Sarah Freethy’s debut novel intertwines the haunting past of Nazi Germany with a daughter’s quest for truth. 1920s: Bettina, a free-spirited German avant-garde artist, meets and falls in love with Max Ehrlich, a Jewish Austrian student. The rise of the Nazis shatters their dream of escaping Germany. Max is deported to Dachau, where his skill in creating exquisite figures at the Allach porcelain factory helps him survive. Desperate to protect their unborn child, Bettina marries a rising Nazi SS officer. 1993: Clara, who grew up not knowing her father, sets out to discover his identity after her mother’s death. Bettina left behind a single clue—a rare porcelain Viking figurine. Clara’s journey uncovers […]
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A Heart-Wrenching Tale of Love and Defiance
We Must Not Think of Ourselves is a moving story set in the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II. The novel follows Adam Paskow, an English teacher and childless widower, confined to the ghetto along with 450,000 others. Forced to leave his spacious flat, Adam now shares a cramped apartment with two other families, works in a soup kitchen, and teaches English to children in a bombed-out movie theater. Adam’s life takes a turn when Emanuel Ringelblum recruits him to join a secret group of archivists documenting their experiences. Through interviews with his students and fellow residents, Adam records their lives, dreams, fears, and survival strategies. One of these interviews […]
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Love and Betrayal in the Vineyards of Champagne
Champagne, 1940: Inès has just married Michel, the owner of the renowned champagne house Maison Chauveau, when the Germans invade France. As danger mounts, Michel becomes involved with the Resistance. Inès fears exposure, while Céline, the half-Jewish wife of the chief winemaker, faces an even greater threat as rumors of Jewish deportations spread. Desperation leads Céline to a reckless choice for happiness, and Inès makes a dangerous mistake with a Nazi collaborator, risking the lives and legacy of those she loves. New York, 2019: Liv Kent is grappling with a recent divorce. When her eccentric French grandmother arrives and insists on a sudden trip to Paris for reasons unknown, Liv […]
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The Tuscan Child
I mostly read advance reader copies of recent novels, but sometimes I like to pick up something a little older. The Tuscan Child was a Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Historical Fiction in 2018, so I thought it was worth a try. Rhys Bowen’s novel weaves together the lives of two characters: Hugo Langley, a British bomber pilot in 1944, and his daughter, Joanna Langley, in 1973. During World War II, Hugo’s plane is shot down over German-occupied Tuscany. Badly injured, Hugo is found and hidden in a ruined monastery by a local woman named Sofia Bartoli. As they work together to ensure Hugo’s safety, a deep connection forms […]
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The Golden Doves
American Josie Anderson and Parisian Arlette LaRue join forces in the French Resistance during World War II, earning the moniker the Golden Doves for their daring espionage. However, their bravery comes at a heavy price as they are captured and sent to the Ravensbrück concentration camp, where they endure unimaginable horrors. The narrative unfolds into a post-war era, with Josie working for U.S. Army intelligence in Fort Bliss, Texas, as part of Operation Paperclip, while Arlette searches for her missing son and tries to rebuild her life in Paris. Their paths converge once more when they embark on a perilous mission to hunt down a notorious Nazi doctor in French […]
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Signal Moon
Lily Baines,a young debutante, wearies under the weight of wartime Britain. Swapping her elegant white gloves for a radio, she embarks on a daring journey as part of the Women’s Royal Naval Service in 1943. Assigned to intercept enemy naval communications and forward them to Bletchley Park for decryption, she stumbles upon an unexpected transmission. Matt Jackson is a spirited young American naval officer in 2023. His ship is taking heavy fire in the treacherous North Atlantic when he radios for help. Could he be communicating with a woman in the middle of WWII? Living on opposite sides of an eighty-year chasm, Lily and Matt must find a way to […]
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Amy’s June Reads
Need an excellent book for the long holiday weekend? Look below and you’ll find inspiration, thrills, chills, romances, and history. Something for everyone! These are in order by my favorites, top to bottom. Enjoy! The Women of Chateau Lafayette by Stephanie Dray “Glory is a bittersweet wreath of both flowers and thorns.” ~ Stephanie Dray, The Women of Chateau Lafayette A mysterious castle, a hero of the American Revolution, spies, what’s not to love? Stephanie Dray writes long, ambitious books. After reading and enjoying her historical novel America’s First Daughter (written with Laura Kamoie) about Thomas Jefferson’s eldest daughter, I was excited to receive an advance reader copy of her […]
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May Reads
June is upon us, so it is time to post my reviews of the books I read in May, a smattering from the historical fiction, thriller, memoir, mystery, biography, and literary fiction genres. I use Goodreads to track and rate my reading. 5 stars is reserved for rare blew-my-socks-off reads, 4 stars means I enjoyed it and would absolutely recommend. 3 stars is good, but not great. I very rarely rate lower because I do not finish books I’m not enjoying. The Broken Way: A Daring Path into the Abundant Life by Ann Voskamp This book is for those in need of a renewed revelation of the grace of God. […]
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Courage My Love – Book Review
Rome, 1943 Synopsis Lucia Colombo has had her doubts about fascism for years, but as a single mother in an increasingly unstable country, politics are for other people—she needs to focus on keeping herself and her son alive. Then the Italian government falls and the German occupation begins, and suddenly, Lucia finds that complacency is no longer an option. Francesca Gallo has always been aware of injustice and suffering. A polio survivor who lost her father when he was arrested for his anti-fascist politics, she came to Rome with her fiancé to start a new life. But when the Germans invade and the Nazis take her fiancé, Francesca decides she […]
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