrant faith thanks the horrors of war, refuses to leave Brussels, determined to sacrifice his life if need be for the resistance newspaper La Libre Belgique.

Despite Isa's brave if foolhardy journey into occupied territory, Edward continues to view her as nothing more than a spoiled child, a product of society-obsessed parents sure to buckle under the rigors of life in occupied Brussels, stripped of the privileged lifestyle her class once held dear. When Edward refuses to abandon his resistance work, Isa seizes the chance to remain, determined to prove to Edward that in the two years that have elapsed since the start of the war she's become a woman worthy of his love and respect. But with the German Army determined to destroy the voice of the resistance paper and all who support it, Isa's faith in her God and her cause are brutally tested. For the price of her hopes and girlish dreams, the price of resistance may demand nothing less than her very life.

After recently finishing Look to the East, the first installment in The Great War series which told the story of Isa's brother Charles, I was eager to continue my exploration of Lang's fiction. While Charles's story of finding danger and romance behind enemy lines is powerfully-rendered on the page, characterization and pacing issues left me hungry for more fully-rounded characters and a more action-driven plot. Happily, Lang's second outing featuring a member of the Lassone family delivers on all fronts. If one sets aside the incredulity with which Isa's audacious action at the beginning of the novel must be met -- I find it impossible to believe that a young woman of her breeding and standing could decamp to an occupied country with so little remark or regard for those she leaves behind -- Whisper on the Wind is nothing less than a thoroughly enjoyable tale of intrigue, danger, and romance against the backdrop of a war-torn world.

Though Isa can at times seem incredibly foolish and headstrong, I was quickly able to forgive her penchant for viewing her role as a "resistance heroine" during wartime with rose-colored glasses. Her youthful enthusiasm and determination to live out the tenants of her faith make for an appealing character, one whose moxie I cannot help but admire. Likewise, Edward's determination to play a vibrant role in the dangerous resistance community, driven by a desire to avenge the horrors he's witnessed under the occupation is compellingly sketched on the page. While not exactly a spy per se, Edward's work with La Libre Belgique lends the narrative all the drama and intrigue of a spy story, since his work necessitates false identities, safe houses, and a loosely-connected, sprawling network of ordinary men and women willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for the cause of Belgian freedom.

While this is very much Isa and Edward's story, Lang introduces a secondary romance that completely captured my heart. Genny, widowed when a German bullet took her husband's life, is forced to keep a wounded German major distracted from Isa and Edward's illegal newspaper work. Max, billeted at Isa's one-time family home since his injury, finds himself re-evaluating his life and work following two years of war that cost him the lives of his sons, a foot, and his wife's sanity. Against her better judgement, Genny finds herself drawn to the major's quiet strength, and the two erstwhile enemies find themselves drawing ever closer as the bonds of their shared faith overcome the politics of wartime. Forbidden romance between two would-be enemies? I am SO THERE. The restrained passion with which Lang paints Genny and Max's relationship is breathtakingly sweet, and Max's deeply-rooted sense of honor is swoon-worthy. This couple is so good they nearly steal the show -- a masterful example of peopling one's world with vibrant, memorable secondary characters.

One of Lang's greatest strengths in both Whisper on the Wind and its predecessor is the powerful manner in which she explores what it means to be a believer on both sides of the conflict. Rather than than succumbing to the temptation to make those on either side of the conflict either wholly "good" or "evil," Lang's three-dimensional characterizations explore what it means to literally love one's enemy, to place the call to faith and love before prejudice and hatred. When everything within Genny and Isa screams to deny any kinship with one of their loathed German oppressors, Max's quiet faith forces them to acknowledge a commonality stronger than national loyalty. And therein lies the power of Lang's narrative -- by forcing those on opposite sides of the conflict to recognize a spiritual kinship, she underscores the shattering, tragic, very human cost of the conflict.

