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lilywill's review
2.0
Voor mij goed onderwerp, belangrijk om een vrij onbekend stuk geschiedenis tot leven te brengen maar de taal was te eenvoudig. Ik zou dit eerder een jeugdboek noemen.
theliterateleprechaun's review against another edition
5.0
This is NOT just another novel about a concentration camp.
The Girl Across the Wire Fence is a five-star historical fiction novel based on a true story of those who risked their lives to smuggle prisoners’ letters in and out of one of the largest, yet little known, concentration camps in Holland during World War Two. Kamp Amersfoort was a German concentration camp in Holland where 37,000 prisoners were kept between 1941 and 1945 when it was liberated by the Red Cross and the Canadian soldiers.
This unique look at young people who took their survival into their own hands focuses on a farmer’s son, Frans, who heads to Amersfoort every day to collect scraps of food to feed the animals on his family’s farm. When a prisoner begs Frans to send a letter to his girlfriend, a smuggling operation is put into action right under the noses of the Nazi guards. Transporting hundreds of messages for prisoners helps Frans feel like he’s doing something to help and it gives the prisoners hope in their darkest moments. When Saskia, Frans’s girlfriend and a non-Jew, is captured and taken to Amersfoort, Frans knows what he must do.
My first Imogen Matthews book absolutely captivated me from the first to the last page! With so many wartime books on the market featuring life in concentration camps, a historical fiction author needs to find either a unique presentation or research to find material for a unique look at a life of survival behind barbed wire. Matthews has accomplished both. She has found a true account of ordinary people’s courage and self-sacrifice to help the prisoners and masterfully transported her readers to the scene of the action, enabling them to watch from the sidelines. Her vivid depictions of survival life in Dutch villages during wartime are heartbreaking. I was genuinely invested in her layered characters and cared about their survival. Her villains were equally well-developed and repugnant. You will read about friendships strained because of living on different sides of the wire, young people who fought to keep love alive, and others who were willing to risk everything to help their fellow man. The tension and fear radiate from each page, not only for those in the camp but for those on the outside.
This five-star read needs to top your list - especially if you are a lover of historical fiction!
Publishes September 15, 2021.
I was gifted this advance copy by Imogen Matthews, Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
Merged review:
This is NOT just another novel about a concentration camp.
The Girl Across the Wire Fence is a five-star historical fiction novel based on a true story of those who risked their lives to smuggle prisoners’ letters in and out of one of the largest, yet little known, concentration camps in Holland during World War Two. Kamp Amersfoort was a German concentration camp in Holland where 37,000 prisoners were kept between 1941 and 1945 when it was liberated by the Red Cross and the Canadian soldiers.
This unique look at young people who took their survival into their own hands focuses on a farmer’s son, Frans, who heads to Amersfoort every day to collect scraps of food to feed the animals on his family’s farm. When a prisoner begs Frans to send a letter to his girlfriend, a smuggling operation is put into action right under the noses of the Nazi guards. Transporting hundreds of messages for prisoners helps Frans feel like he’s doing something to help and it gives the prisoners hope in their darkest moments. When Saskia, Frans’s girlfriend and a non-Jew, is captured and taken to Amersfoort, Frans knows what he must do.
My first Imogen Matthews book absolutely captivated me from the first to the last page! With so many wartime books on the market featuring life in concentration camps, a historical fiction author needs to find either a unique presentation or research to find material for a unique look at a life of survival behind barbed wire. Matthews has accomplished both. She has found a true account of ordinary people’s courage and self-sacrifice to help the prisoners and masterfully transported her readers to the scene of the action, enabling them to watch from the sidelines. Her vivid depictions of survival life in Dutch villages during wartime are heartbreaking. I was genuinely invested in her layered characters and cared about their survival. Her villains were equally well-developed and repugnant. You will read about friendships strained because of living on different sides of the wire, young people who fought to keep love alive, and others who were willing to risk everything to help their fellow man. The tension and fear radiate from each page, not only for those in the camp but for those on the outside.
