Ignorance by Michele Roberts

Ignorance

Michele Roberts

A truly sad story of the how the innocent are damaged by war. Based in a village in France during the 2nd WW and told in the voices of those who prosper or lose by the times - but mainly through that of Jeanne who has all the odds stacked against her. All the characters, even the most minor, are brilliantly drawn and Jeanne is an exceptional heroine. Extremely atmospheric. Not to be missed. Longlisted for The Women's Prize for Fiction 2013

Extract
I heard my own bewildered voice crying: Jeanne, Jeanne.
They'd seized her and shaved off all her hair so that they could parade her, part of the procession of tarts, let everyone know she'd been with Germans. Baldness her sign of betraying France, her badge of shame. She was a repulsive sight and she was stripped of all disguise she was a mockery of a woman she was a disgrace to womanhood. The citizens of our town looked on triumphantly and judged the creatures: outcasts; alien; lowest of the low. Filth.
Parallels
  • Skylark Farm by Antonia Arslan
  • Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris
  • The Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse
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Violence
Explicit sexual content