REVIEW: The Boy in the Attic by Imogen Matthews

The Boy in the Attic (Wartime Holland #3) by Imogen Matthews

Genre: Historical fiction, Wartime fiction, WW2, Dual timeline

Read: 27th August 2022

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 30th August 2022

★★★★ 4.5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Anna opened the letter with trembling hands. ‘My darling, if you’re reading this, I haven’t managed to unravel my parents’ secret. But you can. Will you finish the search for me, find out who they were, and who you really are?’

Nazi-occupied Holland, 1944. As soldiers patrol the streets, nursing student Ilse is only just surviving the terrible famine and increasingly violent German occupation. Though exhausted by her demanding work at a hospital far from home, she can’t help but notice Levi, the young man with the dark eyes watching the world silently from the abandoned house next door.

Then, early one morning, she finds him terrified and trembling with cold on the back doorstep. Levi’s Jewish family have been arrested and sent to a concentration camp, their likely fate all too clear. And now he needs her help.

So Ilse makes the most dangerous decision of her life, and takes Levi in. Hiding him away in her tiny attic room, he must remain concealed or risk almost certain death. But as the war worsens, keeping Levi a secret becomes ever more difficult, even as their mutual affection grows. And when a local German soldier becomes obsessed with Ilse, they fear their time – and luck – has run out…

London, present day. When Anna’s father dies, he leaves her a ticket to Amsterdam, a bent silver sixpence on a delicate silver chain, and a note begging her to complete the journey he was never able to. To the town where he was born, to find out once and for all who his parents were, and to discover their wartime fate.

Based on the author’s incredible family history, a totally devastating and ultimately uplifting story about a girl who risked everything, including her life, to save the man she loved. Heart-breaking and timely, this powerful tale will be loved by fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Nightingale and Fiona Valpy.

MY THOUGHTS:

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Imogen Matthew's breathtaking dual timeline tale THE BOY IN THE ATTIC.

I have read alot of tales centred around the Nazi occupation of various Eurpoean countries during the war and after a while they all become a little too "samey". So I was immediately drawn to THE BOY IN THE ATTIC for its dual timeline which would thus offer something different and break up the constant sorrow at the heartbreak, deprivation and tragedy suffered by those at the hands of the Nazis. I must add, that I have also read the two previous books in this series both of which connect each other but are wholly separate to this one. The fact that this is based on the author's own family history adds a touching sense of nostalgia and romance.

I must add, briefly, that the description given for this book is somewhat different to the actual story and therefore misleading. As I will outline in my review. I do hope it will be corrected because what it states in the description is not actually what happens.

Holland, January 1945: Despite the war nearing its end, for those under occupation that still seems to be a long way off. Before the war, Ilse had dreams of studying medicine to become a doctor. But then the Germans closed the universities and now every day she must forage for scraps of food in the fields to keep herself and her parents from starving. Ever since the Germans cut off the food supply as well as the electricity and gas, the Dutch people have had to struggle to keep themselves fed and warm...and not to mention, alive. Ilse's mother is bereft at what they have been reduced to the day Ilse returns laden with tulip bulbs, all that is left for food. Then she receives an invitation to help family friends at a sanatorium where they treat patients for a number of ailments and, namely, tuberculosis. It would certainly help when she can resume her studies when at last the war is over.

Ilse arrives at the home of her best friend Connie where she will be living and cannot believe the feast she is given more than once daily, and feels  guilty that she is here to enjoy it when her parents are not. Added to this, is the freedom to go out dancing but is horrified to find their partners are Nazi officers. Connie shrugs off her concerns and encourages her to just enjoy herself, whilst sporting a knowing smile as if she were keeping a secret. But all too soon, Ilse also discovers that Connie hiding something more than just a secret. In their attic.

And it is a secret that has the power, and danger, to change their lives.

London, 2001: Packing up her father's belongings after his sudden death, Anna comes across a bent sixpence dated 1942 on a chain wrapped in a peacock blue scarf. What does this mean, she has no idea. But then her mother tells her a secret about her father's origins that turn everything she has ever known on its head. After further digging about, it seems her father had a ticket booked for a ferry crossing to the Netherlands alongside a name and an address. Something he never had to the opportunity to follow up before his death.

So in honour of her father's memory, Anna decides that she will make the crossing and meet up with old family friends who may be able to shed some light on her family origins. All she has is a name, an address and the sixpence pendant wrapped in the blue scarf. What they all mean, Anna was determined to find out, despite her own personal issues surrounding an absentee and strangely aloof boyfriend.

The moment she meets her old friends, she feels a sense of homecoming...but that could be that they bring back memories of her father and their holidays in the Netherlands as a child. Despite some setbacks and with Luuk's help, Anna is able to uncover the mystery of family's past. But after that, what will the future hold?

