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Charlotte Gray

(French Trilogy #3)

Sebastian Faulks

3.81 · Rating details · 10,291 ratings · 545 reviews

From the front-inside of the dustcover:

It is 1942, London is blacked out, but France is under a greater darkness, as the Vichy régime clings ever closer to the Nazi occupier in their danse macabre.

From Edinburgh, Charlotte Gray, a volatile but determined young woman, travels south. In London she conceives a dangerous passion for an English airman. Charlotte goes to France ...more

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Hardcover, 394 pages

Published 1998 by BCA by arrangement with Hutchinson

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Average rating 3.81 ·

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· 10,291 ratings · 545 reviews

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Oct 19, 2014 Violet wells rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, contemporary-british-fiction

Bewildered this has such a decent rating. Perhaps everyone forgot how heavy-handed, sloppy, rambling and sometimes absurd this was until about page 300 when it does markedly get better. But it irritated me with its patronising subtext of female subservience to romantic imperatives. As if all those female SOE agents went to France principally for an amorous fling. And often the research was mopped over the surface with the subtlety of an industrial detergent.

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Apr 05, 2017 Tim rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, world-war-two, france

If you strip this novel down to its central storyline it’s about a young woman who goes to France primarily to find her airman boyfriend who’s missing in action. In France she gets amorously involved with another man. She contributes nothing to the war effort. She’s not even in touch with London. In other words you could say it’s hugely disrespectful to the enormous bravery and dedication of the real female SOE agents who certainly didn’t go to France for amorous reasons.
These agents all belong ...more

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Apr 06, 2011 F.R. rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Even though I greatly enjoyed the majority of this ‘British lass battles the Nazis in France’ novel, I have to say that – after turning the final page – I’m somewhat disappointed. It’s a really good book and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone who wanted an incredibly well written tale of recent history. But still, it’s far from perfect and I’ll confess that, as I was working my way into it over the first hundred pages or so, there were moments when I was tempted to just hurl it agains Even though I greatly enjoyed the majority of this ‘British lass battles the Nazis in France’ novel, I have to say that – after turning the final page – I’m somewhat disappointed. It’s a really good book and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone who wanted an incredibly well written tale of recent history. But still, it’s far from perfect and I’ll confess that, as I was working my way into it over the first hundred pages or so, there were moments when I was tempted to just hurl it against a wall and give up the whole thing as a bad lot.

The main problem, certainly in the opening sections, is Charlotte Gray herself. The character we’re introduced to (as opposed to the one she develops into) is like a wet weekend – a kind of mournful and dour presence that you wish would just go away. It’s never great when a reader wants the central character – and the title character, to boot – to just sod off! Her fairly joyless presence even has the odd effect of making the London sections at the beginning of this novel seem flat and less than convincing – particularly strange as Faulks actually lives in this city.

Once Charlotte is flown across enemy lines, however, the novel picks up tremendously. The French sections are brilliantly done: combining an unflinching view of life during wartime and the worst of what man is capable of; with a more positive recognition of individual courage and camaraderie in the face of seemingly overwhelming force. On the other side of The Channel, Charlotte herself becomes a more dynamic character and the book goes with her, creating a tale which brings out passion, outrage and suspense, but never dips far into melodrama.

Unfortunately that isn’t sustained right to the finish line, as the ending is somewhat flabby and inconsequential. So what I really like about this book is the middle, and that’s fine. I’ve read other tales of wartime derring-do that don’t manage as much in their entire length as Faulks does in the middle of ‘Charlotte Gray’. So, it’s a book I have reservations about, but one that I – for the most part – thoroughly enjoyed. ...more

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May 03, 2013 Algernon (Darth Anyan) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013

'It's not you, it's me!' : the classic break-up phrase is an apt resolution marking my falling out of enchantment with what is called 'The French Trilogy'. I had an easy time giving praise to The Girl of the Lion d'Or and I have rated Songbird a masterpiece - one of the best literary accounts of the Great War. In trying to pin down what didn't work this time, I'm reminded how much what I'm writing here is a matter of personal opinion, and not an attempt at objective literary citicism.

