Why am I passionate about this?
When I say I enjoy stories of ordinary people in extraordinary situations, Iām talking about characters who donāt have law enforcement or Special Forces training, who arenāt martial arts experts, KGB agents, or CIA officers. I like those characters too, but they typically engage my head, not my heart. Thrown into dangerous situations, āordinaryā individuals can show tremendous courage and quick-wittedness. I can easily put myself in their shoes and empathize with their plight, which gives me a real stake in the storyās outcome. If a story is well-written, the creative ways characters respond and the strengths they discover within themselves make them true heroes to me.
Victoria's book list on ordinary people in extraordinary situations
Why did Victoria love this book?
In the early days of World War II, a Paris-based film producer tries to carry on working as usual and ignore the Nazi occupiers. Given the chance to give some minor aid to the British secret service, he agrees, and with each step, heās drawn deeper and deeper into danger. His bestāand onlyāweapon is his wits. Maybe at first he doesnāt think heās taking much of a risk. But, with hindsight, I know how precarious his situation is, and Iām silently begging him not to do it! Furstās riveting spy tales are what first attracted me to stories about ordinary people in extraordinary situations.
2 authors picked The World at Night as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
Paris 1940. The civilised, upper-class life of film producer Jean Casson ends with the German occupation of the city. Out of money and almost out of luck, Casson attempts to work with a German film company but finds himself drawn into the dark world of espionage and double agents. More used to evading jealous husbands than the secret police, Casson becomes a reluctant spy, torn between honour, patriotism, love and survival.