This five-star read needs to top your list - especially if you are a lover of historical fiction!
Publishes September 15, 2021.
I was gifted this advance copy by Imogen Matthews, Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
The Girl Across the Wire Fence is a five-star historical fiction novel based on a true story of those who risked their lives to smuggle prisoners’ letters in and out of one of the largest, yet little known, concentration camps in Holland during World War Two. Kamp Amersfoort was a German concentration camp in Holland where 37,000 prisoners were kept between 1941 and 1945 when it was liberated by the Red Cross and the Canadian soldiers.
This unique look at young people who took their survival into their own hands focuses on a farmer’s son, Frans, who heads to Amersfoort every day to collect scraps of food to feed the animals on his family’s farm. When a prisoner begs Frans to send a letter to his girlfriend, a smuggling operation is put into action right under the noses of the Nazi guards. Transporting hundreds of messages for prisoners helps Frans feel like he’s doing something to help and it gives the prisoners hope in their darkest moments. When Saskia, Frans’s girlfriend and a non-Jew, is captured and taken to Amersfoort, Frans knows what he must do.
My first Imogen Matthews book absolutely captivated me from the first to the last page! With so many wartime books on the market featuring life in concentration camps, a historical fiction author needs to find either a unique presentation or research to find material for a unique look at a life of survival behind barbed wire. Matthews has accomplished both. She has found a true account of ordinary people’s courage and self-sacrifice to help the prisoners and masterfully transported her readers to the scene of the action, enabling them to watch from the sidelines. Her vivid depictions of survival life in Dutch villages during wartime are heartbreaking. I was genuinely invested in her layered characters and cared about their survival. Her villains were equally well-developed and repugnant. You will read about friendships strained because of living on different sides of the wire, young people who fought to keep love alive, and others who were willing to risk everything to help their fellow man. The tension and fear radiate from each page, not only for those in the camp but for those on the outside.
This five-star read needs to top your list - especially if you are a lover of historical fiction!
Publishes September 15, 2021.
I was gifted this advance copy by Imogen Matthews, Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
Merged review:
This is NOT just another novel about a concentration camp.
The Girl Across the Wire Fence is a five-star historical fiction novel based on a true story of those who risked their lives to smuggle prisoners’ letters in and out of one of the largest, yet little known, concentration camps in Holland during World War Two. Kamp Amersfoort was a German concentration camp in Holland where 37,000 prisoners were kept between 1941 and 1945 when it was liberated by the Red Cross and the Canadian soldiers.
This unique look at young people who took their survival into their own hands focuses on a farmer’s son, Frans, who heads to Amersfoort every day to collect scraps of food to feed the animals on his family’s farm. When a prisoner begs Frans to send a letter to his girlfriend, a smuggling operation is put into action right under the noses of the Nazi guards. Transporting hundreds of messages for prisoners helps Frans feel like he’s doing something to help and it gives the prisoners hope in their darkest moments. When Saskia, Frans’s girlfriend and a non-Jew, is captured and taken to Amersfoort, Frans knows what he must do.
My first Imogen Matthews book absolutely captivated me from the first to the last page! With so many wartime books on the market featuring life in concentration camps, a historical fiction author needs to find either a unique presentation or research to find material for a unique look at a life of survival behind barbed wire. Matthews has accomplished both. She has found a true account of ordinary people’s courage and self-sacrifice to help the prisoners and masterfully transported her readers to the scene of the action, enabling them to watch from the sidelines. Her vivid depictions of survival life in Dutch villages during wartime are heartbreaking. I was genuinely invested in her layered characters and cared about their survival. Her villains were equally well-developed and repugnant. You will read about friendships strained because of living on different sides of the wire, young people who fought to keep love alive, and others who were willing to risk everything to help their fellow man. The tension and fear radiate from each page, not only for those in the camp but for those on the outside.
This five-star read needs to top your list - especially if you are a lover of historical fiction!
