Desperate to save her dying mother, Rachel accepts her newspaper's assignment to travel to Italy to capture images dangerously close to the front lines of WWII. Her real motive - to find the father she never knew -- an artist she hopes can offer the comfort and support both she and her mother need to survive.
Published: Dec 4.13 and Jan 1.14
Books are born many ways. Shadowed by
Grace started when I walked by a display at our local library the summer of
2010. There a new non-fiction book stood cover out.
The photo on the front piqued my interest: a clearly WWII soldier standing with a large painting. The stories I read in that book, Monuments Men, by Robert Edsel, intrigued me and made me want to learn more. Before long, characters and story ideas filled my mind, and I began fleshing out the story that became Shadowed by Grace.
The idea of an elite, tiny group of soldiers who were tasked with saving Western civilization fascinated me. Their task was compounded by the fact that WWII was the first war that involved constant aerial bombardment.
What challenges would they face?
What would they fear?
The photo on the front piqued my interest: a clearly WWII soldier standing with a large painting. The stories I read in that book, Monuments Men, by Robert Edsel, intrigued me and made me want to learn more. Before long, characters and story ideas filled my mind, and I began fleshing out the story that became Shadowed by Grace.
The idea of an elite, tiny group of soldiers who were tasked with saving Western civilization fascinated me. Their task was compounded by the fact that WWII was the first war that involved constant aerial bombardment.
What challenges would they face?
What would they fear?
Then
I started looking for unique roles American women filled on the European front.
The idea of a war correspondent who was a photo-journalist seemed the perfect
fit. An artist in her own right, she would understand the importance of saving
art. Rachel Justice and Scott Lindstrom were born and became the heroine and
hero in Shadowed by Grace.
ever increasing levels of wartime intrigue and human interest.
The journey to attain her goal is treacherous and self-affirming.
I did not want to put this story down.
Pacing kept the story alternately moving and standing as the main characters experienced
wartime realities of siege and retreat.
The blossoming romance was drawn with many emotionally lovely touches.
Putman created an intelligent hero of worth and honour with intriguing past connections
Suspense regarding these efforts was superbly sustained
and concluding revelations dramatic enough to please even this reader.
About this author
