A Train in Winter

Wanda McCaddon narrates this heartrending story of 230 women of the French Resistance who were imprisoned by the Germans. Her crisp British accent, perfect for the narration, is interspersed with dialogue in soft French tones and subtle German accents. While this collective biography begins just before WWII, it quickly moves to recount Germany's occupation of France and the resistance movement. The women worked in various occupations so they could deliver news, supplies, and much needed materials in Vichy France. McCaddon reads lists and scenes of punishment and torture with a steady, emotionless voice that makes the horrors of war and the brutal treatment of the women somewhat more bearable for the listener. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

July 4, 2011
In an unfocused account, Moorehead relates the story of 230 women accused of being members of the French Resistance who were sent on one train to Auschwitz in January 1943; fewer than 50 survived the war. In fact, only some of the 230 were involved in actual Resistance activities. The youngest prisoner, 16-year-old Rosa Floch, caught writing "Vive les Anglais!" on her school's walls, died of typhus in Birkenau. Alsatian psychiatrist Adelaide Hautval was arrested after exhorting German soldiers to stop mistreating a Jewish family; she survived the war, but committed suicide after recording the horrors she saw when forced to participate in Josef Mengele's medical experiments at Auschwitz. Moorehead (Human Cargo) wants to recount how these women supported one another and to honor women of the Resistance, but she tries to tell too many stories about a highly diverse group of women, many of them not Resistance members. Though moving, the lack of focus may leave readers confused. Photos.

Starred review from July 1, 2012

Ultra-experienced reader Wanda McCaddon (600 titles at least) here wraps her accents around particularly horrific events in World War II France. Moorehead focuses on the women of the Resistance, many of whom came from the Communist Party. The Resistance grew slowly, but the Nazis were skilled, and 230 of these women eventually were captured and sent to Auschwitz in 1943. Only 49 returned. McCaddon reads without much emotion, letting the story's events present the drama. VERDICT A powerful listening experience. ["Although at times difficult to read, this book rightfully gives these women their place in our historical memory," read the review of the HarperCollins hc, LJ 8/11.--Ed.]--Don Wismer, Trustee Emeritus, Cary Memorial Lib., Wayne, ME

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