The Paris understudy A novel

Madeleine Moreau, Paris's legendary opera singer, is at the height of her career when she enlists up-and-coming Yvonne Chevallier as her understudy. Moreau wants to sing at Germany's premier opera festival, but when she hears that Hitler will be in attendance, she makes excuses, as she cannot contradict her political beliefs by performing for him. Yvonne finds herself the new star of the festival, and along with that comes attention from not only a recognized German officer, but from Hitler himself. Yvonne struggles with what she will sacrifice to remain in the limelight, but she also wants to save her son, who is a prisoner of war. This engrossing historical novel captures the tension between moral fiber, pride, and furthering one's own interests. Under occupation, how far would you go to be favored by the enemy? Is being favored the same as collaborating? Thiele, in her debut, uses not only her main protagonists to show the challenges of occupation but their surrounding families as well, as war weaves itself into every aspect of their lives--and their lives depend upon how they react to the enemy.