Early One
Morning by Robert Ryan is based on a true story. The timeline of the story goes
back to the French Resistance, with the Second World War on. It is a wartime
story. William Grover-Williams is a rich Englishman who sets himself free from
the clutches of his parents and is next seen as chauffeuring William Orpen, a
famous portrait artist. Here, he likes and falls for Eve Aubicq – the charming
but little immature mistress of William Orpen.
Being a motor
racer, William Grover-Williams gets the acquaintanceship of Eve Aubicq and a
story of clandestine romance gears up. Robert Benoist, who hails from France,
is a competitive rival to William Grover in the European race circuits and also
has crush on Eve Aubicq. But still, they both share a sense of admiration for
each other and subtly reckon each other in the band of friendship.
When Paris unwittingly
falls in the grip of Germans, William Grover-Williams joins Special Operations
Executive to work as an undercover agent in the French resistance. Upon
reaching Paris, he asks Robert Benoist to join him in the services; their main
task is to snitch on Nazis, and they with great bravery sabotage various
set-ups of Nazis. However as the story moves forth, they are taken prisoners by
Nazis and subsequently tortured to death.
The book is
worth reading as it invariably throws light on friendship, love, betrayal and
hope. It has a tragic end, as not all war stories are happily settled in the
end. The writer has effectively used flashback technique to make things look clear
and going, including their deaths. It is an extraordinary story of sacrifice of
sporting people who while fighting against the devilish Nazism go through the
test of time to leave a legacy of their friendship in the face of adversity.
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