Monday, September 10, 2012

Becoming Clementine-Jennifer Niven

Becoming Clementine


Jennifer Niven

Plume, Sep 25 2012, $15.00

ISBN: 9780452298101



In 1944, American pilot Velva Jean Hart agrees to fly copilot a plane taking undercover agents to Normandy. The pilot Captain Baskin refuses to allow a woman to help. When the Nazis shoot down her plane, Velva Jean lands the crippled aircraft; enabling her and five operatives to survive with the Nazis in pursuit. The men do not want her on the journey except Emile Gravois who insists she saved their lives. She travels to Paris with plans to find and rescue agent Swan.



Hoping also to locate her missing tech sergeant brother Johnny as well as the Swan, Velva Jean becomes Clementine Roux. In her secret identity, she helps the French Resistance and falls in love with Emile. However, Clementine will learn how evil mankind can be as she becomes truly part of the team.



The third Velva Jean Hart WWII thriller (See Velva Jean Learns to Fly and Velva Jean Learns to Drive) is a great entry. The intrepid WASP warrior faces gender bias even as she constantly proves her value to her new team who mostly expect her to fail even after she keeps on succeeding while facing life threatening danger. Fans will feel they are crossing the French countryside and in Paris with Clementine who finds Nazi occupiers are everywhere. This is a super insightful tale as Velva Jean may have become Clementine, but affirms Shakespeare’s wry comment that “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet."



Harriet Klausner



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