REVIEW: The Woman Outside the Walls by Suzanne Goldring

The Woman Outside the Walls by Suzanne Goldring

Genre: Historical fiction, Wartime fiction, WW2, Holocaust

Read: 17th October 2022

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Published: 18th October 2022

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

I always knew it would come out one day. They are finding everyone who has stayed hidden. They would have come to me in the end.

Hamburg, 1942 Seventeen-year-old Anna knows she can never tell her proud parents the truth about where she is going. She must hide the fact that she is pregnant, that the father of her unborn child is dead and that she is on her way to a special maternity home, where her baby will be given to a perfect family. She tells herself that this is the best solution. She doesn’t expect to feel the rush of love for her beautiful baby boy in the white blanket, or the devastation when he is snatched from her, never to be seen again.

Desperate to forget her grief, she sees an advert for a secretary in a prison, far away in the east. Days later, she leaves Hamburg, travelling eastwards by train, feeling as if a whole new life is about to begin. It is the biggest mistake she will ever make.

London, 2016 Ninety-year-old Anna sits on the edge of her bed, hands trembling, eyes brimming with tears, as she looks at the picture of the soldier in the newspaper. Her friends and neighbours know her as a kindly old lady who bakes cakes and always has time to listen to their troubles. They don’t know about the hated green uniform she burned, the memories of the prisoners she tried to help and the bombed and blackened city she once called home. But now the time for a reckoning has come, will revealing the truth free Anna or destroy her?

A gripping read that will break your heart and have you hooked, perfect for fans of The Alice Network, The Nightingale and My Name is Eva. The Woman Outside the Walls will take you on an emotional journey and show you that in war, even when you are on the wrong side, you can still do the right thing…

MY THOUGHTS:

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Suzanne Goldring's heartbreaking dual timeline tale THE WOMAN OUTSIDE THE WALLS.

I have read all of Suzanne Goldring's books (my favourite still being "My Name is Eva") and this is one that is slightly different though it tells something of the same story. But through the main character's eyes we see something of a different picture. Again it is told through the past and the present as the secrets of the past come to light in the present day. Which leaves us with something of a moral dilemma. What is right? What is wrong? And just what will you do to survive?

Hamburg 1943: Seventeen year old Anna Kolhmann falls in love with a young German soldier who thus leaves her with a parting gift before he is killed in action. Faced with a dilemma of whether to confide in her parents or not, Anna realises she can never tell them the truth - that she is pregnant and the father is dead. So she takes herself off to a maternity home where her baby will be given to the perfect family. She knows that this is best, that she could never give it all that it needs. But she doesn't expect to feel such overwhelming love for her beautiful baby boy or the devastation when he is snatched from her, never to be seen again. In her mind, she has named him Peter and it is there he will remain alive to her as he was in those first moments she glimpsed him.

In her grief, she returns to Hamburg with a plan. She has accepted a position as a secretary in a prison far away in the east. As she sets off, Anna feels as if a chapter has been closed and a new one is about to begin. What she didn't know was what she was stepping into...what kind of prison it was...and the part she would play.

London 2016: Ninety year old Anna stuffs another newspaper clipping into her case, her eyes brimming with tears and her hands trembling. She feels the time has come. They are coming for her, as they have all the others who remain. She puts on her coat, grabs her case and shuts the door to her terraced house and walks away. 

Lauren has lived next door to Anna, whom she knows as Margie, for twenty years and knows the elderly woman doesn't go out anywhere except to the corner store or the church. But when she sees Margie's milk still sitting on the doorstep at the end of the day, she begins to worry something has happened to her neighbour. It's not until her son Freddie returns home does she discover he has found her slumped at a bus stop with no idea what she is doing or where she is going. They can make no sense of what she is saying as she babbles away in a foreign language, possibly German. Together, Lauren and Freddie help Margie home and call the doctor for fear she may have developed some kind of dementia.

Freddie is just 13 years old and has been studying German at school so he has picked up a word or two Margie has uttered but it's not until their neighbour offers to enhance Freddie's grasp of the German language by holding conversation classes that they begin to wonder about Margie's background. Then one day Freddie comes home with the prospect of reading "some girl's diary of the war" (insert eye rolling from Freddie) which he couldn't be more bored with which Lauren makes more real for him by taking him to Amsterdam to see the house in which Anne Frank and her family had hidden. He returns with a postcard of Anne Frank which he gives to Margie as a thank you for helping him with his German that Lauren later finds torn in half in the bin. What is it that haunts Margie that distresses her so?

Then when Freddie comes home with an assignment on the war and its origins, he decides to question Margie on her own experiences, little realising the can of worms he is about to open and heartache that will be unleashed. But can the sins of the past ever be forgiven? 

THE WOMAN OUTSIDE THE WALLS reminds us that stories such as this must never be forgotten. The Holocaust and its atrocities must never be forgotten. We must never forget those crimes against humanity...we must remember them so that they will never happen again.