The third in the Wartime Holland series, THE BOY IN THE ATTIC is completely set apart from the first two, "The Hidden Village" and "Hidden in the Shadows" both which centre around a village built and hidden within a forest. This tale is a dual timeline one focusing on Ilse and Anna and how the past and present connect them. The transition from past to present is interwoven seamlessly as we discover what happened to Ilse and where Anna fits into that story. It was a time that was shrouded in heartache, tragedy and sadness but it is expertly written with such vivid descriptions and candour despite the tragic circumstances.

I love dual timelines and they are one of my favourite story formats as it keeps the pace moving and the story interesting, giving it that extra edge. I was immediately absorbed into the time and place which carried me throughout the entire experience. I didn't wholly connect with Anna but she was still a relatively likeable character. Ilse was completely different and her tale was haunting and tragic.

Overall, THE BOY IN THE ATTIC is an emotional and evocative dual timeline tale that brings to life a story that would otherwise be sadly forgotten. It is fortunate that the author had the temerity to use her own family's history to bring this one to life.

I would like to thank #ImogenMatthews, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheBoyInTheAttic 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.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

PUBLISHER:

Stay up to date with upcoming releases from Bookouture by following them on these social media accounts.

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

REVIEW: The Tuscan Contessa by Dinah Jefferies

The Tuscan Contessa by Dinah Jefferies

Genre: Historical fiction, Wartime fiction, WW2

Read: 29th December 2021

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 23rd July 2020

★★★ 3 stars

DESCRIPTION:

A sweeping new novel from the number one Sunday Times bestselling author of The Tea Planter's Wife.

In 1940s Tuscany, Contessa Sofia de' Corsi's peaceful home in a medieval villa among the olive groves has been upturned by the arrival of German soldiers. She is desperate to help her friends in the village fight back in any way she can, all while keeping her efforts secret from her husband Lorenzo, who fears for their safety. When Maxine, a no-nonsense Italian-American, arrives in Tuscany to help the resistance, the two women forge an uneasy alliance. Before long they find themselves entangled in a dangerous game with the Nazis, each trying to save the ones they love...

'Dinah Jefferies has a remarkable gift for conjuring up another time and place with lush descriptions, full of power and intensity' Kate Furnivall

MY REVIEW:

I've always wanted to read Dinah Jefferies but THE TUSCAN CONTESSA just didn't do it for me. It was OK but I've often struggled with stories set in Italy during the war. I'm not sure why...maybe something is lost in the translation of circumstances or I just don't find it as enthralling as the rest of those set in Europe during the same time. I guess because Italy was a convoluted mess during the war, particularly the latter stages.

The story follows the Countessa, Sofia de Corsi, who lives with husband Lorenzo in the beautiful family owned property of Castello de Corsi contained within the walled village. Respected in the community, the de Corsis were well loved and well liked. Lorenzo worked for the Ministry of Agriculture which saw him travel for long periods thus taking him away from Sofia.

Under Mussolini, Italy formed an alliance with Germany in the fight against England and her Allies, therefore placing the Mediterranean country under Germany's martial law. However, the country was ripped in two as half of them fought against the facists loyal to Mussolini and the underground movement that formed a resistance against the Germans. Living under such conditions it would be hard to know who you could trust under such circumstances. How could you know who was a spy and who to trust?

Sofia becomes involved in the resistance movement, of which her husband Lorenzo is unaware, placing the Castello and those around them in danger. Lorenzo, however, doesn't share his wife's sympathies for the partisans preferring her to remain dignified as befitting in someone in her position should be. Then when German officers arrive at the Castello, life becomes dangerous for Sofia and those around her particularly when a Commandant takes a keen interest in her.

When Maxine, an Italian American, arrives to assist Sofia with the allied resistance, the women form an uneasy alliance to forge their way through the difficult and challenging circumstances. Maxine works for the allies passing information along about the Germans through the resistance chain. But can Sofia truly trust Maxine? Can she trust anyone?

An absorbing backdrop to the beautiful settings of Tuscany, Florence and Rome, THE TUSCAN CONTESSA weaves history and fiction together to form a tragic tale that highlights the worst of human nature as the heroines of the story fight against the brutalities of Nazi occupation. 

There is a lot to like about this story but I just didn't love it. Although the setting of Italy is magnificent despite the horrific and brutal circumstances.

Dinah Jefferies is an accomplished master of conjuring the evocative narrative that tugs at your heartstrings whilst enveloping you in its descriptive setting. A story of love, betrayal, sacrifice and loss, THE TUSCAN CONTESSA brings the finer details of wartime occupation in Italy to life.

I would like to thank #DinahJefferies, #Netgalley and #Penguin for an ARC of #TheTuscanContessa in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Dinah Jefferies was born in Malacca, Malaya in 1948 and moved to England in 1956 at age eight after the country became independent. She studied at the Birmingham College of Art and later at the University of Ulster, where she graduated in English literature.

When her son Jamie was fourteen he was killed in an accident at school and the experience went to underpinning the emotional power of her writings including her debut 2013 work The Separation.

