WWII – The Spine View

All That Glitters by John Anthony Miller

Rating: 5 Stars Pub Date: 13-Mar-2023

This WWII thriller, by John Anthony Miller, is an edge of your seat kind of story about a female spy, working for French Intelligence, who is given a near impossible task. I immediately fell into this one and was captivated by the outstanding story telling of the author.

Camille is the heroine of the story. She along with her partner, Roger, in this operation are tasked with stealing industrial grade diamonds from a vault in Belgium. There is one catch, the Germany army has already invaded Belgium and the town in which the vault is located will shortly be overrun by Germans. These diamonds are not only highly valuable, but of the highest importance to the war effort since they are being used for advanced technologies. It will be a race to see who can get there first.

Camille and Roger beat the Germans to the vault, but only barely. They know that the German army is already in the city and hear them getting closer. It will not be long before they reach their location. They work quickly to open the vault and remove the diamonds. As they are making their escape the Germans arrive and Roger is killed. Fortunately, Camille is able to get away with the diamonds; however, her escape car is damaged by the gun fire and she is forced to abandon it along the roadside in a rural part of Belgium.

She must now find another way to get out of Belgium and to England, the final destination of the diamonds. To do so she needs to contact her handler, Nichols, in Paris. Fate seems to be smiling on her when she runs into Dr. Lucien Bouchard, a physician that once saved her life. With his assistance and the help of others in the French Resistance, she heads for Paris where the diamonds will be rerouted to England. However, there are others nefarious players, i. e. the Gestapo and a German spy who is married a high ranking French Official, who also want desperately to have the diamonds.

The plot is full of surprises and unexpected players. In addition, two other things are worth mentioning about the plot. First, is the complexity., There were lots of moving parts and everything had to work just right for Camille to achieve her goal. Also, the romantic development between Camille and Lucien added a lot of depth to the plot, and characters, that made the story realistic which, in turn, caused me to become further invested in the outcome.

Then the danger of what she, and later Lucien, were attempting took my breath away at times. I felt like at any moment some little something, or twist of fate could happen, and all would have been for nothing. This made the tension almost unbearable at times. Whether you call it “nail biting” or an “edge of your seat” suspense, this expertly executed story is one that will stay with me for a long time.

In summary, All That Glitters is much more than your average thriller. It also a story about love and redemption among other things. It will appeal not only to lovers of Thrillers, Historical Fiction, and Romance, but also to a more general audience that enjoys a complex plot and memorable characters. I highly recommend this to everyone.

I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Last Green Valley by Mark T. Sullivan

The Last Green Valley is an amazing story of courage, family, hope and survival. Just as with Sullivan’s earlier novel Beneath a Scarlet Sky, this book is based on the true story of the Martel family and how they escaped the advancing Russian army with nothing but the few possessions they could pack into a single wagon.

The war is in full force in Europe. The Germany army is retreating on both fronts and the Martel family must decide if they want to stay in the Ukraine and again be under Stalin’s rule or as “pure” Germans be relocated to Germany. For Emil, the decision is easy. He knows what it is to live under Russian rule and he wants to be free and dreams of a better life in the West. He even dares to dream about immigrating to the United States.

However, to make his dream come true he will have to move his wife and two young sons through the war ridden countryside. The family, along with other refugees, follow the Germany army as they retreat before the oncoming Russians. While the Germans have offered to resettle them, their help will come at a price. The Martels will face many trials in their journey to freedom in the West.

This is such a moving story. I can’t begin to imagine how hard it was to survive during WWII. The tenacity of Emil and Adeline was incredible. Most would have given up their dreams and just lived under Stalin’s rule when faced with the hardships and unknown.

The story is well researched and told with beauty and compassion. The prose was descriptive and I felt he did justice to the characters. In short, it was outstanding and it is books like this that fuel my passion for historical fiction.

A must read for all lovers of history and historical fiction. In addition, this is a great book club pick because the topics this book covers a vast array of topics of the time that are still relevant today.

