What did you think of Evelyn’s approach to the war (“transactional resistance,” in her words), whereby she gives the Nazis information in exchange for protection/papers for her friends?

Book Clubs The Tapestry of Time by Kate Heartfield Discussion
1

What did you think of Evelyn’s approach to the war (“transactional resistance,” in her words), whereby she gives the Nazis information in exchange for protection/papers for her friends?

2

I think she did what she had to do to guarantee not only her safety but the safety of those close to her. Desperate times call for desperature measures.

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3

I realize that she thought she was doing the best possible for herself and her friends. Many men and women in her situation did as well; Coco Chanel comes to mind. However, my gut says “traitor”.

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4

I do not think it provided protection for Kit. Evelyn alerted the Nazis to Kit and to her father’s theories about the tapestry, which put the entire Sharp family in danger.

5

I thought the situation was wrong but Evelyn justified it by saying she was helping her friends. She was protecting herself by being a traitor and probably caused more harm than good.

6

I hate it! Evelyn couldn’t see the “big picture” or move beyond her own welfare. Her decision is a selfish one that ended up hurting others. I don’t think she did this to protect friends as can be seen by what happened to Kit. (So not good.)

7

I think Evelyn’s approach points to the horror of war and the impossibility of the situations it creates for so many people. It’s very easy for me to call Evelyn a traitor, and to agree with others here who point to the harm she caused the Sharps as one example of how her goals were ultimately selfish. It does seem that she primarily served herself by trying to keep her friends safe while appearing to cooperate with the regime, and she wasn’t concerned (to the best of my memory) with a larger of agenda undermining the occupation itself. At the same time, she did take risks for those she loved, and that takes a certain amount of bravery and decisiveness. While I disagree viscerally with some of her actions, I’m also a little wary of judging her absolutely because I have forced to make those kinds of decisions.

8

I don’t think I would do what she did. It does not feel right to me. Evelyn might have thought she was doing good but to me it is wrong. By protecting some, she was hurting others.

9

Evelyn did what she had to do to survive, and to ensure the survival of her friends. It wasn’t necessarily right to share confidential information with the Nazis, but often times you have to do things you don’t want to for survival purposes, and to ensure that the future of your country has some positive outcomes. She wanted to make a contribution by ensuring her friends’ survival.

10

Evelyn was a traitor. There’s just no getting around that. She claimed to love Kit, but sold her out to the Nazis, along with her family. She knew what she was doing and that she was placing the woman she claimed to care deeply about in danger. Sadly, too many people took her approach during WWII and caused the deaths of others. And too many people are doing exactly the same thing in the U.S. today. Her behavior was reprehensible and unforgivable, and yet Kit couldn’t bring herself to kill her . . . Kit was the character who deserved to have readers’ support, admiration, and good wishes.

I’m sure Karma took care of Evelyn. And am consoled by that belief. :+1: