I really enjoyed this book. The art reminded me of the children's series Madeline, so maybe I also found it nostalgic. I like Yael, Emilie, and Mrs. Petit as characters. I'm a bit confused about the role of their birth mother, because she dies so early in the book. Maybe it was to create a unique circumstance where the children are Jewish but their father and step-mother are not? I thought this book addressed an interesting topic of children having to deal with adult politics when they're not ready. I wish the book were longer. I think the ending was a good ending, but I would have liked to see more of Yael's and her family's story throughout the middle of the book.

Thank you so much Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!❤️

'Behind The Curtain' is beautiful yet heartbreaking. I love the illustrations; the soft colours complemented the serious tone of the plot. I think there was a tiny mistake in the timeline. I wish I didn't have to give any spoilers but I just want to be sure if it's my misunderstanding. Emilie's father marries Ophelie in 1939, one year after her mother's death. But then Ophelie's also present in 1938 and except for the mention of the marriage, the plot continues in 1938. Confusing, right? It kind of dampened my mood. No worries though. It's such a trivial matter compared to the beauty and historical information included in the book. The ending left a void in my heart, a longing to scoop those girls in my arms and hug them tight. Recommended!

At times haunting and creepy and at other mysterious and charming, BEHIND THE CURTAIN is a great novel that touches on the importance of secrets and what families will do to protect one another.

Behind the curtain
Script and art by Sara Del Giudice

Copy given by NetGalley

What's it about?
Set in 1938. Two ordinary girls Taël and her younger sister Emilie growing up in a village south of France. They don't understand everything they see, they are starting to catch glimpses of the secrets that the adults struggle to keep. As they grow up both girls are caught up in the harsh realities of war and the antisemitic laws of Vichy France.

Review
First I really liked the art style, lay out of the pages is well done and flows really well. I really felt for each of the sisters as the story progressed. I would highly recommend this to anyone who has an interest in coming of age stories about coming to understand their own identity.

Rateing ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Firstly, Thankyou to NetGalley, Europe comics & Sara Del Giudice for a copy of the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I adored the illustrations & page set up of this book, minor complaint about the font and having to squint to make out what was written in certain parts but maybe that's my screen or because its a E-book.

This is a YA Historical fiction graphic novel based in France in 1938. I've never read a graphic novel about WW2, i think this is amazing for young adults to learn more about it. I liked the fact it was written from a child's perspective. It has Anne Frank's diary vibes.

If your ready for your heart to be broken you need to read this book!

#EuropeComics #NetGalley

Review will be uploaded to my bookstagram account in the next couple of days.
https://www.instagram.com/booksbooksbooksxoxo

Miigweetch NetGalley and Europe Comics for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This is a historical fiction graphic novel set in 1938 France, and centers around two young girls and their family. Yaël and her sister Émilie, along with their father, nanny, and stepmother, must navigate the changing political climate and fiscal hardships as fascism creeps towards their doorstep. Told from the perspective of the children, much of these conflicts are not explicitly explained in the story, however, a glossary at the end of the book gives additional facts and details.

The art style is subdued and muted, and is appropriate for the tone and subject matter of the book. I thought the pacing was good, the story moved along without sacrificing plot or lingering too long on unnecessary narratives. The ending is a gut punch, crafted very subtly and effectively. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to fans of historical fiction, or readers interested in alternative perspectives from World War II and Europe during the Holocaust.

While the style and topic are not my cup of tea, it's a well written and well drawn. The ending is ambiguous but still tragic. We follow these two girls for so long and we want them to survive against all odds, but in the end, the cruelty of the Nazi party prevails.

Beautiful illustrations and these were the part of this book that I enjoyed the most. The story was heartbreaking and poignant dealing with coming of age and anti semitism.

I really really enjoyed the art and the story, this is definitely something I would show off on my shelf. I like the ending was ambiguous and left up to the imagination and instead focuses on the lead up. I enjoyed the characters but I think the drawn and colored book was the true star of the show, Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

Review to come in October to blog/goodreads.

I received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange of an honest review.

I just love books about history from ancient Egypt to Rome to WWII. And so when I saw this graphic novel about a girl growing up in the time before war and then also during war, I had to read it.

In this book we follow a girl named Yael. She is very observant (though at times she just listens on conversations) and hears all sorts of things. She may not always understand everything, but it was interesting how much the adults said while they knew the kids were around. We see her try to figure things out. Because she hears that Hitler and the Germans don't like Jews. Is she Jewish? Is her sister Jewish? She tries to figure it out, asking people. From her father to her nanny. We see her grow up in a world at unrest. A world set to be thrown into chaos.

We see how things escalate. From just rumours and talk and maybe some rotten remarks to drafts and being at war. We see that the dad has to go to war and him coming back home. I was so happy he could come home, so many people never did. We see rationing. We read about false alarm and then when things go really really wrong. We see that dad and stepmother have to make decisions. Declare the kids as Jewish? But even if they didn't the police/the authorities would have their names. They would know. They would find them. I was just so screaming at my screen when there was an opportunity for the girls to be taken somewhere else (though Spain isn't the safest either) and that they decided they would wait. OH, I have heard/read that so many times in books like this. But when it is time... it is too late.