When We Were Young and Brave by Hazel Gaynor

Will I ever get enough of historical fiction books? Not if they are told as eloquently as this story. I am especially drawn to fictional stories that are based on real events and this one is beautiful, and at times heart wrenching. A story of courage and resilience that will touch you.

When Great Britain enters WWII, a group of teachers and students, from a British missionary school in occupied China, are forced into a Japanese internment camp. Their story is told from two points of view. Partly told through the eyes of a young British girl, Nancy Plummer, whose parents are missionaries in the interior of China. The rest of the story is told from Elspeth Kent’s view as a teacher at the school.

Elspeth has been in China trying to escape a past she would rather not remember. She is finally ready to put that behind her and return home. She is packed and has her letter of resignation ready to hand in when the war in Europe comes to her.

Nancy Plummer is looking forward to finally seeing her parents for Christmas. Though she loves her friends at school, Dorothy and Joan (aka Sprout and Mouse), and her older brother, she longs for her family, especially her mother. When Japan declares war on Great Britain she starts to wonder if she will ever see her family again.

As the teachers try to acclimate to the Japanese occupation, Elspeth and her fellow teaches are determined to see that the children continue their lives in as normal a way as possible given the circumstances. There is also the promise Elspeth made to Nancy’s mother to watch over her daughter. Yet, how can you achieve this when the enemy is unmerciful and is always watching? She and the other teachers have to become more, so much more, and assume the roles of surrogate mothers and fathers.

Not only is this story beautifully told, it is sure to strike a chord with readers because you will feel like you are living the events with the characters. The author presents them in a believable way and gives them with multiple challenges to overcome. They must endure hardship, longing, lost and yet remain courageous despite their circumstances.

The prose is richly detailed and the plot is perfectly paced. This book does not contain a lot of plot twists or unexpected events, instead it works it magic in a slow and deliberate way in which the characters are built. I especially liked the eloquent way in which the author weaves the two points of view together to make one seamless story, just divine.

The last item I would like to mention is how well researched this book is. The attention to detail shines through in the period details.

I recommend this book to all lovers of fiction. For historical fiction readers in particular, you need to add this book to your to be read list. You won’t regret it. I received a free copy from the publisher via Library Thing’s Early Reviewer program in exchange for my honest opinion.

Renia’s Diary by Renia Spiegel

Pub. Date: 24-Sep-2019
Rating: 3.5 Stars

Renia’s Diary is just that, a diary of a young Jewish girl from Poland. She was just 14 when she started her diary because she wanted a friend. Actually, she had friends, I feel more likely that she wanted a confidant and some way to express all her hopes, dreams and sorrows without fear of ridicule from pears.

As you can imagine, the diary entries are about Renia’s daily life. When she starts the diary, she is living with her grandparents. Her parents are in Warsaw and have been traveling with her sister who is a child actress. As expected, most of the writing is centered around school, her friends and her longing for her family, mainly her Mother. At the beginning, she does speak occasionally of the troubling times and a few of the historical events.

As Renia gets older, she talks about going to parties with friends, dating and dreams about the future. She goes to movies and takes long walks with Zygument (Zygu), her boyfriend. In December of 1941 she decides to start writing about the war. She says, “Blood is flowing, cities are ruined, people are dying.” Despite her declaration, most of her writing remains the same.

It is obvious Renia is deeply religious. All throughout the diary she periodic asked God to take care of her and her family. Later in the diary, most entries end with a plea, “You will help me, Bulus and God”. Even though she did not mention the trying times often, they must have weighed heavily on her mind. Sadly, her life ends shortly after her 18^th birthday. The final few diary entries are made by Renia’s boyfriend, Zygu, because she along with his parents are shot in July 1942.

The prose I struggled with because it was written by someone so young and was of course immature. She talked about life with her friends and petty things that happened to her and others. As she gets older, the discuss turns to going to parties and boys and finally falling in love.

