Many of us tend to assume that we know quite a bit of history when it comes to World War II, its aftermath, and the facts surrounding what happened: who was on which side; who attacked who, when and why; how many died in The Holocaust, the labour camps, the gas chambers and the death... Continue Reading →
This booked grabbed me right from the start as it opens up with our present-day protagonist, Sophie Hamilton, involved in a project at the Imperial War Museum which I've recently visited! If you enjoy museums and history, then this is the type of place that you'll enjoy immersing yourself in for hours. The number of... Continue Reading →
Happy publication day Suzanne Goldring! Burning Island is the most beautiful, richly layered story of tragedy and pain, challenge and hope, told through a dual timeline that is smoothly interwoven against the lush backdrop of the island of Corfu. Corfu 1944 - the Jews who have, for many years, lived peacefully alongside their Greek neighbours,... Continue Reading →
Happy publication day Catherine Hokin! Your deeply emotional WWII story only goes to prove how many unique stories there are to still be created about one of the bleakest eras of human history. Although this is a work of fiction, all of the literature based during these years finds its source in fact. Felix falls... Continue Reading →
It's a fact one cannot even fathom: babies were born in Auschwitz! How many actually survived the brutal, inhumane conditions of a death camp - a place where lives were intended to end, not begin - if they weren't murdered immediately after birth, is literally a handful! The Child of Auschwitz is a historical novel;... Continue Reading →
There are some books for which a 5-star rating just isn't sufficient - A View Across the Rooftops is one of those books! It's not 'just another war book'; not 'just another Holocaust story'. No story about war is ever entirely one of fiction and in that respect, this book too draws heavily on fact,... Continue Reading →
With so many stories being set in the traumatic WWII era, all based on fact - whether the author chooses to rely heavily or loosely on these facts depending on each individual book - The Violin Maker's Daughter has many unique qualities. Sharon Maas has chosen to begin her book in the Alsace region of... Continue Reading →
With the abundance of Holocaust literature that floods the market today, one can be forgiven to feeling slightly de-sensitised to the horrors that are presented to us in each offering. But every now and then a piece of work comes along to shake us up out of our sensory overload. A book that reminds us... Continue Reading →
Kate Furnivall is known for her sweeping, epic novels and The Liberation will not disappoint those who’ve loved her previous books. Set in a post WWII Italy that is struggling to find itself and regain some of its former glory, Furnivall artfully depicts what it must have been like to live in a post-war era.... Continue Reading →
