Tag Archive | Diney Costeloe

The Runaway Family by Diney Costeloe

Nov15

Broken Glass, Broken Lives, Broken Hearts

runawayThe Runaway Family by Diney Costeloe is a gut wrenching historical read. It is set in 1936 Nazi Germany and follows the fortunes of a Jewish family up to the outbreak of war in September 1939.

Diney Costeloe always writes stories that educate and inform as well as being compulsive reads. Fact most definitely meets fiction in The Runaway Family. The topic covered, the persecution of the Jewish people means there are some difficult scenes to read as Diney Costeloe has written with remarkable accuracy. Focusing on the plight of just one family means the reader’s attention to the horrors is intensified and not diluted in any way.

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The Lost Soldier by Diney Costeloe

Nov9

We Will Remember Them

lostThe Lost Soldier by Diney Costeloe is a marvellous contemporary and historical novel being set in both the first world war and 2001. It is a remarkable novel as facts are woven into fiction. It is the tale of a lost generation of men in the futility of war.

Every man killed in battle had a name and a face. “He may be unknown but he gave his life as surely as did the others.” Journalist Rachel searches out the story behind the unknown soldier in the ash grove memorial.

Diney Costeloe shows the horrors of war. The soldiers were little more than boys. They fought for our freedoms. They left behind their lives and their loves. They faced horrors. They had to live for today as tomorrow was uncertain. “We have to live for now… there may not be a tomorrow.”

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The Throwaway Children by Diney Costeloe

Oct23

The Ties That Bind

throwawayThe Throwaway Children by Diney Costeloe is a historical tale of love and loss, heartache and disappointment, bravery and courage. Set just after World War II and spanning nearly twenty years and two continents The Throwaway Children is a marvellous read. It made me smile, it made me cry and it made me angry.

The book is not called The Throwaway Children for nothing. It is a tale of unwanted children. Children who are thrown away because they are inconvenient. There were many orphans following the second world war and there were children who were believed to be orphans. Homes for unwanted children were set up. Some were run by people who believed they were improving the lot of the poor by removing their children but children will thrive where there is love and not if there isn’t. “She had done God’s work. Remorse and guilt never came to mind.” Do-gooders never saw the bigger picture, they were singularly focused in their aims, believing if they allied themselves with God, they were doing His work.

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The Girl With No Name by Diney Costeloe

Aug21

The Good Angel

Girl withThe Girl With No Name by Diney Costeloe is a historical fiction and set during World War II. It has action both in Germany and England. It is an epic read and one that tugs at the reader’s heart.

Diney Costeloe has perfectly captured the traumatic atmosphere of the war years both in London and the countryside. The resolve of the British spirit could not be broken by Hitler. “Offices, factories, churches, homes, all targeted to instil fear and misery, to destroy the morale of the Londoners.” The carry on atmosphere of the people prevailed inspite of the blitz. Londoners pulled together, overcoming against all the odds.

War for the German Jews was catastrophic. Many had fought for Germany during the First World War and saw themselves as German “first and foremost.” As the Jewish people were targeted so that had to decide to hide or flee. The kindertransport brought out the desperation and braveness of the parents of the children involved. “It took brave women with deep love for their children to do that.” The children were equally brave as many arrived in England unable to speak the language and alone. Diney Costeloe has captured their fear perfectly.

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