Book Review: The Girl in the Blue Beret
History buffs looking for insights into the resistance and readers of literary fiction who like to read about protagonists searching for their emotional centerpiece will enjoy Bobbie Ann Mason's novel "The Girl in the Blue Beret". Ms. Mason spent considerable time and energy trying to bring alive the stepping-on-egg-shells existence of those who helped the allies in a time when resources were scarce, but courage abundant. She did a fine job though the on-page tension lags at times. Marshall peels back time, revealing his past as he meanders through his present. He searches for post-retirement meaning and a measure of understanding about what he and those who risked their lives to save him went through to save him as a downed pilot in WW2. And at the center of his searching is the girl in the blue beret. I could fall in love with her. While I appreciated the back-and-forth of time and space, it sometimes felt abrupt, as did the ending. I even turned the page thinking there was more, sadly, there was not. This is a solid and enjoyable read. 4 stars.
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1 comment:
Sounds intriguing despite your second to last statement. Recently someone asked me if my books have happy endings--I supposed she wasn't going to purchase one if they did not. On the other hand I knew a man, Fremont Miller, who was shot down in the icy North Sea in WWII in winter and survived after clinging to a raft for 76 hours. He later became a state representative for Wyoming.
Okay, I'm rambling, but because of my friendship with Freemont, I just might enjoy "The Girl in the Blue Beret."
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