Tag Archive | Anna Stuart

The War Orphan by Anna Stuart

Mar9

Every Drop Of Love

The War Orphan by Anna Stuart is a powerful historical novel that I just couldn’t put down. It is grounded in fact and the third book in the Women Of War series but can be read as a stand-alone.

The action is set from January 1945 in Auschwitz. The war is in its dying embers but still the Nazis were incredibly cruel as they separated mothers from their children for the death marches. The mother/daughter bond was strong. “Wherever you are, I’ll find you.” After the war ended, both searched relentlessly for the other.

There was so much loss. The war tore families apart – some members managing to flee Nazi Germany, others were not so lucky. Until told differently, everyone kept hope alive.

We follow the war orphans from Poland to Windermere and to Surrey. Here, new family units formed as they only had each other. We see that dreams of employment bloomed as there was the chance for new beginnings.

We must never forget where we come from. “It was also vital that they kept hold of a sense of their heritage.” We need to know our roots. We want to pass on our family history and learn to “live for those left behind.”

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The Midwife Of Berlin by Anna Stuart

Sep13

A Desperate Hope

The Midwife Of Berlin by Anna Stuart is a powerful historical novel that consumed me.

Much of the action is set in 1961 Berlin, at the height of the Cold War. It is a time of division as east separates from west.

The Nazi reign of terror has gone, only to be replaced with a Soviet one.

As the Berlin Wall is erected, lives and families are torn apart. ‘Lists’ begin to appear, making defection necessary.

The East is living under communism. It is a nice idea in theory but doesn’t work in practice.

Similarly, lives were ripped apart in World War II by the Nazis. Babies born in Auschwitz were torn from their mother’s arms. Secretly, these babies were tattooed in their armpits with their mother’s number, in the hope that after the war, women could find their babies. “Hope is the greatest pain but also the greatest strength.”

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The Bletchley Girls by Anna Stuart

Aug22

So Brave, So Skillful

The Bletchley Girls by Anna Stuart is a marvellous historical novel that I just could not put down.

Whilst World War II was undoubtedly absolutely awful, it did provide opportunities for woman. Previously expected to marry and reproduce, now women could have positions of responsibility and really make a difference to the war effort, and even the outcome of the war.

Bletchley Park was a place of brilliant minds and unique skill sets. The reader follows three young women with varying talents, all of whom are heading to Bletchley Park. As they become firm friends their lives go in different directions as the BP girls are sent where they are most needed.

The reader sees the war at home, in Malta and in Egypt. All are fighting the same war. There are some truly terrifying moments.

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The Midwife Of Auschwitz by Anna Stuart

May4

Where You Go I’ll Go

The Midwife Of Auschwitz by Anna Stuart is a powerful, horrifying historical novel set during a truly evil time and in a place that is the embodiment of evil. It is also a novel of hope, bravery and love.

The action moves from Lodz to Auschwitz as we follow two midwives. Being together helped to strengthen their resolve to survive. Amazingly they delivered over three thousand babies live babies over two years, not losing a single one at birth. It gave them a reason to hope whilst in the deepest pit.

As the Nazis moved the Jewish people out of their homes and into the ghetto, it felt like even God had abandoned them. “Searching for God. He was hard to find these days.” God was there, even when He couldn’t be felt. He walked alongside His people in their darkest hours.

As the Jewish people fought to survive, very few saw their pain but “ignorance was no excuse” to turn ones back on neighbours and friends. We do follow a Christian family, who with no thought to their own safety, did what they could, even though it could lead to the deepest pit.

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