Pont Neuf by Max Byrd, Natasha Soudek (Narrator)

4 out of 5 stars  ****

Historical Fiction about WW II and a young female war correspondent, Annabella March, Annie, who studies the famous Martha Gelhorn while in France, 1944. Annie becomes a great photographer preferring pictures to words. She meets two Harvard bred officers, one, a truly courageous soldier and the other, an officer who does not see the front line action his Harvard buddy does. It is Gelhorn's influence and notoriety that permits Annie access to these officers and planners of war tactics. She discovers the politics and ego-driven decisions in wartime that unnecessarily result in the deaths of so many men. Her association with Martha also grants her an insult from Martha's estranged husband, Earnest Hemmingway. Annie desires to share herself with the courageous soldier but the timing is rotten. Germany is about to launch the Battle of the Bulge and all allied troops must direct their attention to this famous, historical event. Pont Neuf , French for New Bridge, crosses the Seine River in Paris. This is the location of the last scene for this story. What precedes this scene is the heroic victory of the allies over their enemy and the terrible cost it exacts on Annie's soldier. A decision to follow orders or follow one's heart creates the suspenseful tension in the epilogue leaving listeners with a tearful reminder that war destroys the conquered and devastates victors. It affects all who participate.