Fragments of Light by Michèle Phoenix

n impossible decision in the chaos of D-Day. Ripples that cascade seventy-five years into the present. And two lives transformed by the tenuous resolve to reach out of the darkness toward fragments of light.
Cancer stole everything from Ceelie—her peace of mind, her self-image, perhaps even her twenty-three-year marriage to her college sweetheart, Nate. Without the support of Darlene, her quirky elderly friend, she may not have been able to endure so much loss.
So when Darlene’s prognosis turns dire, Ceelie can’t refuse her seemingly impossible request—to find a WWII paratrooper named Cal, the father who disappeared when Darlene was an infant, leaving a lifetime of desolation in his wake.
The search that begins in the farmlands of Missouri eventually leads Ceelie to a small town in Normandy, where she uncovers the harrowing tale of the hero who dropped off-target into occupied France.
Alternating between Cal’s D-Day rescue by two young French sisters and Ceelie’s present-day journey through trial and heartbreak, Fragments of Light poses a timeless question: When life becomes unbearable, will you press toward the light or let the darkness win?
Praise for Fragments of Light
“With depth of emotion and vivid images of a war-torn WWII world, Fragments of Light nails down the achingly real in a character’s journey, tackling both raw and poignant moments from a practiced pen. Michele Phoenix shines a spotlight on God’s chasm-crossing persistence to rebuild the shattered places of our lives—and the people He uses to do it—no matter how much time has passed between brokenness and the quest for healing. Readers will root for Ceelie and Nate long after they’ve turned the last page!” —Kristy Cambron, bestselling author of The Butterfly and the Violin and the Lost Castle novels
“Michèle Phoenix skillfully explores the strength and resiliency of the human spirit but also its heartbreaking limits. Brimming with expertly researched wartime details, Fragments of Light abounds with poignancy and insight.” —Susan Meissner, bestselling author of The Last Year of the War
“Ceelie’s anguish and hope, Darlene’s spunk and pain, and Cal’s courage and conviction—all of it combines to create a story as beautiful as it is heartbreaking. In short, I loved this book!” —Lauren Denton, USA TODAY bestselling author of The Hideaway and The Summer House
“A compelling story across time of love, loss, and what happens when tragedy strikes." —Katherine Reay, bestselling author of Dear Mr. Knightley and The Printed Letter Bookshop
“An immersive and unforgettable treatise on the power of love in all of its manifestations." —Rachel McMillon, author of The London Restoration
“It’s not often a story moves me as Fragments of Light has. With a rare and honest voice, Michèle Phoenix weaves a story of heroes from yesteryear and also those from your neighborhood—each with hearts of valor—as they endure the fight of their lives." —Elizabeth Byler Younts, Carol Award–winning author of The Solace of Water

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About The Author

Raised in France by a Canadian father and an American mother, Michèle is an educator, writer and speaker. After teaching at an international school in Germany for twenty years, she launched her own global work advocating for the children of missionaries. Michèle writes novels in the margins of her life. They've been published in the United States, Canada, Norway and Poland. She loves good conversations, French pastries, mischievous students and paths to healing.

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My Review

The author as gifted us with a story that will have you page turning for answers. I felt as if I was ducking from the flack being shot at the paratroopers, and gingerly walking on floors that are about to collapse, and all the while searching for answers.
We are mainly with two woman both fighting the Big "C". and a beautiful friendship evolves between these two.
Because of this friendship we journey from present day to "D" in France, and back again. Keep turning the pages as answers to come, maybe not how you want them, but this is a fact of war.
A read that will linger, and full of emotions from one range to another, but mainly "Love".

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Thomas Nelson, and was not required to give a positive review.