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6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
 Impressive Work that Brings it all Home May 07, 2008
By Edward C. Patterson
Libby Cone's War on the Margins is quite an eye-opener for anyone who has adopted their view of World War II solely from the History Channel. In her own words: "War is not neat and tidy." This view of the Nazi occupation of the Channel Islands and the struggles of the natives and immigrants, is thorough and brings home the isolation and trevail of war, and this particular war with its anti-semetic acts.
Blending memoranda, epistolary and journal-style narrative, Libby Cone shows us how the sensitivities of people trying to cope with their outer and the inner world, either rise to the occassion or fight their personal arcs. From wrestling and slaughtering a pig in a bathtub to having to visit foreign code on your former neighbors, we see a different aspect of this terrible conflict in human terms. This isn't your newsreel. This is watching people who live in History's margin - marginalized people, if you will, struggling to stay true and loyal to their ideals, or at least minimizing the compromise. When I first picked up this book I thought I would be reading about some footnote in history, but as it turns out, Libby Cone has introduced me to the headlines of real people who lived through the confict. Impressive.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Life on the Island May 26, 2008
By B. Saffron
Although it is impossible to put yourself in the place of the characters of this novel, there are parts of the book which let you come close. Particularly haunting is the way the Nazi machine "benignly" registers Jersey citizens, and then quickly moves on to more and more malignant methods of alienation of its Jewish citizenry. War on the Margins, although not a great read for a weekend on the beach, was quite fitting for Memorial Day. Sprinkled in through out the text are beautiful metaphors which further provide a sense of place and feeling. Highly recommended.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
What if the Nazis had won? Jul 17, 2008
By Barry Tighe
"Barry Tighe - Author The Spawater Chronicles, Gieves to the Fore"
The occupation of the channel islands by the Germans during world war Two gives the best possible insight into what life in Britain would have been like had Hitler won.
The remarkable account of the occupation is a must-read for anyone who wishes to get a flavor of the nazi mind-set, and how it affected the lives, loves and behavior of the islanders.
Perhaps the most frightening aspect of the occupation was just how gradually the Nazis tightened the noose around the island people. Impersonal, matter-of-fact bulletins from the German commander politely instructed Jews - anyone with slight Jewish antecedents - to report to the town hall to register their names. All quite innocent, and gradually the demands increase. Register any business interests, your nationality, wear identification, have a red mark on your file. It slowly builds up to the true horrors in store for those the Germans regarded as sub-human.
In the middle of this, how did the islands cope? How did life continue?
Libby Cone has produced a compelling account of just that. She takes you back to that dreadful time, when Hitler ruled Europe, and shows how ordinary people were caught up in the nazi horror. The gradual creeping of the restrictions on liberty have a resonance today.
Yet amid the harrow, there is love and humanity. To really understand how WW11 changed lives forever, read this book
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Intensity Squared May 27, 2008
By Timothy Mulder
At first I thought I wasn't going to be able to enjoy this book. Ms. Cone has a writing style unlike those I'm more familiar and comfortable with. Her sentence structure is terse and truncated. Then, as the characters came alive for me, the personal writing style morphed into a high intensity form of tension completely relaying the character's manic internal sense of survival.
Their daily struggle, in that little back corner of World War II, became riveting.
A solid read, through and through.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
A must-read novel by Libby Cone Mar 10, 2008
By citizen fact checker
The following is a review of the Kindle Edition: "War on the Margins" is a very well researched, fascinating account of the frightening, horrendous Nazi occupation of the Channel Islands of England during World War II.
Focused primarily on Jersey Island, this historical-fiction novel follows a young Jewish woman, Marlene Zimmer, throughout the war years of occupation. We struggle with her as this heretofore timid and nervous young woman--and what innocent wouldn't be under these grim circumstances?--gathers strength and maturity to aid two famous French women in their Resistance efforts against the occupiers.
The French women, based on real individuals, are a pair of superb tricksters--especially during the war years. The two women, who serve as Marlene's mentors, are an integral part of the story. As such, they apply numerous, largely effective acts of Resistance against a relentless and remorseless enemy. How they do so is woven throughout the story, as you will learn, but which I've not included in this review to avoid introducing spoilers.
Even though experiencing virtual starvation and beset by fear, Marlene continues to develop an inner strength to try to help others and herself in their constant battle against the odds of survival.
I learned a lot of history and geography from reading this interesting book. and it has prompted me to research the Channel Islands of England even as they stand today.
Ginny
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