Publishes September 15, 2021.
I was gifted this advance copy by Imogen Matthews, Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
femkey's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
2.5
Gewoon je standaard ww2 boek. Ik miste zelf de emotie en opbouw in het schrijven
emmacr2024's review against another edition
3.0
The Girl Across the Wire Fence by Imogen Matthews is based around true events which provide plenty of realism to this story set in Holland during the later years of World War Two. This was an interesting read as I hadn’t previously read a book set in Holland during the war and had never known that the infamous camps were also located there. You read so many WW2 books set in Germany, France, Russia or Poland so it was refreshing to read of a different setting which provided an alternative aspect to the horrors of the war which we are all unfortunately too familiar with. It’s a quick read at just over 240 pages but the author does manage to pack a significant amount in, even though at times I felt a little more description and exploration was needed. Given the length of the book, I felt there was plenty of scope for more and the story could have been extended as the ending felt slightly rushed and abrupt in places.
Amersfoot is a village in Holland where the Germans have infiltrated every aspect of the residents lives and things are only getting worse. There are shortages of food, clothing and household goods and many shops are closing. Frans lives on a farm with his parents and younger siblings and given the horrific situation his country finds itself in, his family fair ever so slightly better than others in that they can provide food for the table and work on their farm. That’s not to say life is easy for them. How could it be when the country you have lived in for so long has been infiltrated by those hell bent on eradicating an entire section of the human race simply because of their religion? Frans is the stand out character of the book and this comes across right from the beginning. He takes over the task from his father of the daily visits to Kamp Amersfoot where Jews and ‘criminals’ have been imprisoned. Each day on his cart he enters the camp to collect potato peelings which are used as feed for his cattle. Frans can see the injustice in this. On one hand without this feed his cattle would die and where would that leave his family? But on the other hand the prisoners are starving and receive the merest of rations and he feels wrong to be taking what could save them. The cruel behaviour he witnesses in the camp is clearly not justified and he wishes he could do something that would help alleviate some of the pain the prisoners are suffering.
I loved the chapters that focused on Frans and was always eager to return to read of his viewpoint. He may only have been 16 but he came across as being wise beyond his years. He was so clued in to the bigger picture and was constantly thinking of plans in order to make life better for those that had reached rock bottom through unlawful persecution and terror. I loved Frans as a character, it’s cliched to use the terms brave, courageous and determined but that is what he was. He was also clever and forward thinking and used every available resource to his advantage, I thought he always put his life on the line despite being well aware of the consequences if caught but still he persisted and kept going forward with simple yet effective and ingenuitive ideas which would hopefully offer a ray of light to those experiencing the darkest of times. Frans could have easily turned a blind eye and just did the job he was sent to do at the camp but through his actions he showed he had a heart and was kind and compassionate.
Some of the more secondary characters were Cas, the younger brother of Frans, who accompanies him on the daily visits to the camp and who in turn played such a pivotal role in the entire secret operation that unfolds. Saskia is the girlfriend of Frans and they truly have a deep connection and love for each other. She aids Frans in his plan to smuggle letters in and out of the camp to those that need to hear words of comfort and solace. A network of sorts is created to establish links between those that await news on the outside of their loved ones and those on the inside tormented by what they are experiencing. Frans and Saskia are the links that bring this sense of unity about but it’s not without its perils. The fear of discovery lurks around every corner and the author did a wonderful job of portraying a real sense of danger, menace and threat.
As mentioned in the blurb fortunes change for Saskia and to be honest I found myself waiting for this event to occur for the majority of the novel and it only transpired towards the end. We didn’t hear from Saskia’s perspective as to her experience and I feel the story as a whole suffered because of this. Several chapters from her viewpoint when the worst befalls her would have brought it home even more just what Frans was doing putting his life on the lie on a daily basis. It wasn’t glossed over. Yes, it does say it happened and we see what the fall out is but still I wanted to know how Saskia felt now she was on the other side. At certain points I felt the story jumped forward a little bit and things weren’t explained in enough detail. It was like something was mentioned briefly and I would have loved to have read more detail but instead there we were moving on to the next event. There was just a little too much of skimming the surface when more in-depth analysis or detail was required.