It is difficult to compare this book to other works of nonfiction because it is a diary and not a book. It was never written for or intended to be read by an end consumer. Therefore, I struggled with how to assign any kind of rating to a nonliterary work? Ultimately, I choose my rating mostly based on the poetry contained in the diary.

There was a lot of poetry in the diary. Enough for an entire collection to be published of just the poetry. There were all types of poems, long (some ran several pages) to short, some sad, some lively and some longing. Regardless of the theme, they were lovely. The poems are the real star of the book. I found it to be not only good, but contemplative. For the prose to be so immature, the poetry was the exact opposite. I am left wondering what her poetry would have been like if she had lived. Would she have been a great poet in the 20^th century?

I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Daughter of the Reich by Louise Fein

Set in prewar Germany, this poignant story of a young girl just coming into adulthood will have you gritting your teeth at the injustices and cheering at her bravery. It is a fast paced and dramatic tale that portrays the lives of people swept up in the growing power of Hitler and his SS. A story that will leave you gasping in the end.

Hetty Heinrich is the daughter of a very powerful SS officer. As such, she is expected to be the perfect German girl. This is basically having good moral standards and marrying a “good” German man to produce as many children as possible for the Thousand Year Reich. She wants none of this. Instead, she wants to be a doctor. This is a frequent argument with her father, who views Hetty as a willful child that is spoiled and allowed to much freedom.

Hetty is left with no choice other than to be that good Germany girl her father wishes and assist the Reich in any way she can. The restraints chaff on her. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that when she runs into Walter, an old friend of her brother’s, that she starts secretly meeting him. The meetings must be secret because Walter is a Jew, even though Walter once saved Hetty from drowning when she was a child. If they are found out it will not go well for either of them.

Walter tells Hetty about the terrible things that are happening to Jews. At first, she is reluctant to believe him. She has been told over and over again how Jews lie, cheat and steal. How can she trust a Jew when they are so bad? Slowly, as they fall in love, she begins to see the truth of what is really happening. Then comes a day when Walter’s family is imprisoned and Hetty must make a choice that may cost her everything.

There is a lot to love in this story, from the elegantly written prose to the heart-breaking truths of one of the darkest times in recent memory. For me at least, the most notably thing is how power does corrupt and how easily people can be seduced by lies of government. Because of what we now know happened to the Jews and others that tried to resist Hitler it made the story more intense.

There was great character development with Hetty. I loved seeing how she went from a naïve teenage to a courageous and brave young woman. The author also did a lovely job with all the layering of emotions. She guides the reader deftly through a wide range and intensity of emotions. I felt rung out by the end of the story.

The only thing I wished for was more of an ending. It seemed a little rushed and I felt there was more to the story. Everything else was so good that in hindsight this is really such a minor thing.

This book is definitely a good choice for a historical book club. There are lots of topics that would be interesting to explore further. Also, a great choice for readers of period romance and WWII books. If you only read a few historical fiction books in the near future, I recommend that this should be one of them.

I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

A Beggar’s Kingdom by Paullina Simons

A Beggar’s Kingdom, by Paullina Simons, is the second book in the End of Forever Saga. In it we continue to follow Julian and Josephine’s story, as it continues thru time, as the soul mates try to defy their fate. The author has given us some of her best work in this epic tale of heart break and enduring love. It is the kind of story that will touch you and stay with you long after the end.

Julian is devasted that he was not able to save Josephine in his previous attempt to join her younger soul in the past. Despite the failure, and the consequences of that, he is determined to try again despite the risks and the odds stacked against him. I do not want to say more on the fear of giving away too much. I want the reader to be as surprised and shattered as I was by the twists and turns this story takes.

First thing I would like to note is that you need to read book one before this one. While the author does a good job of recapping what occurred in book one, it is not enough to understand the depth of Julian and all the events that lead to the opening of book two. In short, it is the detail of the characters and events that make this series and you don’t want to miss out on any of it. In fact, I am so enthralled by the story I am going to jump right into book three.

