The Kites

Wonderful piece of literature about a young man with an eccentric but loving family in a small village in Normandy, in love with Lila through the ordeal of World War II and the French Resistance. Sadly, I had not heard of this author, who apparently is renowned in France. The writing itself is enough to carry the reader along to the end. Each sentence is a jewel.It is clear that Gary knows what he’s talking about in covering the war and the resistance. That in itself was fascinating in its detail and its humanity. There are a breadth of characters here, each one charming, unusual, touching. The theme of the kites runs throughout and has a complexity of meanings, many of them quite profound. The book never minimizes this period of history, but manages to make it playful, human, and full of the gravity it deserves, all at the same time.

Meine Tochter ist zufrieden

Polish women rock. Dodgy & they still got us by the short hairs.

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The best fiction I've read in a long time. Having visited Normandy, it was easy to imagine the landscape and the people who experienced WW II. Reminders are everywhere in that region. Gratitude, as well, from the people of the region toward Americans, the Brits and Canadians.But this story is not about conquering heroes in that sense. It's concerned with the human spirit and the nearly impossible effort to keep it alive and and sane in the face of humanity's darkness. It's about the need to have something greater than we are to which we devote ourselves. Idealism, love, morality--these are weapons in the face of evil. It brings the large story of World War II down to the human level of friends and neighbors and the cost of survival. The kites represent the yearning and hope in every human heart to live as individuals, free to express one's gifts and allow one's spirit to soar.As an aside, the author was a fighter pilot himself, lending an even greater depth to the words he wrote.