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The Resistance Sisters by Anna Stuart

Aug23

To Live & To Love

The Resistance Sisters by Anna Stuart is a powerful historical novel that is grounded in fact. It is the fourth book in Women Of War series but can be read as a stand-alone.

The book is set over the summer of 1944 in Warsaw, Poland. It surrounds a family with three daughters and a teenage son. We hear of the resistance of Warsaw and witness the incredible bravery of ordinary citizens trying to save the city that they love. “Not all resistance is with guns.” Resistance comes in many forms as we follow the siblings as they try to disrupt the evil Nazi regime.

Warsaw is a much-loved city. It is heartbreaking to see it destroyed. “Buildings can be rebuilt. It’s the spirit of the nation that we are fighting to keep and you girls are a vital part of that.” The Poles are loyal to the city that they love. From the youngest to the oldest resident, resistance is in their blood. Some will die. There will be sacrifices by all but their will and their love will live on.

Although the Nazis take lives without a thought, we see that the sisters recognize the value of life. “Treat the dead with respect… He may be a Nazi but he’s still someone’s son.” Soldiers on all sides have mothers who will grieve their loss.

Despite the hardship and cruelty, the Polish people retain their humanity. “We’ve done the fighting… Let’s pray to God that we can now do the living and the loving.”

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Embers In The London Sky by Sarah Sundin

Aug7

Searching & Sacrificial Love In Action

Embers In The London Sky by Sarah Sundin is an absolutely wonderful Christian historical wartime suspense. It captured my imagination from the start, engaging me till the very end.

The novel opens in Nazi-occupied Holland in 1940, continuing to London and finishing halfway through 1941. Sarah Sundin waves actual events into the novel. We ‘see’ the total devastation caused by the Nazis in central Europe – lives and dwellings broken or disrupted by the Nazi war machine. We ‘witness’ the evacuation from Dunkirk in May 1940. “Soldiers plucking cheer and courage from the cauldron of defeat.” Many lives were lost.

The reader follows the lead character, Dutch born Aleida as she travels to London in search of her young son. Aleida speaks up for those whose voices are unheard. Whilst her personal search continues, she researches the lives of the evacuated children. Prejudices raise their ugly head as foreign-born children are given to institutions and not families. Their stories need telling. We see that though humans may forget others, “God would never forget her.” God sees all. His heart breaks for injustice and war. “Surely His [God] heart broke at the suffering and destruction Hitler caused.”

There are those within the novel who suffer from disabilities. These are hidden away for fear of being treated as ‘less-than’, or in the case of a cruel father, for embarrassment or disgust. The reader’s heart breaks for a young boy and his mother, both of whom are subject to domestic abuse.

A grown man hides his asthma for fear of being seen as a label. “When people know, they no longer see me, only the asthma. They treat me as an invalid.” His fears are unfounded. People see him and they care.

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V For Victory by Lissa Evans

Aug5

A Social Commentary

V For Victory by Lissa Evans is a historical novel set in the closing years of World War II during 1944. It is the third book in a series but can be read as a stand-alone.

Lissa Evans has composed a very personable novel that engages and entertains. The humor is both tongue-in-cheek and also highly visible by means of the author’s descriptive pen.

The novel is set in London, surrounding the occupants of a boarding house. 1944 saw the introduction of the V1 and V2 rockets that caused much devastation. We see life through the eyes of the air raid wardens. Their bravery and kindness, and their competence are admirable.

The characters are all uniquely drawn and very likable.

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The Secret Hotel In Berlin by Catherine Hokin

Jul15

Back Where She Belongs

The Secret Hotel In Berlin by Catherine Hokin is a powerful dual timeline historical novel that I read in just two sittings.

The action is set in Berlin, mostly surrounding a hotel, during World War II and in 1990. The hotel was a favourite of Hitler and the leading Nazis in the war years, then fell into Soviet hands as it was in East Berlin. After the wall came down in 1989, it was privately purchased. Now it has the opportunity to be renovated and brought back to life.

Walls came down in hearts too in 1990. Families torn apart by the Soviet controlled East Berlin, had erected walls to protect hearts but it had the opposite effect and actually hurt hearts. Now these hardened hearts need to be softened, renovated and brought back to life. Now is the time to build bridges instead of walls.

Sacrificial love was a major theme. There was love that let go, in order that others might thrive. The love remained when all else was gone. The memories remained. And a hope for restoration one day remained.

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