A Defense of Honor by Kristi Ann Hunter, 2018

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When Katherine "Kit" FitzGilbert turned her back on London society more than a decade ago, she determined never to set foot in a ballroom again. But when business takes her to London and she's forced to run for her life, she stumbles upon not only a glamorous ballroom but also Graham, Lord Wharton. What should have been a chance encounter becomes much more as Graham embarks on a search for his friend's missing sister and is convinced Kit knows more about the girl than she's telling.

After meeting Graham, Kit finds herself wishing things could have been different for the first time in her life, but what she wants can't matter. Long ago, she dedicated herself to helping women escape the same scorn that drove her from London and to raising the innocent children caught in the crossfire. But as much as she desperately wishes to tell Graham everything, the risk of revealing the truth may come at too high a price for those she loves.

(376 pages)

This is an odd mix of a book.

For one thing, it's a grim look at the underside of 19th-century highbrow English society, sparing no punches in its depiction of a world where Kit's project–an orphanage and rehab program to help illegitimate mothers impregnated by nobility–is necessary.

From another angle, it's a love story between a woman traumatized by her past and tied down by duty and a man who . . . well, who doesn't have much of a driving force besides a strong friendship for his friend (whose sister has gone missing, most likely into Kit's program) and a penchant for curiosity that brings them together in the first place.

From still another angle, it's a sappy, idealistic book about believing the best in people and about how there are always honorable people out there, even when it seems like everyone is rotten.

I'll be the first to say that I got sucked into the story and enjoyed a few pleasurable hours reading it. But I'll immediately add that that third point quickly began to grate. You can't have a book about abandoned illegitimate children and then try to argue that humans are inherently good. Further, when Kit blackmails these crummy noblemen fathers into paying child support, this is treated like a morally questionable (to downright evil) action. Why?

No, seriously. Why does everyone get so upset about this? These are obviously, by and large, extremely terrible people who will not do what they are obligated to do unless someone holds their feet over the fire. I have absolutely zero issues with Kit threatening to expose their dirt to the world unless they pay paternity (in fact, my only qualm about this arrangement is that this means she is hiding their criminal activity from the world in exchange for child support they should already be providing!).

I was enjoying the book quite a bit until they started bringing this up as a big moral issue, because I just so completely don't agree with the idea that Kit has done anything wrong. The ending is fine enough, though, and the characters are interesting enough (and the children are definitely cute enough!), so I say definitely do give it a try if you'd like.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

The Missing Matisse by Pierre H. Matisse, 2016

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Nazi planes were bombing Paris the day a lifelong, more personal war began for Pierre. It was the day he lost his identity.

Born into a famous family, Pierre Matisse grew up immersed in the art world of Paris and the French Riviera, spending time with some of the most famous artists of the twentieth century. The man he knew as his grandfather, legendary artist Henri Matisse, encouraged Pierre from a young age, creating a strong desire in him to become a great artist in his own right.

Being a Matisse was an important part of young Pierre's identity. So he was crushed and bewildered when, at the outbreak of WWII, that identity was suddenly snatched from him with no explanation.

So began Pierre's lifelong search to solve the mystery of who he really was, a quest that forms the intriguing backdrop to this memoir of a fascinating and adventurous life on three continents. Spanning the insider art world of 1930s Paris, the battles of WWII, the occupation of France by the Nazis, Pierre's involvement with the French resistance, his post-war work restoring art and historical monuments, and his eventual decision to create a new life in North America, The Missing Matisse is a story of intrigue, faith, and drama as Pierre journeys to discover the truth before it's too late.

(352 pages)

Hmm, wow. This is a very unique outlook on WWII. Pierre's life was so dramatic, full of famous painters and exquisite art when he was small and terrible warfare and underground resistance adventures once France was pulled into war with Germany. His childhood essentially ended when he was about eleven years old, and he saw so many horrible atrocities perpetrated by the Germans (or "Boches," as the French called them). It's heartbreaking to read about the murders he witnessed, and even more stunning to read about his adventures as an underground freedom fighter since this is a true story. It reads like many of the fictional WWII books I've read over the years, but it actually happened! That's both horrifying and amazing to me.

I do have to say, though, that I had a few problems with the book. For one thing, it's told in present tense; I find this to be extremely confusing in non-fiction when the author is talking about things that happened in the past, because it makes me constantly have to guess "is he talking about something he did back then, or something that he does all the time/found out later?" Also, and please don't take this the wrong way, I honestly don't think I like Pierre as a person. He was extraordinarily brave, of course, but he was also an extremely ornery child who never felt any remorse; he stole and lied throughout most of his youth (and not always just against the Germans); after the war ended, he served his time in the French military oppressing Arabian citizens in the French-occupied Algiers; and he was divorced three times (including once after fathering four children, none of whom he took the time to see again for thirty years) before marrying the "love of his life" who was about thirty years his junior.

Also, I simply don't understand his obsession with connecting himself with the Matisse name. His story is very sad, and I do feel sorry for him because it must have been hard to grow up not knowing who his father really was, but it seems like the Leroys were actually nicer to him than the Matisses were. Why couldn't he have just stuck with their name? I for one wouldn't want to be a part of a family that treated both me and my mother like garbage, but then again I suppose I haven't been in his shoes.

The bottom line, though, is that Pierre went through so much–suffered so much–and he's part of that dying generation of WWII survivors (and heroes) who faced the atrocities and uncertainties of life under the German terror and managed to keep hold of their humanity despite everything. I may not respect his principles or all of his life choices, but I do respect him for the actions he chose during the war and pity him for the atrocities that he saw committed during the war. He was a part of action that no one else saw (or at least no one who lived to tell of it), and The Missing Matisse serves as an invaluable record of pieces of history that would have been lost forever if he hadn't written them down. I am grateful that he did.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.