Charlo ...more

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Jul 07, 2011 Jessica Ariwa rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I had mixed feelings about this book. It shares many similarities with Birdsong, lovers, war, etc etc. The language is gorgeous, Faulks writes in a way that really engages the you. You feel as though you really know Charlotte, you almost feel what she feels. For me it felt as if all that was missing from this novel was a good story. For huge sections of the novel nothing happens at all. Faulks has seemed to have just focused on the travelling between places and writing out many conversations in ...more

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Mar 25, 2019 Jess rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, dishonour-on-your-cow, you-n-me-could-write-a-bad-romance, cover-envy, wannabe-feminist, give-me-strength, i-don-t-want-you-to-come-on-my-face, culled, over-hyped, 2019

Charlotte Gray broadcasts an exceptionally distorted definition of courage, depicting a young woman endangering her life only to pursue a specious personal agenda. She contributes nothing to the resistance or war effort, and her only motivation is a man. Unsurprisingly, Charlotte Gray has just about as much agency to rival that of a warm, limp lettuce leaf. The novel is a grim mockery of the dedication and fierce bravery of the SOE girls, exploiting a very real and turbulent episode in European Charlotte Gray broadcasts an exceptionally distorted definition of courage, depicting a young woman endangering her life only to pursue a specious personal agenda. She contributes nothing to the resistance or war effort, and her only motivation is a man. Unsurprisingly, Charlotte Gray has just about as much agency to rival that of a warm, limp lettuce leaf. The novel is a grim mockery of the dedication and fierce bravery of the SOE girls, exploiting a very real and turbulent episode in European history and failing to present the complexity of the sacrifice these women were willing to make. Many of them gave their lives.

At its core, Charlotte Gray is a saccharine and unconvincing romance masquerading as gritty historical fiction. The backdrop of World War II serves no other true function than as a convenient setting to orchestrate a romance and amplify the associated angst - because only in the presence of sadistic Fascist regimes and all their inconveniences can you prove your love for someone, right? Travesties such as The Nightingale are prime examples that perpetuate this attitude which I find, quite frankly, disrespectful (see my thoughts here). The romance in question is entirely unfounded and unconvincing: Charlotte and Gregory do not seem to connect on any psychological level, so their fling is certainly never emotionally compelling. Perhaps if the relationship were even vaguely moving, then I could condone Charlotte only consenting to SOE on his behalf. She is a submissive and stale character who does nothing to prove that she is worth emotional investment, or even competent enough for recruitment. So this, ah, romance (as well as Charlotte’s sex appeal, of course) functioning as an integral justification and plot point angers me: it belies any sort of feminist objective because Charlotte does not empower herself. Is this really the best tribute Faulks could pay to the female experience amidst the androcentricity of war?

The writing itself is a dense and turgid tract of little literary merit. Faulks ascribes volumes of details to poor effect, presumably to achieve some level of verisimilitude, but the result is invasive and sacrifices any authority the plot may have otherwise commanded. The narrative itself is meandering , excruciatingly dull (I skim-read from the halfway mark), and ultimately achieves nothing. Add this to your dimensionless and archetypal characters and you’re in for this sterile, aimless and bloodless slog.

Not amused. I’m astounded that this has earned itself such laudatory praise - and a decent rating here on Goodreads. As far as I’m concerned, this is a dry trivialization of a harrowing truth. It offers no new, surprising or enlightening perspective on a very well trodden time period. Most crucially, in terms of alerting a modern audience to the incredible achievements of Special Operations Executive, this does far more damage that it does good. ...more

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Jul 16, 2017 Pam Baddeley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, general-fiction

An interesting take on WWII from the point of view of agents who went into France to help the Resistance, but also a slightly odd romance novel. Charlotte Gray, the main character, is a Scottish girl who comes to London in 1942 to do 'something for the war effort' and almost by accident falls into working for a fictionalised version of Special Operations Executive (SOE). At the same time, she becomes obsessed with a daring airman, Peter Gregory, who also ends up flying missions for the same depa An interesting take on WWII from the point of view of agents who went into France to help the Resistance, but also a slightly odd romance novel. Charlotte Gray, the main character, is a Scottish girl who comes to London in 1942 to do 'something for the war effort' and almost by accident falls into working for a fictionalised version of Special Operations Executive (SOE). At the same time, she becomes obsessed with a daring airman, Peter Gregory, who also ends up flying missions for the same department, dropping supplies to resistence workers in France or picking up British operatives who are returning after missions. When he goes missing on one of these flights, Charlotte, sent to France on her first mission, decides to look for him, and defies her orders to return home when she has completed her official duties.

