This a real chapter-gulper!! I especially enjoy historical fiction and nonfiction about the resistance bands in France. Based on true stories about thThis a real chapter-gulper!! I especially enjoy historical fiction and nonfiction about the resistance bands in France. Based on true stories about the Lyon band of resisters, the Silence Before Dawn rings authentic. Like other resistance groups, the women play a major role in planning and executing the means of outwitting the Nazi’s.
Marianne is the main character and leader of the group of men and women. To say she is gutsy is an understatement. She is or was in love with another resistance leader who becomes accused as a traitor. Emotionally this shatters Marianne, however, she manages to push it aside as they struggle to push the Nazi’s out of Lyon ahead of the arrival of American troops.
Further stressing Marianne is the fact that her two brothers are also fighting the Nazi’s.
This book celebrates the contributions of women in outsmarting the cruel and ruthless Nazi forces.
The author brilliantly develops the main characters such that the reader can feel their pulses.
There is a tricky mystery to the story which furthers the excitement of the story.
This book has it all and I can’t wait to read the sequel. Meanwhile, in a month I will be visiting the History Museum Jean Garcin in Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, France which is dedicated the resistance fighters in France. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to read this book just prior to my visit.
Merged review:
This a real chapter-gulper!! I especially enjoy historical fiction and nonfiction about the resistance bands in France. Based on true stories about the Lyon band of resisters, the Silence Before Dawn rings authentic. Like other resistance groups, the women play a major role in planning and executing the means of outwitting the Nazi’s.
Marianne is the main character and leader of the group of men and women. To say she is gutsy is an understatement. She is or was in love with another resistance leader who becomes accused as a traitor. Emotionally this shatters Marianne, however, she manages to push it aside as they struggle to push the Nazi’s out of Lyon ahead of the arrival of American troops.
Further stressing Marianne is the fact that her two brothers are also fighting the Nazi’s.
This book celebrates the contributions of women in outsmarting the cruel and ruthless Nazi forces.
The author brilliantly develops the main characters such that the reader can feel their pulses.
There is a tricky mystery to the story which furthers the excitement of the story.
This book has it all and I can’t wait to read the sequel. Meanwhile, in a month I will be visiting the History Museum Jean Garcin in Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, France which is dedicated the resistance fighters in France. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to read this book just prior to my visit....more
Her Secret Soldier Dripping with beautiful imagery, this duel story primarily takes place in rural England. In the prologue, we meet a young girl namedHer Secret Soldier Dripping with beautiful imagery, this duel story primarily takes place in rural England. In the prologue, we meet a young girl named Rose. It is 1940, the time of the Blitz. Chapter One. We flash forward to 1990. We meet another young woman, Emma, who lives in Toronto, Canada with her boyfriend Mike. Just as she decides to split up with Mike, she receives a mysterious letter from the UK stating that she has inherited land there from an Aunt Rose, her mother’s long-lost sister. Emma decides to go to England primarily to sell the land and move on with her life. Chapter Three Rose and her sister Evelyn live near a large forestland along the beach called Silverwood Vale. Raised by their timid mother and abusive stepfather, the sisters have had a miserable childhood since their father died. After her older sister bravely moves out of the home, Rose increasingly seeks solace inside the forest. “I love the forest,’ she replied. ‘In Spring, there is so much noise here, though you would hardly think it now. Blue tits and chaffinches, bullfinches, and great tits, all of them flitting through the branches, singing for their mates. Woodpeckers banging, squirrels scurrying, everything alive with sound, everything in a marvelous frenzy.’ She smiled.” (Pg.83) It is the time of the Blitz. Germany is bombing England and activating Operation Lena, a secret land invasion for sabotage and espionage. One day Rose discovers a downed and injured German soldier. Should she report him? Or should she help him? Eventually, she decides to hide him. “‘No one can make you harm anyone else if they don’t know you’re here,’ Rose said softly. ‘In this cabin, in this forest, you are a secret soldier. If you can’t bear the thought of killing, a secret soldier is the best kind to be.’” (Pg. 81) Written like poetry, Julie Hartley does an excellent job of taking the reader into the time and space of this historical story. “Speckles of softening light filtered through the trees ahead, spilling like summer raindrops onto the fallen tree.” (Pg. 190) The author develops the main characters so that we can see and hear their souls. “‘I didn’t know I could feel like this,’ Rose cried. ‘So very angry and jaded. People are not good. There’s a cruelty inside everyone and war gives it free rein.’” (Pg. 95) “He walked on ahead, through the darkness, and she admired the ease with which he moved in the forest, the stillness about him that bordered on reverence. It was impossible to watch him without feeling alive. This is what people are supposed to be, she thought. At home in the world, not frightened by it.” (Pg195) “A branch reached out through the gloom to slap her in the face, and she thought, Nature always seems to get me. No matter how hard I try; it won’t leave me alone.” (Pg.90) Nature is the other main character in this story. Patient but persuasive, quiet - unless you are listening. “‘The stories this tree could tell if only it could talk.’” she said.” “‘Trees do talk,’ Tristen replied. ‘They pass messages to each other through their roots. Come.’” (Pg. 194) This suspenseful yet gentle story is about choices. It is also about listening. “‘She said, there’s no such thing as silence in nature. There are layers of noise, layers of life, and you have to learn to listen for them.’” (Pg.110) I highly recommend this book. I was able to read it on NetGalley. Page numbers of the quotes may be slightly different in the printed version. Rating 5
Adopted by Americans working in France during WWI, Cora Mayhew had been abandoned by her French mother. Now at age 23, has come to Paris trying to finAdopted by Americans working in France during WWI, Cora Mayhew had been abandoned by her French mother. Now at age 23, has come to Paris trying to find her mother. Cora is living with her Iris, her mother's close friend. The Nazi's have just occupied Paris and Cora's adoptive parents, Evie and Adam, are begging her to come home to safety in New York. Thus begins "Last Letter from Paris" by Eastman. This action-packed story follows headstrong Cora as she not only attempts to evade the Nazi's but also to find Iris whom the Nazi's have arrested. Iris' dear friend Francine becomes Cora's guardian.
Eastman has masterfully developed Cora's character and those of Evie and Francine. The story setting is vivid due to ample use of literary devices. Describing Paris after the invasion, "It felt stifling, as if a heavy shadow were hanging over the whole city," (pg 43).
A fast moving story with themes of danger, fear, determination, and love, readers will enjoy this novel. My only disappointment was the abrupt ending.
Merged review:
Adopted by Americans working in France during WWI, Cora Mayhew had been abandoned by her French mother. Now at age 23, has come to Paris trying to find her mother. Cora is living with her Iris, her mother's close friend. The Nazi's have just occupied Paris and Cora's adoptive parents, Evie and Adam, are begging her to come home to safety in New York. Thus begins "Last Letter from Paris" by Eastman. This action-packed story follows headstrong Cora as she not only attempts to evade the Nazi's but also to find Iris whom the Nazi's have arrested. Iris' dear friend Francine becomes Cora's guardian.
Eastman has masterfully developed Cora's character and those of Evie and Francine. The story setting is vivid due to ample use of literary devices. Describing Paris after the invasion, "It felt stifling, as if a heavy shadow were hanging over the whole city," (pg 43).
