A Train in Winter: An Extraordinary Story of Women, Friendship and Resistance in Occupied France by Caroline Moorehead

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A Train In Winter: An Extraordinary Story of Women, Friendship, and Resistance in Occupied France by Caroline Moorehead


A Train In Winter tells the story of the many women who were part of the resistance in France during the German occupation. Each woman has a different story, whether they transported Jews across the demarcation line, were writers in underground newspapers, or messengers, they each took part in resisting those who were controlling their country. They took a stand and 230 women were arrested, placed in jail and transported to extermination camps. Only 49 of those women would make it through the war and find their way home to fight a new battle of recovery where nightmare ravaged their sleep and the horrors they saw never left them. Many would testify against the Nazi’s and the conditions that encountered at Auschwitz during their imprisonment. Many were now widowed, having lost their husbands to the war in extermination camps or jail. Some would remarry and have children. Others were reunited with the children they were forced to leave behind. Those who survived believed it was a mix of luck and their bond of friendship that brought them through the war, to live another day.

                A Train In Winter was a story mostly of courage. These women banded together through their loses and not only took care of each other but loved and cherished each other. They would hide their sick and share their rations amongst each other. They stole clothing and medicine for one another. They sang songs to each other to try to keep their spirit and hope alive. They watched their friend die in the cold weather, or from sickness. They willed each other to stay alive and make it through. They remembered their fallen and try to live day by day through the loss, the horror, the pain. 
              Moorehead produced a well-researched, compassionate and honest account of these women’s lives during World War II. This novel isn’t for the faint of heart.  The cruelty mentioned is enough to bring readers to tears but the strength of these women can provide everyone with hope. I give this novel 4 out of 5 stars and recommend this nonfiction book for those who have an interest in World War II. The detailed stories of the women before, during and after the war are extremely informative and relevant.
  

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