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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really enjoyed this historical-fiction novel, set in the city that Picasso’s most famous painting GUERNICA was based on, which I was privileged to see this summer when living in Madrid. I became fascinated with Picasso and Spanish history during that trip, and this was a perfect book to tap into that interest. I admired the strength and determination Sibi had to look after her family members despite tremendous loss and trauma. I felt the highs and lows of the plot as if they were my own experiences. The storyline was rich with context about the looming Second World War, which I really appreciated. Finishing this book on a train ride back to Richmond, I read the last 100 pages in an hour. It was enthralling until the very end!
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Pablo Picasso created a huge painting in grey, black and white to portray the suffering, violence, and the utter confusion of war. He created the painting after the bombing of Guernica in early 1937. This book was inspired by that painting to create a story to pay tribute to the citizens of Guernica.
Sibi Helenger is a 17 year old daughter of a German engineer who works on airplanes for Hitler’s Luftwaffe. Her mother grew up in Guernica and has taken her four daughters back to be with her dying mother. Sibi has always been interested in her father’s work and knows about airplanes. When Guernica is attacked by bomber and fighter aircraft with Swastika markings, Sibi knows exactly what kind of airplanes they are and who is flying them. When the raid is over, her mother and one of her sisters are dead and she is left to care for her two youngest sisters—one who is severely burned. Sibi, herself, is trapped in a collapsing building until she is rescued by some American Air Force personnel lead by a captain named Griff. When interviewed by a reporter at the hospital she tells the story of the German aircraft. When her father comes to collect the girls and take them back to Germany, she is not aware how those words will come back to haunt her. With her unique access to the high officers of Germany, she gathers information that she shares with Griff. When news of her interview is broadcast, she has to refute her previous accusation against Germany and becomes embroiled in Hitler’s PR machine. Sibi is caught in a dangerous tug of war throughout the war.
The author’s description of the raid on Guernica is a vivid, graphic roller coaster. Once it started, I could not look away. It almost feels as if the rest of the book following Sibi through her life as a darling of the Third Reich is an anticlimax. The issue of the Guernica attack was one that the Germans denied responsibility for all through the War. It was rather surreal to read this novel while following the situation in Ukraine. Characters were interesting, well developed and the description of Spain was engaging. Altogether it was amazing how the author used the story to provide a summary of some of the major events of the War. Highly recommend to readers of historical fiction, books about WWII, Spain, and art.
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: The Girl From Guernica
Author: Karen Robards
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Spanish characters and Spanish/German MC and characters
Recommended For...: historical fiction, War World II, Spain, Nazi Germany
Publication Date: September 6, 2022
Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Relevance: 16+ (war, rape, violence, gore, animal death, animal gore, bombing, religion, death, grief, PTSD, antisemitism, nazism, abelism, bullying, romance, cursing, animal injury)
Explanation of Above: The book revolves around the whole of World War II and there are some bombings shown in the book. There is a lot of violence with guns and bombs and gore involving blood. There is death and grief shown in the book. There is some animal death and gore mentioned with dogs and sheep. There are also a couple of animal injuries to a dog shown as well. The Catholic religion is referenced and shown a couple of times. The book shows PTSD and abelism, as well as antisemitism and nazism involving Aryan ideals and Nazis. There is some bullying and some cursing in the book. There is also a slight romance in the book.
Publisher: MIRA
Pages: 464
Synopsis: On an April day in 1937, the sky opens and fire rains down upon the small Spanish town of Guernica. Seventeen-year-old Sibi and her family are caught up in the horror. Griff, an American military attaché, pulls Sibi from the wreckage, and it’s only the first time he saves her life in a span of hours. When Germany claims no involvement in the attack, insisting the Spanish Republic was responsible, Griff guides Sibi to lie to Nazi officials. If she or her sisters reveal that they saw planes bearing swastikas, the gestapo will silence them—by any means necessary.