A fast moving story with themes of danger, fear, determination, and love, readers will enjoy this novel. My only disappointment was the abrupt ending....more
With fastidious research, Janet Skeslien Charles has unearthed an incredible true story during WWI. American woman volunteered to help recover the warWith fastidious research, Janet Skeslien Charles has unearthed an incredible true story during WWI. American woman volunteered to help recover the war devastation in rural Northern France. Their group is the American Committee for Devastated France, CARD for short. In 1914, the northeastern area of France had become a battlefield and after the allies retreated the Germans took over the area forcing the remaining women and children to do back breaking farm work while suffering from malnutrition. By 1918, the allies had driven the Germans out. The CARDs mission is to rebuild homes and clear the battlefields, and establish schools and libraries. The main character is a young children’s librarian, Jess Carson, who’s been recruited by Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade to establish small libraries for children in the devastated region. However, she soon discovers she will also be assisting wherever she is needed from medical care to building restoration. Bombing continues only a few miles away. A duel story set in NY, NY in the 1980’s features a young woman, Wendy Peterson,an aspiring writer and employee of the NYPL. By chance, she stumbles upon an old article about the CARDs. She becomes obsessed to find out more about a woman named Jessie Carson who had also worked at the NYPL. She decides Jessie’s story will be her novel-to-be. As a retired children’s bookstore founder and operator, this book was music to my ears. Charles incorporates lines from gems of literature throughout the stores. “‘In a recent letter from home… my sister …included a line from Ann of Green Gables.’ ‘Isn’t it nice to think tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?’”. Along with being a tribute to librarians, this rich story imparts the message that books feed our hearts and souls. Thank you Janet Skeslien Charles for this magnificent book.
With an unquenchable thirst for books about the divided Berlin, I read this page-turner novel and found myself thinkinNo Man’s Land by Michael Califra
With an unquenchable thirst for books about the divided Berlin, I read this page-turner novel and found myself thinking of one word, irony. Like the author, I lived in Berlin during the Cold War. The wall itself and the extreme restrictions of venturing East are vivid in my mind. My curiosity about life in the East remains. The story’s main character, Richard, is an American. While he has an easy, overpaid job, he is lost in terms of purpose and motivation. So are his expatriate buddies. They drink themselves into oblivion while chasing women in a similar state. Their lives feel meaningless. In the chapter entitled, “The Harsh Edge of Non-Existence,” Richard reflects on his life, “Back outside, I started wandering in one direction, then without knowing why, I turned around and went the other way. Suddenly, I realized I had nowhere to go. I was 31 years old…and had absolutely nothing worth doing.” (Pg. 32) By accident, Richard meets a young East Berlin nurse, Traudi Franzke and a relationship ensues. Traudi is a proud communist. She staunchly upholds the East German way of life. She is happy there. The author poignantly describes the state of East Berlin. “The sky darkened. The acid rain falling from the sky mixed with the dust on the street to form a bubbling ooze. Many buildings still bore the weathered, hand-painted signs of old Berlin over vacant store-front facades and cellar shops. All the evacuated remnant of an expropriated middle class slowly fading away unnoticed.” (Pg.156) Yet, “…the general shortage of goods led to a sense of camaraderie. I was always impressed by the way people, who really had nothing to do with one another socially, would go out of their way to spread the news about when and where sought after goods were available.” (Pg. 196) “The lack of telephones led people to frequent and spontaneous visits to one another in a way that I’d find unthinkable in the West for fear of being considered a pain in the ass.” (Pg. 196) Through the characters in his story, Califra brilliantly asks the existential question “What is the meaning or purpose of my life?” The real-life setting of West and East Berlin in 1989 is the perfect backdrop for confronting one’s existence.