Whispers on the Wind is one of the best war-set inspy historicals I've read in years, reminiscent of the Thoenes' classic Zion Covenant series in the colorful, absorbing manner in which it brings history to life. By peppering the narrative with accounts of Edith Cavell, a British nurse executed for helping Allied soldiers escape German detection, and the efforts of harried American ambassador Brad Whitlock to aide the Belgian people, and incorporating the actual resistance newspaper, La Libre Belgique into the storyline, Lang adds authenticity and atmosphere to a tale rife with intrigue and danger. Lang's grasp of the history and time period are stellar, resulting in a thoroughly absorbing read. With her well-drawn characterizations, a tightly-plotted storyline, and deft handling of action sequences, this is my favorite Lang novel yet. A richly-drawn, romantic, and thought-provoking tale of faith and honor in a world at war, Whisper on the Wind is a gorgeously-rendered tapestry of a pivotal moment in history vibrantly re-created, where faith and fear collide in a world bent on destruction. If this is what Lang is capable of, I cannot wait to read more of her work!

About the book:

Belgium, 1916

The German Imperial Army may have conquered Belgium on its march through Europe, but it can't crush their spirit. An underground newspaper surfaces to keep patriotism alive and bring hope and real news of the war to the occupied country. It may be a whisper among the shouts of the german army, but it's a thorn in their side nonetheless, and Edward Kirkland will do anything to keep it in print -- even risk his life.

Isa Lassone's family fled Europe at the first rumblings of war. Now, two years later, she sneaks back across enemy lines, determined to rescue Edward -- the man she has loved from afar since she was a child.

But will he ever see her as more than the wealthy, silly girl his mother once cared for as a daughter?

When Edward refuses to leave, so does Isa, and soon she is drawn into his dangerous double life. As the Germans close in, Edward realizes he's put more at risk than he'd planned...especially the beautiful, smart, yet obstinate young woman who has inconveniently managed to work her way into his life -- and into his heart.

Review: Look to the East by Maureen Lang

Look to the East (The Great War #1)
By: Maureen Lang
Publisher: Tyndale
ISBN: 978-1-4143-3895-8

Review:

Raised by a loving adopted family, Julitte Toussaint nevertheless struggles with her identity and place in Briecourt, a small town bitterly divided by a decades-old feud pitting Toussaint against de Colville. But in the first weeks of the conflict that would come to be known as the Great War, Toussaint and de Colville alike find themselves bidding farewell to fathers, sons, and brothers, called upon by a common love of country to fight the encroaching menace of the German army. Despite sharing a common enemy and worry for imperiled loved ones, the bitter partisanship that divides the town continues to rage unabated -- until the fateful day the war comes home to Briecourt in the form of German soldiers. And thus the citizens of Briecourt are faced with a greater threat than the prejudices that have for so long divided neighbor against neighbor -- soldiers who demand obedience, who commandeer supplies, and seek to keep a frightened populace under control with an iron hand.

The occupation becomes something more than simple survival when Julitte stumbles upon the town's greatest secret -- hidden refugees, including wealthy, handsome Belgian businessman Charles Lassone, caught behind enemy lines before he was able to return to his homeland and join his countrymen in their fight against Germany. The attraction between them is immediate, giving Julitte hope of not only a future following the war but of a life free from the shadow of her past. However, Charles isn't content to sit out the war in hiding, and bolstered by his love for Julitte and inspired by her faith in a God who would have a plan for even his dissolute life, he determines to escape Briecourt and join the Allies. But in a town physically occupied by the enemy and spiritually divided by a poisonous prejudice, Charles's risky bid for freedom threatens to destroy more than his hope for a future with Julitte...

Maureen Lang's The Great War series has been on my radar for quite some time. She's one of the first inspirational-market authors in my experience to explore the rich history of the first World War, which is a natural extension of my fascination with the second World War, as the roots of that later conflict were first birthed in the horror of the trenches. And thanks to the popularity of Edwardian era set programs such as Downton Abbey and most recently, Mr. Selfridge, Lang's fiction set during this time period is surely poised for fans new and old alike to discover her evocative, poignant portrait of ordinary people struggling to survive extraordinary times.

