Tag Archive | Net Galley

The War Orphan’s Courage by Jenna Ness

Mar13

The Heart Of Everything

The War Orphan’s Courage by Jenna Ness is a fabulous conclusion to the Orphans Of St Agnes trilogy. Although you could read this as a stand-alone, I recommend reading the books in numerical order as the books follow on in time. This is the story of three orphans during World War II in Paris – Jossette, Lucie and Margot.

In this book, we are approaching the end of the war and all the orphans have found their way back to Paris. They all want to fight with the resistance in order to disrupt the Nazi war machine, and one particularly nasty and cruel officer.

All the female characters are loyal and gutsy. Each one thinks of self-sacrifice for the good of the group. Together they are stronger.

The men of the resistance fight for justice. They support the women in attempting to bring down the evil Nazi officer.

Within war, love still blossoms. We see those who try to fight their feelings. In a previous book, we saw forbidden love – we hear what happened next in this book. The fruits of love bring hope for the next generation.

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Fires Of Injustice by Kendy Pearson

Mar12

Chosen & Loved

Fires Of Injustice by Kendy Pearson is a powerful Christian historical novel that is grounded in facts. The tale is set in 1880’s America and concerns the plight of the Chinese people in America who were persecuted and rejected by many. The reader is educated as we read. It was a time in history that I knew nothing about. I was horrified at the dreadful prejudices and cruelty.

As the story opens, it is twenty years earlier than the main tale. We are in China where the reader witnesses the dreadful practice of disposing of baby girls (also called ‘go-away girls’). An American couple with a heart for the Chinese people, rescue an orphan girl believing “God has given us a precious piece of China to have with us always.”

Though the baby was rejected by man, she is known by God. His hand has been on her life from the start. “She was… a beautiful gem, a precious treasure in God’s eyes.”

In the main story, the baby is now grown, and has a heart to open a home for abandoned and neglected Chinese girls. The white women in America are enthusiastic about helping the girls, until they find out that they will be Chinese and not American girls, and then all offers of help are rescinded. The leading character declares “our home is a home to all who need a home.” The Chinese girls have been brought to America by unscrupulous and greedy men who see the girls as commodities and put them to work in brothels. “These were God’s precious children, but evil called them merchandise. Evil called them disposable.”

Rescuing the girls requires courage to stand up to the evil men. But when God is with us, we cannot fail, even if we run into trouble.

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The Way I Loved You by Fiona Lucas

Mar11

Take A Chance On Love

The Way I Loved You by Fiona Lucas is a most delightful contemporary novel that I savoured. I never wanted it to end.

This is a beautifully written novel about love. It is a unique tale, a sliding doors moment as a character gets to re-live her wedding anniversaries up to her disastrous tenth one. Along the way she learns what is really important; and how to listen and make memories that count. Instead of her marriage imploding, there is a chance to fix it.

The leading lady had a tempestuous childhood. We understand her feelings of anxiety, and her desire to withdraw rather than get hurt. “It’s easier not to hope, it’s exhausting to wait and believe.” But love is worth taking a risk because when it succeeds, it is beautiful.

We witness the importance of talking. If we clam up, how will others know what we are feeling?

We need to give others wings to fly, and not throttle the life out of them. “Maybe I need to not hold Luke so tightly because I’m scared of losing him. Maybe I need to let him fly, chase his dreams.”

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The Last Train Home by Marion Kummerow

Mar9

Loving Bonds

The Last Train Home by Marion Kummerow is a powerful historical novel that consumed me from the start.

The action is set in Germany at the start of World War II. This book is all about the disgusting treatment of the Roma people following on from the Nuremburg race laws of 1938. The “gypsy had lost their citizenship and had effectively become a people without civil rights.”

We follow two characters from two different families. One is an orphaned teenage girl, and the other is a father separated from his wife and son by war. Bit by bit their civil liberties are eroded – and still, there are characters who are believing that something better will happen next.

There were some very difficult to read scenes, especially where the Roma were being ‘examined’ by the doctors who were brutal. “The doctors… rose like lions circling their prey.” The people felt vulnerable and exposed.

Eventually the Roma end up in the camps. Every action by the Nazis is designed for maximum cruelty. Newcomers are given a “survival strategy: avoid trouble, don’t stand out, don’t be remembered, and never be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

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