With a ballet backdrop, former ballerina Lucy Ashe has crafted a suspenseful historical novel set in 1945 Britain. TThe Sleeping Beauties by Lucy Ashe
With a ballet backdrop, former ballerina Lucy Ashe has crafted a suspenseful historical novel set in 1945 Britain. The main characters are Rosmund, Jasmine, and Briar Rose. With the war over, Rosmund is in the process of returning evacuated children she has sheltered in the countryside of Exeter at Gittisham Manor. Most of the children are from the London area. Rosmund herself plans to move back to the London area with her daughter Jasmine. On that train to London, a young woman named Briar Rose sweetly invades their lives. She is a ballerina with the Sadler Wells Ballet company. Briar Rose gives her attention to young Jasmine and shortly Jasmine is enchanted with her. Ashe has cleverly crafted this story with continual allusions to the fairy tale Sleeping Beauty. “She tries to fight the weight of exhaustion that pulls her body down, but it is no use. The darkness of the garden, the trees that encircle her, the sweet scent of roses: they consume her like the swirling magic of an incantation, a fairy waving her wand. She falls asleep. (Prologue) Alluding to a ballet performance, the story is divided into Acts and Scenes. Packed with imagery, the narrative often has a threatening tone. “Quickly the trees thicken around her, what light that is left disappearing into a gloom of wych elm trees, their gnarled and knotted trunks rising high around her. Even without their leaves, they map a dense muddle of pathways with fallen branches creating snow-drenched hazards across the muddy ground.” Ashe writes with metaphoric beauty. “The smell of neglect is yet to be replaced with new scents of sweat, rosin, leather, the musk of our makeup. Change hangs around us with impatient expectation…the theatre struggles to wake from its sleep, hovering in a state of exhaustion, like its occupants. (Pg. 103) This eerie mystery is full of twists and turns right to the end. I highly recommend this unique historical novel. Rating 5
The Royal Librarian Written in flashback format, Daisy Wood gives us brilliant duel mysteries set at the beginning of WWII and 2021. Austrian Sisters The Royal Librarian Written in flashback format, Daisy Wood gives us brilliant duel mysteries set at the beginning of WWII and 2021. Austrian Sisters Hannah and Sophie Klein are orphaned in 1948 and forced to separate with Hannah going to America and Sophie to England. Thanks to a recommendation from one of her father’s National Library of Vienna associates and her proficiency in the English language, Sophie is recruited to spy for the British Secret Service under the guise of serving as a royal librarian at Windsor. Decades later in the US , Lacey, granddaughter of “Gubby” aka Hannah, accidentally sees her grandmother’s passport and which reveals that she was born in Austria. “Lacey’s storytelling antennae were twitching.”(Pg.47). She is determined to find out more about her grandmother’s family in Europe, particularly her sister Sophie. Wood always places either Lacy or Sophie in the first sentence of each chapter, “The evening that was seared into Lacey’s memory for all the worst reasons had begun in the most ordinary of ways.” (Pg. 137)and ends each chapter with more suspense. “What could have made their grandmother disown her sister so completely that she wouldn’t even acknowledge her existence?”(Pg.151) Needless to say, this historical novel is a chapter gulper. The characters are fictional but some places and historical events are accurate. Any fan of historical fiction will love The Royal Librarian....more
Book of Last Letters Another mesmerizing book by Kerry Barrett, this historical fiction based-on a true story is a delight! The story line forges a beBook of Last Letters Another mesmerizing book by Kerry Barrett, this historical fiction based-on a true story is a delight! The story line forges a beautiful connection between 1941 and present day. Written in a flash back format, the stories are set in Britain 1941 and present day. One of the main characters is actually a scrapbook of thoughts, messages, memories, and drawings. In 1941, Elise, a war-time nurse has the idea of offering a large scrapbook for patients to record their thoughts. Patients, especially wounded soldiers, are enthusiastic about the idea. Flash forward to present day, Stephanie, an artist, makes ends meet by working in a retirement facility called Tall Trees and a bar called vines. Barrett tells their stories with chapters alternating between Elise and Stephanie. With excellent characterization, the reader hears their voices and absorbs their emotions. Both are extraordinarily caring women. Without revealing any of the stories’ twists and turns, I do want to congratulate the author for weaving in some important life messages , some written and some implied. Matching current day research which reveals how engaging in or observing art enhance our mental and physiological functioning, Stephanie says “‘I was learning about art therapy before I lived here. Before things got messed up. It can really help.’Micah says ‘I’m rubbish at drawing.’’ ‘Doesn’t matter. It’s not about what you end up with, it’s about doing it.”’Micah responds, “So I do art and it makes me feel better?’ ‘I’m not sure it’s that simple .But the idea is that you focus on your worries while you are working and it should help. Sometimes it’s good to get it out of your head and on to paper.’”(Pgs, 89-90) Rating 5...more