Anna is a strong and resilient young woman who had seen too much in her young life, having changed her name three times in three years before escaping with the British officer who saved her from poverty and took her home to England to live. But Anna never forgot...she was ashamed and consumed with a guilt that never ever left her. But her story is one that is shrouded in secrets and though I had guessed the part she played, it isn't completely revealed until near the end. 

This dual timeline tale is a little different in that it seemingly jumps around a little, but that is only because some aspects remain hidden until the relative part of the story unfolds. Anna is the predominant voice in this story, both in past and the present. We do hear from Lauren as well which lends something of a different perspective as an outsider looking in. Someone who has known their neighbour for twenty years and thus their shock at the truth when it is revealed.

However, I see Anna as a victim also. The people of Germany didn't want the war that was inflicted on them and yet they had to abide by certain laws anyway. Their lives were turned upside down and destroyed by their own people, let alone the Allies who were fighting them. THE WOMAN OUTSIDE THE WALLS is a thought-provoking tale as it is heartbreaking. There are questions that you would ask yourself should you find yourself in similar circumstances. At the end of the day, it is about survival. You do what you do to survive. And only then can you begin to reconcile the decisions you have made.

Overall, THE WOMAN OUTSIDE THE WALLS is an emotive tale about one woman's strength and resilience and ultimately her survival. Perfect for fans of wartime historical fiction.

I would like to thank #SuzanneGoldring, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheWomanOutsideTheWalls in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Following an eventful career as a public relations consultant, specialising in business and travel, Suzanne Goldring turned to writing the kind of novels she likes to read, about the extraordinary lives of ordinary people. Whether she is working in her thatched cottage in Hampshire or her seaside home in North Cornwall, Suzanne finds inspiration in the secrets hidden by everyday life.  

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REVIEW: Daughter of the Dawn by Marion Kummerow

Daughter of the Dawn (Margarete's Journey #4) by Marion Kummerow

Genre: Historical fiction, WW2, Wartime fiction, Holocaust

Read: 7th October 2022

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Published: 13th October 2022

★★★★ 4.5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

1944, Germany: The war is still raging, as a young woman named Margarete hides from the Nazis in plain sight. With each day that passes, she takes more risks. But will one of those risks ultimately take her to the most evil place on earth?

After a bombing led to her identity being mistaken, Margarete Rosenbaum has been living disguised as one of the Nazis themselves, for almost the entire war.

But secretly—aided by Stefan, a resistance fighter she’s becoming impossibly drawn to—she is trying to liberate the Jewish workers sent to work on the land she’s inherited, and to sabotage the work of the factory she’s meant to be in charge of.

She knows that every day she is risking her life. But she also knows what she has to do. Because it could be her on the other side of the barbed wire fence. And for every person she saves from the Nazis, it’s worth it.

Until she is discovered. And to protect the people she had been helping, she knows she must accept her fate. Even when they send her to the very place she’s hoped to save her prisoners from: Auschwitz… Where no one comes out alive. As the war moves towards its brutal end, will she survive to see Stefan again?

A totally heartbreaking story about courage, love and betrayal, perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Beneath a Scarlet Sky and All the Light We Cannot See.

MY THOUGHTS:

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Marion Kummerow's page-turning finale DAUGHTER OF THE DAWN.

What a wonderfully triumphant finale to Margarete's journey and a most fitting end to this often heartbreaking series. I have read all four books beginning with the poignant "A Light in the Window" which began Margarete's journey in subterfuge. This entire series details a most unusual story of Nazi resistance beginning in Berlin through Paris and ending in northern Germany. Having read the previous three books, I had wondered where the story would take us come the end of the war. And I am so glad to have been a part of this wonderful journey.

Margarete Rosenbaum lives in subterfuge and secrecy as wealthy heiress Annegret Huber, daughter of a Nazi officer killed alongside his wife and daughter in a raid in Berlin. The same in which Margarete survived. It was at this time she saw the opportunity to replace Annegret's papers with her own, thus being the demise of the Jewish servant girl. Margarete has lived as Annegret for a number of years, her true identity known to only a few trusted confidantes.

Now she lives on the Huber estate Gut Plaun overseeing a munitions factory where she employees hundreds of Jewish prisoners and the training of horses for the Wehrmacht. But it's 1944 and the German army is feeling the pinch of the Allies that have pushed them back since the Normandy landings and now they scrambling to throw anything at the Allies in the hope of making it out alive. Because one thing is for sure - Germany won't be winning this war.

Margarete, as Fraulein Annegret, has established herself as a respected employer amongst the prisoners but finds herself in hot water when an SS officer Katze summons her to his offices quicksmart. The end result is bribery for his acquiescence and silence. But is the price too high for her to pay? She confides in her estate manager and trusted friend Oliver and Stefan, a fisherman and holder of her heart. To ignore Katze's offer would mean collapse of their well-tuned operation.