As war begins to rage across Europe, Sibi joins the underground resistance, secretly exchanging information with Griff. But as the scope of Germany’s ambitions becomes clear, maintaining the facade of a Nazi-sympathizer becomes ever more difficult. And as Sibi is drawn deeper into a web of secrets, she must find a way to outwit an enemy that threatens to decimate her family once and for all.
Masterfully rendered and vividly capturing one of the most notorious episodes in history, The Girl from Guernica is an unforgettable testament to the bonds of family and the courage of women in wartime.
Review: I found this book to be very informative and eye opening. The book starts with the bombing of Guernica, which was done at the behest of the Nationalist faction by Nazi Germany forces. The incident was horrifically detailed in the book and it helped set the tone for the novel as Nazi Germany denied and continued to deny their involvement in the incident. The MC was compelling and while we all know what the true solution was for her predicament, her dilemma was understandable and it makes the reader empathetic to the plight of Germans who were caught in the middle of the War. The book was written beautifully and the book was fairly accurate from what I know and briefly researched about the incident. The book did well for character development and world building. I also thought the pacing was well done.
The only issue I had with the book is that I felt like the horrors of what Nazi Germany was truly doing wasn’t discussed in the book well. I would have liked to see that in the book more.
Verdict: It was great! Highly recommend!
Book: The Girl From Guernica
Author: Karen Robards
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 5/5
Diversity: Spanish characters and Spanish/German MC and characters
Recommended For...: historical fiction, War World II, Spain, Nazi Germany
Publication Date: September 6, 2022
Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Relevance: 16+ (war, rape, violence, gore, animal death, animal gore, bombing, religion, death, grief, PTSD, antisemitism, nazism, abelism, bullying, romance, cursing, animal injury)
Explanation of Above: The book revolves around the whole of World War II and there are some bombings shown in the book. There is a lot of violence with guns and bombs and gore involving blood. There is death and grief shown in the book. There is some animal death and gore mentioned with dogs and sheep. There are also a couple of animal injuries to a dog shown as well. The Catholic religion is referenced and shown a couple of times. The book shows PTSD and abelism, as well as antisemitism and nazism involving Aryan ideals and Nazis. There is some bullying and some cursing in the book. There is also a slight romance in the book.
Publisher: MIRA
Pages: 464
Synopsis: On an April day in 1937, the sky opens and fire rains down upon the small Spanish town of Guernica. Seventeen-year-old Sibi and her family are caught up in the horror. Griff, an American military attaché, pulls Sibi from the wreckage, and it’s only the first time he saves her life in a span of hours. When Germany claims no involvement in the attack, insisting the Spanish Republic was responsible, Griff guides Sibi to lie to Nazi officials. If she or her sisters reveal that they saw planes bearing swastikas, the gestapo will silence them—by any means necessary.
As war begins to rage across Europe, Sibi joins the underground resistance, secretly exchanging information with Griff. But as the scope of Germany’s ambitions becomes clear, maintaining the facade of a Nazi-sympathizer becomes ever more difficult. And as Sibi is drawn deeper into a web of secrets, she must find a way to outwit an enemy that threatens to decimate her family once and for all.
Masterfully rendered and vividly capturing one of the most notorious episodes in history, The Girl from Guernica is an unforgettable testament to the bonds of family and the courage of women in wartime.
Review: I found this book to be very informative and eye opening. The book starts with the bombing of Guernica, which was done at the behest of the Nationalist faction by Nazi Germany forces. The incident was horrifically detailed in the book and it helped set the tone for the novel as Nazi Germany denied and continued to deny their involvement in the incident. The MC was compelling and while we all know what the true solution was for her predicament, her dilemma was understandable and it makes the reader empathetic to the plight of Germans who were caught in the middle of the War. The book was written beautifully and the book was fairly accurate from what I know and briefly researched about the incident. The book did well for character development and world building. I also thought the pacing was well done.
The only issue I had with the book is that I felt like the horrors of what Nazi Germany was truly doing wasn’t discussed in the book well. I would have liked to see that in the book more.
Verdict: It was great! Highly recommend!