Song of Silence: A Gripping Holocaust Novel, by Steven Lee
I admit I am a major fan of Steven Lee after reading his other Holocaust novels. His carefulSong of Silence: A Gripping Holocaust Novel, by Steven Lee
I admit I am a major fan of Steven Lee after reading his other Holocaust novels. His careful research into important but obscure elements of the war yields phenomenal literary results. A Song of Silence is set in a small village in 1939 Poland where we meet Mirek Kozlowski, an orphanage director/ teacher. Lee immediately gives us a sense of Mirek’s personality and attitude toward children. “The red-haired boy’s bottom lip quivered and tears welled in big brown eyes…the boy gazed up at Mirek like a puppy who’d been caught stealing food from the table and was expecting to be kicked…. Mirek wrote Papa Mirek on the blackboard in white chalk – new arrivals had become such a regular occurrence, he and his children had established quite the welcome routine. (Pg.5) This orphanage is for children rescued by the local Polish Resistance. Funds for food and other necessities come from the resistance, community coffers and benefactors. Mirek, a children’s book author, gives his meager book royalties to help make ends meet. When the Nazis suddenly storm into the village they immediately murder anyone in sight. “A hail of bullets sliced through them. They crumpled like rag dolls discarded by a bored child. (Pg. 15) In short order, they burn ancient relics and books from the synagogue, then bomb the Great Synagogue itself. Mirek is terrified as to how to protect his 89 children. Mirek immediately must “Germanize” the orphanage by removing Polish flags and books that Germans would find offensive. “Because the Germans believe books can incite people to think for themselves, or to question authority, or even rise up. Throughout history, all dictators have one thing in common – they all fear a scholar more than they fear a soldier because you can kill a man, but you can’t kill an idea.”(Pg.33) Mirek laments about his large book collection, “And the heartbreaking thing is that now, I have to get rid of 80% of them.”(Pg.33) Lee continuously gives us tremendous sensory imagery such as “Sunlight streamed through the windows, particles of dust dancing in its embrace to the song of a blackbird drifting in from the courtyard’s apple tree. (Pg.5) “The apple tree’s branches drooped under inches of snow, and a deep carpet of glistening white hid the ground. Within seconds, hurtling snowballs, gleeful shrieks and the wondrous sound of children’s laughter filled the air.” (Pg.86) “The sky a sullen slab of bulging gray, the world yet seemed brighter than any day Mirek could ever remember.” (Pg.197) I cannot say enough positives about Lee’s writing style and story structure; the book is nearly impossible to put down. Chapters consistently begin with a focus on Mirek and end with a sense of the unknown. There are continual twists and turns. Nothing is predictable. With masterful characterization, we fall in love with Mirek. His heart and soul are utterly palpable. He is a real person. We hear and see a compassionate man with a massive responsibility on his shoulders. Lee shares the most intimate of Mirek’s thoughts and fears. “Mirek gasped a giant breath. His legs wobbled so much, if it wasn’t for all the children packed around him, he’d have crumpled. He gripped the hands of those holding his, both trying to reassure them and to regain some sort of composure.” (Pg.102) “Micek’s nerves gnawed at him like maggots at a carcass.” (Pg.251) “His heart clawed at him to confess his feelings.” (Pg.211) Mirek gawked at the bodies and the blood streaming into the gutter. The impossible thing to believe was that while these women were someone’s daughters, cherished and missed, those monstrous Nazis were someone’s sons, equally loved. How was it possible for one person to treat another like this? (Pg.160) I appreciate the way Lee blends important philosophical thoughts into the narrative. “My friends, we live in a world where if good people do nothing, the things the bad people do will only get worse and worse and worse. ‘(Pg.247) “Remember, children, manners cost nothing, but sometimes, they can get you more than money ever could.” (Pg.8)
I urge readers to read this outstanding historical book. Rating 5
I’m “95 percent sure” (pg.122) readers will be swept into this thrilling murder mystery just as I was. Set in BeSome Murders in Berlin by Karen Robards
