The Edelweiss Sisters by Kate Hewitt
Genre: Historical fiction, WW2, Holocaust
Read: 3rd June 2021
Published: 8th June 2021
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
1938, Salzburg. A powerful story of hope, forbidden love, and incredible courage, about three sisters who will risk everything—even their own lives—as part of the resistance movement in Nazi-occupied Austria.
Johanna, Birgit and Lotte Eder have always lived quiet lives, working in their father’s clockmaking shop and helping their mother in the house. But like many other Austrians, they find it impossible to ignore the changes in the world around them.
At first Johanna finds it hard to believe the Nazis pose a real threat. But then her father hires Franz to help in his shop. He’s kind and soulful, with dark eyes that twinkle with intelligence. But he’s Jewish, and as Johanna falls for him, she realizes that loving him puts them all in danger.
Then comes the Anschluss—the reunification of Austria and Germany under Nazi rule. The three sisters’ lives have become ever more separate with Lotte joining the convent at Nonnberg Abbey and Birgit’s secret involvement with the Resistance. But as Johanna realizes how mistaken she was about the level of danger, she begins to see that it may be down to her to protect the man she loves.
She knows that she can’t do it alone though. She will have to turn to the people she trusts the most: her sisters.
The three of them work together to try to get Franz to the safety of Switzerland, and they soon prove invaluable to the Resistance. But they’re risking everything. Can three women who would die for each other, also be prepared to die for what is right?
The sisters’ subsequent journey from Nazi-occupied Salzburg to the devastating concentration camps of Ravensbruck and Mauthausen will show the strength of human spirit like never before. As, out of the darkness, a tiny seed of hope flowers…
A totally heartbreaking and impossibly powerful story about love, tragedy, and the power of humanity. Perfect for fans of The Nightingale, The Lilac Girls and The Sound of Music.
MY REVIEW:
I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Kate Hewitt's heartbreaking THE EDELWEISS SISTERS.
This is my first book by Kate Hewitt and I chose it because of its genre and premise. I have read many a tale set during this time surrounding the Nazi occupation and concentration camps and yet this one was still different enough to stand out. It centres around three sisters and each chapter is told in the narrative of each sister respectively for a fuller and clearer picture. But what also makes this story that little bit different is that it incorporates other figures from history that we may have heard of from that time - the Von Trapp family, Maria Von Trapp and Corrie and Betsie Ten Boom - as well as a visit to Hitler's own mountainside retreat Berghof.
The prologue opens in 1945 with a heartbreaking scene that immediately draws the reader in. A baby, just weeks old, is left in a crate on the doorstep of Nonnberg Abbey. Who is she? Where did she come from? And who was her mother? These are just some of the questions we ask ourselves as we begin this heartbreaking tale. But to answer that, we have to rewind some years for the complete story.
Beginning during a time when Hitler was rising to power in the 1930s and Austria lived under constant threat of occupation, we meet the three Eder sisters - Johanna, Birgit and Lotte - who once sang together in a festival in which the Von Trapp family had also in 1934 and known as the Edelweiss Sisters, for the sprig of Edelweiss their father had each given them to wear on stage.
The sisters live in Salzburg with their clockmaker father Manfred and their stalwart mother Hedwig above the clock shop and while the family fear their nation will fall to the Nazis but do not subscribe to their propaganda or bullying tactics. So when Franz Weber arrives to begin work as an apprentice the family offer him solace in their attic and soon Johanna finds herself caught in trap of forbidden love. For Franz is Jewish - albeit half-Jewish but that will matter not to the Nazis. The couple enjoy trysts and hidden meetings together whilst trying to keep their love secret. Meanwhile, Johanna wishes to do something more with her life but keep house and live in the kitchen.
Middle sister Birgit had been her father's apprentice for two years when Franz arrived to replace her. Hurt and angered that her abilities were not valued, Birgit longed to find something in which she would be appreciated. Then when she sees the unnecessary violence inflicted on a poor Jewish lad, she enters the world of the Resistance movement to stand up against the rise of the Nazi regime. At least here, her presence is seen whereas at home she feels invisible. But one night, the authorities arrive to raid the coffeeshop where their meetings are held and Birgit flees along with her comrades...straight into the arms of Werner Haas who rescues her from capture with a kiss. And Birgit falls in love. But Werner is a soldier with the Austrian army which Birgit knows will only be time before becoming the German army...meaning he will then be a Nazi. So she keeps her activities with the Resistance secret from Werner and keeps Werner a secret from her family, unsure they would approve of some of his ideals. And then the Resistance learn of her relationship with Werner and Birgit finds herself having to prove her worth to them by gathering information from Werner for their cause. Until Werner learns of her motives and her involvement...
And then there is Lotte, the youngest of the sisters. She is the one with the angel's voice that prompted her father to send her to study music and song. But Lotte finds that everyone there is far too competitive taking the joy out of singing for her. It is then that Lotte finds herself drawn to the peaceful confines of the church and thus a calling to become a nun, entering the Nonnberg Abbey as a postulant. Life in the Abbey is a sheltered one and far different to that which is going on around them. Lotte does not see her family in all the time she is a postulant and for the first six months or so of her service as a novitiate. But it is when she discovers a fellow novitiate is assisting the Resistance with the harbouring of Jews in the Abbey that Lotte finds herself in a quandary. To report her would place the Abbey and all therein in danger...but to do nothing would also place them in danger. And then one night she is summoned. Her sister Johanna has come seeking her help for Franz. The Gestapo have raided their house and shop and taken their father away for questioning. Johanna has learned of the Abbey's involvement through the Resistance and now begs for their help for Franz. Lotte knows at once what she must do.
Until now, the sisters and their family had mistaken the level of danger that threatened them all. They were not Jewish but by not supporting the Nazi's regime and their propaganda, they are as good as, therefore putting them all in danger. And now Johanna must find a way to protect the man she loves as the sisters risk everything to transport him to the safety of Switzerland.
WOW! When I started this book I found it so completely slow going and wondered when it would ever pick up. It didn't help that the chapters were also lengthy and it did take a bit for the story to gain momentum and pick up. But it eventually did and I was glad I stuck with it because it is one of those stories that will stick with you long after you have finished. Those that feature the horrific nature of the Holocaust will always tug at the heartstrings when you see just how cruel mankind can be. The harsh and unfair treatment of the Jews was abhorrent, and to simply expect whole nations to concur and succumb to their cruel regime was just barbaric. What I found a little refreshing was a soldier who bore no hatred for Jews despite rising to the ranks of a Nazi officer and thus finding himself questioning the motives behind such harsh treatment of individuals who are completely innocent. He fought for what he thought was best for Austria but found himself in a situation he wanted no part of.
The camps feature in the latter part of the story and, although not heavily, they do play a significant role. It is there we meet Betsie ten Boom briefly, sister to Corrie who is mentioned towards the end of the book. Her love and faith are a refreshing change to the sorrow and death normally highlighted in the camps. But Betsie is like a breath of fresh air, though she only features for a small part, she is definitely hard to forget. And while many would ask "where was God when thousands of Jews were being slaughtered and their women raped?", the inclusion of such faith despite the uncertain and evil times in which they were in I felt were a realistic portrayal of their plights.
THE EDELWEISS SISTERS is certainly a different WW2/Holocaust tale but still has the capacity to tug at the heartstrings with this heartbreaking tale of three sisters who against all odds, rise above them with their faith, love and bravery.
I recommend this story for fans of historical fiction who like a real tear-jerker with a heartwarming end. But bring tissues!!
I would like to thank #KateHewitt, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheEdelweissSisters in exchange for an honest review.
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