The Girl Who Fell From The Sky

Jun 23, 2012 Jeanette rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: all-fiction, europe-and-british-isles, world-war-two-fiction

3.5 stars, rounding up to 4 because I like the way he ended it realistically. I also appreciated the subtle building of suspense a couple of times near the end of the story. It's not the heart-pounding suspense you get from a thriller, but a much more natural feeling of dread and uncertainty while the characters are trying to act nonchalant.
I enjoyed learning about the various training exercises women went through in Scotland and England to prepare them for life as infiltrators.

But the best thi...more

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Jun 12, 2012 Julie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: war-conflict, european-setting-multiple-countries, historical-fiction, read-2012

If you were to read a simplistic blurb of Simon Mawer's Trapeze - at the height of World War II, a young English-French woman trains as a spy and is dropped into Occupied France to aid the French Resistance - you might think you hold an espionage-adventure in your hands. Which, in fact, you do! But Mawer isn't after writing a Robert Ludlum thriller. He offers us a subtle, mannered take on a well-worn theme: how war forces the most ordinary amongst us to behave in the most extraordinary ways.

Wit...more If you were to read a simplistic blurb of Simon Mawer's Trapeze - at the height of World War II, a young English-French woman trains as a spy and is dropped into Occupied France to aid the French Resistance - you might think you hold an espionage-adventure in your hands. Which, in fact, you do! But Mawer isn't after writing a Robert Ludlum thriller. He offers us a subtle, mannered take on a well-worn theme: how war forces the most ordinary amongst us to behave in the most extraordinary ways.

With prose that is distant and spare, Mawer sets the tone of isolation experienced by his young protagonist, Marian Sutro, as she is recruited and trained by the little-known British Special Operations Executive (SOE) and dropped by parachute into Southwestern France. Marian is determined to be of use and to succeed, but her motivations aren't clear. From an upper-middle class family, she has been spared the worst of the war's deprivations and has no family members in combat. Only memories of her teenage crush, a older French man who remains in Paris, tie her to her mother's homeland. She is a restless and intelligent, but hardly strikes one as a tough, street smart spy.

And as it turns out, the SOE's motives are even more shadowy. Of course, all spies are pawns. What makes Trapeze so unique - with its quiet suspense and undercurrent of dread - is how deeply Marian and the reader are drawn into the conspiracy, how inexorably Marian's nature leads her to play precisely the role that has been designed for her. And like most realistic portrayals of war, there are long stretches of lethargy, of waiting, followed by bursts of adrenalin, terror and split-second decisions that a spy's highly-trained body and mind are designed to handle.

The brevity of Marian's training is the only jarring note. Marian spends six weeks on an island off the coast of Scotland and emerges a lethal weapon. She becomes skilled in radio communication, ciphers, firearms, explosives, hand-to-hand combat -- it's a disbelief-suspending transformation from a soft, naive girl into a trained assassin with the survival instincts of a fox and the killer reactions of a tiger. Trapeze is a based on the true story, so perhaps this short training period is accurate. It's hard to imagine, really. But again, Mawer's theme runs through: do any of us really know the depth of our own character - its weakness or its power - until we are faced with desperate times?

I made a comment the other day on Twitter that I felt "character-driven" to be one of the most useless descriptors of literary fiction. To my surprise, my off-hand remark was retweeted numerous times by writers and book fans. Apparently, my words touched nerve.

Had I more than 140 characters to express myself, I would asked: if one says a novel is character-driven, what is the alternative? What well-crafted story isn't character driven? Story IS character, as much as it is plot- it is the behavior, action and reaction of the protagonist and ancillaries within and to their environment. A great story is one that wraps you in the characters' world, whether that world is a disintegrating marriage or an exploding planet of some distant universe. Or the shadowed streets and freezing lofts of Occupied Paris.

