I love books that immerse me in their world, giving me new perspectives and teaching me about other time periods/events/cultures. This book delivered on all levels as well as being heart wrenching and vivid. I have "spent" a great deal of mental time in WW II Prussia, as one of my own novels is set there, and I am familiar with the historical material. Thus I was able to truly appreciate this gripping book of Sofia's and the amount of research she had done. You won’t be able to put this down—or forget it.
From the bestselling author of The Murmur of Bees comes a transportive novel of two families uprooted by war and united by the bonds of love and courage.
With war looming dangerously close, Ilse's school days soon turn to lessons of survival. In the harshness of winter, her family must join the largest exodus in human history to survive. As battle lines are drawn and East Prussia's borders vanish beneath them, they leave their farm and all they know behind for an uncertain future.
But Ilse also has Janusz, her family's young Polish laborer, by her side. As they flee…
This novel is haunting, and filled with moments of piercing beauty and an exquisite attention to specific, sensory detail. Vivid scenes and the rising suspense immersed me in the plot. The characters are beautifully developed in all their messy human complexity, and nuances of motivation and emotion. Each struggles to survive, thrive, and love in systems of oppression, from sexism to genocide. What a gorgeous book that shares a terrifying era and a beautiful land, written by an author with personal connections and insight into both. The triumph of the human spirit shines through in the protagonist as she learns what courage it takes to truly love another and oneself.
An aspiring photographer follows her dreams and faces her fears in a poignant novel about finding beauty, promise, and love amid the chaos of war-torn Kurdistan.
It's 1979. Olivia Murray, a secretary at a Los Angeles newspaper, is determined to become a photojournalist and make a difference with her work. When opportunity arrives, she seizes it, accompanying her Kurdish boyfriend, Delan, to northern Iraq for a family wedding, hoping to capture an image that lands her a job in the photo department. More important, though, the trip is a chance to understand Delan's childhood and bridge the differences of their…
This wonderfully researched and detailed historical novel took me to a time, place, and medical issue about which I knew nothing. Whilst the medical condition is the core conflict in the book, there is nothing dry about the plot, which features a young protagonist filled with the courage of her convictions, who struggles to improve life in a remote and backward place, despite hardships and those who disbelieve in her mission. Bonus: this author also writes fast-paced thrillers which are impossible to put down!
Based on true events, a forgotten story of courage, conviction and love.
1917: Europe is on the cusp of seismic change. In the Alpine village of St Niklaus, the war seems far away. Yet everyone is fighting a personal battle.
In the shadow of a mountain, 14-year-old Seraphine helps Mama manage the farm while Papa defends Swiss borders. She dreams of seeing the world. After the war.
A young medical graduate arrives in the valley. Under the patronage of a local doctor, he puts his faith in a revolutionary idea. He is determined to influence the world. After the war.…
In the coldest winter of the twentieth century, the Red Army invades Eva’s homeland. She and her family join thousands of refugees fleeing across northern Europe. Their horses walk carrying unborn foals, their shoes falling off, their legs injured, their bellies empty. Eva must endure an epic trek along hundreds of miles of icy roads, strafed by bombers, stalked by typhus. Through it all, she is determined not to be parted from her black mare. Based on true events, this novel traces the history of Trakehner horses. Internationally famous in dressage and jumping, they walked out of Prussia during WWII in an incredible feat of endurance.