The book is in some respects a not altogether successful mixture of romance, psychology, espionage in WWII, French politics and the plight of the Jews in Nazi-occupied Europe, with quite a bit of philosophy thrown in as a side order. Charlotte is unsure for a long while whether she really loves Peter or has latched onto him because of her own psychological problems stemming from childhood. At times she is a slightly irritating vacillating character with no will of her own, and her main role in the book seems to be to trot round France and show the reader various other characters and situations.

However, other aspects of the book were interesting, such as the light thrown on the attitudes of the French to their German overlords and how some looked on collaboration and even occupation as a necessary evil to sort out problems they perceived with their country. And the plight of the Jews, as seen through the tragic fates of an embittered artist in his 60s and two young boys whose parents have already been deported to the death camps, is heart-rending. Therefore, I found it an enjoyable read, while remaining well aware that it doesn't give a realistic portrayal of the real life work of the courageous SOE operatives. ...more

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Jul 09, 2012 Elizabeth (Alaska) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: late-20th-century, world-war-two

I found myself comparing this to other war titles by this author. In both Birdsong and Where My Heart Used to Beat there were two timelines. The look back at the war experience was an essential part of those novels. This is a WWII novel, told entirely during war time. Yes, there were two characters who had participated in The Great War, but there were only a few paragraphs telling how that war had wounded them, primarily psychologically.

This involved civilian participation in the war. Important ...more

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Mar 19, 2008 Renee rated it liked it · review of another edition

I thought that I would love this book. The plot sounded wonderful. Just the sort of thing that I would normally like. It takes place in WWII, in France, with a Scottish girl playing spy in a little village. But once her duties are over, she decided to stay in the village to try and seek out information about her lost lover, an English pilot who is MIA somewhere in France.

But something about the book just didn't click with me.

Charlotte's character seemed remote and rather boring. I didn't find ...more

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Feb 01, 2019 Mark rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

History is written by the victors and but between 1939-45 thanks to fluctuating fortunes France saw its recent history being rewritten, again and again, as she experienced, in turn, Conquest, Occupation, Collaboration, Resistance, Liberation and bloody Aftermath, involving a hostile and savage Reckoning. It is impossible to approach any story set in WW2 without knowing the outcome but Sebastian Faulks succeeds in setting his tense and absorbing story against a backdrop of a dejected and defeated History is written by the victors and but between 1939-45 thanks to fluctuating fortunes France saw its recent history being rewritten, again and again, as she experienced, in turn, Conquest, Occupation, Collaboration, Resistance, Liberation and bloody Aftermath, involving a hostile and savage Reckoning. It is impossible to approach any story set in WW2 without knowing the outcome but Sebastian Faulks succeeds in setting his tense and absorbing story against a backdrop of a dejected and defeated France, thrown into confusion and uncertainty, and into this demoralised and divided country he drops a somewhat timorous Charlotte Gray, his SOE agent who will prove to be brave and resourceful.

Recently recruited into the secret services, by a completely random meeting, and after the briefest rudimentary training, Charlotte Gray, one moonlit night parachutes into Occupied France, and must immediately look to her own devices, calling upon her innate powers of self preservation when faced by danger at every corner and must negotiate unexpected hazards whilst seeking willing assistance when doubt, and betrayal are all around her ; the unforeseen and unexpected confound the civilian population, torn between resistance and submission, hostility and collaboration, and forcing them to re-evaluate their prospects, and reposition their immediate loyalties, as circumstances rapidly changed week by week during the conflict.

I read the book for a second time, twenty years after completing my first reading, when, like many of the GR readership I was a little disappointed, having enjoyed both ‘Girl at Lion ‘d’Or’ and ‘Birdsong’ so much. But this time I have read the novel differently, and understood Faulks preoccupation with the chaotic alliances and shifting allegiances of the French people. The idea that the French people were united in resistance after the French forces were overrun in May 1940, is simplistic and misinformed. Vast areas of France willingly embraced fascism rather than suffer the growing threat of Communism, and they saw the Occupation as a chance for France, under its Vichy Government, to preserve what was quintessentially ‘French’ and so many French people came to identify emotionally with the Germans, even if they went to great pains to change the record in the aftermath.