My favorite thing about Ms. Simons stories is the attention to detail. The way she sets a scene and the depth of her characters always keep me coming back for more and this book is no exception. I totally felt Julian’s devotion to Josephine and his devasting loss when he failed to save her. In this story there are plenty of twists of fate that will keep you engaged and you will marvel in wonder at Julian’s devotion and tenacity.

I highly recommend this book to readers that love to be sweep away in a story. It the kind of story that is so emotionally raw it left me rung out and I loved every minute of it.

Three Days at the Brink by Bret Baier

I love historical novels both fiction and nonfiction, though I rarely have a chance to read nonfiction. It took me a long time to want to read nonfiction after years of forced reading in school. Therefore, I can honestly say that I am not a scholar and read now entirely for enjoyment and I enjoyed reading Three Days at the Brink, by Bret Baier. It was a thoughtful, through and in-depth look at FDR.

Going in I thought this book would be mainly about the Tehran Conference, it was that and so much more. The first of the book covers FDR’s childhood, his rise through the political ranks and to the presidency. The remainder of the book focuses on his presidency through WWII. There was a lot of focus on how he “charmed” both Churchill and Stalin.

Though FDR was not perfect, he was an outstanding statesman. He was the right person at the right time and he was instrumental in the success of the Tehran Conference. I thought Mr. Baier made an honest attempt to present FDR as factual as possible and it made for a fascinating story.

A well written and researched book than any history buff would love to own, and it would make an excellent addition to any collector’s WWII archive.

I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Final Blackout by L. Ron Hubbard

I knew L. Ron Hubbard was a prolific writer of Science Fiction when he was younger, this being before he founded Scientology. I also knew he was writing around the same time as some of the masters and founders of modern Sci-Fi (such as Asimov) where just coming into their own. Being a lover of Sci-Fi, I was curious to read some of his works. Therefore, it should be no surprise that I came home form BookExpo this year with two of his novels.

This might be the time to remind my readers that even though I receive free books from publishers in exchange for my reviews, all of my opinions are my own. I do not endorse any author’s, publisher’s, agent’s, etc. personal views on politics and/or religion. I read for the sole purpose of entertainment. Either I like a story or I don’t and I always tell my readers what I found to be good and bad about a story. As always, you are welcome to disagree with me.

Now that the house keeping is done, let’s talk about this novella. By definition it is a novella and it is also a dystopian alternative history story. In this story WWII never ended and the conflict continues to drag on decades despite the lack of planes, tanks and other implements of modern warfare. The main character, known only as The Lieutenant, has never known anything but war having been born during the conflict. He is part of what remains of the Fourth Brigade of the British Expeditionary Forces operating in France somewhere. It is a ragtag force at best. They scavenge for food and clothing as they fight and try to out maneuver the Russians.

Communications have been cut with headquarters for four years and he has been operating on his own until one day, out of the blue, a Captain shows up and orders him to return to GHQ to be “reorganized”. He knows this is not a good thing because he failed to appoint a soldier’s council as ordered and is expecting some kind of reprisal. The Caption also tells him that things are not the best in London since the British Communist Party is now the governing body.

As The Lieutenant proceeds to make his way to GHQ he comes to realizes that the war is, for all intents and purposes, over and that, “England and his people were barred to him, had rejected him, perhaps forever.” When he reaches GHQ he is relieved of his command. It seems he is to be replaced by someone that is malleable. In other words, GHQ wants someone to follow them blindly and not question their orders or motivates. This does not sit well with his men and they mutiny. Upon victory The Lieutenant is reinstated and he takes charge of GHQ. He immediate gathers a group of soldiers together to return to England, a place soldiers have been banned from because of the soldier’s disease. What he finds once he returns is nothing that he could have imagined and is not good.

I have mixed feelings on this one. First, this is not my type of book. Too many political overtones and I am sick to death of anything political. Secondly, I did not get enough charter development to suit me. Not surprising since this is an action novel and I have no doubt the author used this as a literature tool. For me it fell a little flat.