But then when the money dries up, Margarete must acquire more with the sale of some jewels to keep them alive. But a chance meeting with an old friend sees her betrayed, even despite Stefan's warnings. Having survived the war this far only to find herself in a concentration camp just as the war is coming to an end? How could she be so stupid as to let her guard down? What about all those back at Gut Plaun whose survival is dependent on her? Can Margarete still make it through and survive the war? As she marches towards Auschwitz, the one place she has done everything to avoid, it becomes clear that no one is safe.

DAUGHTER OF THE DAWN is the fourth and final installment bringing Margarete's journey to an end. But will it be a happy one? While life was uncertain during the Nazi regime, many sacrificed so much in their quest to do what they feel is right. Some got their happy ending, others did not.

This book is a fitting end to a wonderful and unique series that I have enjoyed being a part of. It was well-researched, well plotted and wonderfully written. I cannot say much more for fear of giving too much away, but this riveting tale highlights the characters' strengths, fears, joys and sorrows throughout the acts of betrayal they have faced with courage and resilience.

Overall, a triumphant finale to Margarete's journey bringing with it a happy ending for some, if not others.

I would like to thank #MarionKummerow, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #DaughterOfTheDawn in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Marion Kummerow was born and raised in Germany, before she set out to "discover the world" and lived in various countries. In 1999 she returned to Germany and settled down in Munich where she's now living with her family.

Inspired by the true story about her grandparents, who belonged to the German resistance and fought against the Nazi regime, she started writing historical fiction, set during World War II. Her books are filled with raw emotions, fierce loyalty and resilience. She loves to put her characters through the mangle, making them reach deep within to find the strength to face moral dilemma, take difficult decisions or fight for what is right. And she never forgets to include humor and undying love in her books, because ultimately love is what makes the world go round.

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REVIEW: The Midwife of Auschwitz by Anna Stuart

The Midwife of Auschwitz by Anna Stuart

Genre: Historical fiction, WW2, Holocaust, Fact with Fiction

Read: 28th May 2022

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Published: 31st May 2022

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Auschwitz, 1943: As I held the tiny baby in my arms, my fingers traced the black tattoo etched across her little thigh. And I prayed that one day this set of numbers, identical to her mother’s, would have the power to reunite a family torn apart by war…

Inspired by an incredible true story, this poignant novel tells of one woman’s fight for love, life and hope during a time of unimaginable darkness.

Ana Kaminski is pushed through the iron gates of Auschwitz beside her frightened young friend Ester Pasternak. As they reach the front of the line, Ana steps forward and quietly declares herself a midwife – and Ester her assistant. Their arms are tattooed and they’re ordered to the maternity hut. Holding an innocent new-born baby, Ana knows the fate of so many are in her hands, and vows to do everything she can to save them.

When two guards in their chilling SS uniforms march in and snatch a blond-haired baby from its mother it’s almost too much for Ana to bear. Consoling the distraught woman, Ana realises amidst the terrible heartache there is a glimmer of hope. The guards are taking the healthiest babies and placing them with German families, so they will survive. And there are whispers the war is nearly over… Ana and Ester begin to secretly tattoo little ones with their mother’s numbers, praying one day they might be reunited.

Then, early one morning, Ana notices the small bump under Ester’s thin striped clothing…

An absolutely heartbreaking and page-turning WW2 novel of one woman’s bravery and determination to bring life and hope into a broken world. Fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz,The Alice Network and The Nightingale will be gripped.

MY THOUGHTS:

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Anna Stuart's heartwrenching tale THE MIDWIFE OF AUSCHWITZ.

As much as I have enjoyed Anna Stuart's "based on true stories" tales woven with fiction, I found THE MIDWIFE OF AUSCHWITZ an incredibly heartbreaking one to read. Although all stories about the Holocaust the the crimes against humanity are just as heartbreaking, I am finding it incresingly difficult to read them. However, as difficult as it was to read this one, I'm glad I did. It was a different tale although it began like any other Holocaust story with Jews being ripped of their identities, moved into stinking ghettos before being deported to death camps or the like. It wasn't until they reached Auschwitz that the story took a slightly different turn.

Ester was a young nurse, who is Jewish, living and working in Lodz in Poland when she and her new husband Filip Pasternak along with their families were rounded up and rehoused in the new ghetto as the Germans overtook their town. Their house had been given over to the Germans to house troops while they now lived in barely two rooms all together.

Ana Kaminski, a Catholic Pole, has worked as a midwife for two decades. Alongside her, her dear friend Ester Pasternak learns the art of birthing as together they bring new life into the world in the ghetto and beyond. 

Until one day, ripped from her husband and her family, Ester finds herself on a train bound for Auschwitz in the hope of saving her dying mother. In the cattle-car she is shocked to find her friend and mentor, Ana, looking a shadow of her former self. Together the two women arrive at Auschwitz with the idealistic notion that they can help save the women and their babies. But Auschwitz was nothing if not cruel and unforgiving, the SS officers even more so. The barbaric cruelties they are forced to face change the way they see the world whilst trying to maintain some form of hope. For if they have no hope, what do they have?

