The Staffymum's Book Nook: Imogen Matthews

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.

Thursday, 21 April 2022

EXTRACT: Hidden in the Shadows by Imogen Matthews

Hidden in the Shadows (Wartime Holland #2) by Imogen Matthews

Genre: Historical fiction, WW2, Wartime fiction, Fact with fiction

Read: 12th April 2022

Published: 20th April 2022

DESCRIPTION:

The hidden village was meant to keep them safe, but the Nazis have found it… There’s no time to lose. Laura gathers the children and whispers to them to be brave. The smallest cowers in her arms as they hear the crack of gunshots outside. Laura knows they’ll have to run if they are to survive…

Nazi-occupied Holland, 1943: In a makeshift village in the middle of the woods, hiding from Nazi soldiers determined to find them, a beautiful young Jewish woman named Laura thought she was safe. By day she remained silent and out of sight, but as darkness fell, she began to fall in love with a resistance fighter named Wouter. Until everything changed, on the day the village was stormed…

Desperate to protect the six small and terrified children in her care, Laura races towards the church spires of the nearest town in the distance and just manages to escape from the soldiers.

Wouter is stuck on the other side of the village when the German officers start shooting. As he desperately scrambles through the dark, dense woodland, he has no idea whether Laura has made it out alive.

Devastated that he hadn’t tried to save her, Wouter spends his days delivering food and transporting people to safety, determined to help those most in peril. But he never gives up hope of finding the woman he loves.

Even when he hears the rumours about the Nazis cramming Jews onto cattle trains for deportation to brutal work camps, he can’t believe she’s gone forever. How could he live if Laura was amongst them? And if he does find her, will their love have survived the ravages of everything they’ve been through, together and apart?

An utterly heartbreaking tale of love, betrayal and sacrifice, Hidden in the Shadows is perfect for fans of Fiona Valpy, The Nightingale and All the Light We Cannot See.

EXTRACT:

He never imagined it would end like this. Yet here he was, half paralysed with fear as he tried to flee for his life. He knew he should have stayed and behaved like the leader he’d been trained to be, but he hadn’t. Instead, he’d abandoned the woodland village, home to countless innocent people, when he should have been helping them to safety. What could he have been thinking?

Moments earlier, Wouter had noticed three figures at the corner of his vision. They were running into the yard, screaming and firing their pistols into the air. He froze. With a clatter, the wooden bowl he’d been carving dropped to the floor. He bent down quickly to retrieve it, fearful they would have heard the noise, but the three men were too intent on carrying out their deadly mission to notice.

How could he not have heard their approach? A vague sensation that he should be doing something came to him, but his mind refused to tell him what that might be. His only thought was that he was unarmed and wouldn’t stand a chance. As the screams grew louder, instinct took over. He had to save himself.

Peering through the rough door opening to his hut, Wouter saw Karl come rushing forward as if to confront the three Germans, then stop dead as more shots ripped through the air. Had he been hit? Wouter dared not look. Revealing himself would be suicide, so he waited, knowing he should have been leading them all to safety.

A noise behind the attackers must have distracted them, for they turned towards it. Once again, the bowl slipped from his grasp but there was no time to waste. Without a backward glance, Wouter hurled himself out of the hut and fled into the dense wood that bordered the village. Behind him came outraged cries. Bullets spattered off the ground at his feet, hurling leaves and dirt into the air. Breathing hard, he tripped, regained his balance but kept running till he could no longer hear the voices. He knew he had to put as much distance between himself and the hidden village as quickly as possible. It hurt to breathe, but he mustn’t stop, even though he could no longer hear them. This was no reason they wouldn’t ambush him by stealth.

Every sound from the forest drove him on. The flap of wings as a bird rose out of an oak tree. The scuttling feet of darting squirrels. His own feet snapping twigs and snagging at the undergrowth.

He arrived at the edge of the woods, skirting the edge of a large field, and sensed there must be a farmhouse close by. Fear still prevented him from formulating a plan. He, of all people, was running away when he should have been helping others in far greater need. Instead he’d panicked.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

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.

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.

Tuesday, 12 April 2022

REVIEW: Hidden in the Shadows by Imogen Matthews

Hidden in the Shadows (Wartime Holland #2) by Imogen Matthews

Genre: Historical fiction, WW2, Wartime fiction, Fact with fiction

Read: 12th April 2022

Published: 20th April 2022

★★★ 3 stars

DESCRIPTION:

Desperate to protect the six small and terrified children in her care, Laura races towards the church spires of the nearest town in the distance and just manages to escape from the soldiers.

