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Defy the Night: A Novel
Defy the Night: A Novel
Defy the Night: A Novel
Ebook352 pages3 hours

Defy the Night: A Novel

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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In the midst of war, one teenager is determined to make a difference

If no one will do anything, she'll have to do it herself.

In 1941 France is still "free." But fifteen-year-old Magali is frustrated by the cruel irony of pretending life is normal when food is rationed, new clothes are a rarity, and most of her friends are refugees. And now the government is actually helping the Nazis. Someone has got to do something, but it seems like no one has the guts—until Paquerette arrives.

Smuggling refugee children is Paquerette's job. And she asks Magali to help.

Working with Paquerette is scary and exhausting, but Magali never doubts that it is the right thing to do. Until her brash actions put those she loves in danger.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateFeb 12, 2014
ISBN9780825479755
Defy the Night: A Novel
Author

Heather Munn

Heather Munn was born in Northern Ireland and grew up in southern France, where her parents were missionaries like their parents before them. She has a BA in literature from Wheaton College and now lives in rural Illinois, with her husband, Paul, and their son. Her blog, Gravity and Grace, can be found at seedstoryteller.blogspot.com.

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Rating: 4.095238 out of 5 stars
4/5

21 ratings11 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The only way to start off when talking about a book like this is to say that you really got caught up in the story, that you felt the pressure of the Nazis drawing closer to the safety of your life, that you could smell the death of the camps, or experience the bone-chilling cold of winter in wartime. It's all true. Not just the events, but the fact that you really do seem to experience them while you read, just a little bit.What's more important is that you get to experience the "softer" side of the earlier period of the war, when it was legal to remove children from the camps and take them to somewhere safe. Not many think of those who got on trains and walked into the camps and came out with young lives in their hands. We hear about the Nazis and we hear about the death camps and we hear about the terror that is what happened when the Germans settled in somewhere, but we don't often get to feel the weight that is the Germans when they are on their way to a place.Reading this book, I had mixed feelings. I found myself very caught up in the plot and all that was happening within the pages, but I also found myself distracted by the main character. She seemed far too immature for a child of 15 or 16. There were times in the book when I was caught up in the story and then it drastically shifted from being a story about WWII to being a morality lesson on kindness and pride. At times the book came away with a very strict "This is a Christian book about the War" kind of feel to it, where lectures were thrown in on how to remain humble and honest, even when you have to keep secrets in order to save lives.It was a good book, an enjoyable one, one that I think I would give to a young adult wanting to learn more about life in France and saving the Jewish children from the war. I don't know that I would call it a great book, or keep it to read again, but I would certainly pass it on for others to read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A coming of age story set in France, early 1941.There were so many things I loved about this story. I'm not a history buff by any stretch of the term, but there are a few historical periods I can't learn enough about. World War 2 is one of those times. Magali is a young fifteen year old French girl who wants to fight back against the Nazis and Germans and scorns anyone whom she deems weak. Like her mother, her friend, and another young girl she doesn't know very well and doesn't care to.She's a strong lead with a stubborn heart and I loved her spirit. Not her pride, but her tenacity, grit, and determination to help others. Yes, she liked herself more than she should have, didn't quite see her own faults as clearly as she saw fault in others, yet I still loved her and could only hope that if a day ever comes in which I have to choose to help others or turn a blind eye to what's going on, I help without hesitation like she did.I don't think the authors could have written more true to life characters than Magali, Paquerette, Rosa, and Nina. This was a strong book that always went forward in plot, tone, and setting. I didn't tire of reading it at all. What reading time I have is precious, but I will be reading this one again and will recommend it to my reading friends.I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions. I was not required they be positive.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This is a tale of the bravery of one young girl wanting to make a difference in the world. Now I find that there is a distinct difference between liking and appreciation. It is possible to dislike a book while still appreciating what it was doing, I did not particularly like this book. I found the main character extremely selfish, however I do still appreciate the story and what the author wanted to do. By no means was this book bad as it was really well written, I think that this is an important story that should be read. It just was not for me. Overall I believe that this it still a good book, and I recommend it for people who are into historical fiction.