In Auschwitz, Ana and Ester bring 3000 babies into the world. Some lived, some died. But through each mother's pain, the two women gave each of them hope...even if it were to die tomorrow. And then a new cruelty is to be inflicted upon them. Perfect blonde babies will be selected from the newborns for Germanisation, ripped from their mother's arms as they suckle to be brought up in "good Fuhrer loving homes". These selections are the worst kind of cruelty.

So Ester devises a plan to one day bring hope to these families torn apart by tattooing the little ones with their mother's numbers, in the hope that they may be reunited once the war is over and the camp has been liberated. In the meantime, they continue to help each other drawing on one another's strength and resilience to make it through.

But then Ana notices the familiar signs and a small bump beneath Ester's thin clothing...

I was both saddened and angered by this tale. Though I shouldn't be surprised at the Nazi's cruelties during that time. The barbaric nature of such inhumanity resonated with me that my heart ached for the women. Already they had been stripped of everything and still they wanted to take even more? How mankind can inflict such cruelties upon each other is beyond me.

Alternating between the narratives of both Ester and Ana, THE MIDWIFE OF AUSCHWITZ is a heartwrenching tale of friendship, motherhood and survival. How anyone can survive a death camp is remarkable. My heart ached for both women but particularly young Ester.

By the end of the book I was just heartbroken that it hadn't ended how I thought it would. But it was still a satisfying end and a tearful one at that. Anna Stuart tells a wonderful tale and is a skillfull storyteller. I absolutely LOVED "The Secret Diary" but this one was just that more heartbreaking.

I would like to thank #AnnaStuart, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheMidwifeOfAuschwitz in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Anna Stuart lives in Derbyshire with her campervan-mad husband, two hungry teenagers and a slightly loopy dog. She was hooked on books from the moment she first opened one in her cot so is thrilled to now have several of her own to her name.

Having studied English literature at Cambridge university, she took an enjoyable temporary trip into the ‘real world’ as a factory planner, before returning to her first love and becoming an author. History has also always fascinated her. Living in an old house with a stone fireplace, she often wonders who sat around it before her and is intrigued by how actively the past is woven into the present, something she likes to explore in her novels.

Anna loves the way that writing lets her ‘try on’ so many different lives, but her favourite part of the job is undoubtedly hearing from readers. 

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REVIEW: Ashes by Christopher de Vinck

Ashes by Christopher de Vinck

Genre: Historical fiction, True Stories, Fact with Fiction, Holocaust

Read: 27th May 2022

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Published: 18th August 2020

★★★ 3.5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

A deeply touching novel about two young women whose differences, which once united them, will tear them apart forever, during Hitler’s Nazi occupation of Belgium and France. Based on true events.

For fans of All The Light We Cannot See and The Tattooist of Auschwitz.

Belgium, July 1939: Simone Lyon is the daughter of a Belgium national hero, the famous General Joseph Lyon. Her best friend Hava Daniels, is the eldest daughter of a devout Jewish family. Despite growing up in different worlds, they are inseparable.

But when, in the spring of 1940, Nazi planes and tanks begin bombing Brussels, their resilience and strength are tested. Hava and Simone find themselves caught in the advancing onslaught and are forced to flee.

In an emotionally-charged race for survival, even the most harrowing horrors cannot break their bonds of love and friendship. The two teenage girls, will see their innocence fall, against the ugly backdrop of a war dictating that theirs was a friendship that should never have been.

MY THOUGHTS:

Inspired by true events, ASHES is the touching tale of two women and the bond of friendship between them. Simone is the daughter of a war hero, General Joseph Lyon, whereas Hava is the eldest daughter of a Jewish family. 

Despite growing up in vastly different families, the two girls were inseparable. But then in the spring of 1940, the Germans invade Belgium and the friends are separated from their families with only each other for support. Forced to flee the only life they've known, they then find themselves caught in the crossfire of the Germans' onslaught but not even war can break the bonds of friendship.

In a heartwrenching tale of hope and horror in equal measure, ASHES begins powerfully as we follow the two friends' journey, their strength and resilence, their joys and sorrows. The tale tells of the differences that once united them and how they are now torn apart by Hitler's Nazi occupation.

Well written and at times heartwrenching, ASHES is well paced and keeps the reader engaged throughout. The ending, however, was a little rushed but it still left us with a poignant memory of the horrors of war and the resilient journey of these two women.

I may have been half-hearted in my enjoyment of this story because I have read so many similar tales in recent times that I just feel a little overwhelmed and all Nazi-occupation-taled-out. Had it not been for that factor I may have enjoyed it more...though it was still a good read.

I would like to thank #ChristopherDeVinck, #NetGalley and #HarperInspire for an ARC of #Ashes in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Christopher de Vinck is a teacher and the author of eleven books and numerous articles and essays for publications such as the Wall Street Journal and Reader’s Digest. He delivers speeches on faith, disabilities, fatherhood, and writing, and has been invited to speak at the Vatican. He is the father of three and lives in New Jersey with his wife.

