The Journey of Martin Nadaud: A Life and Turbulent Times

Exquisite. Gillian Tindall is superb at transporting the reader from the now into another time. As with her *Celestine*, The Journey of Martin Nadaud is a micro history that tells a fascinating story and does so without guile or needless extrapolation. Ms. Tindall is gifted at informing the reader without slumping into 'I know something you don't know'. She moves us through seventy years of French history from le Cruese to Paris to London with grace and impeccable authenticity. About my only complaint (and it is a small one, indeed) is that the book ends with a rather hurried summary of Nadaud's last years. Perhaps this was due to those years being adequately documented elsewhere, but I wanted to read more of Gillian Tindall's writing and interpretation.