Her 2015 novel, The Tea Planter's Wife , was a choice for the Richard and Judy Book Club and was in the Sunday Times best sellers list for 16 weeks continuously from September until Christmas 2015, topping it twice during that time. Her next novel in 2016 novel, The Silk Merchant's Daughter, also entered the Sunday Times top 10. She has been a bestseller in Italy with both The Tea Planter's Wife and her 2017 book Before the Rains. The Sapphire Widow was published in April 2018. It too was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick for Summer 2018 and it also entered The Sunday Times Top 10 bestsellers list within 3 days of publication, staying there for three weeks. Her next book, The Missing Sister, was published in March 2019, though the eBook and Audio books were published a few weeks earlier. The eBook reached no 1 on the Amazon Kindle charts and the paperback entered the UK top 10 best sellers at no 8 after just three days of sales. She reached 13 in the Italian charts with that book. 

Having mainly based her books in South/South-East Asia, her 2020 book, The Tuscan Contessa, is set in Tuscany, Italy, during WW2. It was published in Italy and in the UK in July 2020. Her books have been published in over 30 different languages.

In September 2020 she changed publisher from Penguin Random House to HarperCollins UK, with a contract for a trilogy starting with Daughters of War, a story of three sisters in war torn Dordogne, France, during WW2. It was published on 16th September, 2021, and went straight into the Sunday Times top 10 selling paperbacks after three days of sales.

Dinah now lives in Gloucestershire with her husband.

Social Media links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | BookBub | Goodreads

REVIEW: This Little Family by Ines Bayard

 

This Little Family by Ines Bayard (translated by Adriana Hunter)
Genre: Domestic thriller, Noir
Read: 23rd August 2020
Goodreads
Amazon
Published: 28th April 2020

★★★ 3 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Life is going well for Marie. She and her husband, Laurent, live a comfortable life in a large apartment in the eleventh arrondissement in Paris. Laurent has a good job at a big law firm and Marie enjoys her work at a bank, where she feels appreciated by her clients and colleagues.

Comfortable and secure, and ready for family life, the couple begin to try for a baby. But not long afterwards Marie experiences a shocking encounter which threatens to derail their plans completely, and her world slowly starts to fall apart.

Less than two years later, the family’s apartment is cordoned off by police tape as forensic officers examine a horrific scene in the family apartment. Three bodies around a dining table. Marie, Laurent and their little toddler, Thomas, in his high chair. All three of them have been poisoned by Marie.

This Little Family is a dark and furiously compelling novel about women, power and control, from a bright young star in French literature.

MY REVIEW:

The stewed apples are still sitting on the table but this little family is no longer there to eat them. Death has claimed them all.

A dark, disturbing and somewhat harrowing story, THIS LITTLE FAMILY by Ines Bayard opens with the disturbing scene depicting a family of three - Marie, Laurent and baby Thomas - all dead at the table depicted in horrific detail, having been poisoned by Marie herself. But why? What would lead a mother to take not only her life but that of her husband and baby son? What demons drove her to the edge until she could see no way other way out? 

What unfolds is the story is Marie's story, beginning prior to the birth of Thomas who was a toddler at the time of his death. A career woman working as a financial advisor in a bank while her husband Laurent was a successful lawyer, Marie has come to the decision that it is time for her and Laurent to try for a baby and therefore stops taking the pill almost immediately. This is welcome news for her husband who would love nothing more than to share the joys of parenthood with his wife. 

However, almost as soon as this decision is made, the power is then brutally taken from Marie when she accepts a ride home from her CEO boss. Driving her to within a walking distance from her front door he parks in a dark car park, locks the doors and brutally and mercilessly rapes her in every way possible. The narrative of the event is that descriptive that the reader can feel Marie's pain as well as her shame. Before driving off, he threatens her with losing her job and her husband if she mentions what took place.

Marie's life from then on spirals downward. She loses interest in anything and everything. She doesn't take part in conversations or makes any effort to connect with Laurent, who is oblivious to his wife's pain. Her emotions unravel as she goes through the motions of a life she now feels disconnected from until she stops altogether. The nausea she has felt since the attack has not subsided but if anything has gotten worse as she sees everything as related to her rape. But Laurent, who is blind to her pain, has the nous to suspect what he believes to be plainly obvious. That she is pregnant. He presents her with a testing kit and to her horror, it shows positive. Marie is that absorbed in her own pain that she sees no other outcome than this child is the spawn of that evil attack. But how can she tell Laurent that now when she never told him of the attack in the first place?

What transpires is Marie's continual downward spiral as she convinces herself that the baby growing inside her is the result of her rape and is not Laurent's child. Meanwhile everyone is thrilled for Marie, throwing her parties and celebrating the happy news...which she thinks is anything but. She tries to think up ways to get rid of the child. She even throws herself down the stairs, but the baby survives, although she is left with a broken leg. When the baby is born, she cannot even look at him. The sight of his nakedness horrifies her. She feels so alienated from everyone as they come to first see the baby, and then her. She was just an incubator for a child that she loathes.