His essays on everyday life have been published in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, Reader’s Digest, Good Housekeeping, The Chicago Tribune, The Dallas Morning News, The National Catholic Reporter, and used in high school and college textbooks as samples of good writing.

He has won two Christopher Awards, which celebrates authors whose work looks at the ‘highest values of the human spirit’. His essays have been selected three times for ‘Best Column’ by the National Catholic Press Association. His essay The Power of the Powerless praised by, among many others President Ronald Reagan, was selected by Christianity Today as one of the ten ‘Best Biographies and/or Autobiographies’ of this past century, which also included the works of C.S. Lewis, Thomas Merton, and Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn.

REVIEW: Searching for my Daughter by Liz Trenow

Searching for my Daughter by Liz Trenow

Genre: Historical fiction, Wartime fiction, Post-WW2

Read: 2nd May 2022

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Published: 5th May 2022

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Searching for My Daughter: Absolutely heartbreaking and totally unputdownable WW2 historical fiction

 

The queue is long, but that barely matters. She is used to waiting. For the midnight knock at the door, for her number to be called, for the next meal of watery soup, the sound of a gunshot... Sustaining her through every moment of waiting, there has remained the tiniest flicker of hope: her daughter Rosa’s face, eyes bright and expectant, arms outstretched.

Germany 1945: Miriam has travelled for over two weeks to reach safety. Exhausted and hungry, she knows she is still one of the fortunate ones. One of the few to survive the camps. Having lost her darling husband and son, the only thing that has kept her walking is the hope of finding her daughter, Rosa.

As she arrives at the checkpoint, she is told it is closed for the day. But in her mind Miriam can hear her daughter’s voice: Be strong, stand up to them. Don’t let anyone bully you, Mum. Standing tall, she comes face to face with the guard and refuses to leave until they help her.

When Miriam is introduced to an English officer named Jack, she describes how, fearing the Nazis, she and her husband sent Rosa to England to marry. It was not a marriage of love but of survival. Now, Miriam needs the officer’s help: if she is to be reunited with her beloved daughter, he will need to help her travel to England.

But as Miriam begins to describe Rosa, there is a look of recognition in Jack’s eyes. As he listens to her story, he is transported back to an unforgettable English summer, to secret picnics in the long grass, and to a love that shaped the man he became. Will Jack now risk everything to help Miriam make the biggest journey of all, back to her daughter and her freedom?

An utterly gripping and emotional novel about bravery, enduring love and keeping hope alive in the darkest of times. Perfect for fans of The Nightingale, Beneath a Scarlet Sky and The Tattooist of Auschwitz.

MY THOUGHTS:

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Liz Trenow's heartbreaking tale SEARCHING FOR MY DAUGHTER.

What a beautiful an compelling story. So rare are there historical fiction stories in the immediate aftermath of concentration camp liberation and survivors making their way into an unfamiliar world they had been torn from nearly a decade before. So many tales of wartime fiction recount similar stories of the death camps and Jews being rounded up tortured under the Nazi regime that they tend to all blend together after a while. But SEARCHING FOR MY DAUGHTER offers something completely different.

July 1945: Beginning in the months after the liberation of the camps, a lone woman old before her time joins the long queue outside the British border station, just beyond Russian territory. Miriam Kauffman has trekked for hundreds of miles for two weeks with little food and water in the hope that she may be granted a visa to travel to England so she can begin her search for her daughter Rosa. Just as all hope appears to be lost, she meets Captain Jack Preston who upon taking her details recognises her daughter's name. Can Jack help her get to England? And will she be finally reunited with Rosa after seven years?

Miriam has not seen her daughter since 1938 when she married Daniel Levy and gaining refuge in England prior to the war just as life for Jewish people was becoming more difficult under Hilter's new Nazi regime. It seemed to be the safest option for Rosa when Daniel proposed and whisked her away under the sponsorship of a family who will house them and employ Daniel in the Preston factory manufacturing fans for aircraft. But life in England, although it holds the promise of a fresh start, does not go too smoothly for the couple and before long are left to fend for themselves. However, being German in Britain at a time when the country is at war with theirs is not a friendly place to be. Apart from the fact that they are Jews who have been persecuted by the Nazi's, the fact remains that they are German. And no one is sympathetic to their cause.

When the war comes to an end in May 1945, Rosa longs to find out what became of her family. Daniel had promised that he would try and organise visas for them to join them in England but war broke out before that could happen and her family disappeared into the ether. She contacts the Jewish Information centre and the Red Cross in the hope that they may be able to trace her family and what became of them...but it seems the information she receives is a dead end.

Just as Rosa begins her search, Miriam embarks on her own journey to find her daughter with Jack Preston's help. It seems both women are at cross purposes throughout as so often they are close and yet so far from one another. In a city of millions in the wake of a debilitating war, can mother and daughter find each other against all odds? Can the promise of new life give them both hope?