What leads me to finally reject the notion of "character-driven" as reductive is Simon Mawer's restrained Trapeze. The author does a superb job of taking fiction's inextricably-linked elements - setting, plot, character, theme - and distilling them into the essence of a perfect story. (less)

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May 01, 2012 Cynthia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-in-2012

In war there’s a fine line between being alive and being fully human.

I enjoyed this book immensely. “Trapeze” centers around a young English woman, Marian Sutro, who’s recruited to be a spy embedded in France. Marian is the daughter of an English diplomat and a French woman. She grows up in Switzerland where her father is stationed. She’s the adored younger sister of a brilliant scientist brother. She’s also adored by and adoring of her brother’s fellow scientist Clement. Mawer quickly catches t...more

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Mar 19, 2012 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-mt-bookpile

Recently I had a conversation with someone about the Holocaust; we agreed that those with direct experience would be gone in the next 10-15 years, and that the memories of those with direct experience were (now) fading or being lost to old age. So it's not surprising that the children of those people are striving to keep those memories alive and to honor their parents' experience.

In this case, the author is writing (loosely) about a friend of her parents, a woman who worked for the Special Opera...more

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May 19, 2013 Jürgen Zeller rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Das Buch mit dem schwarzweissen Cover mit einer undurchschaubaren aber aparten Frau mit einem delphischen Blick fällt einem auf den ersten Blick ins Auge und der Klappentext klingt äusserst verheissungsvoll. Eine junge Engländerin soll zur Agentin/Spionin ausgebildet werden und während des 2. Weltkriegs mit Fallschirm über Frankreich abspringen um dort einen geheimen Auftrag in Untergrund zu erfüllen. Der Gedanke den der Autor Simon Mawer aufnimmt entspringt nicht seiner Fantasie sondern basiert...more Das Buch mit dem schwarzweissen Cover mit einer undurchschaubaren aber aparten Frau mit einem delphischen Blick fällt einem auf den ersten Blick ins Auge und der Klappentext klingt äusserst verheissungsvoll. Eine junge Engländerin soll zur Agentin/Spionin ausgebildet werden und während des 2. Weltkriegs mit Fallschirm über Frankreich abspringen um dort einen geheimen Auftrag in Untergrund zu erfüllen. Der Gedanke den der Autor Simon Mawer aufnimmt entspringt nicht seiner Fantasie sondern basierte auf realen Begebenheiten. Rund fünfzig SOE-Frauen, Special Operations Executive, wurden für diese lebensgefährliche Mission vom britischen Geheimdienst ausgebildet. Wer von den Deutschen verhaftet wurde dem war ein kurzes Leben beschieden, die Frauen wurden in der Regel kurzerhand hingerichtet. Manche haben in der Résitance überlebt und konnten von ihren Erfahrungen berichten andere sind bis heute unbekannt geblieben und ihr Schicksal ist ungeklärt. Gemäss Klappentext will der Autor den mutigen jungen Frauen ein Denkmal setzten. Gelungen ist ihm dies leider nur in Ansätzen weil meiner Meinung nach zu vieles in diesem Roman nur Mittelmass ist.

Die Zeichnung der Figuren, die Rekrutierung und die Ausbildung zur Agentin nimmt zu Beginn viel Raum und Zeit ein und doch wächst mir die Hauptperson Marian Sutro nicht wirklich ans Herz. Ich beobachte durchaus interessiert was sie macht, den Lernprozess den sie in der Ausbildung durchläuft aber als Romanfigur bleibt sie mir als Leser zu verschlossen und es bleibt eine recht grosse emotionale Distanziertheit. Die Handlung an sich ist auf eine Art spannend aber auch sie vermag mich nicht in der erhofften Weise zu fesseln. Die angekündigte "Casblanca-gleiche" Liebesgeschichte wirkt auf mich eher etwas hölzern als das bei mir gefühlsaufwallende Stimmung aufkommt. Erst gegen Ende der Geschichte kommt die längst erwartete Spannung auf und vermag das Gesamtbild etwas aufzuwerten. Das Buch ist als Ganzes gesehen gewiss nicht Schlecht aber leider kann ich es aus meiner Sicht auch nicht weiterempfehlen weil es, vom Äusseren mal abgesehen, eher Dutzendware ist. Von einem Schriftsteller, von dem zwei Romane für den renommierten Booker-Preis nominiert wurden, habe ich eine ganz andere Erwartungshaltung als eine Geschichte die ziemlich durchschnittlich erzählt ist.(less)

