Reviewed by Emma Crowley
Young linguist Elisabeth has been working for the British secret service since the war began, rescuing downed pilots and Jewish refugees. Now the Gestapo are on her trail: her next mission must be her last. Or she may never see the white cliffs of Dover again.
But she can’t even think about abandoning her post when so many remain in danger. So when daredevil fellow agent Guy arrives with a frantic plea, there was never any doubt that Elisabeth would help. Somewhere in occupied France is a little boy, the last survivor of a Jewish orphanage, desperately trying to make his way to safety. They have to save him.
Elisabeth knows the mission may be suicide. But she also knows she could never live with herself if she didn’t try to save this child. And so she and Guy set off on one last journey together, into the mountains. For freedom – for this child – they’ll risk it all…
Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for my copy of If I Can Save One Child and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
Amanda Lees’ new book If I Can Save One Child opens with a brief but tense, terrifying and angst-ridden prologue which sets the scene for the remainder of the story. Elisabeth, the heroine of the book, is in a very precarious situation and everything has come down to this moment. Will she be successful or will those who have wanted her downfall for so long bring it about?
We are then taken back to 1942 to Marseille, where I felt we were plunged straight into the book without much background information being provided. It came across as if I had missed out on important information or perhaps that this was a continuation of a previous book which I knew it was not. It did take me some time to get into the flow of the story because of this and I think it was only around the midway point that things really began to click for me and the disjointed feeling I had been getting because I thought the plot was jumping from one thing to another began to settle down. The main purpose became clear and started to be put into action and the story found its rhythm so definitely the later half was much better than the first.
Elisabeth’s ability to blend in has kept her alive up until this point and it’s by sheer good fortune that the Germans haven’t caught her. For to lose her would be detrimental to the work the British and the Resistance are carrying out in France. Elisabeth is part of a network trying to help downed aviators and refugees who are all desperate to reach safety. An escape line has been established but someone is passing on vital information and safe houses are being raided by the Germans. Everything they have done to help so many is under threat and soon there are wanted posters for Elizabeth appearing here, there and everywhere.
I felt I needed more context as to how Elizabeth came to be working for the British in France. It’s later revealed her mother is Spanish and her father English but at the time we meet her nothing is really said about her at all and there are several male characters that I felt I should know more about them too. As I’ve previously mentioned the story jumped around a lot for the first half almost as if it was searching for it’s focal point and I felt like there was an awful lot of filling in the gaps to do but once these issues resolved themselves there was a much better flow to things and the story became more enjoyable and interesting to read.
Robert is a young boy, the last survivor of an orphanage raided by the Germans. He becomes a symbol for all those that they have lost but also for freedom and for everything that Elisabeth and so many others are working towards achieving. But Robert’s whereabouts are now unknown and now she is determined to locate him and bring him to safety. The Germans are determined that this boy will not be able to tell the truth as to what happened to his fellow orphans and the staff members members who cared for them. They have been transported to camps but the Germans want this kept secret. As the safety line has been breached due to an unknown source that also has to be re-established and in steps Guy, who is part of a group known as the Devil’s Brigade. They are on a top-secret mission but some of his men have been arrested and they need to be found before the bigger plan of fixing the safety line can begin. Elisabeth has been basing herself at Chateau Bleu where Eliane and her husband harbour people who need refuge and safety.
An eclectic cast of characters are introduced but when Elisabeth sets eyes on Guy everything changes for her. For she knew him previously. He is the brother of her best friend Helene and there is a definite spark between the pair which is worked nicely throughout the plot. I would have expected for Guy to have taken on the more dominant role for the remainder of the book. Quite often, its portrayed in stories that the men were the ones who lead everything and pulled all the punches but this didn’t happen at all in this case and I was delighted. Elisabeth really stepped up to the plate and fulfilled her role to perfection. Yes, Guy in some ways had to take a back seat when he becomes incapacitated and Elisabeth could have just withered away and given up. Instead, we see her ingenuity and resourcefulness start to come to the fore and thankfully the pace picked up rapidly in the second half of the book and the feeling of being disjointed dissipated as there was a clear trajectory and one common goal in sight.
Elisabeth goes through a lot of physical and emotional pain and turmoil but I was rooting for her all the way as things became very edge of your seat stuff. But her desire for justice and revenge for so many I feel were what spurred her on. She could have just escaped out of the situation given the Germans had a bounty on her head as she had the means to do so and had been offered an easy escape route thanks to guy. But no she stuck around and was determined to get the line going again and try and find Robert and get him to safety. No doubt about it she was gutsy and courageous and my admiration for her grew and grew as she placed herself in situations that others would have ran a mile from.
If I Can Save One Child shone a spotlight on a dangerous and heart-breaking journey undertaken by one brave woman aided by so many. Through reading of Elisabeth’s experiences Amanda Lees also showed how so many ordinary people did their bit without question. The details regarding all the cogs in the wheel that made up the safety line were incredible and one wonders would be people be as willing, ready and able to do the same today? Elisabeth, sacrificed everything and had so much courage and generosity of spirit that her story does become engrossing and you are hoping for a positive outcome on a professional and personal level. Although, If I Could Save One Child, would not be my favourite book by Amanda Lees, I think it is still very much worthy of a read.
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