Synopsis
In January 1943, 230 women of the French Resistance were sent to the death camps by the Nazis who had invaded and occupied their country. This is their story, told in full for the first time—a searing and unforgettable chronicle of terror, courage, defiance, survival, and the power of friendship. Caroline Moorehead, a distinguished biographer, human rights journalist, and the author of Dancing to the Precipice and Human Cargo, brings to life an extraordinary story that readers of Mitchell Zuckoff’s Lost in Shangri-La, Erik Larson’s In the Garden of Beasts, and Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken will find an essential addition to our retelling of the history of World War II—a riveting, rediscovered story of courageous women who sacrificed everything to combat the march of evil across the world.
About Caroline Moorehead
See more books from this AuthorMoorehead (Human Cargo) wants to recount how these women supported one another and to honor women of the Resistance, but she tries to tell too many stories about a highly diverse group of women, many of them not Resistance members. Though moving, the lack of focus may leave readers confused.
Read Full Review of A Train in Winter (P.S.) | See more reviews from Publishers WeeklyIn this impeccably researched and compelling history, Caroline Moorehead examines their lives, how they joined the Resistance, how they came to be discovered and arrested and how they suffered starvation, slave labour, disease and, in most cases, death.
Read Full Review of A Train in Winter (P.S.) | See more reviews from Guardian...it is evident that the lessons of World War II are as yet unlearned by people in some parts of the world. But Ms. Moorehead’s own goal—to provide a fair hearing for and recognition of the Women of the French Resistance—is very much met.
Read Full Review of A Train in Winter (P.S.) | See more reviews from NY Journal of BooksShe has interviewed four of the survivors and talked to the families of those who did not return, their lives and deaths summarised in a moving appendix.
Read Full Review of A Train in Winter (P.S.) | See more reviews from Guardian"A Train in Winter" remains a compelling account of human suffering and courage in the face of appalling brutality. And by the careful use of detail, and an almost obsessive curiosity, Ms. Moorehead has succeeded in frustrating one of the main aims of the Nazis' night and fog—the memory of "le Convoi des 3100" has not disappeared.
Read Full Review of A Train in Winter (P.S.) | See more reviews from WSJ onlineThe fierce camaraderie that sustains the women is captured just as vividly, but there are no real happy endings; even the survivors emerge physically and psychologically ravaged. Still, A Train In Winter is reassuring for what it reveals about the resilience of the human spirit.
Read Full Review of A Train in Winter (P.S.)Unforgettable and riveting, A Train in Winter is not an easy read. It is, however, an essential read for those who believe—or long to believe—in the power of friendship.
Read Full Review of A Train in Winter (P.S.)Moorehead’s account stresses the women’s persistence and moral courage, but she also captures the chilling ambivalence that many felt in the “flat, empty” years that followed the war...
Read Full Review of A Train in Winter (P.S.)I loved this book because it showed the strength that any woman can have and that never allow fear to rule your life.
Read Full Review of A Train in Winter (P.S.)Though I have read some great non-fiction this year...this is by far my favorite and a must for anyone interested in World War II or the role of women in wartime.
Read Full Review of A Train in Winter (P.S.)The book is dark, but rightfully so, and Moorehead somehow imparts an unshakeable faith in the ability of people to help each other survive no matter the circumstances.
Read Full Review of A Train in Winter (P.S.)Caroline Moorehead's A Train in Winter, confirms much of what my mother told me years ago, and, despite its many dark pages, disabuses me of my resistance to reading about this period. Moorehead's important and highly readable book, published by Harper Collins (2011) tells the story of 230 French women who fought in the resistance...
Read Full Review of A Train in Winter (P.S.)It isn't a book that you can just get lost in or reading in a single sitting. The subject matter is confronting and distressing, and as you can see had me contemplating some pretty big questions in my own mind. I am glad that I took the opportunity to read this book...
Read Full Review of A Train in Winter (P.S.)There are many moments of beauty at which to marvel in this work. You will find yourself wanting to make note of each one of them, too.
Read Full Review of A Train in Winter (P.S.)This is a book that should be read so that we, who can’t really can’t imagine what they went through, can glimpse in ourselves some of their resourcefulness in the lives we live.
Read Full Review of A Train in Winter (P.S.)An aggregated and normalized score based on 483 user ratings from iDreamBooks & iTunes