This unpredictability of people made life for all SOE agents, and downed RAF aircrews incredibly difficult, as they struggled to identify friend or foe in the shifting sands of a France where individuals were caught up in events simulating responses, ranging from heroic and defiant, to subservient and accepting. Everyone saw the conflict differently, and loyalties changed, as staying alive became the priority, making for impermanent alliances and fragile friendships. Partisans might be to a smaller or greater degree Free French, Fascists, Gaullists or Communists, or a little of each, as they saw the situation changing, almost on a daily basis.

The wide sweeping and visceral narrative, with a cast of vivid characters, pulls no punches and leaves the reader with dark deeds indelibly etched, but with redemption a possibility. Raw and base emotions are laid bare, and intimacies shared, as each character is challenged by desperate situations not of their choosing. The author creates in Lysander pilot, Peter Gregory a rather under stated airman, shy and retiring, withdrawn to the point of anonymity, so unlike the dashing young cavalier aircrews of Fighter Command, known so well through their exploits in the Battle of Britain. He is surprised by his own delayed response to the affections of the inexperienced young Scottish girl, whose affections trouble him by breaking through his reserve and detachment, but whose love provides him with the will to survive.

No one does ‘time and place’ better than Sebastian Faulks and, once again, his characterisation through this wartime conflict is spot on. But I notice some readers find the naivety of Charlotte Gray rather insipid and annoying, and some plot lines implausible. Not me. Such criticism overlooks the complexity of the central character and the ‘baggage’ she is carrying, traumatised by some disturbing event she suffered as a young teen - “betrayal and violation” by her father - and so she is emotionally repressed and, sexually inexperienced and confused. She finds meaning in the company of strangers, and Faulks sees her as an innocent in an evil world. Seldom alarmed but constantly on her guard she leads something of a charmed life, even persuading a respectable but slightly drunk German Officer to leave her room when he pursued her from the dining room of a provincial hotel. In fact her survival looks improbable from the moment the suited clubbable gentlemen (returning from some Golf on the Scottish links maybe ?) identify her on the train south from Edinburgh, as a possible recruit to their clandestine world.

Successful penetration and integration within any community in rural France would have been very difficult, at any time during the conflict, and into this tense and impermanent world Charlotte Gray treads a difficult path, knowing one mistake will lead to her undoing and she will face the firing squad. The immediacy of danger and the urgency of preserving life take her on a journey of self discovery, “It made her laugh inside. I’m just a romantic girl who’s come to find her lost lover, she thought, but they look at me as though I were a woman of fierce conviction, a person of unshakeable dedication in the fight for freedom.”

She realises in a world of simulation that one’s true identity is hidden from view but maybe “to some extent you are what other people think you are.” ...more

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Feb 08, 2013 Kathy rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2013

This is an interesting novel, but, in retrospect, I feel that it didn't have quite enough of a plot to justify the length of it. I'd have to say that it's a psychological novel that takes an awful long time to explore the psychology if its main protagonist and reach its resolution. The incident of the Nazis and the Jews felt almost tacked on afterwards. It didn't really fit in with the rest of the book, somehow. The cover blurb describes this novel as 'harrowing' and I read almost the entire boo ...more

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Feb 21, 2010 Lindsay rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Having recently read and admired 'Birdsong' by Sebastian Faulks, I was keen to read Charlotte Gray. I loved it.
What a fascinating, at times terrifying journey she undertakes! We follow her journey from Scotland as she heads south to London to do her bit for the war effort, meeting various people who each alter the course of her life, and one of whom she falls in love with, and it becomes her destiny to follow him to France. But on arriving in France and uncovering the truth of the situation ther ...more

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Mar 30, 2009 Lis rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

This book was fantastic. I find Sebastian Faulks language and imagery fascinating. This has something to do with the fact that I am also fascinated by war literature, but also has much to do with Sebastian Faulks love story. His description of love, love for ones country and the epic love story between Charlotte and Gregory is simply stunning. His description of the landscapes he sets his charcters in was also beautiful. Beauty is juxtaposed with harrowing images of the 2nd world war, and partic ...more

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Dec 17, 2010 Michael rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Perhaps, using a lot of " Carve her name with Pride " annotation in the storyline.
However, as masterfully written as other Faulks books. The book does
transport you straight into German Occupied France of WW2.
The omnipresent peril into which the herione has been placed is
vividly conveyed, and leaves the reader agitated for her continued
safety.