Most women at the birth of their child, would bond with them as soon as they look at them. But Marie didn't. She hated Thomas. She hated the sight of him, the smell of him, the look of him and all he reminded her of. She found she couldn't escape him as Laurent went back to work and she was stuck at home with him. He would scream and she would ignore him until she she decided to see to him. She would not let another man - albeit a baby - dictate her life to her. And so she left him unchanged and unbathed so she would have as little to do with him as possible. She did not talk to him, she did not sing to him, she did not play with him. She pretty much ignored his existence for most of the day. Until attention was drawn to the fact that she had been neglecting him when he ended up in hospital with an infection. After that, Marie did only as much as was needed to keep Thomas clean and fed so as to not raise the issue of neglect again. But she found it difficult not to put her hands around his throat and squeeze...or to let him fall from their fourth floor balcony.

Marie's journey into a downward spiral of depression that is both harrowing and heartbreaking to read, is only compounded by the existence of her baby son whom she is convinced is the child of her rapist. From the moment he was born she vowed to make him pay...despite the fact he is an innocent baby. She didn't see him that way. He was the reminder of something so horrific and so brutal that she decided there was no way she could ever love something borne from such an abhorrent act. Her self absorption and self loathing was merely a mirror as to how she felt about herself since that night. How could Laurent love her now? How could anyone love her? Look at her...fat and stretched out of shape thanks to the spawn of evil that came out of her. Her self destruction only gets worse when she discovers that Laurent may have discovered her secret. And it is then that she makes that final decision...

THIS LITTLE FAMILY is an extremely difficult and harrowing read. It explores abuse and the trauma it leaves behind, as well as the emotions of self loathing and ultimately the self destruction of oneself as Marie drives herself to madness. This will not be a story for everyone, and while I thought it was a clever debut, I was also shocked by some of Marie's actions which I really didn't understand. And the sometimes vulgar narrative I found a little unnecessary and uncomfortable. I didn't understand why it was there, given Marie's experience it just didn't make sense to me. And I abhor vulgar expressions used so flippantly as it was here occasionally. To me, there is no need for such expressions.

THIS LITTLE FAMILY is a dark and disturbing read with hardly any dialogue (not one of my favourite styles) being as it is more narrative driven. The narrative is extremely powerful whilst also incredibly brutal and shocking. As the author is French, this book has been translated into English and I have to wonder if some things were lost to translation.

A haunting story that will definitely not leave you in a hurry, THIS LITTLE FAMILY is a fast read (if you can put yourself through the harrowing tale for long enough) and I read it in one sitting. 

I applaud the author for the coup-de-grace in the final chapter. That final lines sent chills through me for the words that Laurent will never hear. A good ending.

Again, I must reiterate that this book WILL NOT be for everyone. It is incredibly descriptive, dark, disturbing and extremely harrowing.

I would like to thank #InesBayard, #NetGalley and #4thEstate for an ARC of #ThisLittleFamily in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Inès Bayard was born in Toulouse, France, in 1991. She lived and studied in Paris for several years before relocating in 2017 to Berlin, where she is currently based. This Little Family is her first novel. 

Adriana Hunter (translator) studied French and Drama at the University of London.

REVIEW: In Darkness, Look for Stars by Clara Benson

In Darkness, Look for Stars by Clara Benson
Genre: Historical fiction, WW2. Post-WW2, General fiction
Read: 19th August 2020
Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 17th April 2020

★★★★★ 5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Paris, 1941: Going against her mother’s orders, spirited Maggie devotes herself to the Resistance. Her life is a whirlwind of forged passports and secret midnight runs, helping Jews escape Paris, which grows more dangerous by the day. Under the cloak of darkness, she bids farewell to fellow fighter Emil, who flees the city with the Nazis hot on his heels.

Emil is bound for Maggie’s sister, Cecilia, hundreds of miles away in the south of France. Innocent and shy Cecilia is shocked to the core when Emil turns up, seeking refuge. Up until now, she has lived a sheltered existence: wild and dangerous Emil turns her world upside down. She risks everything to protect him and soon puts her life on the line to aid the secret work of the Resistance.

As each day passes and the war rages on, Cecilia cannot help being drawn to Emil. But as the Nazis close in on them, she faces a terrible choice. Exactly how far is she willing to go for love? And will she be able to live with herself, whatever choice she makes?

England, 1949: Harriet Conway arrives at grand, grey-stoned Chaffingham House to start her job as secretary. Home to the Brouillard family since they escaped Paris after the war, Chaffingham’s opulence has all but disappeared – its curtains faded, its carpets worn, tragedy hanging in the air…

Harriet is soon consumed by the mystery surrounding the family. The daughter, Cécilia, is confined to a wheelchair due to an accident they refuse to discuss and when a strange man turns up asking for Maggie, the door is slammed shut on him. Why won’t Cécilia look her son in the eye? Why will no one utter Maggie’s name?

