The War Pianist
A gently-paced, thoroughly researched and informative novel which tells the story of a little-known group of World War II resistance fighters in occupied Amsterdam. Marnie Fern, a production assistant for the BBC in London, is thrust into the clandestine world of resistance fighters and wartime communications when her much-loved grandfather is killed in his tailor’s shop during a night-time Luftwaffe raid. Amongst the rubble and damaged stock, Marnie discovers a radio set. An enigmatic stranger informs her that her grandfather had been helping the Dutch Resistance movement by receiving and transmitting messages to and from a fellow ‘pianist’, codenamed Daisy, living under constant threat of betrayal or discovery in Amsterdam.
Marnie is recruited into the British secret service Special Operations Executive (SOE) and undergoes training and a residential stay at a secret location where her skills are tested and honed. Proving herself to be a very adept radio operative or ‘pianist’, she takes the place of her grandfather and begins swapping transmissions with Daisy. As the story unfolds, Marnie’s life becomes inextricably linked with her Dutch counterpart and her family and she joins a dangerous mission into the heart of Holland and Amsterdam.
Mandy Robotham is justifiably a popular novelist and cleverly chooses her very strong and capable female wartime characters from unusual places, creating a fascinating view of World War II from a refreshingly different viewpoint. Marnie Fern is no exception. All of the characters are well-formed and authentic. The War Pianist ends somewhat abruptly, and the author has decided to complete Marnie’s story by an 11-page transcript of an imaginary interview 10 years after the war has ended. This feels like an imposed limitation and detracts from what is otherwise a fine novel.