Told in three parts, SEARCHING FOR MY DAUGHTER is a story of survival, of hope and of never giving up. It is not one woman's journey, but both women's journeys to new life and hopefully back to each other. So many stories focus on the horrors of the death camps, the hiding and persecution of the Jews and high-handedness of the Nazi rule. This story is different in that it's focus is on the aftermath. Both Miriam and Rosa's stories were unique and heartbreaking, so have your tissues handy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book far more than I thought I would. It is compelling, heartbreaking and poignant...but it is also hopeful and inspiring. I would love to see more stories like this as those about life in the camps and so forth have flooded the market that readers are drowning in them. SEARCHING FOR MY DAUGHTER offers something different.

Overall, an engrossing read that is a poignant tear-jerker with a hopeful ending. One of the best I have read in a long time.

I would like to thank #LizTrenow, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #SearchingForMyDaughter in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Liz Trenow is a former journalist who spent fifteen years on regional and national newspapers, and on BBC radio and television news, before turning her hand to fiction.  Searching for My Daughter is her ninth novel. The Forgotten Seamstress reached the top twenty in the New York Times best seller list and The Last Telegram was nominated for a national award. Her books are published all over the world and translated into many languages.  

 

She lives in Colchester with her artist husband, and they have two grown up daughters and three grandchildren.  

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REVIEW: The Girl in the Shadows by Marion Kummerow

The Girl in the Shadows (Margarete's Journey #3) by Marion Kummerow

Genre: Historical fiction, Wartime fiction, WW2, Holocaust

Read: 15th March 2022

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Published: 23rd March 2022

★★★★ 4 stars

DESCRIPTION:

1943, Germany: Two years ago, fate gave a beautiful young Jewish woman named Margarete Rosenbaum the chance to survive the Nazis, by pretending to be one of them, hiding in plain sight. Now she must make a terrifying decision…

Margarete lives as Annegret Huber would have, in a beautiful rural mansion by a forest in northern Germany. She is the heiress to the entire Huber fortune—one which she has devastatingly discovered includes a factory and Nazi prison camp. Margarete has done everything she can to help improve conditions there, and to reduce suffering for the prisoners who remind her so much of her own lost family and friends.

However, as the war rages on and the Nazi party becomes more brutal in its treatment of Jews, she realizes she must do more. She has to help the prisoners escape to real safety, because they will never be safe in Hitler’s Germany.

She’s heard of a route to freedom through Sweden. Although that means secretly reaching out to the resistance. With the risk of betrayal at every turn, her enquiries lead her to a man named Stefan, who she instantly feels a powerful connection to. But she fears he will never trust her… unless she reveals the secret that keeps her safe.

At the same time, a Nazi officer begins to show romantic interest in her, making it harder to keep her identity a secret. His loyalty to the party is beyond question, so if he finds her out, not only will her plan be at risk, but also her life and those of everyone she cares for.

But can she let that fear stop her from saving others? Because she knows she herself could so easily be one of the faces on the other side of the fence. And that, in the darkest times, sometimes the only person who can rise up is the girl in the shadows…

The powerful third novel in Marion Kummerow’s bestselling Margarete’s Journey series is an unforgettable and devastating story, perfect for fans of The Nightingale, The Lilac Girls and All the Light We Cannot See.

MY REVIEW:

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Marion Kummerow's emotional tale THE GIRL IN THE SHADOWS.

“Living a lie has become second nature for me.” -Annegret Huber

When the German family of a high ranking SS officer were killed in a bombing raid, their Jewish maid Margarete Rosenbaum assumed the identity of their daughter Annegret, thereby ridding herself of the yellow star sewn into her clothes branding her as a Jew. Following the subsequent deaths of Annegret's brothers, she then became the sole heiress to the Huber family fortune. As was Wilhelm's wish...that she utilise that fortune for good. 

For two years now she has been hiding in plain sight in the rural Huber family estate Gut Plaun where she overseers an ammunitions factory that utilises the slave labour of five hundred Jewish prisoners. In the time she has lived on the estate Margarete has worked hard to improve the conditions for all those that live and work there. Only two other people know her true identity but for safety's sake, and each other's, they continue to refer to her as Fraulein Annegret both in public and private. For who knows who may be listening.

When a new SS officer, Unterscharführer Thomas Kallfass, is transferred to take over as district leader he is determined to make a name for himself, garner a promotion and hopefully marry the lovely Annegret Huber in the process who would surely pave his way into the elite. He woos her for her name, money and status all the while making your skin crawl. Unlike his predecessor, Thomas is shrewd and sharp and nothing gets by him, so when news reaches him that exemptions have been granted for some of the Jews marked for deportation, Thomas takes it upon himself to ensure that they will indeed be eradicated from his district by the Fuhrer's birthday.

