Midnight on the Marne

An unlikely series of events repeats itself, giving one of the participants the opportunity to change the future by sacrificing his past. Occupied France during World War I is plagued by rationing, persecution, and fear, particularly for French nurse (and spy) Marcelle Marchand and American soldier George Mountcastle. They are immediately drawn to each other, then separated by circumstance and the Great War. Following Germany's victory, Marcelle and George reconnect, and live in France with their cobbled together family of survivors, including George's comrade Philip and Marcelle's sister Rosalie. Hiding their vegetable garden and black market activities from government agents and living as well as they can, they find happiness where possible. After they are caught and punished, George somehow finds himself once again at a critical point in the Battle of the Marne, several years earlier. George and Philip have spent many years contemplating what might have happened if a single decision had been made differently, and now George has the opportunity to find out. Framed by the narrative of Marcelle's daughter reading her journal many years later, readers will be drawn in by the details of an alternative post-World War I history, and also pleasantly set adrift by the conflicting information presented in the journal and the known details of Marcelle's life and history. Offer this to fans of alternative history, war stories, and what-ifs.

A few crucial choices change the fate of two people in this entrancing speculative love story from Adlakha (She Wouldn't Change a Thing). In the summer of 1918, WWI rages through France and Marcelle Marchand, both a nurse and a spy for British Intelligence, crosses paths with American soldier George Mountcastle, who is immediately captivated by her beauty. When Marcelle's assignment goes wrong, history is rewritten, and Germany succeeds in conquering France. George rescues Marcelle with the help of Marcelle's twin sister, Rosalie, and they escape to Soissons. The price for hiding American soldiers is death, but Marcelle risks it. She and George have fallen in love, and she'll do anything to protect their life together. But as the war threatens everything they hold dear, George wonders what might have happened if, at various points in their relationship, they had made different choices, and contemplates altering history to end their suffering. Adlakha expertly lays the foundation for this sweeping, tragic romance while never shying away from the merciless bloodshed of war. The mystical element of George playing with time arrives late and a bit abruptly, but this does not detract from its powerful emotional impact. This wistful tale is a winner. (Aug.)