Tag Archive | Anita Frank

The Good Liars by Anita Frank

Wow! – So Good!

The Good Liars by Anita Frank is an absolutely marvellous historical, psychological suspense that I just could not put down.

Anita Frank drew me in from the start with my questions as to what had happened and why would a name be missing? As I read on, my responses to characters were guided by the artistic pen of Anita Frank. The further I got into the book, the faster my heart beat as the tension rose ever higher. The conclusion was superb.

The book is set in 1920. The first world war is over but it has far-reaching effects. Lives have been blighted by experiences at the Front. Not all scars are visible, many souls returned tormented. Mind ravaged lives as the battle fields lived on in their heads.

Terrible lashing rain leaves a landscape submerged, reminding the reader of the landscape of war. As the rain falls and the sky darkens, the action within a country house mirrors the weather.

The Good Liars is written within the gothic style as an old house has dark corners, attics, basements and creepy goings on.

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The Return by Anita Frank

A Silent Love

The Return by Anita Frank is a marvellous historical novel that enthralled me from the start.

The story alternates between 1939 and 1945, through the voices of the two main characters. The action is mainly set in the Berkshire countryside.

Farming is a hard way of life. We witness the strength of characters who have to adapt and change as war approaches and as it subsequently ends.

Women of strength and character keep the home front going as they pull together to feed the nation.

As with many small communities, there is a lord of the manor. We witness the arrogance of some of the privileged as they leave destruction behind. They are in complete contrast to the characters who do not have worldly goods but have huge hearts.

Anita Frank has cleverly constructed her novel. As it opens, we hear a character running from something. We hear the hints and try to guess the reason before it is later revealed. I failed to correctly guess, again!

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The Lost Ones by Anita Frank

Secrets And Lies

The Lost Ones by Anita Frank is a chilling, compulsive historical read that had me gripped from the start.

The novel is set in 1917 at the height of World War I. Already there had been terrible losses in the bloodbath at the Front. A generation of young men lost forever. Lives were devastated as loss consumed. “You learn to live with it. We all learn to carry on in the end.”

Females are seen as having weak constitutions when in reality they were suffering from grief or pregnancy. Their ‘weak’ constitutions meant men tried to dominate and exert their wills. It took strong females to resist them.

Families are complicated affairs. Some have strong bonds, other members dictate. A warped sense of loyalty prompts an unthinkable course of action.

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