I’m “95 percent sure” (pg.122) readers will be swept into this thrilling murder mystery just as I was. Set in Berlin in 1943, the main characters are: Dr. Elin Lund, a renowned murder investigator from Denmark, and Kurt Schneider, the Chief Nazi Kripo investigator assigned to find the murderer(s) of several women. As Dr. Lund commences work on the case, the Nazis are overtaking her home country. “The German beast was finally bearing its teeth and claws.” She is extremely apprehensive about her son and in-laws because they are Jewish. She wants to solve these murders and get right back home to her son, Niles. Without giving away any of the story, I can relate that this mystery unravels like peeling away the layers of an onion. Robards takes us into each scene with rich imagery, “Seven hours later, Elin was in the lab in the basement of the Alex, grainy eyed with exhaustion. Except for the brightly lit area right around her table, the rest of the lab was dark and shadowy. A sliver of light showing beneath the closed door made her think that she was not the only one still working, but she’d seen no one in hours and could hear nothing beyond the clink of her instruments as she finished what she was doing and gathered them up.” (Pg.98) “In the near distance, the imposing spire of Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church was silhouetted against the even sky. Closer at hand, the twilight cast its purple cloak over the cobbled street under better conditions, the streetlights at the corners already would have been lit. But instead, blackout curtains were being drawn across windows every as the city prepared for its nightly plunge into darkness.” (Pg.215). The author masterfully develops the main characters such that we feel their emotions and hear their voices. “As the eerie voice in which he’d said it replayed in her head, it was all she could do not to give in to the dread that seized her and start shivering again.” (Pg.138) “Scheider’s brows snapped together. Brooding gave way to scowling. ‘You should have asked me first… without my permission…You were brought in to help solve the case. The operative word there is help. His eyes narrowed at her, and his jaw had hardened.’” (Pg. 102) Double lives abound in this story of innocents and murderers. We see the best and the worst of human beings. The twists and turns of this novel will surprise readers. I highly recommend this riveting story and rate it at 5.
This dramatic historical story reminds me of The Three Faces of Eve by Hervey M. Thigpen, Corbett H.; Cleckley. Bina LaudauWarsaw Goddess by Lisa Barr
This dramatic historical story reminds me of The Three Faces of Eve by Hervey M. Thigpen, Corbett H.; Cleckley. Bina Laudau, Bina Bonski, alias Ilina alias Lena Browning is the main character and narrates her unimaginable life story. Bina describes her life in Warsaw before the invasion by the Nazi’s. “We used to be wealthy. We used to drink fine wine and talk about books and art and theater. We used to laugh. We used to be secular, cultural Jews, mingling with the upper echelon of Warsaw Society. …. We aren’t just Jews, I tell Jakub. We are inhabitants of a planet called Used to Be.” (Pg.17). In 1939, Bina Landau is a gifted actress. Hardly anyone knows that the tall, blonde, beauty is a Jew. “A Jew who doesn’t look like a Jew.” (Pg.17) However, in 1943 as violence escalates, Bina now lives in the ghetto. There she joins a clandestine, violent resistance group and soon becomes a lead player. She becomes an assassin. Rather than spoil the suspense and twists and turns of her story I won’t describe more of the story. Barr packs in a tremendous amount of detail and as I was reading, I often thought this story could be told in three separate books. Barr’s masterful characterization and use of first person brings Bina to life. Bina shares her innermost thoughts with the reader. “My heart rips straight down the middle and tears are slick on my checks. Words elude me, falling away like descending from the sky. I am not religious, but I look up at the cobwebbed beams. God, if you are there, make it quick, make it painless. Watch over them.” (Pg.146) Barr weaves this breathtaking story around a number of historical events including the Nazi invasion of Poland, the Warsaw Ghetto uprising and much later, Operation Paperclip. This book is priceless. I highly recommend The Goddess of Warsaw. Rating - 5 ...more
