As told through the eyes of Samuel Beckett, an author and famous writer who was close friends with James Joyce, another great author and his time spent in France just before the beginning of the Second World War and the part he played in the Resistance. He was born in Ireland and spent most of his time in France during this very dark time in history. He was deeply affected by it and so the book is the reality of this and how it played out in his day to day existence. A time of survival of the fittest. I found it difficult to stay focused as the sentences were short, crisp and repetitive but certainly the feelings of those involved in this great time in history brought to light the immense difficulties that the French people endured. Certainly Samuel Beckett helped in his own small but very needed way.

I really enjoyed this imaging (based on her research) of Beckett's time during the Second World War. If you are a Beckett or Joyce fan, you will appreciate it, and even if you know nothing of them, the rigors of everyday life in France at the time is well told.

I really enjoyed Baker's imagining of Beckett's life in France during WW II. The author illuminates the genesis of Beckett's later works.

4/5 stars. This book was a wonderfully descriptive book about Samuel Beckett and his time in France during World War II and its aftermath.