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    [Defy the Night] by [Heather and Lydia Munn] was a very telling coming of age story. In fact throughout most of the book I really did not like the main character, Magali. I thought she was selfish and egotistical. I guess that was the point though.The setting of "free" France during early World War II is something most people are not aware of because it was when most of the world was in denial. The people there fought on silently doing what they could for whom they could. This was not the Resistance as most people know of but perhaps it's predecessor.The book was very well written and as I stated before the characters definitely had their own personalities. I will be adding this book to my classroom library and recommending it to the school library.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I give this book more a 3.5 stars than a 3 but it would be incorrect to say it was 4 stars. I enjoyed how this book gave me a different perspective on life in this time period and I enjoyed that but Magali's actions often seemed misguided. To me she just wanted to be a hero and everyone else was less righteous or less helpful than her. She idolized Paquerette to the point where she was blinded to the fact that she makes mistakes like everyone else. Magali threw herself into danger multiple times to the point where it seemed as if she wanted to get hurt in order to be a hero. Also she eavesdropped on at least 5 conversations and I feel as if though people would be more cautious around her considering she always wants to know secrets. It was a good book about the time period but I wanted to strangle Magali.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Defy the night is a coming of age story set against the backdrop of France around 1940. It tells the story of Magali as she helps to bring children refugees to safety after removing them from internment camps. I enjoyed reading a different perspective of this time period I did not know much about. In particular the people in this town that came together to care for and protect these children was a keep part of this novel. However I did not much care for the main character whose eyes we see the story through. Her attitude kind of turned me off since she did not seem to fully understand the danger around here and then proceeded to judge those around her who fully grasped the danger and showed any semblance of fear. Some of this was probably done on purpose since this took place in the earlier days on of the WWII in France when the true horrors were still unknown or yet to come. This was a good book both for the different or less told story and would be good for younger and older readers alike.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Sharing the little known story of courageous French citizens determined to save the children caught in the brutality of the Nazi regime, the mother daughter writing team of Lydia and Heather Munn have created a deeply moving and very personal novel. The second book to focus on the Losier family, Defy The Night can be read as a stand alone novel. Perfect for a book discussion group or a mother/daughter read, I highly recommend Defy The Night.Magali Losier is a young woman determined to make a difference in a world that seems to have gone crazy overnight. Although living in the free zone of France, Magali’s community is caught up in the realities of war following the German invasion of France. All around her, she senses the fear that grips her friends and family, but she wants to be a hero. When she begins traveling with Pacquerette, an aid worker who transports children from detention camps to safe homes, Magali believes she has found her calling. But the brash cleverness she sees as her greatest asset puts many in danger.Defy The Night is told in the first person voice of Magali. She holds nothing back in her examination of friends and family. Her attitudes, of course, reflect on their character, but also expose the flaws in her own. The reader can see the danger that awaits Magali as she does most things in her own power without the healthy fear that Pacquerette says is necessary for their work. It is the evolution of Magali that keeps the reader engaged.The historical importance of the story is also significant. The amazingly brave work that the town of Chambon (the real-life town the story is based on) did on behalf of Jews, especially children is one that all should know. The time of the story, 1941-1942, is described as a softer period in the course of WWII. The inhumane treatment of people during this time was just a taste of what was to come.Gripping, moving, thought-provoking — all terms I would use to describe Defy The Night. The target audience is young adults, but I would recommend this book to anyone.Highly Recommended.(Thanks to Kregel for a review copy and to Heather for sharing the pictures. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This was an amazing and heart-wrenching story and yet totally beautiful! It is based on an historical town in France and the sacrificial efforts given toDefy the Night book cover save others – children being the focus of this novel. The characters are complex, most with back stories of pain and yet figuring out how to truly live during this war.Magali is only 15 years old, but she has a burning desire to help. She is finally able to join Paquerette, her hero, in smuggling refugee children from internment camps. She finds the trips more difficult, exhausting, and dangerous than she could have imagined, but she longs to always be the one chosen to go. Her quick mind and determination are helpful, but she must learn that she can not save everyone. She must also let go of her pride and realize “that this is not a hero’s business.” However the lessons don’t sink in until she puts Paquerette in danger.