An evocative, riveting and stirring tale about the tragic realities of war, the fine line between loyalty and lies, and the power of love, even in the darkest of times. Fans of The Nightingale, The Letter and All The Light We Cannot See will be spellbound by this magnificent historical novel.

MY REVIEW:

Not your usual WW2 historical fiction, IN DARKNESS, LOOK FOR STARS by Clara Benson is a tale of love, loss, hope, danger, resistance, betrayal, fear and jealousy. Spanning a decade from 1941 to 1950, the story is poignant, heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once. Once I started this captivating read, I could not put it down...and wouldn't have if real life didn't have a habit of getting in the way.

Paris, 1941: Defying her high society mother's expectations and ambitions, Maggie Brouillard dedicates her life to the French Resistance helping Jews escape capture and certain death. In the process she has met and fallen in love with Emil, a Jewish Resistance fighter, who is so far removed from what her mother considers a suitable match. But Maggie doesn't care a jot. She loves Emil and would do anything for him, as well as helping as many people as she can, working beside the man she loves. But the Germans are gaining ground and getting closer and Maggie knows she must move Emil somewhere safer.

Nice, 1941: Cecilia Brouillard lives a quiet uncomplicated life in the south of France, which has so far escaped the horrors of war, studying and composing music at the Academie. But that is about to be disrupted with the arrival of Emil, at the behest of her sister Maggie to shelter him and keep him safe from the Nazis. However, his arrival plunges Cecilia's life into complete disarray and ultimately danger as he introduces her to the world of the Resistance and freedom fighters. But trusting her sister with Emil's safety would cost Maggie dearly...when Cecilia and Emil fall desperately in love and unable to live without the other. Cecilia lives in fear and shame of Maggie discovering their secret but finds she cannot give Emil up. Then the police raid one of their meetings and they are arrested. Cecilia is released soon after but Emil is sent to a Jewish camp in Poland.

Soon after her release Cecilia discovers she is pregnant and quits the Academie and returns to Paris to her family. But if she thought her mother would welcome her with open arms and take care of her, she was sadly mistaken. Rose was livid to discover Cecilia's condition and immediately sought to rectify it...by any means necessary! As soon as Cecilia discovered her mother's deception, she moved in with her older sister Maggie, continuing her involvement with the Resistance alongside her, with Maggie was still oblivious to her sister's betrayal. Leaving Rose to focus all her energies on young Sebastien, a music protege at 11, and throwing soirees for German officers - an arrangement that was mutually beneficial for both parties. And the promise that Sebastien will outshine his sister Cecilia and rise to the ranks she so far has failed to achieve.

But soon the future becomes frightening and uncertain for all involved, as Maggie and Cecilia must decide where their loyalties lie and how far they would go to protect themselves and each other.

Hertferdshire, 1949: Arriving at the neglected yet grand home of Chaffington House, Harriet Conway has come to take her place as Rose Brouillard's secretary. Home to the Brouillard family since escaping Paris after the war, Chaffington's extravagance has all but disappeared with faded memories to match its decor and tragedy in the air. Rose is aloof, abrupt and extremely self-assured. Her purpose in life is to ensure Sebastien rises to the musical heights to which he aspires following in his father's footsteps and to preserve her late husband, Jean-Jacque Brouillard's, memory with scrapbooks of newspaper clippings and photos spanning the decades of his career right up to his untimely death. The fact that she has one surviving daughter and a grandson is of no consequence real to her.

The years, it appears, have not been kind to Cecilia. She is now confined to a wheelchair due to an accident anyone refuses to discuss, but for Sebastien's vague snide comments. She lives in an extended part of the house in her own apartment with everything she needs and yet she is utterly bereft with a sadness that consumes her that she refuses to leave the house. Even her 9 year old son Rex cannot inspire any happiness, and the boy is consistently disappointed that his mother hardly acknowledges him.

When a man knocks at the door one day searching for Maggie, Rose slams the door shut on him claiming there is no one there by that name, Harriet begins to suspect something is amiss. She soon learns that Maggie is the eldest sister of Cecilia and Sebastian but why won't no one speak her name? What could she have possibly done to be wiped from the family's memories? And what has happened to Cecilia to inspire such desolation?

Chaffingham is clearly shrouded in secrecy with the family so haunted by a past too shocking to speak of. But when Harriet stumbles across a letter, she uncovers a secret that could destroy the family even further. What is she to do? Ignore it and pretend she never uncovered its contents? Or expose the secret and rewrite history?

What a captivating read this book was! Although a little slow to start, it soon picked up pace as become privy to the Brouillard family's tragedies and secrets. The unexpected death of the patriarch. The extravagant expectations of their mother Rose. The instability of young son Sebastien and his failure to meet her demands. Cecilia's disgrace. Maggie's heartbreak. Rose's collaboration with the Germans. Maggie and Cecilia's resistance activities. The betrayal of siblings. The dysfunctionality of one family.

