Reviewed by Charlene Clemmons
Widowed Eva Traube Adams enjoys working in the library even though she is well past retirement age. When she sees an article about a recently discovered religious text with some sort of code that nobody can decipher, she realizes she must leave the safety of her Florida home and return to France, revisiting her memories of her family killed by Nazis, a lost love, and the work she did for the French Resistance during World War II. The book and the code are hers and only she can tell the full story. Told in flashbacks to her time in the resistance over the course of her flight to Europe, the book takes the reader through the horror, joy, desperation, and ultimate triumph of this indomitable woman who survived and made the most out of her life. When she arrives and claims the book she is lauded as a heroine, an honor she doesn’t feel worthy of. One last surprise will be revealed for an amazing ending to a truly amazing book. Certainly one of the best books I have ever read and one that I will re-read from time to time.