While the passage of time is a bit too fluid for my liking -- the novel covers approximately two years, but the actual passage of time is only remarked on in the haziest of terms -- Lang's setting and depiction of the struggles of an occupied people are one of the novel's greatest strengths. I was powerfully reminded of a recent miniseries I discovered -- Monsignor Renard, a Masterpiece production detailing the travails of a French town under Nazi occupation. In both book and film the terrific strain the townspeople were forced to endure, the overwhelming force brought to bear to keep a subjugated people in line are powerfully told -- the means not always involving outright brutality, but more often than not psychological warfare, instilling in the conquered a paralyzing fear of action -- anything to avoid reprisals. The suspicion Julitte's best friend, Ori, faces for collaboration is a particularly effective illustration of the manner in which the occupiers could break a people's will -- by tearing the fabric of trust between family and friends. The long-standing feud Lang puts in play adds another layer of conflict, as the lack of any true community in Julitte's hometown is the first front in the war she and her neighbors must wage if they are to survive.

I loved Julitte and Charles's romance -- achingly sweet, replete with stolen glances and dreamed-of kisses, but stitched through with a refreshingly genuine, honest exploration of spiritual matters and the importance (initially on Julitte's side alone) of a shared faith. Charles is a particularly well-drawn hero, as his struggle to define himself outside the parameters of his family's name and wealth and the accompanying life of privilege he so enjoys is sorely tested by the advent of war and its rapid destruction of his high-minded ideals regarding the conflict. The stark reality of probable, imminent death forces Charles to confront not only what he believes about patriotism but himself and his goals and purpose in life -- heretofore directionless without the grounding of the faith his sister and Julitte so fervently share. And while I loved Julitte's gentle spirit and quiet faith, one aspect of her characterization was troubling -- the to my mind unnecessary inclusion of the townspeople's belief that she is some sort of miracle-worker. It wasn't explored in great enough depth to really substantively further ostracize Julitte (any moreso than her status as adopted Toussaint, child of a leper colony). That aside, Julitte's struggle to reconcile the tenets of her faith with the evil and hardship she encounters under German occupation is among the freshest, most honest illustrations of a believer grappling with the unthinkable in fiction of this ilk.

Look to the East is a fascinating glimpse into a world at war and its impact on the lives of a handful of ordinary citizens called to make extraordinary sacrifices. Lang's research is stellar, transporting readers to a world under siege, where an entire way of life undergoes irrevocable change in the crucible of war. With clear, articulate prose and a deft hand weaving matters of faith, doubt, and identity throughout, through Julitte and Charles's experiences Lang weaves a rich tapestry detailing the French wartime experience. For that matter, it is so refreshing to read war-set fiction that focuses wholly on the everyday European's experience (while Charles is half-American, it is an incidental plot point) -- so often American authors focus on the wartime experiences of Americans (understandably so). I fell in love with the history and Lang's well-drawn characterizations -- with a tighter, more clearly articulated timeline and a more focused plot climax (Julitte's Greek grandfather is a poorly-conceived deus ex machina in an otherwise carefully-meted story arc), I have high hopes for my future experiences delving into Lang's crisp prose and lovingly-crafted, relatable characters.

About the book:

France, 1914

The small village of Briecourt may be isolated from early battles of World War I, but a century-old feud between the de Colvilles and Toussaints rages in the streets. Despite being adopted as a child, Julitte Toussaint endures the scorn of the de Colvilles more than most, given the folklore surrounding her heritage.

Then everything changes the day the German army sweeps in to occupy Briecourt, trapping a handful of outsiders behind enemy lines, including Belgian entrepreneur Charles Lassone. When Julitte discovers Charles hiding in the church basement, an unexpected and dangerous love blossoms between them.

But heroes aren't made in cellars. Eager to join the Allied forces -- and prove himself worthy of Julitte's love -- Charles convinces the de Colvilles and the Toussaints to finally work together to smuggle him out.

Yet with the life of every villager on the line, who can be trusted? And when the line between ally and enemy is blurred, will faith and courage be enough to sustain them all?