IN DARKNESS, LOOK FOR STARS is a beautifully told yet heartbreaking tale told in dual timelines - during the war and post-war - as the story unfolds between the past and present. It is easy to feel compassion for some family members and utter disdain for others as you are encapsulated within their stories. There is an element of mystery that will keep you turning the pages until the secrets are revealed leading to the shocking final act that will leave you breathless.

I do have one critique regarding the title - I cannot see how it fits the story. But that aside, it is an outstanding story that is so beautifully told.

I thoroughly enjoyed IN DARKNESS, LOOK FOR STARS and have no hesitation in recommending it to fans of historical fiction, particularly WW2, although it is not your typical wartime fiction.

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

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Clara Benson is the author of the Angela Marchmont Mysteries and Freddy Pilkington-Soames Adventures - traditional English whodunits in authentic style set in the 1920s and 30s. One day she would like to drink cocktails and solve mysteries in a sequinned dress and evening gloves. In the meantime she lives in the north of England with her family and doesn't do any of those things.

Social Media Links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

REVIEW: The Prisoner's Wife by Maggie Brookes

The Prisoner's Wife by Maggie Brookes

Genre: Historical, True story, WW2

Read: 9th August 2020

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 16th April 2020

★★★★ 4.5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Inspired by the true story of a daring deception, a young Czech woman is plunged into the horrors of a Nazi prisoner-of-war camp to be with the English soldier she loves.

1944: In the dead of night a young Czech woman and a British soldier creep through the war-torn countryside

Izabela and prisoner-of-war Bill have secretly married, and are on the run, with Izzy dressed as a man and her hair cut short. The young husband and wife evade capture for as long as possible, until they are cornered by Nazi soldiers with tracker dogs. 

Izzy’s disguise works. The couple are assumed to be two escaped British soldiers and transported to a PoW camp. However, their true test has just begun as they face terrible living conditions and the constant terror of Izzy’s exposure. But in the midst of unimaginable horrors comes hope, for the young couple are befriended by a small group of fellow prisoners. These men become their new family, willing to jeopardize their lives to save Izzy from being discovered and shot.

The Prisoner's Wife tells of an incredible risk, and how our deepest bonds are tested in desperate times. Bill and Izzy's is a story of love and survival, against the darkest odds.

The novel is based on a true story told to the author in a lift by an ex-World War 2 prisoner of war. It was researched extensively in eastern Europe, uncovering largely forgotten aspects of the war. 

MY REVIEW:

I have read many books set in Europe during WW2, usually of the Jewish ghetto and concentration camps, but this one is something completely different. THE PRISONER'S WIFE is just that...the story of a prisoner of war's wife...but not in the way you would expect it.

June 1944: Izzy (Izabela) is 20 year old woman living and working on the family farm in Czechoslovakia alongside her mother. Her father and older brother Jan left at the beginning of the war to join the Resistance, leaving the two women and 8 year old Marek unable to tend to their farm and crops on their own. When an SS captain approaches their farm one day, Izzy fears he has come to requisition it for the Reich. But Captain Meier comes to offer assistance in the form of a prisoner of war work camp, to which her mother heartily and thankfully agrees.

When the POWs arrive, one blonde blue eyed soldier stands out to her. Their eyes meet and the attraction is instant. However, upon learning they are British she cannot converse with them as she is only fluent in Czech and German. So Izzy befriends the elderly guard (who had once been a school teacher) who accompanies them each day on the pretense of learning English from him. She is a quick learner and before long the guard encourages her to talk with the British POWs to hone her accent and pronunciation. Not needing any encouragement, Izzy seeks out her soldier whose name is Bill King who continues to teach her English, and the guard pays them no more attention.

The two fall in love but her mother reminds her that it is a union that cannot be. He is a prisoner of war and she is a farm girl. But Izzy will not be swayed. She meets Bill at the camp on the days he is not at the farm, even going so far as to sneak out one night to visit him. But her mother catches her returning home, accusing her of giving herself to a man she barely knows. When Izzy tells her they are in love and will marry at the end of the war, her mother scoffs saying "they all say that to get what they want from you". But Izzy knows that Bill loves her just as she loves him. And so she sets a plan in motion.

The unlikely couple secretly marry in the village near her family's farm and abscond with the hope of joining Izzy's father and brother in the Resistance. But for safety's sake and in order to remain together, Izzy disguises herself as man, cutting her hair and dressing in some of her brother's clothing. They evade capture for a couple of weeks but are eventually apprehended by the Nazis and sent to the Lamsdorf POW camp with Izzy disguised as a mute young soldier with shell shock.

They face appalling conditions in the camp and the constant fear that Izzy will be exposed. In an attempt to keep his new wife safe, he confides in a small group of fellow prisoners and together they protect Izzy from the other prisoners as well as the guards. These men become their family and soon Izzy cannot imagine life beyond the camp and her fellow prisoners. Should Izzy be revealed as a woman she would be deemed a spy and would therefore be shot. Izzy knows what each man is putting on the line to keep her secret.