Theo was the other major character to feature and although his story was horrific it was still Frans that really captured my interest and heart throughout. Theo finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time leading to his imprisonment and when the Germans strike he is taken to the camp leaving all connections to his beloved Annelies severed. That is until Frans comes up with his clever yet dangerous plan. The scene featuring Theo and the rose garden was truly shocking and jaw dropping and left me feeling cold and with a sick feeling to my stomach. It showed how the Nazi’s stopped at nothing in their desire to crush and annihilate the human spirit and took such pleasure from doing this.
Overall The Girl Across the Wire Fence was a good story and shows that Imogen Matthews has lots of potential writing in this genre. If the few issues I found could be ironed out in future books I know I would be fully captured from beginning to end. This book is worth a read for the different perspective of a another countries experiences during the war and how when such evil is all around you that compassion, strength, helpfulness, kindness and love can be found.
Amersfoot is a village in Holland where the Germans have infiltrated every aspect of the residents lives and things are only getting worse. There are shortages of food, clothing and household goods and many shops are closing. Frans lives on a farm with his parents and younger siblings and given the horrific situation his country finds itself in, his family fair ever so slightly better than others in that they can provide food for the table and work on their farm. That’s not to say life is easy for them. How could it be when the country you have lived in for so long has been infiltrated by those hell bent on eradicating an entire section of the human race simply because of their religion? Frans is the stand out character of the book and this comes across right from the beginning. He takes over the task from his father of the daily visits to Kamp Amersfoot where Jews and ‘criminals’ have been imprisoned. Each day on his cart he enters the camp to collect potato peelings which are used as feed for his cattle. Frans can see the injustice in this. On one hand without this feed his cattle would die and where would that leave his family? But on the other hand the prisoners are starving and receive the merest of rations and he feels wrong to be taking what could save them. The cruel behaviour he witnesses in the camp is clearly not justified and he wishes he could do something that would help alleviate some of the pain the prisoners are suffering.
I loved the chapters that focused on Frans and was always eager to return to read of his viewpoint. He may only have been 16 but he came across as being wise beyond his years. He was so clued in to the bigger picture and was constantly thinking of plans in order to make life better for those that had reached rock bottom through unlawful persecution and terror. I loved Frans as a character, it’s cliched to use the terms brave, courageous and determined but that is what he was. He was also clever and forward thinking and used every available resource to his advantage, I thought he always put his life on the line despite being well aware of the consequences if caught but still he persisted and kept going forward with simple yet effective and ingenuitive ideas which would hopefully offer a ray of light to those experiencing the darkest of times. Frans could have easily turned a blind eye and just did the job he was sent to do at the camp but through his actions he showed he had a heart and was kind and compassionate.
Some of the more secondary characters were Cas, the younger brother of Frans, who accompanies him on the daily visits to the camp and who in turn played such a pivotal role in the entire secret operation that unfolds. Saskia is the girlfriend of Frans and they truly have a deep connection and love for each other. She aids Frans in his plan to smuggle letters in and out of the camp to those that need to hear words of comfort and solace. A network of sorts is created to establish links between those that await news on the outside of their loved ones and those on the inside tormented by what they are experiencing. Frans and Saskia are the links that bring this sense of unity about but it’s not without its perils. The fear of discovery lurks around every corner and the author did a wonderful job of portraying a real sense of danger, menace and threat.
