4 out of 4 stars
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"Today, the whole world is in love with Lily." Or at least they should be, after reading Julien Ayotte's historical fiction titled Code Name Lily. Based on true events from the life of the indomitable Micheline Michou Dumon-Ugeaux, Ayotte gives an account of courage and honor.
The story begins with a telephone call to Dr. Antoine Papineau, a.k.a. Tony, a dermatologist from Rhode Island who is preparing to retire. The caller is a farmer who now lives in the farm-house Tony lived in as a young child. After beginning a remodeling job of the upper story, a secret room is discovered containing a box with an envelope with the name Gerard Papineau taped to the top. After some internet sleuthing on the part of the farmer, he is able to track down Tony as Gerard's son. Tony is shocked as his father died when Tony was quite young and barely knew him.
On retrieving and opening the box, Tony finds a history he never dreamed was there. The story unfolds in the midst of World War II and encompasses downed airmen and the brave Europeans who defied the Nazis and helped the men escape. One of particular note was a young nurse code-named Lily. Lily oversaw the Comet Line, an escape network that operated out of Belgium, France, and Spain. Her efforts resulted in the safe return of 250 Allied airmen. Her incredible courage and cunning kept the line operating in spite of German attempts to infiltrate and destroy it.
Ayotte has given life to an amazing piece of history within a fictional framework. The frame, while good, almost doesn't equal the portrait inside. Often the story reads like a historical account, rather than historical fiction. He often repeats details of the story, when he might have used the opportunity to flesh out or expand upon the basic details to give the story more depth. It appeared at times that a timeline might have helped him to organize the events more fully so that the action of the story would flow more naturally. The characters are a little flat, but the story is so powerful that this is easily overlooked. I found myself binge-reading as I wanted to find out what happened next!
The book appeared to have been well-edited, with only a few errors. The prologue and map were a nice touch in helping to set the scene for the reader. The author included one photo of Lily on the cover and one at the very end. A few more photos, either of her, or places involved, or people she had helped would have been fantastic. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would rate it 4 out of 4 stars. Readers who enjoy historical fiction or anyone with an interest in WWII will love this book. There are some sexual situations, so this book is geared to a mature audience. If you read the book you may join the world and fall in love with Micheline Michou Dumon-Ugeaux, Code Name Lily.
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Code Name Lily
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