Told mostly through the eyes of Izzy in the first person and Bill in the third person, THE PRISONER'S WIFE is a heartbreaking tale of love and sacrifice in the face of war. It is horrifying, it is atmospheric, it is compelling. How one person could put themselves through something so barbaric all in the name of love...and to find such joy in the simple things. Throughout the entire book, the reader is left wondering just how this is all going to end.

Will they be rescued? Will they survive? Will they get their happily ever after?

Based on a true story of an unknown couple, THE PRISONER'S WIFE is so beautifully written and wonderfully told that it will have you reaching for the tissues as the reality of the horrors come to life within the pages.

I loved both characters of Izzy and Bill, as well as those of Ralph, Scotty and even Max. This story is as much theirs as it is Izzy's and Bill's...for they helped keep their secret right up till the end. No matter what the cost.

THE PRISONER'S WIFE is a tale of sheer resilience. It is an absorbing read that will stay with you long after you have finished. And will leave you wondering about the real Izzy and Bill, and who they might have been. The author has researched the historical facts brilliantly, despite the story being a loosely based one on a couple she had been told about by a former POW. This story was a gift Maggie Brookes so beautifully and delicately retold in her own words, painting a portrait like no other of a woman in a man's world.

An absolutely wonderful tale I definitely recommend.

I would like to thank #MaggieBrookes, #NetGalley and #RandomHouseUK and #CornerstoneDigital for an ARC of #ThePrisonersWife in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Maggie Brookes is a British ex-journalist and BBC television producer turned poet and novelist.

The Prisoner’s Wife is based on an extraordinary true story of love and courage, told to her by an ex-WW2 prisoner of war. Maggie visited the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany as part of her research for the book, learning largely forgotten aspects of the war.

The Prisoner’s Wife is due to be published by imprints of Penguin Random House in the UK and in the US in May 2020. Publication in other countries, including Holland, Italy, Portugal, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic will follow.

As well as being a writer, Maggie is an advisory fellow for the Royal Literary Fund and also an Associate Professor at Middlesex University, London, England, where she has taught creative writing since 1990. She lives in London and Whitstable, Kent and is married, with two grown-up daughters.

She has published five poetry collections in the UK under her married name of Maggie Butt. 

Social Media Links:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

REVIEW: The Yellow Bird Sings by Jennifer Rosner (ARC)

The Yellow Bird Sings by Jennifer Rosner

Genre: Historical fiction, WW2

Read: 26th July 2020

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 2nd April 2020

★ 1 star

I've read many books of Jews escaping the Nazis in Germany, Poland, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Italy and the Greek islands. And each of them had their own merits to offer in their own captivating way. This one - THE YELLOW BIRD SINGS - however, does not. Although I'm clearly in the minority here since so many others have loved it.

Poland 1941: Roza and her 5 year old daughter Shira are hiding in barn from the Nazis during World War 2. At a time when people are denouncing their Jewish neighbours for something as little as a bag of sugar or flour, Roza and Shira feared they may be next. But Hernyk and Krystyna, despite fearing the Nazis, decide to let them stay. Although it comes at a price.

Rosa and Shira must spend their days, and nights, in absolute silence so as to not alert Henryk and Krystyna's children or their neighbours as to their presence. Their only entertainment are the stories Roza whispers to Shira about their family, their love of music and Shira's imaginary little yellow bird that sings for them. They develop their own form of sign language to communicate without using words.

It's all mundane boredom until one night Henryk comes to the barn loft and Rosa must insist that Shira remain facing the wall and go to sleep, although she can hear the strange noises and grunts that come from behind her. The next day, Henryk allows them to stay longer than the two nights Roza had first pleaded of him. After that, his nocturnal visits become frequent though I'm not exactly sure why, except maybe as some form of payment for allowing them to hide in his barn, as is his greedy ulterior motive for letting them stay.

THE YELLOW BIRD SINGS is only a short read but for me it was a confusing one. To be honest, I found it a little claustrophobic if not boring. I couldn't see much point in what was happening and if the little yellow bird was real or imaginary.

The writing had the feel of a children's book, so simplistic was its style, were it not for the sexual content.

In the end I did not complete the book, despite its short 200 pages, as I really didn't see the point. However, as I seem to be in the minority here, you may well enjoy it as many others have. I would have liked to but I just couldn't.

I would like to thank #JenniferRosner, #NetGalley and #PanMacmillan and #Picador for an ARC of #TheYellowBirdSings in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: A View Across the Rooftops by Suzanne Kelman (ARC)

A View Across the Rooftops by Suzanne Kelman

Genre: Historical fiction

Read: 17th November 2019

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(publication date: 25th October 2019)

★★★★★ 5 stars

As a fan of WW2 fiction, A VIEW ACROSS THE ROOFTOPS is unlike any other I have read. A touching tale of love, hope, courage and betrayal in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, it is evocative, emotional, unsettling and yet it is hauntingly beautiful.

