Plucking the Skylark

About the Book

In this World War II novel set in France, Therese Leon defies her staunchly conservative father to marry Gilbert Ricard, the radical printer who comes to town following his army service in the Great War. Life is sweet for the young couple, and their happiness seems secure as they raise their children in the cozy apartment above their print shop on Anne Street. But when Gil publishes articles in support of a local strike, over the objections of his iron-willed father-in-law, political differences turn violent. Love and loyalty are tested as the private quarrel grows to encompass the larger conflicts of the turbulent times, and a harrowing sequence of events rips apart their world. Years later, when Tess and Gil's daughter, Gabrielle, decides to work as a printer for the French Resistance, old tensions resurface and her clandestine activities bring new dangers to Anne Street.

About the Author

The author grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota, in a community much like the one she creates for Plucking the Skylark. She currently teaches history at a midwestern university but draws the setting for this novel from her earlier experience as an offset printer. The author has three grown sons and lives in an old house with French doors and radiators that bang. She loves to garden, travel and watch classic movies with subtitles.