Seventeen year old, Christine Bolz knows a whole world awaits beyond the little German village where she lives. It is a world she has begun to glimpse through Isaac Bauerman, the son of the wealthy Jewish family she works for.
But a greater threat than the difference in their social standings is on the horizon. It is 1938, and Germany is becoming a different place under Hitler’s regime. Anti-Jewish posters are everywhere and new laws forbid Christine and Isaac’s relationship.
In the years to come Christine must battle against the Nazi’s and endure the horrors of Dachau, to make her way back to the man she loves.
This is the third book I have read by Wiseman, and as with the previous two it grabbed my attention and captured my heart from the very start.
As a student History was always a favourite subject of mine, especially the trials and tribulations of WWII and as an adult I have always enjoyed works of fiction set in this time too. Having read so many books set against the backdrop of the British Homefront, the viewpoint of a German civilian was a refreshing and insightful one.
At first, I wasn’t sure whether I liked Christine. She seemed to me to be terribly naive in the face of such potential danger, but I found myself remembering what it was like to be a teenager in the first throes of love - and that was without an increasingly changing world. As the novel progressed my respect for Christine only grew, and by halfway through I was in awe of her courage, gumption and sheer determination.
I see from other reviews that people disliked the ‘telling’ aspect of Wiseman’s writing style, but I couldn’t disagree more. From the very first pages her incredible descriptions fully immersed me within the story. I didn’t feel her telling me about dropping bombs and fires, I heard the high-pitched wailing of the air raid siren, smelt the smoke from the smouldering ruins and tasted the iron tang of fear in my mouth.
I know this novel will stay with me for a long time - a story of sacrifice, strength and, above all, survival.
I couldn’t recommend it more highly.
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