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Set during one of the most horrific times in human history, be prepared for an emotional and heart wrenching journey to Auschwitz.

Kristy Cambron has long been a favorite of mine. However, I have only now had the opportunity to read her debut novel. And I was blown away! The depth of emotion, the spiritual journey that all of the characters undergo, the style of writing is all so beautiful. Kristy's voice is unique and stands out among the masses of WWII novels. She brings to life the love, hope, despair, and passion of history on every page.

It is always hard for me to read stories set in WWII. Especially inside the concentration camps. But while the characters in thus book may not have "actuall" lived, they are birthed from true events. I believe these stories are important for us to read. So that we never forget those who lost their lives and so we can see the HOPE and the LOVE that carried the world through one of its darkest times.

The split timeline is an aspect of this book that gives it a unique and completed feel. We get to see the story come full circle and that is incredible. This is very well done and very easy to follow.

If you read WWII fiction, you will fall in love with this book. I highly recommend and am off to start A Sparrow in Terezin now.

I have purchased this book, won a print copy, and for this specific review, I borrowed the audio book from my library. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.
  
Five Quarters Of The Orange
Five Quarters Of The Orange
Joanne Harris | 2001 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
I am always fascinated with any novel, fiction or otherwise, that is set in the time of World War II. This book took me a bit longer to get in to than is typical of a book set in this time period. But the end made it well worth the wait.
At times it is hard to follow because it bounces back & forth between Boise's life currently & her childhood spent in a small village in France during WWII. The story itself didn't form fully for me until it ended...all the loose ends were tied up & the events up to that point finally made sense. The 1 thing that frustrated me was Mirabelle, the mother. I was left not being quite sure whether or not she was really crazy.
  
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Hazel (2934 KP) rated The War Pianist in Books

Feb 19, 2023  
The War Pianist
The War Pianist
Mandy Robotham | 2023 | History & Politics
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Who knew radio operators during WWII were known as pianists? I certainly didn't.

The story is told from the perspectives of the two pianists ... Marnie in London and Connie in Amsterdam. Marnie and Connie are exceptionally strong characters and the author transported me into their worlds amongst the bombs of the blitz and the invasion of the Nazi's where trust can be a dangerous thing.

With oodles of tension, the fear palpable and the bravery and courage of those working against the Nazi war machine excellently portrayed, the War Pianist is a gripping story and whilst this is a work of fiction, it felt authentic and was totally riveting.

Many thanks to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The War Pianist.
  
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Erika (17789 KP) rated The Huntress in Books

May 4, 2019  
The Huntress
The Huntress
Kate Quinn | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
To start out with, I wish I could give this a perfect 10, but one of the main characters, Nina, was completely insufferable and easily, her chapters could have been cut out.
Alright, so, I don't consider books post WWI to be historical fiction, and I normally steer clear of WWII/aftermath fiction because bookstores and goodreads are inundated with hundreds of novels. But, I decided to pick up this book anyway.

Essentially, it's a Nazi hunt. There are three viewpoints from three different characters. As I mentioned, Nina was insufferable. Most of the reviews I read talked about their love of this character and the origin of the Night Witches (AKA female, Russian pilots). Ian was one of the other main characters, a former war correspondent who's a Nazi hunter, trying to find 'The Huntress', who murdered his brother. Then, there's Jordan, an American teenager whose father marries a mysterious German woman with a daughter.

I won't spoil the plot, but basically, you can work out the entire plot within the first few chapters. What kept me reading was the writing style, and every other character but Nina.
  
The Locksmith's Daughter
The Locksmith's Daughter
Karen Brooks | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
An Elizabethan novel without royals as the main characters.
Recently, I haven't wanted to read any historical fiction novels. I feel like recently, a lot of them are either focused on royals, or on WWII. Harper Collins sent one of their promo emails at the beginning of this month, and after reading the description, I had to have it.
I really liked the main character, Mallory, made some dumb decisions, like everyone, but it was nice to see that she legitimately learned from her mistakes.
After Mallory ruined her reputation, her father seeks out the Spymaster of Elizabethan England, Sir Francis Walsingham, to give her a job. She becomes a spy, seeking out Catholics. Again, I was thankful that the Queen only appeared in person once.

Harper Collins totally got me on this one, and I was glad to read it.
  
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Allison Knapp (118 KP) Jan 21, 2019

Sounds interesting. I will have to read it.