The first books I read by Rhys Bowen were the Molly Murphy mysteries. Molly, an Irish immigrant, becomes an investigator in New York City at the beginning of the 20th century. I have read every book in the series except the newly released one, Vanished in the Crowd, by Rhys and her daughter, Clare Broyles.
Mrs. Endicott’s Splendid Adventure is about a middle-aged woman. It is a story of women’s friendship, a journey to southern France and the Mediterranean coast, and WWII. I enjoyed the characters, Ellie Endicott, Mavis and Theodora, so different in personality and background.
The town where the women settle is a beautiful community. Eventually it is touched by the war. Ellie makes the decision to assist the resistance when German soldiers take over the town.
As I thought about authoritarian power and the resistance, my thoughts drifted to the experience of the covid years. Our country experienced authoritarian demands: masks, distancing, schools closed, children learning on computers instead of in a classroom, vaccine mandates. Scientists that disagreed with the demands were discredited. Doctors that did not follow the government protocols lost their license to practice.
I was fortunate to have access to the scientists and medical professionals that disagreed with the narrative provided and the protocols. The High Wire was banned from you tube, but developed a website, theHighWire.com, a platform to provide information, interviews and accumulated data. This past Thursday, scientists in Italy provided data from their country, reviewing what happened during covid.
My resistance was with the vaccine mandate. My husband and I did not get the vaccine. Although our doctor did not/could not prescribe ivermectin, we found a way to get it. We both had a mild case of covid and recovered in five days.
Resistance comes in various ways—helping vulnerable people, pursuing truth, accumulating facts and data. There are times when I pray for wisdom and the courage to do what I believe is right.
