As nuanced in her observations of human behavior as she is in her vivid depictions of French landscape and architecture, Wharton fully exploits her unique position as consort to Walter Barry, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Paris, which allows her unparalleled access to life in the trenches. Sensitive without sentimentality, Fighting France is a nothing less than an inspirational testament to the strength of the human spirit at a time of the greatest adversity.