“There’s only one thing you can do, Magali. And that’s go on. No one turns back time. No even God. You’re not alone. You’re only young. But I tell you true, when you get to my age, there’s no one, not a one, who doesn’t have one thing they’d cut off their hand not to have done. You lie awake at night and think about it. But it’s done. The past doesn’t change. You can pray that God makes good out of it. I believe he can. But even that…even that you may never know.” [Magali’s grandfather, pg. 297]I highly recommend Defy the Night!Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Kregel Publications in exchange for a fair and honest review.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    An absolutely incredible heart-warming book of hope and horror in early WWIIAs a Canadian child born in 1940, this book had special meaning to me, not as a child participant, but as one whose father was at war while I was young, my brother even younger. In fact, whenever my brother was asked where his Daddy was he pointed to a picture on the wall. I found this book more full of life with characters who had endured so little of family life than many books I've read in the past. It tells the story of the internment camps, later changed to prison camps, in the south of France, of the people, mostly women, who risked their lives to bring children out of the camps to safe homes. France was under the rule of the Vichy Government at this time. Though this is a book of fiction, it is only fictional as to locations and names. The two camps specifically mentioned, Rivesaltes and Gurs are real and can be visited as they are still there and the CIMADE is a real rescue group. The rest is based on real people, real homes, real situations. The internment camps were used to enclose behind strong fences with barbed wire, 'undesirables': refugees from the Spanish Civil War which had just ended, gypsies, and foreign Jews. At this time, French Jews were still free, although many were in the 'Occupied' zone of France. The story covers 1941 and early 1942, a time before the camps became deportation camps from which the internees were sent to the death camps in Germany.Heather and Lydia Munn have done excellent research and the writing is amazing. I was drawn in so completely I couldn't stop reading. The story begins with young teens in a rationing line-up. Many of their friends, kids who are immigrants from the 'wrong' countries, have already been placed into internment camps. Magali is fifteen and has a very strong will, but a compassionate heart. She and her friend Rosa like to meet the train and happen to note a young woman with four children get off the train and immediately be questioned about why she is in Tanieux. The woman instantly appears to be in command, intimidating the mayor, at the same time asking for directions. This is how the two girls become acquainted with Paquerette as they help her with the suitcases and children. The woman appears to be completely exhausted. They soon learn about her job through CIMADE, a Christian care agency, of rescuing children from the camps.This story is told in the first person by Magali. She urgently feels she should be involved in bringing the children out, even knowing it is dangerous, that she is probably too young and Paquerette leaves to get more children almost as soon as she arrives. But Paquerette wants to take her to share the load, if her parents will allow it, even if only once.We follow her story through her thoughts and actions, her horror, devastation and self-deprecation when she places her friend and personal 'Joan of Arc', Paquerette, in mortal danger when she is arrested because of an action by Magali. The characters in this book are strong, compassionate, and selfless. There are some natural character flaws as the teens grow up in such a dangerous and secretive situation wrought with hardship, but as they mature they are as strong and faithful as any adult could be.The running theme is passion, care, fear, heroism and danger. This goes for all involved: the mothers who give up their children to save them, the secrets that must be kept hidden at all costs, the necessity to be fearful in order to perform well, and the very real danger of being caught. This is a book I would definitely encourage people of most ages to read, from perhaps even 12 to any adult. Written as a Young Adult book, I think that is too limited. Much as I thought I knew, I learned a lot more in this book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Very difficult not to feel part of the story when Magali is determined to save children from what becomes Nazi concentration camps. Although there are a lot of Holocaust stories available, I really feel like this deserves a spot of the shelf due to how well it describes the inhumane treatment that existed and the brave people who tried to do something about it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book. I don't even know where to begin to discuss this book honestly. I've always been drawn to books surrounding the holocaust but this one was unlike anything I've ever read before. Magali who is a young teen herself feels compelled to save children from the camps that later would become the nazi concentration camp with a family friend. These children were living in deplorable conditions many of them sick and severely undernourished. She risks her life continually to save the lives of these innocent children.This story is tragic and heartbreaking but an important read and something that everyone should pick up and read. It brought me to tears on multiple occasions and really resonated with me. I did receive this book complimentary from librarything early reviewers but am not being compensated monetarily and this review is a reflection of my honest opinion

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Defy the Night - Heather Munn

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