You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.33 AVERAGE
4.33 AVERAGE
I originally read this for a category for the 2024 PopSugar challenge, but turns out it doesn't fit there. This was a good book, but given the subject matter, it was a little difficult to read. It goes back and forth between (mostly) the 1930s and 1950/51 in the US and Germany and deals with prejudice (segregation & nazism) and things that go along with it.
While this is fiction, it was inspired by real people and it shows you that just because you think you know who someone is on the surface, you have no idea what they have/haven't done to protect themselves/their family even if it's at the cost of others and in Jürgen & Sofie's case the losses they personally had to deal with.
I will say I didn't particularly like Lizzie during most of this and even less towards the end. At least Sofie & Jurgen knew they had hard decisions to make and anguished about making them. Lizzie only wanted to protect Henry and that made it worse.
We know that there were not many "happy endings" with WWII, but this book has one and I'm glad it did.
While this is fiction, it was inspired by real people and it shows you that just because you think you know who someone is on the surface, you have no idea what they have/haven't done to protect themselves/their family even if it's at the cost of others and in Jürgen & Sofie's case the losses they personally had to deal with.
I will say I didn't particularly like Lizzie during most of this and even less towards the end. At least Sofie & Jurgen knew they had hard decisions to make and anguished about making them. Lizzie only wanted to protect Henry and that made it worse.
We know that there were not many "happy endings" with WWII, but this book has one and I'm glad it did.
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
A really great story built around WWII from a perspective we aren’t used to. Most of the books in this popular genre are around the heroines of the Resistance, etc but this one is quite unique - a German scientist’s wife. Gives one a lot to think about - what would you & your family have done in the same situation? Also, the reactions of the townspeople where they settle made me think about how I would have reacted, especially if I was so certain of knowing the “truth” - which ended up being so complicated.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!
This is another heart wrenching tale by Kelly Rimmer set during WWII. In 1930 Germany, Sofie and Jürgen are struggling under the burgeoning Nazi regime. In order to not go completely bankrupt and lose their home, Jürgen must take a job developing rockets for the Nazi’s but both seriously oppose their ideals and the entire regime.
In 1930s Texas, Lizzie and her family are coping with the hardships of the Dust Bowl. The two stories converge in the 1950s in Huntsville, Alabama after Lizzie’s husband’s job brings them there, and Jürgen has been taken from post WWII Germany to work on a secretive US rocket program.
I found the book slow to start but the story picks up and you learn how each family made it through WWII and what they had to do to survive. Another well researched and beautifully written book by Kelly Rimmer!
This is another heart wrenching tale by Kelly Rimmer set during WWII. In 1930 Germany, Sofie and Jürgen are struggling under the burgeoning Nazi regime. In order to not go completely bankrupt and lose their home, Jürgen must take a job developing rockets for the Nazi’s but both seriously oppose their ideals and the entire regime.
In 1930s Texas, Lizzie and her family are coping with the hardships of the Dust Bowl. The two stories converge in the 1950s in Huntsville, Alabama after Lizzie’s husband’s job brings them there, and Jürgen has been taken from post WWII Germany to work on a secretive US rocket program.
I found the book slow to start but the story picks up and you learn how each family made it through WWII and what they had to do to survive. Another well researched and beautifully written book by Kelly Rimmer!
Well that was an emotional ride! If you’d like to have your brain slammed back and forth between loving and hating a character (or four) and between sympathy and judgment for those same characters? This is your book! But truly, so much to ponder, especially in the world we live in with ever rising nationalism throughout the world.
3.5 well written, great plotting…I didn’t feel like Lizzie or Sofie receive a just ending.
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Great plot and character building but I thought the ending was a little too fairy tale.
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Interesting to read about American events and culture written by a foreigner. The historical events are accurate but I find the characters stilted. Also there is a definite lack of knowledge regarding IS jurisprudence.