One book I could read Again and Again

The Room on Rue Amilie was the first book by Kristin Harmel that made her one of my favorite authors. The book is from the point of view of three characters, Ruby an American woman who married a Frenchman, Charlotte a Jewish teenager, and Thomas an RAF pilot. This story takes place during WWII. All three characters have a part to play in the war. What makes this book really great is how fleshed out the characters are and how relatable they are and how they’re not stereotypes. The writing is very descriptive. Ruby and Charlotte help smuggle the airmen from Britain  and America out of France, Thomas being one of them. There is a lot of action and adventure and romance. I enjoyed the fact that both Ruby and Charlotte despite the age difference were very close friends and the fact that their characters were written to be strong with out the “strong kick butt” stereotype. Thomas whose patriotic and fighting for his country, isn’t doing this for glory and he’s not over confident and cocky, in fact at times he wonders if he’s making a difference.

Characters

Ruby like I mentioned above is a strong female without being a stereotype kick butt female. She is very intelligent and is willing to stand up for what is right. I like the fact she stands up to her  then husband Marcel who treats her like a child.

Charlotte is a teenager but the war makes her mature much faster. I like how she can tell Ruby is falling for Thomas despite Ruby not wanting to admit it at first.

Thomas is an RAF pilot who wants to fight for his country but after his mother died in the London Blitz he wonders if he’s making a difference and you can sense he feel’s insecure. When he meets Ruby and falls in love with her after Marcel dies he now has a real reason to keep going and to keep fighting which is to save her and be with her.

Marcel he starts off great. Once the honeymoon stage of their marriage ends that’s where he treats Ruby like a child and doesn’t want her opinion. He’s also very secretive about what he’s doing. Marcel and Ruby did not have good chemistry at all. We find out he was part of the resistance.

The Writing

The writing and execution was perfect. I enjoyed the ending too it flooded me with emotions. After escaping Ravensbruck Concentration Camp, Ruby ends up in Switzerland and she gives birth to her baby girl from Thomas and names her Nadia. She does die shortly after but ends up in heaven hearing her favorite Mickey Rooney song. Thomas shortly meets her after his plane crashes into the ocean too far from the beach. They live in eternity happily ever after. We then find out Charlotte and Julien (the narrator in the beginning of the book) married and grew old together. Charlottes parents ended up dying in the holocaust but Ruby made sure Charlotte had a home with her parents. Charlotte and Julien also adopt Ruby’s child Nadia. When Julien carried Charlotte to the poppy fields he knew she was going to die, at the end she see’s Ruby and passes away into the afterlife, Julien knows that he will see her soon.

Is it worth the read?

Yes it is definitely worth reading if you are a fan of historical fiction that takes place during World War II. Kristin Harmel knows how to create fantastic characters and does her research well. Even though this story is fiction the events are real and the character of Ruby is based on an actual American woman that married a Frenchman and moved to France with him and became a part of The Resistance that stood up to evil. If  you fell in love with the cover of this book, trust me the story inside that beautiful outer cover is just as fantastic.