Join the Lenox Library’s book club on Tuesday, July 5, 2022 at 3:00 p.m. when Berkshire author Carolyn Kay Brancato will discuss her latest novel, The Night Belongs to the Maquis: A World War II Novel.
This event will be held in person as well as on Zoom. Click here to access the Zoom webinar. Books will be available for purchase and signing courtesy of The Bookstore.
Brancato weaves a tapestry of courage by ordinary people who rise to face the evil of Nazi occupation. Set in the small village of Foix, in the vivid Pyrénées of Southern France, the novel follows the dramatic, suspenseful journey of the Maquis, a band of resistance fighters shepherding Allied pilots to safety across the mountains. It is an expertly crafted and captivating read with dynamic characters honoring the real-life men and women who inspired it.
While a work of fiction, Brancato based many events in the novel on personal interviews she conducted some years ago with three members of the French Resistance (the Maquis). One was the leader of the circuit that escorted 500 Allied pilots over the Pyrénées and into Spain. He was captured by the Gestapo, tortured by Klaus Barbie, and personally gave Brancato his deposition in the Barbie trial in Lyon, asking her to please tell the story of his compatriots in the resistance. The Richmond Record said Brancato has created “a work of art that challenges the reader to look clearly at the atrocities of WWII, so the horrors of tyranny and fascism are not unknowingly recreated today.” The novel is dedicated to: all those courageous enough to fight fascism…past and present.
About the Author: Carolyn Kay Brancato writes historical fiction. Her earlier critically acclaimed novel, The Circus Pig & the Kaiser, was reviewed in The Berkshire Eagle as “…a fast paced drama of wit and humor amid politically charged circumstances…a heartfelt portrayal of a band of circus characters defending the ideals of freedom of expression.” She has worked in theatre as a director and playwright and her plays have been mounted at such venues as Steppenwolf in Chicago and the John Houseman Theatre in NYC. She earned her B.A. from Barnard College and a Ph.D. from NYU. Carolyn lives in the Berkshires with her husband; together they were among the founders of The Guild of Berkshire Artists. Her website is www.carolynbrancato.com