Archive | January 2019

The Cut Out Girl by Bart Van Es

An Encounter With History

The Cut Out Girl by Bart Van Es is a remarkable true story of Lien, a Jewish girl who was eight years old in 1942 when she went into hiding in the Netherlands. Her life intersected with the author’s as she lived with his grandparents for part of the war.

This book is a tribute to all the innocents who perished. The author lists all the family members of Lien’s who perished during the Holocaust. It makes for grim reading. May we never forget.

The reader ‘experiences’ life through the eyes of an eight year old. These memories are then put into historical context through extensive research by Bart Van Es. We then have a comprehensive narrative.

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Lance: A Spirit Unbroken by Walter Stoffel

Die Hard: A Survivor

Lance: A Spirit Unbroken by Walter Stoffel is the most heart breaking book I have read in a long while. It is the true story of Lance, an abused Border Collie, and his rescue by the author and his wife. Lance’s story broke my heart, it made me angry, and filled me with love for a dog that I will never know and it made me cry. I knew what was coming but what I didn’t expect was the emotional attachment I had made to Lance during the book and the tears I would cry. I felt bereaved as the book ended, as if a part of me was missing. I really connected with Lance: A Spirit Unbroken.

I am full of admiration for Walter Stoffel and his wife. They went above and beyond the extra mile when they rescued Lance. This book is as much a tribute to their love and perseverance as it is to Lance’s will to survive.

Abused for ten years this poor dog should have been dead but Lance’s strength of will and spirit is truly amazing. A lesser dog would have given in.

This book is a love story – a great love by a couple for a poor dog who had only known cruelty and abuse. The love shines out from the pages. I ‘caught’ the love for Lance. I did not know him before reading the book but now I do, such is the power of Walter Stoffel’s writing.

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Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

The Missing Piece

 Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman is a beautiful, powerful and incredibly heart breaking contemporary novel. My emotions were shot to pieces.

The reader will mourn a lost childhood and the events that produced a hurting adult. Loneliness hovers like a cloud over the novel. It is a loneliness that comes from feeling unworthy to be liked or associated with.

Words spoken over us remain for good or bad. If we continually hear negative words, we will believe what they say. We will look in a mirror and see ourselves as ugly because that is what we are conditioned to believe. Beauty is not as simple as inner or outer beauty. Beauty is also a state of mind.

The hand of friendship is extended. It is cautiously received and beautiful to watch the unfolding. Kindness goes hand in hand with friendship. It is a kindness that needs no words but says ‘I see you and you matter.’

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The Windmill Cafe: Christmas Trees by Poppy Blake

Another Willerby Whodunnit

The Windmill Café: Christmas Trees by Poppy Blake is another delightful escape to Willerby as we join the residents battling to solve a crime before a Christmas wedding.

This is my third trip to the small Norfolk village and once again, I was both enchanted and perplexed by village life.

The crime busting duo once more, put on their amateur sleuthing hats to solve the mystery. Willerby seems to have as many perpetrators of crimes visiting as sleepy Midsomer on ITV!

I was entertained trying to guess whodunit. A warm welcome awaits the reader from the locals as they prepare for both a wedding and a Christmas tree competition.

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