It's 1941 and the Nazi's have invaded Amsterdam, taking it over and setting up occupation in the name of the Fuhrer. There are German soldiers at every turn making the Dutch town a dangerous place to live. Radios were confiscated, food, clothes and medicine were in short supply and with their city under complete rule of the Nazis, the people were isolated from the outside world.

Professor Josef Held has never gotten over the loss of his beloved wife Sarah who died 20 years ago whilst giving birth to their first child. He has barely lived in the time since, refusing to forgive himself for letting it happen. By day he teaches advanced mathematics at the university and by night he sits at home alone with his cat, eating a plain and simple meal and listening to his neighbour play her piano. He has no intention of letting anyone else into his world...this existence in which he lives until the day he rejoins his beloved Sarah.

A sympathetic and compassionate man, Josef does not think of himself as brave. He has no intention of involving himself in the war around him. He just wants his life to remain as simple as possible. And yet, one night his life is changed forever when the Nazis come for his neighbour, Mrs Epstein, who both delighted and soothed his soul every evening with her beautiful piano. She begs him to help her but is wretched from his arms by the Nazis and shot. Josef is horrified and speechless. But more than that...he feels an incredible guilt as the Nazis thanked him for his good work. He knew then that he had a hand in his neighbour's demise when he told his niece Ingrid of his Jewish neighbour who played the piano, teaching local children how to play. And now Josef must live with what he has done.

Michael Blum is a young Jewish man and a student of Josef's at the university. He is a dreamer, a romantic, a poet and cares nothing for mathematics...but is following his father's aspirations to study numbers in the belief that he would make something of himself. But Michael comes up against adversity when Jews are banned from attending classes and in a final act of defiance completes his last exam with the writings of Josef's late wife's favourite poets, Rilke.

Michael wants nothing more than to live a quiet life on his girlfriend Elke's houseboat, writing poetry and making love. But when his childhood friend David comes knocking frantically, the Gestapo hot on his heels, Michael then attempts to escape the city...but David is killed. With frantic promises to Elke, Michael flees to the one person he feels he can trust.

When Josef hears the insistent banging on his door he worries that the Nazis have returned after shooting his neighbour in cold blood. But upon opening his door he is surprised to find his former student Michael, terrified and shaking...and a Jew on the run for his life. Without thinking twice, Josef offers Michael safe shelter in his attic for the night. But things become far too dangerous and fearing his house is under watch, Josef concedes that Michael must stay if he is to survive. This is especially true with Ingrid working with the Third Reich and dating a high level SS officer - Major Heinrich von Strauss - putting his life at an even greater risk. But after the death of his neighbour, the Major was of the firm belief that Josef was "one of the good Dutch". Indeed he was...just not in the way the Major thought.

Then there is Ingrid. As Josef's niece, she was orphaned at a young age when Josef himself was still grieving the loss of his own wife and was unable to take on the care of the little girl. So she was sent to live with relatives and attend boarding school...leaving Josef feeling guilty that he should've been there for Ingrid in her younger years. Now she is an adult and excited about her new job with the Third Reich. Josef is mortified. But Ingrid is naive in her knowledge of the Nazis, believing she is on the path to a better life - a richer life - with Heinrich by her side.

Meanwhile there are elements of romance throughout. While in the shadowy quiet of his secret room, Michael regales Josef with stories of his beautiful fearless girlfriend Elke, with whom he insists that not even the Nazis will come between. But Elke is a non-Jewish Dutch woman and their relationship is strictly forbidden. Furthermore, there is also Hannah Porter who works at the university where Josef teaches. Completely unaware that Hannah is interested in him, Josef surprisingly finds himself also intrigued by her but believes her to be a married woman so refuses to pay any heed to his attraction. But Hannah, who lives with her aging mother Clara, is a widow and tries in vain to capture the attentions of the somewhat aloof and indifferent professor. But given the troubled times in which they live, was it wise to embark on a new relationship?

A VIEW ACROSS THE ROOFTOPS is not a fast paced tale and yet it is so beautifully told that you find yourself so immersed within the story that you devour it all too quickly. I read it in two sittings, staying up till 3.30am until I turned the final page.

A haunting tale, A VIEW ACROSS THE ROOFTOPS is unlike any WW2 historical novel. Every character draws you in as you invest yourself in each of their stories, whether they be good or bad, devouring it all with baited breath. Josef's heroic actions, Michael's strength, Ingrid's naivete, Elke's fearlessness, Hannah's courage, even Heinrich's insidiousness. By the end, I was left both heartbroken and satisfied.

A VIEW ACROSS THE ROOFTOPS is not just another Holocaust or WW2 story. It is something else entirely. Poignant, moving, tragic and heartbreaking but it is also inspiring, beautiful and hopeful. You will need a box of tissues for this one...but you won't regret it.

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