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Jan 30, 2013 Cerealflakes rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I am mixed on this book. The beginning was interesting, and the end kept me on the edge of my seat, but the middle lagged. I was also disappointed that the ending was an obvious cliff hanger for his next book. I always feel tricked by the author when I read an entire book only to have it stop and not end.

The main character really wasn't well developed enough for me to relate to. I was reading this book and wondering if it was because it was written by a man. I have read books by men with women m...more

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Jan 27, 2013 Julia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Note: In the US, this book is called "Trapeze". This is the UK title.

Marian Sutro is bilingual: the daughter of an English father and French mother. She is recruited to be an undercover agent in France during WW2. When the book opens she is in a plane about to descend by parachute into the south of France. The book then goes back in time to explain how she was recruited, how she was trained and how she learned about her dual missions in France. Once she arrives in France she finds that it has ch...more

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Jan 07, 2013 Anastasia Fitzgerald-Beaumont rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Girl Who Fell from the Sky – published in the US as Trapeze - is a thriller, a spy story, a coming of age narrative, a tale of sexual awakening, of self-discovery, of the terrors of working under an assumed name in a land occupied by a malign presence. The life that it has is all that it has, and it’s yours and yours and yours! Is it mine? The honest answer is that I’m not at all sure.

It’s the first novel I’ve read by Simon Mawer, though his much lauded The Glass Room is in my collection an...more

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Jul 20, 2012 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

This novel literally gets off to a flying start: We meet our heroine Marian Sutro as she sits in a juddering plane, parachute pack strapped to her back, waiting to drop over Nazi-occupied France so she can start work as a British spy.

It is a bizarre situation, but not far-fetched at all. This ninth novel by English author Simon Mawer, who was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2009 for The Glass Room, is based on operations by Britain’s Special Operations Executive, which sent 50 female agents...more This novel literally gets off to a flying start: We meet our heroine Marian Sutro as she sits in a juddering plane, parachute pack strapped to her back, waiting to drop over Nazi-occupied France so she can start work as a British spy.

It is a bizarre situation, but not far-fetched at all. This ninth novel by English author Simon Mawer, who was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2009 for The Glass Room, is based on operations by Britain’s Special Operations Executive, which sent 50 female agents to France during World War II.

Twenty-something Marian is doing some kind of data-sorting job in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force on London’s outskirts when she is recruited by the government group. Born of an English father and a French mother, and bred in Geneva, her special skill is her fluency in French: “For me there’s only one language. I simply use the bits of it that are appropriate at the time.”

Her mission, which requires her to appear local while carrying out acts of subterfuge, is no easy task, to say the least. As her recruiter says ominously: “We estimate – it is no more than an estimate – that the chances of survival are about fifty-fifty.”

Adding to the thrill of the task is a romantic element in the form of Clement Pelletier, a brilliant physicist who was her brother’s friend and her childhood crush, who remains in Paris and whom the British have an eye on.

There is much to like about this novel, but the problem it does have is a rather crucial one. Marian remains to the reader something of an enigma, which is great for a spy, but not so great as the protagonist of a novel. She is admirable but not lovable; she elicits sympathy but not empathy.

Part of the problem could be the choice of third-person narration, despite the fact that only Marian’s perspective is presented. This sense of remove persists even when the narrative switches to present tense in the France section.

Another reason is author’s tendency to tell rather than show. In her past life, we never actually see Marian display the abilities for dissembling and self-defence that her life depends on in her new career.

That said, this novel is a fascinating look at the war effort away from the battlefield. There are several lovely, poignant details, such as how each agent chooses a poem which becomes their personal key when sending coded messages. (Marian’s is a laughably corny self-penned love poem, her tender age belying the dreadful risks she is taking on).

And then there is the business of smuggling incriminating items, with Marian’s wits standing her in good stead when she is subjected to a breathtakingly invasive body search in the middle of a city square, the searcher’s hand “a small exploring rodent, feeling and seeking”.

The story itself is irresistibly cinematic: I can already envision a gamine actress such as Carey Mulligan in the leading role, brow prettily furrowed as she hammers out a clandestine transmission in Morse code.

As Marian weaves her way through the fallen city, the twists and the tension ratchet up to epic levels. It is at such moments that the novel is at its best, becoming a page-turner on a par with any thriller. (less)

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Jun 24, 2012 Carol rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

4 Stars - 3 Stars - 4 Stars

Is it me or is it the book?

At the outset I was very interested in reading Trapeze as it promised a peek into ta little known piece of World War II history --a fictionalized account of the 39 women, members of The French Section of the Special Operative Executive.

As someone who has tandem jumped and who also is the niece of a World War II parachutist who died doing just that during the Battle of the Bulge, I was intrigued by the thought of these women who parachuted in...more

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Jun 23, 2012 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Some novels should come with an advisory: “Readers will not get anything done until they have completed this book.” Trapeze by Simon Mawer is desperately in need of that label. Readers are immediately drawn into this novel by its main character, Marian Sutro, a young woman wondering what her place is in the fighting of World War II. Marian is the daughter of an English father and a French mother, and is bilingual, making her the perfect addition to the French Section of the Special Operations Ex...more

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May 19, 2012 Deborah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1900s-era, award-winning-author, european-setting, french-connection, historical-romance, men-would-enjoy, new-author-for-me, paperback-i-own, reviewer-book, war-novel

Mr. Mawer is a learned and wise gentleman who spends most of his time in research and writing. His novel "Trapeze" is reflective of this. While he is an intellect and scholar, his book is infinitely readable and moves at a fast pace. I enjoyed it very much.

"Trapeze" is a love story and a crow's eyed view of the behind the scenes during WWII in France. It is a tribute to the many women who served and died in the Resistance. I believe it's a tribute to all women who brave the front and hidden all...more Mr. Mawer is a learned and wise gentleman who spends most of his time in research and writing. His novel "Trapeze" is reflective of this. While he is an intellect and scholar, his book is infinitely readable and moves at a fast pace. I enjoyed it very much.

"Trapeze" is a love story and a crow's eyed view of the behind the scenes during WWII in France. It is a tribute to the many women who served and died in the Resistance. I believe it's a tribute to all women who brave the front and hidden alleyways of war even today, and may never get the recognition they deserve. It always strikes me hard that the heroines (and heros) of war are so often young people in their latter teens and early 20's.

There is violence, there is a daring in events, requirements of bravery; and. not so much a "coming of age" as a story of learning the hardships and harsh realities of life in this novel. There certainly is a story of "bucking up" under terrifying situations for the young woman protagonist, 19 year old, Marian Sutro.We learn the ever true story that war creates heroes and survivors, or those who are destroyed and wounded. A wise man once said that "courage is simply fear bolstered by prayer." In "Trapeze" we find this sort of courage. Marian Sutro, just a simple young woman of no apparent genius, learned to draw from a courage she didn't realize she had, and that meant everything in a world gone crazy with violence and desperation.

The love story between Marian and research physicist Clement Pelletier is poignant and, at the same time, filled with tension. It is through this relationship we feel the impact of the war and the human tragedies and risks played out. Their chemistry leaps off the pages, and I don't mean physics!