The news reaches Annegret/Margarete of his plans and she seeks help from a fisherman friend she made by chance at the harbour, Stefan, who she soon learns is not only sympathetic to the cause but is at the heart of it. A chance trip to neutral Sweden brings documents into her possession that will aid the escape of at least fifty Jews in her care. Not enough, but it's a start. But this chance comes with great risk in which Margarete does not hesitate. She continues to be resourceful with but a few on her side. But is it enough? This is the most dangerous and difficult mission Margarete has has to undertake since becoming Annegret. After two years living a lie, is Margarete's luck about to run out? 

I have to say, I thought Reiner was a despicable character in the first book but he has nothing on Thomas! He is truly vile and reprehensible. And I perished the thought of he and Margarete together. Kummerow has drawn him perfectly as readers will loathe him instantly. His belittling manner towards Jews and women in general to his condescending presence in general just made me cringe. I had this deep sense of foreboding whenever he appeared.

The remaining cast of characters are a delight. From Oliver and Dora to the housekeeper and quiet manager...and then to Stefan, who was a pure delight. I loved him! I loved Wilhelm and was devastated when he perished at the end of the first book but in meeting Stefan I just know there is story and a future there. And I can't wait to find out what!

And then there was that ending! I did not expect that to happen. Wow! It was a definite surprise and superbly played. I cannot wait to see what awaits Margarete and her friends in the next book.

A truly heartwrenching tale of survival against all odds, THE GIRL IN THE SHADOWS is the emotional continuation of Magarete's journey that you don't want to miss.

I would like to thank #MarionKummerow, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheGirlInTheShadows in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Marion Kummerow was born and raised in Germany, before she set out to "discover the world" and lived in various countries. In 1999 she returned to Germany and settled down in Munich where she's now living with her family.

Inspired by the true story about her grandparents, who belonged to the German resistance and fought against the Nazi regime, she started writing historical fiction, set during World War II. Her books are filled with raw emotions, fierce loyalty and resilience. She loves to put her characters through the mangle, making them reach deep within to find the strength to face moral dilemma, take difficult decisions or fight for what is right. And she never forgets to include humor and undying love in her books, because ultimately love is what makes the world go round.

Social Media links:

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REVIEW: The Hidden Village by Imogen Matthews

The Hidden Village (Wartime Holland #1) by Imogen Matthews

Genre: Historical fiction, Holocaust, WW2

Read: 14th January 2022

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 17th January 2022

★★★★ 4.5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

A Nazi soldier slams his rifle into her father’s head. From her hiding place, Sofie stifles a scream as tears roll down her face. Suddenly she can’t take it any more. ‘Stop, stop!’ she sobs, rushing out and pushing the soldier away. And then freezes, as he snarls and whips the gun round to point at her…

Holland, 1943: the Nazis are in occupation. German soldiers patrol the streets, and each week more families disappear without trace, never to be seen again. So when armed soldiers storm Sofie’s house and threaten her father at gunpoint, she knows their time – and luck – has run out.

Fleeing in the middle of the night to hide in a neighbour’s secret attic, the constant threat of a German raid means they can’t stay long. So Sofie’s parents make the heart-rending decision to send their daughter away. Concealed in the woods is a secret village, built by the town as a haven for Jewish families like Sofie’s. Remote, cold and bleak, yet filled with the hopeful laughter of children playing, it is the one place Sofie has the chance to live.

But rumours of the hidden village have been swirling, and the Nazis are determined to find it. As soldiers patrol the woods in ever-greater numbers, snow cuts the villagers off from the outside world and starvation sets in. Sofie knows what she must do, even though it means putting herself in danger. And when the worst happens, Sofie is faced with a terrible decision – save the village, or save herself…

An absolutely heart-breaking and gripping WWII historical novel based on the true story of an entire town who put themselves in danger to keep strangers safe. What happens will restore your faith in humanity. Fans of Fiona Valpy, The Tattooist of Auschwitz and The Choice will never forget this incredibly moving tale and the real-life heroes who inspired it.

MY REVIEW:

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Imogen Matthews' inspiring tale of THE HIDDEN VILLAGE.

Upon reading the premise for THE HIDDEN VILLAGE I immediately became intrigued as it offered something a little different than your usual Holocaust stories. The author was inspired by her own Dutch family's tales of their personal experiences during wartime Holland and though based on actual events, it is otherwise entirely fictional. 

A compelling tale, THE HIDDEN VILLAGE comes across as an easy read for young adults to understand which is what I particularly liked as it wasn't bogged down with historical facts that tend to lose me in the quagmire. It was written in an easy to understand way featuring all young children and adults as the main perspectives.

It is not clear which year what year it is when the story begins, as with most books of this genre, so it is therefore left to the reader's imagination. It starts of with the innocence of childhood as Sofie, a young Jewish Dutch girl, grumbles about the teacher overlooking her abilities despite her topping her class in a maths test. She is too busy harbouring a resentment for Oscar with whom she shares a teenage affection and flits between being annoyed with him and being in love with him. Her best friend Liesbeth nudges her playfully which only makes Sofie frown more.

