Gone to Soldiers is a sweeping New York Times bestseller that captures the most captivating and engrossing stories from World War II. This epic novel by Marge Piercy encompasses a wide range of people and places marked by the Second World War. Each of her ten narrators has a unique and compelling story that powerfully depicts their personality, desires, and fears.

Special attention is given to the women of the war effort, like Bernice, who rebels against her domineering father to become a fighter pilot, and Naomi, a Parisian Jew sent to live with relatives in Detroit, whose twin sister, Jacqueline—still in France—joins the resistance against Nazi rule.

The horrors of the concentration camps; the heroism of soldiers on the beaches of Okinawa, the skies above London, and the seas of the Mediterranean; the brilliance of code breakers; and the resilience of families waiting for the return of sons, brothers, and fathers are all conveyed through powerful, poignant prose that resonates beyond the page.

Gone to Soldiers is a testament to the ordinary people, with their flaws and inner strife, who rose to defend liberty during the most extraordinary times.

London, 1910: Fifteen-year-old Belle has lived in a brothel in Seven Dials all her life, with no understanding of what happens in the rooms upstairs. Her innocence is shattered when she witnesses the murder of one of the girls and is subsequently snatched from the streets by the killer. She is sold into prostitution in Paris.

No longer mistress of her own fate, Belle is blown across the globe to sensuous New Orleans, where she comes of age and learns to enjoy life as a courtesan. Yet thoughts of home—and the knowledge that her status as golden girl cannot last—compel her to break out of her gilded cage.

But Belle finds escaping tougher than she imagined. Her life is threatened by desperate men who crave her beauty and attention. Armed only with her resourcefulness and spirit, she has a long and dangerous journey ahead of her.

Will courage be enough to sustain her? Can she make it back to her family and friends and find her chance at true happiness?