All in all, I loved "Trapeze." It's not an ordinary historical fiction. It's a novel with contemporary relevance; one with a universal message and a tribute to not only the women of the French resistance, but of all women who fight behind the scenes for their country, for freedom.
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May 08, 2012 Kiwiflora rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ordinary people doing extraordinary things. That's one of the things that war does. And we wonder too, if we were placed under such pressures as having our country occupied by an enemy, would we too do find ourselves doing extraordinary things? Almost immediately after France was occupied by Germany in 1940, General De Gaulle, from his base in London, as head of the Free French movement, called on his compatriots in France to resist the German occupation at all costs so as to keep France free an...more Ordinary people doing extraordinary things. That's one of the things that war does. And we wonder too, if we were placed under such pressures as having our country occupied by an enemy, would we too do find ourselves doing extraordinary things? Almost immediately after France was occupied by Germany in 1940, General De Gaulle, from his base in London, as head of the Free French movement, called on his compatriots in France to resist the German occupation at all costs so as to keep France free and restore the glory of France. Just a month later, the British Government formed the Special Operations Executive, a largely secretive organisation that was to undertake a variety of tasks including espionage, sabotage, and reconnaissance in Europe against Germany and its allies, and to use and aid the local resistance movements to achieve these aims. The SOE depended for its success on recruiting agents who could pass as natives of the countries they were placed into. Dual citizenship, years of living in the subject country, fluency in the language, an affinity with the country were all qualities highly sought after.

France was not the only country that the SOE operated in, but it is the subject of this novel, the latest by Simon Mawer, whose previous novel, 'The Glass Room' was short listed for the 2009 Man Booker Prize. Young Marian Sutro, with her English diplomat father, and her French mother has lived much of her life in Switzerland and also knows Paris very well. Marian works for the WAAF where her intelligence and steady nerves have her working in the Filter Room, a section of the Defence system where aircraft positions are plotted and recorded. She comes to the attention of a SOE recruiter. After having the dangers outlined to her, which are many, she agrees to join the SOE, and so her big adventure begins. She is sent to Scotland to a training facility where she undergoes a most extensive and intensive training course in all aspects of self-preservation, espionage, surveillance, wireless work and essentially survival.

And finally comes her big moment of being parachuted into France to begin her big adventure. To this point the story has trundled along at quite a leisurely unexciting sort of pace - really setting the scene for the second half. We are introduced to her fellow 'students' at the training camp, especially Benoit and Yvette. We are also introduced to her brother Ned who is a physicist and read about a Frenchman, Clement, a slightly older family friend who she had a mad crush on during her teenage years and who is now a nuclear physicist still in occupied Paris.

Once Marian, now Alice, and soon to take on a third identity, lands in France, we are immediately plunged into the adrenalin laced, terrifying, stressful, and exhausting life of the partisan/resistance worker. From the countryside of the still unoccupied south west France to German-infested Paris, Marian attempts to do the tasks she has been assigned. Which I won't divulge here! The contrast in the writing style is quite pronounced and the book very quickly becomes a page turner. While very much a tale of good vs evil, it is primarily the story of Marian's growth: from a young, naive, perhaps bit spoilt, bored girl into a highly trained, sophisticated, professional, self aware woman. And never once do you let your guard down.

The stories of women resistance workers have been told many times and in many different forms over the decades. But whether they are true as in the life of Nancy Wake or fictional as in Sebastian Faulkes' 'Charlotte Grey' or William Boyd's 'Restless' they still have the ability to make us wonder how we would behave, leave us in awe and above all humble us. A most worthwhile read.(less)

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Jun 28, 2012 Jan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

This World War II novel features one of my favorite plot scenarios--a young British woman is trained to be an undercover agent and parachuted into Occupied France so she can undertake a mission critical to the war effort.