As the story progresses, the brutal reality of reprisals against
Allied espionage activity against the German war effort in France,
emphatically ...more

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Apr 29, 2015 Karen Whittard rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This is my first Sebastian Faulks book I have read I was leant it by a friend who told me it was very hard to get into, and boy was she right. The first 200 pages or so we a real struggle to get through. I wanted to hurl the book at the wall and yell defeat. But I prevailed. I would love to say it got better and well it did for a bit. The devastation of the war was well written but the ending left me deflated. Not warming to the main character is a real bug bear of mine why have a main character ...more

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Feb 08, 2008 Suzanne rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

Charlotte Gray is Sebastian Faulk's second book on war. This one is on World War 2 and this time the heroine is female. Like "Birdsong" the character escapes into war after a painful love affair. This character becomes an agent in the French Underground movement which gives the novel a John LeCarre feel. There was an unfortunate film made from this novel which was very disappointing. The novel has far more substance and the author's imagery with words exceeds that of the film. ...more

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Aug 08, 2008 Ann rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A lovely London drizzle of a book, giving back in atmosphere and mood what it lacks in comfort or pleasure. The care and research is so evident and painstaking, the writing so precise, it fools you that you’re not emotionally involved, so be prepared for emotional devastation when, in the last fifty pages, the author cuts all those beautiful cords he’s woven between the characters, leaving you winded.

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May 17, 2010 Joseph rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I only perservered with this book because of how much i enjoyed the previous two "french" books by Faulks. This is no where near as good. It rambles and stumbles and i know he thinks there is something deep here about identity and personality, but it fails to reveal itself in the turgid storyline. It does finally pick up the pace after about 350 pages of a 500 page book but too late to save itself. ...more

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Aug 29, 2015 Amena rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Can I read it all again please? Superbly written. Beautiful characters. A powerful love. Strong relationships that surpass friendship. All amidst a war. The description of which you feel as if you are living the war with them. My first ever Faulks. Love love.

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Jan 06, 2011 Huw Rhys rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Just a beautiful book - Sebastian Faulks gets it spot on, as usual.

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Jun 25, 2008 Wendy rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

Doing for the 2nd World War what he did for the 1st in "Birdsong", Sebastian Faulks presents a wonderful picture of life in France during the war years.

Charlotte Gray is sent to Occupied France to run an errand for an undercover special operations unit. However she has a mission of her own - to find her lover, and airman lost in action over France.

She stays in France, against her orders, and settles in the small town of Lauverette whilst she tries to find information about her lover. Hiding her Doing for the 2nd World War what he did for the 1st in "Birdsong", Sebastian Faulks presents a wonderful picture of life in France during the war years.

Charlotte Gray is sent to Occupied France to run an errand for an undercover special operations unit. However she has a mission of her own - to find her lover, and airman lost in action over France.

She stays in France, against her orders, and settles in the small town of Lauverette whilst she tries to find information about her lover. Hiding her identity from the townspeople she suffers, along with them, at the hands of the occupying german army.She finds work and friendship with a cantankerous artist, Levade, whose son runs the local resistance unit.

Meanwhile her lover, Peter Gregory, injured and alone, is attempting to find a way back across the channel impeded by his tenuous grasp of the French language but aided by french people supporting the Allied effort.

As the war progresses, things in Lauverette become worse neighbours decry their neighbours to the German authorities as pressure is put on by local commanders to fill the quotas of "undesirables" being sent to concentration camps.

Charlottes employer, Levade, is packed off to a concentration camp despite having no religious beliefs himself because his grandfather had a Jewish mother. We see through his eyes the dreadful way in which Jewish people, including children, were treated in the concentration camps.

There is a link to Birdsong, we discover that Charlottes father served under Wraysford(the main character of Birdsong) during the 1st World War and his daughters experiences in France enable her at last to make peace with her father and make sense of a confusing episode from her past.

This book brings the period to life and teaches the reader about the situation in France at that time. Above all this though it is a love story and a very powerful one, two people attempting to find each other and return home, each one only able to continue by keeping the other in mind.

If you've read Birdsong you'll love this book too, and if you haven't then read them both!
...more

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Jan 07, 2017 Ellie M rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, historical, 2017, 2017-grc

I liked this book but didn't think it was as good as some of Sebastian Faulks other novels. On the plus side it educated me a bit more about France under occupation in WW2 - I noticed done reviewers didn't like that aspect of the novel but I thought it was handled well.

