I read this book whilst studying for a dissertation on women's experiences of resistance in France during the occupation. It was a welcome contrast to the rather heavy academic studies on the subject, as it's basically a biography of a very likeable woman who survived the occupation by simply 'getting through', rather than joining an official resistance movement or collaborating with the enemy. It's full of funny tales of coping with food and clothing shortages, and very moving passages where she reveals how much she misses her husband, a prisoner of war in Germany. Highly recommended.