Marion Sutro, a young English woman with a French mother, is bilingual and a perfect candidate for undercover operations in France during World War II. She is also recruited because years ago, she had a romantic liason with an older man who happens to be working in Paris, under...more

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Aug 12, 2012 Alice Meloy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Reading this now novel from Simon Mawer after his excellent The Glass Room, I was reminded of how I felt reading Mary Doria Russell's Dreamers of the Day after The Sparrow and Thread of Grace: did someone else write this novel or is it perhaps a resurrected earlier work? It's not a bad novel, but it doesn't measure up to the depth of The Glass Room. Three and a half years into the Second World War, a young British woman is recommended for special espionage work in France. Her mother is French, a...more

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May 25, 2012 Nancy Oakes rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, uk-fiction

for a longer version, click on through.

Marian Sutro is a member of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF); as the novel opens she has been recruited by the Inter-Services Research Bureau, an organization which "trains people to work in France." Everything is hush-hush; she is not allowed to talk to anyone about what she is doing -- her parents think she's being trained as a nurse. Sent to Scotland for training, Marian goes through an intense series of courses, learning everything from parachuti...more for a longer version, click on through.

Marian Sutro is a member of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF); as the novel opens she has been recruited by the Inter-Services Research Bureau, an organization which "trains people to work in France." Everything is hush-hush; she is not allowed to talk to anyone about what she is doing -- her parents think she's being trained as a nurse. Sent to Scotland for training, Marian goes through an intense series of courses, learning everything from parachuting and commando skills to other more covert espionage techniques designed to prepare her for the "clandestine life." All of this work is done in preparation for Marian's launch into the French countryside to aid in the resistance effort. She meets and befriends others working for the SOE, among them a young woman named Yvette who is worried she'll be booted out of the program before she can get to France, and Benoit, a young man who is very attracted to her. A most important piece of advice Marian and her fellow trainees are given comes in the form of a quotation from one of the fables of Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian: "Pour vivre heureux, vivons cachés," -- to live happily, live hidden.

Before she actually leaves for France, Marian, now "Alice," is directed to meet with some people from a different government department, one more secret than the group who originally recruited her. In addition to the duties she is to undertake for the Special Operations Executive, she is given an additional secret assignment that could help the Allies win the war if successful. The parachute mission, codenamed "Trapeze" sends her into the southwest of France as Anne-Marie Laroche, but before too long, she is ordered to Paris, which as Marian very quickly discovers, is a very dangerous place. Everyone there has the potential of being a collaborator with, or even worse, an agent of the Nazi occupation; she has arrived in a Paris that is a "city inhabited by ... ghosts of young men, ghosts of Jews, ghosts of communists and socialists," where the danger, as she puts it, is a "cancer within you, invisible, imponderable, and probably incurable.” When her first-schoolgirl love Clément Pelletier, who remained in Paris during the German occupation, discovers why she's really there, he laughingly refers to her as "The daring young girl on the flying trapeze;" a somewhat prophetic phrase not too far off the mark, as it will turn out later.