Charlotte, a young Scottish girl, meets Peter, an RAF pilot and romance ensues (I see Faulks was award a bad sex award and yes one scene was a bit cringy). Peter is of flying secret missions in France and crashes and goes missing ...more

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Jun 27, 2009 Wendy rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: world-war-ii, historical-fiction

I couldn't resist picking up this novel after reading the back cover. A young Scottish woman (Charlotte) follows her downed pilot lover (Peter Gregory) to France as a Secrete SOE-type agent to help the French Resistance, and perhaps even rescue Peter. The plot sounds very intriguing...unfortunately, the author didn't pull it off nearly as well as he could have. Peter Gregory disappears somewhere over France at the very beginning, and has very little to do with the remainder of the book. He's jus ...more

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Mar 05, 2011 Geoff rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I felt for the characters in Charlotte Gray. The story was plausible and I wanted to know what happened next. Structurally too the novel was pretty good; the manipulation of tension within the story was expertly handled and for me that was part of the enjoyment.

What I didn't like were aspects of Faulks' style. He ascribes too much importance to everyday actions, as though everything in the book has some significant philosophical meaning. There is a place for this of course - how dull stories wou ...more

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Aug 17, 2016 Helen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This book gave me a totally new way of looking at the people of France during the Second War. We were always taught that it was fear of repercussions that kept the French quiescent during the first part of the war. Faulks says that there were a large number of people who felt that the Republic had lost its way, that the government was not providing leadership and that if they had to put up with the Germans in order to get some order and direction in the country then that is what they would do. T ...more

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Mar 23, 2011 Caroline rated it liked it · review of another edition

I had high hopes for this book, because I absolutely loved Birdsong, but I found it left me rather unmoved. It's written in what seems, to me at least, to be a curiously detached style and it didn't seem to really penetrate beneath the surface of the characters. Even amidst the danger of Occupied France, SS officers on trains, children being sent to concentration camps, the collaboration and resistance of the French, I never really cared very much about what happened to the characters. The one p ...more

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Jan 28, 2014 Katie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Having loved Birdsong, I approached this novel with a weighty amount of expectation that was perhaps unfair and definitely not met.

I found Charlotte, the title character and driver of the novel's path to be disappointingly dependant, and really quite irritating. She seemed to gain independence to a certain degree once in France, but at not point did I feel she was an advocate for female power in the war effort, when her drive is built on finding a man.

Having said this, I do enjoy Faulks' writing ...more

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Oct 19, 2014 Rosalind Minett rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Very well plotted. Thoroughly satisfying.

This novel brings out the sheer courage and risk-taking of both French and English in circumstances impossible to replicate today.
More than that, there are three very strongly-drawn characters. Altogether, not a novel to put down unless forced by the daily round!

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Nov 29, 2015 Charlotte rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This was a fantastic book set in wwII France and England. As historical fiction, it was fascinating to read. As a love story, it was sweet, but not overly and not maudlin. The secondary characters made the book. I found myself crying as a read about the inhumanity shown in this time period, but there were moments of hope too. I can't wait to read another book by this author. ...more

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Sep 15, 2010 Sharon rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

love it.war and women.....brill

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About Sebastian Faulks

Sebastian Faulks

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Sebastian Faulks was born in 1953, and grew up in Newbury, the son of a judge and a repertory actress. He attended Wellington College and studied at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, although he didn’t enjoy attending either institution. Cambridge in the 70s was still quite male-dominated, and he says that you had to cycle about 5 miles to meet a girl. He was the first literary editor of “The Independe ...more

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Quotes from Charlotte Gray

“Memory is the only thing that binds you to earlier selves; for the rest, you become an entirely different being every decade or so, sloughing off the old persona, renewing and moving on. You are not who you were, he told her, nor who you will be.” — 36 likes

“If at the one moment in your life when the chance of something transcendental is offered to you, if you have this chance to move beyond the surface of things, to understand - and you say, No, maybe not... What then? How do you explain the rest of your life to yourself? How do you pass the time until you die? Do you substitute for that an interest in what - eating? Do you spend the next sixty years trying to be fascinated by the act of breathing?” — 26 likes

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