As mentioned in the blurb fortunes change for Saskia and to be honest I found myself waiting for this event to occur for the majority of the novel and it only transpired towards the end. We didn’t hear from Saskia’s perspective as to her experience and I feel the story as a whole suffered because of this. Several chapters from her viewpoint when the worst befalls her would have brought it home even more just what Frans was doing putting his life on the lie on a daily basis. It wasn’t glossed over. Yes, it does say it happened and we see what the fall out is but still I wanted to know how Saskia felt now she was on the other side. At certain points I felt the story jumped forward a little bit and things weren’t explained in enough detail. It was like something was mentioned briefly and I would have loved to have read more detail but instead there we were moving on to the next event. There was just a little too much of skimming the surface when more in-depth analysis or detail was required.
Theo was the other major character to feature and although his story was horrific it was still Frans that really captured my interest and heart throughout. Theo finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time leading to his imprisonment and when the Germans strike he is taken to the camp leaving all connections to his beloved Annelies severed. That is until Frans comes up with his clever yet dangerous plan. The scene featuring Theo and the rose garden was truly shocking and jaw dropping and left me feeling cold and with a sick feeling to my stomach. It showed how the Nazi’s stopped at nothing in their desire to crush and annihilate the human spirit and took such pleasure from doing this.
Overall The Girl Across the Wire Fence was a good story and shows that Imogen Matthews has lots of potential writing in this genre. If the few issues I found could be ironed out in future books I know I would be fully captured from beginning to end. This book is worth a read for the different perspective of a another countries experiences during the war and how when such evil is all around you that compassion, strength, helpfulness, kindness and love can be found.
alycille's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyed the second half of the book much more than the first.
alexsbooksandsocks's review against another edition
4.25
Dat ik van dit soort boeken hou, weet iedereen. (het klinkt gek om dat te zeggen natuurlijk want het is zo een heftig onderwerp) Toch blijven ze mij verbazen want in elk boek is er wel weer iets nieuws te ontdekken zodat die onverklaarbare puzzel van gruwel én wat er allemaal gebeurd is, toch wat meer vorm krijgt.
Wat ‘nieuw’ is aan deze, op waargebeurde feiten gebaseerde, roman is dat de auteur ook de focus legt op de personages buiten het kamp. Op de mensen die in de buurt van concentratiekampen woonden, op de mensen die kost wat kost iets hebben willen doen om anderen te helpen. Ten koste van hun eigen veiligheid, die geen oogkleppen ophadden en begrepen wat er gebeurde in deze kampen.
Het is enorm vlot geschreven en naarmate het verhaal verder gaat, krijgen de personages meer en meer een duidelijk karakter. De auteur brengt dankzij haar schrijfstijl deze personages tot leven. Imogen Matthews slaagt erin om een plaats, een kamp, dat niet zo bekend was weer een bestaan te geven zodat ook dat deel, zodat ook al die mensen, een gezicht krijgen en niet vergeten worden. Ik zeg het ook deze keer weer, elk boek ivm WOll is belangrijk en schreeuwt om gelezen te worden.
dennyhb's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
coffee_and_chapters's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I genuinely love stories that are based on true events during the Holocaust because they really provide the reader with an insight into the lives of the prisoners in the camp, and this one especially into the lives of those outside the walls of the camp and their bravery in trying, as much as possible within their own power, to help the prisoners.
The Girl Across the Wire Fence follows the story of Saskia and Frans, two lovers who undertake a project of letter smuggling into Amersfoort Concentration Camp. When Frans has to enter the camp in order to collect potato peelings that the prisoners are tasked to do (although the potatoes never become part of their food), a prisoner by the name of Theo begs Frans to deliver a letter to his loved one. Frans then realises that one way in which he could help the prisoners is by trying to keep their morale alive, and this could be achieved through these letters. Together with Saskia, Theo and others, they risk their safety (which is already in jeopardy as the war looms closer to them than before.