The novel reads like an adventure story with a bit of romance thrown in; and while it may be much less of a literary work than his Glass House, what makes this book stand out from other spy-type novels is Mawer's pacing and his prose. He slowly, step by step, ratchets up the reader's degree of interest in this character, going through her recruitment and training, lolling a bit with the love interest and the pre-mission days and into a quiet streak in rural France. But the big payoff is her time spent in Paris. These scenes are the best in the novel, where the reader is there right along with her -- and the combined suspense and unease suddenly become palpable. Combined with his wonderful writing, Mawer has produced a novel that can only be described as haunting; it becomes even more poignant as you reach the ending, because it hits you that he's based his character Marian on real women who did their parts to bring an end to the war -- all the while knowing and running the risks involved in their missions. On the negative side, I could have done without Marian getting over her Catholic guilt regarding masturbation and the sex scenes were kind of pointless. But really, those are minor niggles -- Trapeze is a fine novel, and would be of interest to anyone who reads and enjoys historical fiction.
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Jan 25, 2013 thewanderingjew rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Based on the true story of a group of young women who were recruited in Britain, during WWII, to serve in the French Division of The Special Operations Executive, the book is filled with historic facts about their training, innocence and bravery in the face of enormous danger. The SOE trained these women for espionage and all types of weapon use. Dropped into France, in secret, they became different people, and they performed whatever assignments they were given, often completely on their own, f...more Based on the true story of a group of young women who were recruited in Britain, during WWII, to serve in the French Division of The Special Operations Executive, the book is filled with historic facts about their training, innocence and bravery in the face of enormous danger. The SOE trained these women for espionage and all types of weapon use. Dropped into France, in secret, they became different people, and they performed whatever assignments they were given, often completely on their own, facing untold danger. Many did not survive the effort.
The author, Simon Mawer, introduces us to Marian Sutro when she is a young girl of 19. A member of the WAF, she is recruited into this spy machine and parachuted into France with several new identities. She enters the maelstrom of war, young and a bit naïve, however, she is forced to mature quickly. She and other recruits become romantically involved with each other, although it is against regulations, so in addition to this exciting tale of espionage, there are forbidden romantic liaisons and love stories taking place. Romance can fog the mind and compromise their ability to think clearly, but the constant danger makes them behave carelessly and foolishly sometimes. There is always so much at stake; this behavior becomes a release for tension. Marian’s mission is of the highest priority and her life is always in danger. There is no shortage of mystery or intrigue. We witness murder and betrayal, fear and courage, in the face of monumental danger. If caught, awful consequences await them.
This historic piece of fiction, about a group of people engaged in the effort to end World War II that I had never heard about before, is really engaging and eye opening. Working alongside freedom fighters who often believed that the women were unworthy of the task, whose beauty was distracting, they must nevertheless prove themselves and do their job in the face of the resistance, rudeness, and mistrust.
I particularly liked the descriptive use of language. It made what might have been a mundane spy story, leap off the page. There was little use of crude language, inappropriate sex and whatever other contrivance other writers of late seem to be wont to do; instead, Mawer uses the language effectively to tell the story by creating images that are revealing. For instance, body odor is the scent from an armpit, an image the reader can appreciate.
I found the reader of this audio to be excellent. Her vocal expression made the content clear. Her use of voices brought the characters to life and her tone seemed pitch perfect to me.
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Nov 09, 2012 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Intense story of a young woman during WWI, French mama, British papa. Schooled in Geneva. Recruited to be part of British secret support of French Resistance. Think weapons training, parachutes, Morse code, coded messages, hidden wireless, costume changes at the open market to escape the Nazis, and romance. Most wonderful part of the story is the way the author allows his young naive recruit to mature, almost overnight, into a seasoned undercover agent, with impressive decision making and a gent...more

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May 03, 2012 Elizabeth B rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Perhaps once in a decade you come across a book like this. With fluid prose that carries you along, this book joins every major genre under one cover. Suspense, spy, historical, romance, coming of age – a thread of each type of story blends together almost seamlessly to craft a story that will appeal to a wide and varied audience. I admire the author’s attempt to include so many different types of elements into the story and, for the most part, feel the author has done so successfully. While I f...more

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Oct 20, 2012 Sheila rated it 3 of 5 stars

Marian Sutro is a young woman living in England working in the Filter Room in the WAAF during WWII. Marian has a special quality that attracts the attention of her superiors, she is fluent in French. She is recruited by the Special Operations Executive to undergo specialized training so she can go over to France as a special agent. She parachutes into south-west France and spends the first bit of time working as a courier for the Resistance but her real assignment is to persuade an old family fr...more

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Jul 14, 2012 Felicity rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A five point rating scale never really seems sufficient. I gave this a three, because I can't remember what I gave Mawer's "The Glass Room" (clearly, I've assumed a four). As much as I liked "Trapeze" (titled "The Girl Who Fell From the Sky" elsewhere), "The Glass Room" was a better book. There was something that moved me about "The Glass Room" that didn't about this one. Maybe it's because my French is really that bad (sadly).

