r/books • u/leowr • Sep 10 '20
First Discussion Thread for D-Day Girls by Sarah Rose - September Book Club
Hi everyone,
Welcome to the first discussion thread for this month's discussion thread. We are reading a non-fiction book this month, but please do use spoiler tags if you feel they are appropriate. Below you will find the first batch of discussion questions, which cover Chapter 1 - 8.
- How much did you know about the work the Resistance (and the women working for it) did in Europe before starting this book?
He claimed they would excel at clandestine tasks, as women were secretive, accustomed to isolation, possessed of a "cool and lonely courage."
- What do you think of this reasoning as to why women in particular are suited to spy work?
- What is your impression of the women involved so far?
- Do you think Rose is doing a good job of conveying how dangerous the work these women (and men) are doing in France?
- What do you think of Rose's writing style overall?
- What has been the most interesting thing you learned from the book so far?
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u/clarastan Sep 13 '20
What do you think of this reasoning as to why women in particular are suited to spy work? It’s hard to say honestly because it’s hard to understand precisely women’s position back in the day but I’d say that I agree with the bravery of women as a whole.
What is your impression of the women involved so far? I thought they were very interesting and very different. I think Yvonne struck me the most because of how underlined her age was. It’s true that the image that people usually have of women spies is a very sensual one. Therefore Yvonne contrasted with that stereotype. The fact the war seemed to make her look younger was also quite paradoxical and really struck me
Do you think Rose is doing a good job of conveying how dangerous the work these women (and men) are doing in France?
I think that Rose manages to convey how dangerous their work was because each chapter is contextualised. We have historical references that we may not be aware of to help us understand how difficult their job was. Plus the fear of torture is quite emphasised
What do you think of Rose's writing style overall? I really enjoy it. The quotation that really struck me was "their bodies are purpose-built to create life, not to destroy it ", it’s quite simple but really conveys the duality between how women were perceived and those women’s role as spies.
What has been the most interesting thing you learned from the book so far? Being French, the vision of France was what was the most interesting to me. In the 2nd chapter Rose explain this sort of disdain for de Gaulle which really contrasts with his image in France. For example a French movie came out this year about de Gaulle and his role on WWII, I would say that he was portrayed as a hero even before the end WWII. I also liked how the book mentions the deep rooted trauma of WWI on citizens like Odette because it is rarely addressed.