I really loved this book and quite sad I didn't get to this sooner. The storyline was very captivating and really touched my heart to see the way the prisoners were treated in the camp. As much as we learn about this in history, it is very different when presented in the format of a story with actual people with names. What we often don't learn in history is how people risked their lives outside and inside the camp in order to survive, and how many had hope until the very end. Imogen Matthew's has presented us with a story that is so well thought and researched and really focuses on the characters and their feelings. It was also heart-breaking to see how often prisoners are appointed into administration ranks which essentially has them seen as traitors by the others in the camp, but essentially this is a no choice command to be followed. The themes of pain, suffering, bravery but also self-preservation are very apparent in this book. What I also liked was the fact that the book showed that although life inside the camp was inhumane, life outside of the camp was slightly better but not by much, as people were persecuted by the Nazi's even if they were not Jewish and how people became targets instantly due to the immense power the Nazi's had at the time.
This is a brilliant read and I would recommend to readers who enjoy stories from the Holocaust and who find the history of this very interesting. I am on of those readers and I would read many more stories like this in order to try and understand but also to develop my learning.
The Girl Across the Wire Fence follows the story of Saskia and Frans, two lovers who undertake a project of letter smuggling into Amersfoort Concentration Camp. When Frans has to enter the camp in order to collect potato peelings that the prisoners are tasked to do (although the potatoes never become part of their food), a prisoner by the name of Theo begs Frans to deliver a letter to his loved one. Frans then realises that one way in which he could help the prisoners is by trying to keep their morale alive, and this could be achieved through these letters. Together with Saskia, Theo and others, they risk their safety (which is already in jeopardy as the war looms closer to them than before.
I really loved this book and quite sad I didn't get to this sooner. The storyline was very captivating and really touched my heart to see the way the prisoners were treated in the camp. As much as we learn about this in history, it is very different when presented in the format of a story with actual people with names. What we often don't learn in history is how people risked their lives outside and inside the camp in order to survive, and how many had hope until the very end. Imogen Matthew's has presented us with a story that is so well thought and researched and really focuses on the characters and their feelings. It was also heart-breaking to see how often prisoners are appointed into administration ranks which essentially has them seen as traitors by the others in the camp, but essentially this is a no choice command to be followed. The themes of pain, suffering, bravery but also self-preservation are very apparent in this book. What I also liked was the fact that the book showed that although life inside the camp was inhumane, life outside of the camp was slightly better but not by much, as people were persecuted by the Nazi's even if they were not Jewish and how people became targets instantly due to the immense power the Nazi's had at the time.
This is a brilliant read and I would recommend to readers who enjoy stories from the Holocaust and who find the history of this very interesting. I am on of those readers and I would read many more stories like this in order to try and understand but also to develop my learning.
gabrielle07mcm's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
This book was absolutely fabulous and stood out among other books based in WW2 on the concentration camps. The emotional connection to the characters made this story even better. You truly felt like you were living this journey with the characters, no matter whose POV the chapter was from. The fact that this book was based on true events made the story hit harder as you read through it.
One thing I adored about this book was the recruitment of prisoners into the SS which isn’t talked about much in general history, let alone in historical fiction. This made the book so unique and caused it to be a stand out among other WW2 historical fiction novels.
For fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz - this is a book you won’t want to miss
This book was absolutely fabulous and stood out among other books based in WW2 on the concentration camps. The emotional connection to the characters made this story even better. You truly felt like you were living this journey with the characters, no matter whose POV the chapter was from. The fact that this book was based on true events made the story hit harder as you read through it.
One thing I adored about this book was the recruitment of prisoners into the SS which isn’t talked about much in general history, let alone in historical fiction. This made the book so unique and caused it to be a stand out among other WW2 historical fiction novels.
For fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz - this is a book you won’t want to miss
readingwithbuddy's review against another edition
5.0
This was a really interesting story and I really am glad I read it. I especially liked at the end where the author had taken the trouble to explain why she wrote the story and gave the background.
This author is very talented on this subject and I would definately look out for more from her.
I was given an advance copy by Bookoutre and netgalley but the review is entirely my own
This author is very talented on this subject and I would definately look out for more from her.
I was given an advance copy by Bookoutre and netgalley but the review is entirely my own