The story follows the adventures of Marian Sutro/Alice/Anne-Marie/Law...more

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Mar 22, 2013 Rhiannon rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bookgroup-pick

I went back and forth on 3 or 4 stars here, but decided not to let my love of the ending tip my rating of the entire book. Trapeze started off a little slow for me and I often felt confused about how I was ‘supposed’ to feel about the main character. Marian seemed to be described as capable and confident in one moment and then scared and unsure of herself in others. I enjoyed the author’s writing style, but felt that some parts of the book were vague and left me wanting more details. Like many o...more

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Jul 16, 2012 Bryan Higgs rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure

I have discovered quite a number of interesting books that I would not have known about, nor considered reading, as a result of listening to the Diane Rehm Show on National Public Radio. This is one of those books. Diane Rehm interviewed the author about this book, and it sounded interesting, so I suggested that my wife and I read it.

I was right. It was a very interesting and well-written book, and at the same time an absorbing page-turner. My wife liked it a lot, too.

I'll let you discover the b...more

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Apr 05, 2013 Karen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I suppose the pace of the story was purposely subdued to distance the book from the normal spy genre. I expected more action and tense drama. I never really connected with the protagonist because she wasn't fleshed out enough to get a bead on her personality. She's just kind of dropped into the story with few details from her past. Her motivation seems to be driven entirely by external events and we aren't privy to her personal desires or dreams. Toward the end she speaks of passion for her love...more

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Oct 13, 2012 John B. rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 30, 2012 Jo at Jaffareadstoo rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Marion Sutro, is a young woman on a dangerous mission. She is recruited, in London, by the special operations executive, and after extensive training, is chosen to take part in an operation, which involves being parachuted into occupied France, during WW2. Marian’s natural aptitude with the French language, and her ability to convince the authorities that she is a French citizen, makes her the perfect candidate for espionage. Entrusted with assignments that will place her in extreme danger, Mari...more

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Jan 29, 2013 Erin Shull rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a thrilling, page turning read with really fun characters, and was beautifully written. Marian (a/k/a Alice, a/k/a Anne-Marie) is just a wonderful character that the reader can get behind. We join her as she goes from England to Scotland to train how to be a spy and then on to Paris, where she parachutes into the countryside at night with the handsome Benoit, and proceeds to put her French to good use by spying for England. In the process, she is also asked to deliver a message to her f...more

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Jan 27, 2013 Brian rated it 5 of 5 stars

Set during World War Two, The Girl Who Fell From The Sky is the story of Marian Sutro, a young Anglo-French woman parachuted into occupied France by the Special Operations Executive to help run an espionage network in the south west.

With its focus on identity and loyalty, it's an intelligent, well-crafted thriller drawing its power from the inner world of its protagonist, where fear is an ever present backdrop, overshadowing friendship, love and sex, making the simplest judgement complex and the...more

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May 13, 2013 Joie Ritchie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended by a friend, this book was a rare find; one of those books that delivers a shock in the last few pages. I never saw it coming. A great, great read!

This book tells the unheralded true story of British men and women enlisted into a secret program during World War II that required they parachute into Nazi occupied France for the purpose of transmitting intelligence back to England. Their success relied heavily on their ability to speak French flawlessly, and never fail to perfectly exe...more

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Jul 26, 2012 Kandice rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-in-2012, fiction, historical

This book tells the story of a young girl growing to adulthood while working as a spy during WWII in the SOE unit. A real unit which had very few women working in it, it was a group where over half the women died after being arrested by the Nazis for their participation in the war effort. Marian starts out as a very young woman who thinks being recruited will be a huge adventure. While it is certainly adventurous being in the SOE, Marian soon learns the hardships and fears of being a spy. Mawer'...more

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12243540-the-girl-who-fell-from-the-sky?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327763109l/12243540.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12243540-the-girl-who-fell-from-the-sky?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Girl Who Fell From The Sky by Simon Mawer[/url]

The Girl Who Fell From The Sky

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