 | Description: 1936, Nazi-ruled Berlin. A heartbreaking and stunningly powerful novel of friendship, courage and betrayal, about two girls whose lives collide in war-torn Berlin, and whose friendship is the only thing that might get them out alive. They sat together on the roof, watching Berlin burn, as traces of smoke and cloud floated through the air. “I just want to be free,” Rosa said quietly, “Even if only for a few minutes. It might be the last chance I have.” From her beautiful new home in Berlin, a young woman named Liesel Scholz barely notices the changes to the city around her. Her life is one of privilege and safety thanks to her father’s job working for the new government. But a chance encounter with Rosa, the daughter of their Jewish housekeeper, confirms Liesel’s fears that something isn’t right. That the Nazi government’s brutal rules are cruel and dangerous, and that others aren’t as safe as she is. When Rosa begs Liesel to help—pressing her grandfather’s gold pocket watch into Liesel’s hand—Liesel recklessly agrees. |
She will help hide Rosa and her loved ones—in the dusty, unused rooms at the top of their house—even if it means putting everyone she loves in danger. Even if it means risking her own life.
Frankfurt, 1946: An idealistic American captain, Sam Houghton, arrives in Germany to interrogate prominent Nazis on trial and to help rebuild a battered country. When he hires an enigmatic, damaged interpreter named Anna, he doesn’t expect sparks to fly between them. Perhaps there is a chance of love for both of them. But then the question of what happened to Anna in the war raises its head.
Because Anna has secrets—ones that link her to Berlin, the Nazi party, and the story of one gold pocket watch and two young women who became friends, even when they were told it was impossible…
A compelling and haunting story about courage, love and betrayal set in war-torn Berlin. Fans of The Alice Network, All the Light We Cannot See and The Nightingale will be not be able to put this down.
Frankfurt, 1946: An idealistic American captain, Sam Houghton, arrives in Germany to interrogate prominent Nazis on trial and to help rebuild a battered country. When he hires an enigmatic, damaged interpreter named Anna, he doesn’t expect sparks to fly between them. Perhaps there is a chance of love for both of them. But then the question of what happened to Anna in the war raises its head.
Because Anna has secrets—ones that link her to Berlin, the Nazi party, and the story of one gold pocket watch and two young women who became friends, even when they were told it was impossible…
A compelling and haunting story about courage, love and betrayal set in war-torn Berlin. Fans of The Alice Network, All the Light We Cannot See and The Nightingale will be not be able to put this down.
My thoughts
After reading the description, you probably think "Oh my, another one of those WWII novels." That is exactly what I thought at first before starting the book. The Girl from Berlin may have the same setting, but this book is hauntingly wonderful! It didn't quite make me cry as much as much as The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah did; however, the book broke my heart over and over again throughout the chapters. I love that this book tells the story in two timelines. At first, you jump between the late 1930s/early 1940s and the post-WWII months which helps unravel the entire big picture step-by-step. I love books that give us bits and pieces here and there, like little clues in a murder mystery, and make you keep wondering how these pieces will eventually fit together. The book ends in a climax in 1946 with a shocking twist in the epilogue.
But what I love most about this book is that Kate Hewitt follows the characters in a super realistic manner through morally grey decisions, danger, secrets, doubt, family drama, etc. The Scholz family is a quilt of all the different facets of German character during WWII, we have rebelliousness, ignoring, resilience despite the circumstances, a character who goes from criticizing and not identifying with the Nazis to a complacent follower all because of (deadly) ambition, as well as surrender and capitulation. It is as if the author took one representative of each of the groups of Germans and brought them together in this one family. This makes for a gut-wrenching, mind-blowing family dynamic.
Great job, Kate Hewitt!!!! This was my first book by this author, but it will definitely not be my last one!
But what I love most about this book is that Kate Hewitt follows the characters in a super realistic manner through morally grey decisions, danger, secrets, doubt, family drama, etc. The Scholz family is a quilt of all the different facets of German character during WWII, we have rebelliousness, ignoring, resilience despite the circumstances, a character who goes from criticizing and not identifying with the Nazis to a complacent follower all because of (deadly) ambition, as well as surrender and capitulation. It is as if the author took one representative of each of the groups of Germans and brought them together in this one family. This makes for a gut-wrenching, mind-blowing family dynamic.
Great job, Kate Hewitt!!!! This was my first book by this author, but it will definitely not be my last one!
| About the author: Kate Hewitt is the author of many romance and women’s fiction novels. A former New Yorker and now an American ex-pat, she lives in a small town on the Welsh border with her husband, five children, and their overly affectionate Golden Retriever. Whatever the genre, she enjoys telling stories that tackle real issues and touch people’s lives. https://www.kate-hewitt.com/ https://www.facebook.com/KateHewittAuthor/ https://twitter.com/author_kate |  |
| Product details:
| Where to buy: Amazon: https://bit.ly/3s880jM Apple: https://apple.co/34yRQqH Kobo: https://bit.ly/3oUc1XG Google: https://bit.ly/38h7p7r |
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