An utterly heartbreaking tale of love, betrayal and sacrifice, Hidden in the Shadows is perfect for fans of Fiona Valpy, The Nightingale and All the Light We Cannot See.

MY REVIEW:

I really enjoyed the first book "The Hidden Village", not only for its concept of a hidden village in a Dutch forest for the Jews during such a tumultuous time, but I really loved the characters...particularly Sofie and the young boys she was friends with (their names escape me now). So when HIDDEN IN THE SHADOWS came up I was excited at the prospect of continuing the journey after the harrowing time Sofie faced when the hidden village was ambushed. However, this book took a slightly different journey, focusing on Sofie's friend she met in the village Laura and Wouter, a young Dutch man who refused to join the Germans' fight. While we do meet up with some of the characters who had a starring role in the first book, they don't feature quite as heavily in this one.

The story follows Laura and Wouter from the moment the village was ambushed and having to flee. Although both of them were on the verge of some form of relationship or other - or whatever it might be in their self-imposed prison hidden away from the Germans - they each fled in different directions instead of looking for the other to flee with. At the time the instinct was basic - get out or die. Throughout the story Wouter chastised himself for failing to look after Laura in getting her and the others out safely, with questionable character Henk doing so in his place. Wouter, on the other hand, fled and found himself in the company of another somewhat questionable character I didn't entirely trust named Klaus. Together they bunked in barns and outhouses or under the stars in their bid to flee the Germans but Wouter's guilt would not let him forget what he left behind and how he failed the other villagers. Despite this, Wouter continued to help the resistance but never stopped his search for Laura.

Meanwhile, Laura was passed around like unwanted baggage, at first with two young brothers with whom she escaped and continued teaching them as she did in the village to help keep their minds occupied and stop them missing their family. However, the woman hiding them found it impossible to keep both boys as well as Laura and so she found someone else who was willing to take them in and keep the brothers together. They had lost everyone and everything else, at least keep them together. But it wasn't long before Laura too had to move on and it was Henk who silently came to transport her. Should she trust him? Or was he handing her over to the Germans? Throughout her journey, Laura never stopped thinking of Wouter, wondering if he got out alive and if so where was he now. She couldn't help wondering about her dear friend Sofie who took her under her wing when she first arrived at the village from Belgium and what had happened to her. The truth of Sofie's horrendous experience would become known to her, and again it was heartbreaking.

There is so much involved in this story working in the background just as it was in the first book. The resistance network of people transporting and offering shelter and aid to those in need...specifically the Jews. How frightening it must have been not only for those fleeing but for those who put their own lives on the line by hiding and helping them. Had they been discovered, they would be shot without question. The Germans spared no one and never showed mercy. The romance between Laura and Wouter was secondary to the rest of the story as each of them were left wondering if the other survived the ambush.

Do Wouter and Laura find each other? Will it be ‘happily ever after’? Was forester Henk hero or villain? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

HIDDEN IN THE SHADOWS is a story of bravery, of survival, of fear and of hope. It should have been as enthralling as the previous one but it wasn't. I couldn't connect with Laura or Wouter's narratives or really anyone else's and wasn't invested in them as I had been with Sofie, Oscar and Jan who were just adorable, especially mischievous Jan. But I felt none of that in this book. I missed the other characters that were the focus of the first book and only a couple featured briefly in this one. Not only that but "The Hidden Village" did have an ending of sorts by jumping twenty years ahead...and then this sequel just rewinds back to 1944 again.

I was disappointed with HIDDEN IN THE SHADOWS given how much I enjoyed the first book, though it is still a good story. There has been a lot of research done to enable Ms Matthews to pen such a story based on fact and she has done an incredible job of bringing the story to life. Unfortunately, I just didn't enjoy this one as much as the first one.

You can read this book without reading the first, but again, the first one is the better story of the two as you get the history behind the building of the hidden village and everyone's part that they played. You also get to meet adorable characters that were missing from this one.

Overall, HIDDEN IN THE SHADOWS is an interesting follow-up to "The Hidden Village" but generally falls flat. However, don't take my word for it as many others have enjoyed this one far more than I did. You might too.

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

MEET THE AUTHOR:

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.

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.

Thursday, 20 January 2022

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

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:

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.

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.