Under Two Flags by Janis Robinson Daly is the story of Josephine Therese Marzynski, who travels from Boston to Berlin in 1916 to study opera at the renown Klindworth-Scharwenka Konservatorium. When she arrives in Berlin, the Germans are at war, but the United States is still neutral. From the moment Josephine enters the city, however, she is besieged with the German paranoia of spies — “Achtung! Spionen Gefahr” (Attention! Beware of spies). Josephine has been invited to stay with close friends of her mother, who was also an opera student before she was dragged away by her father (Josephine’s grandfather) to immigrate to the United States. Josephine smuggles a small American flag she keeps close at hand throughout the story.

Daly uncovered a family book called With Old Glory in Berlin by Josephine with a foreword written by her grandfather and decided to retell it, blending fact and fiction. The original story did not mention the fact that Josephine was Jewish. This element would have been even more telling had this been WWII. Daly also wanted to expand on the opera element, which is the driving force behind this tale, compelling the protagonist to travel from Boston to Berlin. Music sings throughout this book, with extraordinary connections to specific operas, lyrics, and a swelling of the soul with the melodies. It was surprising to learn in the author's notes that she is not a musical expert herself.

Daly is addicted to similes, which were too frequent. And because the story is based on an actual book, she doesn’t stretch out the tension when Josephine is put into a difficult situation. Daly resolves the issue quickly.

Books that are based on actual diaries have trouble with endings. Diarists rarely die at the end of the story. The story just stops. The conflict in turning someone else’s story into a novel is determining if the genre is memoir or fiction. Daly has created an interesting and well-written story.