“A touching novel about love, loss, war, and memory…Mason’s latest, based on the real-life experiences of her father-in-law, is fascinating and intensely intimate.”

“Mason has given us a portrait of a man from a generation whose members were uncertain about the protocols of letting oneself feel. And she has lovingly captured the tone of bluff assertion still shared by veterans of that war. Marshall’s banality has the ring of truth; his awkwardness reveals much…The Girl in the Blue Beret is a work of remarkable empathy.”

“The profound story of an emotionally aloof retiree who must finally learn to stop flying above everything and embrace the people on the ground who saved his life…As much a historical search as a psychological one, and Mason has drawn the details of her downed airman’s ordeal from a range of published histories and interviews…A stirring tribute.”

“The rich setting, detail, and intimate character nuances ring true…Highly recommended.

“Bobbie Ann Mason knows her way around a good story…This is a war story told decades later, helped along by Mason’s extensive research in Europe, where she tracked down the real-life heroes herself. Ushering her readers back and forth across the decades, she perfectly weaves history with fiction.”

“Inspired by her father-in-law’s wartime experience, this novel at all times feels honest and real and offers a compelling story about the French Resistance…The true power of great fiction.”