Set in 1939 London, this powerful novel is based on actual wartime events at the Bethnal Green Library. Ryan tells the story with suspense and passionSet in 1939 London, this powerful novel is based on actual wartime events at the Bethnal Green Library. Ryan tells the story with suspense and passion. The three main characters are Sophie Baumann, Juliet Lansdown, and Katie Upwood. Coming from entirely different circumstances, these young women have fortuitously found their way to the Bethnal Green Library and become dear friends. Even though each is dealing with complex personal issues, the women are determined to save the Bethnal Library by creating an “Underground Library.” Ryan tells the story through the personal perspectives of each girl, chapter by chapter. This ideal format allows the reader to hear their voices, feel their emotions, and see their harrowing circumstances. “As she (Sophie) sat on her bed, she pulled out her family photograph. How she wished Rachel and Paper were there, but there had been no domestic visas for either of them. Now she was stuck in London on her own. She was barely holding herself together. How easy her old life had been, full of books, and music and laughter. Now all those things were gone. She had no family, no friends, nothing except fear.” (Pg. 44) “Her suitcase in one hand and her gas mask box hanging from her shoulder, Juliet felt her pulse pounding. Finally, she was here. A wave of exhilaration washed through her, quickly followed by trepidation, ‘I can’t let this go wrong,’” (Pg.15) “And she (Katie) realized what a simple joy it was to share a much treasured story, and wherever her life was headed, any joy she could get was there to be cherished.”(Pg.174) Ryan’s writing style is poetic. She carries the reader directly into the setting. “A shaft of afternoon sunshine threw a golden light through the glass dome, coating the dark wooden rows of books with a sense of antiquity. Tall shelves lined every wall, narrow spiral staircases taking you from one tier to the next as the books above became smaller and smaller. The smell of the musty encyclopedias and floor wax permeated the still, silent air as a few readers shifted slowly through the aisles.” (Pg.16) With beautiful sensory imagery, Ryan brings the story to life. “The autumn was coming, the leaves in the park yellowing, the smell of bark and decay thick in the air as Sofie rushed home with the morning shopping, a spring in her step. The nights in the underground meant that she’d been able to spend more time with the book club ladies, and the poetry evening had really lifted her spirits. “(Pg. 132) “He began to take on the lower part of the “Moonlight Sonata,” the slowly ascending notes harmonizing with her melody, and at the end, they simply began again and then again, as if their voices somehow drowned out their reality, neutralized it. The beauty of the music, entwining and weaving together – it was a respite, a comfort, an alliance against the enemy.” (Pg.151) The Underground Library is difficult to put down. With so many facets, this story grabs the reader’s heart. I highly recommend this book. Previously, I had enjoyed The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir, and now I’ve purchased The Spies of Shilling Lane....more
Filled with great suspense and peril, this historical fiction narrative is an excellent blend of facts and fiction. In 1Affair of Spies, Ronald Balson
Filled with great suspense and peril, this historical fiction narrative is an excellent blend of facts and fiction. In 1943, both Germany and the US are racing to create an atomic bomb. American scientists such as Oppenheimer, Fermi, and Sziland are worried that the German researchers may be ahead of them. Barton weaves a fictional story around the Manhattan Project using actual top-secret locations in both countries. The main characters Nathan Silverman and Dr. Allison Fisher are sent to Berlin to spy on the German scientists under the guise of rescuing scientist, Gunther Snyder who wants to defect. Young Lieutenant Silverman has been chosen because he was born and raised in Germany and can easily be disguised as a Nazi officer. He is motivated to go because he has lost contact with his family and is worried about their status. He plans to find his father, a nuclear scientist, and take him to the US. Using vivid sensory imagery, Barton does an excellent job of taking the reader into the time and place of the story. “Anhalter Bahnhof is busy. Though there are only five platforms, trains are pulling in and out every few minutes. As they head down the platform, it feels like they are swimming upstream. Passengers are rushing past them to catch the trains in the final stages of boarding. Well-dressed men and women are pushing ahead, lifting their bags and quickly stepping up into the cars. The locomotives are streaming. Bells are clanging.” (Pg. 134). The author allows us to see the innermost thoughts and feelings of Nathan and Allison. We hear their voices. “He stops outside the station entrance, tears fill his eyes and his breathing deepens. Allison senses what is going through his mind, and she patiently stands beside him. She places her hand in the crook of his arm. He looks down and she smiles warmly. The honk of a horn brings him back to reality.” (Pg.137) This story moves quickly with numerous twists and turns and constant suspense. Ronald Barton writes intriguing, well-researched historical fiction and this story doesn’t disappoint. Rating 5...more
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