Hotel Exile Paris in the Shadow of War by Jane Rogoyska
Eva Tichaeur, aged 15, looks at Paris from the Sacre Coeur, and thinks how wonderful it is to be in such a beautiful city with her whole life ahead of her. Life is fine for Eva with her relatively well-off parents, but for the other German exiles, it is difficult, and soon it will become much harder. They include professionals, artists and writers, many of whom were used to fine living in Berlin, but now they are refugees, mostly struggling and unwelcome by the French. Nevertheless, several decide to fight against Hitler, astonished that such a regime could form government in their country, famous for its civilisation and culture. They form groups and committees which meet at one of Paris’s grand old hotels, the Hotel Lutetia on the Left Bank. The Art Deco hotel’s emblem is a storm-tossed ship inscribed Fluctuat Nec Mergitur , which translates from Latin to "Tossed by the waves, but never sinks". This traditional Parisian motto emphasizes the resilience of the city, and the ...