I wasn't a fan of the father, the daughter clearly wasn't sure on the woman, but I knew. Daddy had been a cheating ass while his wife was sick and dying. :| Later on dad became better and I loved how he cared for his kids. And I could also see that he really liked Ophelie, but seriously, just wait until your wife is dead before you start doing things with another woman.

The ending, oh no no no no you cannot end it there. You just can't. No. Just no. I need to know. What happened afterwards? Given what we read later... I can guess. My heart is broken. :(

The art was nice, I liked the style and it fitted well with the historical setting.

But once again, and I feel like I am just talking to a wall, please dear publishers make the font readable for ARC reading/online reading. I love special fonts, really I do, but I really had to strain to read it. I need to add that I was wearing my glasses. It just took away from the reading experience.

But all in all, a lovely, heart breaking graphic novel about WWII, figuring out who you are, growing up, family, and more. Recommended.

A haunting look at anti-semitism told for a young adult audience. I enjoyed the illustrations and the text was set at exactly the right level - very accessible.

Unlike similar narratives, Behind the Curtain almost entirely focuses on the years leading up to the notorious round-ups. Throughout most of the graphic novel, Yael and her sister lead mostly normal lives, but her increasing awareness of the rising tide of anti-Semitism makes it all bittersweet and eventually quite ominous. Full review at: http://www.jbspins.com/2022/09/behind-curtain.html

"Strange isn't it, how the more proof people have that things are about to go wrong, the harder they try to pretend that everything will be all right in the end..." A beautiful, yet haunting YA tale of a young Jewish girl, Yäel, and her family during the onset of WWII. A simple, yet terrifying coming of age story depicts major changes in Yäel's life, the growing wave of antisemitism and her search for meaning in a world gone wrong. The illustrations are delightful; the story is well researched with translations and historical time markers. While I was glad that there was a glossary and information at the end of the book, I do wish that there was a little less "official context" in the story, which came across as dry to me, but more feelings of unrest or destabilization in their lives as you might expect at this time in their lives.

Haven’t read a lot of graphic novels but I did enjoy this one. Twisted and dark and utterly thrilling

“Behind the Curtain,” written and illustrated by Sara del Giudice is a remarkable graphic novel. Told from the perspective of a young girl growing up in the South of France, this book presents the experience of Jews in Pétain’s Vichy France. Maintaining a child’s perspective, the rapid changes experienced in France (both in the North and in the South) are related through young Jewish girl, Yaël’s eyes. She and her sister both face prejudice in the most unlikely places and life in an increasingly hostile city where there remains very few safe places. Revealing the antisemitic response of many French people in Vichy France, del Giudice presents a visual feast of time, place, and people. Her artwork conveys the emotions of innocence as it is transformed into the hard realities of lost childhood, in times of war. As a graphic novel, del Giudice also manages the balance between text and images; her writing is certainly styled in the structure of many graphic novels, but her linguistic choices show care and depth in conveying the perspectives of a young girl, as a young girl. While other graphic novels like Art Spiegelman’s “Maus” deal more directly with the atrocities and horrors of the holocaust, del Giudice deals more in subtlety and nuance, showing the sinister side of complacency and the ease of the collaborators to enact the rules, newly established, which fulfill a longer held sentiment. Sometimes it is the lack of engagement, the willingness to stand aside and watch, to feel somehow outside of history, that is most dangerous, for that space gives room, and unvoiced permission for other atrocities to follow.

A quick but interesting read which I will be buying for my school as a way of delving into antisemitism, war and occupied lands. The story itself is very accessible and works at an adult and MG level. The open (but obvious) ending enables discussion as to what may have happened to the girls, Further historical information can be introduced

Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review

This YA graphic novel tells the story of Yäel and her sister Emilie -the story begins with the two girls living in southern France with their parents - something is amiss and Yäel begins to understand that her life is not as it seems. During a party game she makes a discovery - Behind the Curtain- that will impact upon her future. It is 1938 and the surgence of antisemitism is increasing and upon the death of the girls’ mother their lives change dramatically. The sisters cannot clearly understand that their world is shifting and understand why their father’s parents and neighbours begin to treat them differently or avoid them. This is Vichy,France - the supposed “safe zone” but as history repeatedly tells us in times of war you cannot trust anyone. This book is very thought provoking and the imagery and words by Sara del,Giudice is pitch perfect in capturing the moments of joy and ultimately the suffering of the sisters. This book is highly recommended to teachers of history and for young adult readers who need to understand the impact of Nazism and anti - semitism. The book is not sentimental but captures the innocence of young people within a world of change - ultimately there is a message of love and recognition we are all bound by family and those we love to give us strength in the darkest of times.

This was a lovely graphic novel - I loved the illustrations and story. I definitely wished it was longer - I would have liked to learn more about the lives of the main characters, and we often skipped years from chapter to chapter. Definitely worth checking out though, and I look forward to what the author does next!