Oscar is the same age as Sofie and though he is not Jewish, he and his family do not welcome the Nazi occupation. His father Max is strict but reasonably fair as he works for the underground movement in helping to keep those in danger from the Germans safe. His mother Sara is English and while she is not involved in the underground she silently supports it. No one wants or welcomes a Nazi regime in Holland. And while Oscar yearns to see more of Sofie, circumstances soon make that impossible.

Then there is Oscar's 11 year old brother Jan, a young tearaway who gets himself into mischief with his two friends Nico and Lex. Together they roam the woods, despite being told countless times by his mother not to, looking for fun and adventure. Fate brings fallen pilots to their den in the woods as Jan endeavours to help the airmen. And while the woods are not teeming with Germans yet, they could be and so Jan brings the pilot home to keep him safe. Was that a wise move? Jan didn't care because now he was playing a part in a big adventure and for him it was exciting.

Then when the net closes in and Germans begin to steal the Jews away, forbidding them any birthright or privilege, the villagers know the time has come when they must hide them. And so plans are made...

A secret purpose-built village deep in the Veluwe woods called Berkenhout. There dozens of persecuted people, mostly Jews, were sheltered in the underground huts that soon became home for them. They were helped by a community of men, women and children from the nearby village who gather food and other necessities for all those who were hidden there. The need for secrecy was paramount and instilled in anyone who knew of its existence...for a betrayal could cost many of them their lives.

Sofie was one of the first to be hidden in Berkenhout where she moved in with a family of strangers who soon became a second family to her. Her own parents went to a Dutch family who only had room for two of them, thereby paving the way for Sofie to live in Berkenhout. There she learnt how to cook under surrogate mum Corrie's guidance and even set up a little school alongside  Laura, another girl her age who was from Ghent in Belgium. Together they taught the younger children and created activities to keep them occupied. It was not an easy life but it was one they adapted to. And all the while, Sofie longed to see Oscar and spend a few moments alone with him.

Oscar and his family worked tirelessly with others to keep Berkenhout and its inhabitants secret and safe. Even Sofie's best friend Liesbeth helped with gathering supplies for the village. Jan longed to be privy to whatever secrets were being kept from him and his yearning to help often put them in danger. Berkenhout must remain secret; its inhabitants kept safe.

But little did they know that trouble was a lot closer than they thought...

The easy style of this story made it an enjoyable quick read I devoured in a day. I wondered how on earth you could hide an entire village from discovery but the people of this village did just that to all intents and purposes. And that's what compelled me to read this story as it didn't read like any other Holocaust tale I have come across. I have read many Auschwitz like stories and after a while they all become too similar...so I was after something similar but different. And THE HIDDEN VILLAGE is just that.

The sheer terror at being discovered by the Germans is felt upon the pages - by both adults and children alike. Such as when Jan hides in the woods from the Nazi officers he encounters. So it was difficult to appreciate their courage as well as their fears in helping those in this hidden village.

I thoroughly enjoyed THE HIDDEN VILLAGE but I do however have one complaint. The ending. The story was unfolding at a perfect pace with the reveal of a major event when suddenly the last chapter jumps twenty years to a whole other era and I felt like...what just happened? It felt rushed and unexplained and it almost leaves the reader feeling a little bit cheated having invested so much in getting to know the characters. I don't even know what happened to some of them. And one explanation from Henk Hauer was just unbelievable. Just no. Maybe we'll get more answers in the sequel "Hidden in the Shadows"...

Despite this, THE HIDDEN VILLAGE is a thoroughly engrossing read and a very easy one at that. Perfect for fans of historical fiction, particularly those surrounding the Holocaust and the underground movement working against the Nazi regime.

I would like to thank #ImogenMatthews, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheHiddenVillage in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Imogen Matthews writes novels based on true stories about the Netherlands during the German occupation in World War 2. Some stories she discovered by chance, others are based on her Dutch mother's own experiences of hardship and survival during the Hunger Winter of 1944-45.

Her first novel, The Hidden Village, is set in the Veluwe woods, a beautiful part of Holland that Imogen has visited frequently over the past 30 years. It was in these woods that she discovered the story of the real hidden village which provided shelter in underground huts for Jews during WW2. Imogen retells the story of the hidden village with characters drawn from real life and from her imagination.

Within weeks of publication in 2017, The Hidden Village became an international bestseller, ranking at the top of a number Amazon's most-read book lists.

Following on from The Hidden Village comes Hidden in the Shadows, which has the pace of a thriller yet is also a love story. It tells the story about two young people who are brutally torn apart and must find a way to be together against all odds.

Imogen's third WW2 novel, The Girl Across the Wire Fence, is set in Amersfoort, Netherlands, and is based on the unforgettable tale of two young lovers who risked everything to keep hope alive in the very depths of hell - the little known Dutch concentration camp called Kamp Amersfoort.

Imogen's WW2 novels are published by Bookouture, a digital imprint of Hachette.

Learn more about Imogen's story in this video.

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