Mitchell, Judith Claire. The last day of the war.MITCHELL, Judith Claire. The last day of the war. Random House, Anchor. 366p. bibliog. c2004. 0-385-72201-X. $14.00. SA The fictional "Erinyes," an organization bent on Adj. 1. bent on - fixed in your purpose; "bent on going to the theater"; "dead set against intervening"; "out to win every event" bent, dead set, out to avenging the Armenian genocide of 1915 and 1916, drives the plot of this lively love story. That romance is nearly always the background to events is all to the better. Yael Weiss meets the WW I soldier Dub Hagopian in the St. Louis library shortly after she has shoplifted a suit from a local department store. He has come from the East Coast to pick up illicit guns. The guns will be used by the Armenian organization to assassinate as·sas·si·nate tr.v. as·sas·si·nat·ed, as·sas·si·nat·ing, as·sas·si·nates 1. To murder (a prominent person) by surprise attack, as for political reasons. 2. the Turkish murderers. The weapons are hidden behind a shelf of books and Yael nearly sabotages the whole secret exercise by flirting and teasing the anxious and inexperienced soldier/terrorist. Dub finally recovers the guns and leaves by train for the east and then to Europe. Yael is smitten and cannot get Dub out of her mind. Anyone who can wear a stolen suit out of a ladies department can figure out how to follow a soldier to France, and this Yael does by changing her name and age to join the YMCA YMCA in full Young Men's Christian Association Nonsectarian, nonpolitical Christian lay movement that aims to develop high standards of Christian character among its members. as an overseas canteen worker. Once she gets to France she finds Dub in the huge crowd assembled to view the opening of the Paris Peace Conference Paris Peace Conference, 1919: see Versailles, Treaty of. Paris Peace Conference (1919–20) Meeting that inaugurated the international settlement after World War I. It opened on Jan. 12, 1919, with representatives from more than 30 countries. of 1919. (Well, this is fiction.) Dub is on a mission to kill an elderly Turk who has been targeted by the secret organization. Dub is a reluctant terrorist and part of the appeal of the novel is in observing his growing sensitivity. The characters, even the minor ones, are delightfully drawn. The telling detail makes the difference; the plot doesn't so much thicken thick·en tr. & intr.v. thick·ened, thick·en·ing, thick·ens 1. To make or become thick or thicker: Thicken the sauce with cornstarch. The crowd thickened near the doorway. 2. as bubble and overflow. The author's research was extensive. There was a secret Armenian organization that was able to kill some of the Turks held responsible for the extermination extermination mass killing of animals or other pests. Implies complete destruction of the species or other group. of over a million Armenians. A "Timetable" provides dates and descriptions of these acts of vengeance Acts of Vengeance is a Marvel Comics 1989-1990 crossover event. Although almost every Marvel Universe series published during that time was involved, the main plot ran through the Avengers comics and was only occasionally referenced elsewhere. . The excellent annotated bibliography at the back of the book could keep students busy for a year. The author talks about how she was able to write the book and how she assembled her ideas; the novel was a long time in the making. It was worth waiting for. Penelope Power, retired Libn., Baltimore, MD |
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