Tag Archive | Bookouture

The Bookseller Of Paris by Suzanne Kelman

Jun17

Echoes Down The Years

The Bookseller Of Paris by Suzanne Kelman is a powerful, heart-wrenching dual timeline novel that I loved. It is the second book in The Paris Sisters but can be read as a stand-alone.

The action is mainly set in Paris in 1941 and also in 2011. This is a cosmopolitan read as in 2011 we travel from London to Scotland to Berlin and to Paris. In 1941 we journey between Paris and Berlin.

In present day a granddaughter is trying to piece together her grandfather’s past. She wants to know her heritage – could she really be related to a high-ranking Nazi? Her grandfather has been a recluse tainted by his father’s stance. He has spent a lifetime feeling guilty for the sins of his father.

Books are central to the story. In both time periods, the leading ladies are passionate about books. Novels by Jewish authors were smuggled out of Nazi Germany during World War II or they would have been lost forever. Books and writings tell our stories. “Our personal stories… They connect us to the past and remind us of who we are.” Books are more than just a social commentary on the time. “Books are our testament to having lived, loved and learned.”

We see the courage needed to stand up against the Nazis. “Love can drive us to do the most courageous things, especially in the darkest of times.” We never know what is in our core until it is called out of us.

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The Home For War Orphans by Jenna Ness

Jun11

A Surprise Gift

The Home For War Orphans by Jenna Ness is a powerful historical debut. It is the first book in The Orphans Of St Agnes series which promises to be fabulous. The ending is perfectly poised for the next book to begin.

The book opens in Paris in 1940 as the Nazis begin to take power. The leader of the orphanage and the remaining orphans flee South in the hope of getting a ship and visas for America. As the reader joins them on their perilous journey, we witness the very best and worst of humanity along the way.

Jenna Ness has perfectly captured the atmosphere as we sense both the bravery and the desperation of all those travelling South.

Within the group there is ‘sibling’ rivalry as well as much love for each other.

The mannerisms of the young girls have been perfectly drawn by the author. We ‘feel’ their conflicting emotions and their bravery.

We witness sacrificial love in action. This is a love that puts others above self.

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The Singer Behind The Wire by Shari J Ryan

Jun8

Songs Of Hope

The Singer Behind The Wire by Shari J Ryan is a powerful historical novel that will simultaneously horrify and also break your heart as you witness man’s inhumanity to man.

The action is set in Warsaw during World War II before moving to Auschwitz. We see that there were those who could not stand by and do nothing. When they witnessed the persecution of others, they felt compelled to act, regardless of personal safety.

Life was hard for all, but especially for the Jewish population. We witness the erosion of their liberties until they were squashed behind the ghetto walls – 400,000 in the Warsaw ghetto.

We see that love can still happen – even ‘banned’ love. A young couple meet where they can – even eventually forced to meet in a sewer. “They can force us to behave in a certain way, but they can’t control the way we think.” When minds are free, there is still hope.

Hope is what kept people going. A hope for a better tomorrow – but also aware that today was all they had. “Anything can happen tomorrow, so today is important.”

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The Emerald Twins by Helen Fripp

May24

Elastic Time

The Emerald Twins by Helen Fripp is a powerful dual timeline novel that I absolutely adored. It consumed my every waking moment.

The novel is set in 1944 and present day. The earlier period also jumps forwards in time at pivotal moments in the character’s life.

We witness the unbreakable love that transcends time and space, as we see the invisible bond that links twins – twins that were cruelly wrenched apart in Paris in 1944 by a greedy S.S. officer.

Throughout their lives, both twins searched for the other. “I’m only half when she’s not here.” They kept each other alive in their thoughts, often speaking out loud. “I don’t know where you are, but I’ve kept you alive all this time in my thoughts.”

There are some truly heart-wrenching scenes. The mother inside me wept for lives torn apart. And there were near-misses, but not close enough.

Black hearts were born, and continued in a similar vein to their father.

The reader witnesses the building of the Berlin wall in 1961. We see the far-reaching and underhand tactics of the Stasi.

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