This is not historical fiction but rather fantasy. Young Americans who are brave dolts saved by high ranking Nazi who turn on Hitler after having directed the torture of at least scores. (As consolation one savior is a french resistance leader.) I read quite recently that the overwhelming majority of high ranking Nazis were true believers to the end with hundreds committing suicide in the last days. No, not an historical novel but a contribution to the myth of the good German. Of course there were some but few who survived. ( )

American OSS recruits 5 citizens for a WWII spying mission based in Paris. They cal themselves the Dragonfly. The book had a lot of potential for a gripping story, but unfortunately fells short. Too much time spent on each of the 5 prior to the war, their lives, families, etc. Almost no story how 5 people completely ignorant of spying skills were trained into be discrete undercover agents. Just poof their agents now. For me though the more bothersome part of the book was the contrived coincidental encounters by every one of the agents, but that those connections all ended up being with Germans who luckily were working against their own country. If not for every one of these fortunate encounters, then the book would have to have ended very differently. In order to make for a happy ending all the agents needed to luck out with their targets. It was just too contrived. I still gave it 3 stars though because the writing style was good and many of the characters likable, if not believable. ( )

Wow. This grabbed me from the beginning. It has everything I love WW 2, spies, Paris during war time. I wish I could figure out how to tag my friend, Victoria Tashman! She would love this
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I am a huge fan of historical fiction, and I have a deep love for WWII fiction, particularly those with female protagonists. I don’t necessarily gravitate towards spy novels, and while Dragonfly IS a tale of espionage, it reads more like literary fiction with beautiful, concise prose, superb imagery, and simply wonderful storytelling. It is a story of bravery, adventure, friendship, survival, and self-discovery,

Dragonfly is one EPIC book. The meat and potatoes of the book span from May 1942 to August 1944, when five young adults are recruited by the OSS to run a clandestine operation in France. The plot is engrossing and nerve-wracking, as this was a time in France when the slightest thing might arouse suspicion, and the circumstances the five spies often found themselves in will leave you holding your breath!

Meacham successfully weaves together individual plotlines and subplots to make a layered and complex story. Characters find themselves in dangerous situations and cleverly work their way out, especially when plotline unexpectedly overlap. It’s all a bit of luck and circumstance and opportunity mixed together with a lot of risks.

She also does an incredible job with the setting, one aspect of the book that drew me in on an emotional level. Her writing beautifully reflects a sense of the time – the faded beauty of a war-torn Paris, the tension, fear, and suspicion felt by the French as well as the fierce pride they held for their country.

Leila Meacham is wonderful at character development and the characters in this story are realistic and complex, brave, and diverse in their backgrounds. They are literally plucked out of their regular lives and put in this very unexpected role that is both secret and important, and that is part of what makes it so fascinating.

The plot unfolds steadily and there are risks and near misses at every turn, and with them come some twists that I definitely did not expect. These extraordinary characters will pull you into their stories and keep you turning pages.

Thanks to Goodreads and the author for providing me with a copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ( )

I am a huge fan of historical fiction, and I have a deep love for WWII fiction, particularly those with female protagonists. I don’t necessarily gravitate towards spy novels, and while Dragonfly IS a tale of espionage, it reads more like literary fiction with beautiful, concise prose, superb imagery, and simply wonderful storytelling. It is a story of bravery, adventure, friendship, survival, and self-discovery,

Dragonfly is one EPIC book. The meat and potatoes of the book span from May 1942 to August 1944, when five young adults are recruited by the OSS to run a clandestine operation in France. The plot is engrossing and nerve-wracking, as this was a time in France when the slightest thing might arouse suspicion, and the circumstances the five spies often found themselves in will leave you holding your breath!

Meacham successfully weaves together individual plotlines and subplots to make a layered and complex story. Characters find themselves in dangerous situations and cleverly work their way out, especially when plotline unexpectedly overlap. It’s all a bit of luck and circumstance and opportunity mixed together with a lot of risks.

She also does an incredible job with the setting, one aspect of the book that drew me in on an emotional level. Her writing beautifully reflects a sense of the time – the faded beauty of a war-torn Paris, the tension, fear, and suspicion felt by the French as well as the fierce pride they held for their country.

Leila Meacham is wonderful at character development and the characters in this story are realistic and complex, brave, and diverse in their backgrounds. They are literally plucked out of their regular lives and put in this very unexpected role that is both secret and important, and that is part of what makes it so fascinating.

The plot unfolds steadily and there are risks and near misses at every turn, and with them come some twists that I definitely did not expect. These extraordinary characters will pull you into their stories and keep you turning pages.

Thanks to Goodreads and the author for providing me with a copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ( )