I liked the premise of the story but I felt it was a somewhat simplistic look at very complex problems. Yet, at the same time I liked that this book did touch on a lot of philological questions that mankind has been struggling with for a long time. I think Hubbard was still developing as a writer when this was written and it also showed he was a product of his time.

As mentioned above, the plot moved quickly and there was plenty of action. Though there were not a lot of twists to the story and it felt a little predictable. It is a quick read and I read this in one afternoon.

While this is not my cup of tea the book is not without merit. I think it would make a good book for a book club that focuses on political and philological issues as presented in books like Orwell’s 1984 and Atwood’s The Handmaids Tale. There is a lot of fodder here for a lively discussion. Also, if you like dystopian alternate histories this might make a good fit for you, especially if you ignore the political undercurrent.

Lumber Jills by Alexandra Davis (illustrated by Katie Hickey)

Lumber Jills by Alexandra Davis (illustrated by Katie Hickey) is an early/beginning reader book about the British women that filled the lumberjacks’ place during WWII. The prose is lyrical in nature and simple enough for a very early reader. Each page is beautifully illustrated and my favorite part of this book.

While I wished the story contained more history, I am not the intended audience. This book is meant to show young girls (target age of 5-7) that they can do anything a boy can do. This is a valuable lesson and one young girls do not hear often enough.

I loved that the book also referenced numbers in several of the passages. When my granddaughter and I read it together, we counted along with the story. I also liked that this book invites the child to ask questions. Because the back page gave a little more history about Lumber Jills, I was able to answer questions that came up. Kudos to the author for giving the adult reader that information.

I recommend this book for an early reader because it shows women in a role other than a princess. I think we have plenty of those kinds of books already. I for one want all young girls to realize they can do anything and their gender should not stop them from fulfilling their dreams. By the way, my granddaughter enjoyed this book!

I received a free copy from the author at BEA in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff

The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff is the fictional tale of women who were recruited and trained to become spies in Europe during WWII. It is a tale of incredible courage and fortitude in the face of overwhelming odds. Though the tale is fictional it is based on the fact that there were women that were spies during WWII.

This story starts in the U.S. shortly after the war is over. Grace Healey, a war widow herself, finds a suitcase in Grand Central station in New York City. She can’t resist the urge to open it and look through its contents. She finds a group of pictures of young women and this intrigues her. On a whim she takes the pictures and returns the suitcase to its hiding spot under a bench.

She becomes obsessed with finding out who the suitcase belonged to and who the women are in the pictures. As she works to gather information, the reader is introduced to Eleanor Trigg. Eleanor runs the organization in England that recruits, trains and handles women spies in German occupied Europe. Eleanor recruits a young single mother Marie Roux who is later sent to France as a radio operator for the French resistance. As Grace slows finds all the puzzle pieces and fits them together we see what really happened to these women.

My favorite thing about this book is the strong, resourceful, women characters the author has presented us. We normally think of women during WWII as entering the work force for the first time and doing men’s jobs in factories that would normally have been considered male only job. We tend to forget that women did play vital roles during WWII.

The story is told from three POVs, Grace, Eleanor and Marie. The author made sure the plot was seamless despite the changing POVs throughout. There was not tons of character development but there was enough to fit the plot. At first I thought this might be a flaw, but I in retrospect I think the author did this so on purpose. She gave us enough to connect to the characters but not enough to overwhelm the reader and bog down the plot.

The pace of the plot was good and there was plenty of intrigue to keep the reader turning the pages. I was hooked early on in the story and I wanted to see what actually happened. I also liked how everything wrapped up at the end. I wish I could elaborate further; yet, I don’t want to spoil the story for others. Let me just say that how the government handled things was spot on to what happens in real life.

I know from other books that the life expediency of a spy during WWII was very short. Therefore, the only thing I disliked about the story was the decisions made by Marie. I felt she was overly reckless and even a little naïve. Who would go off and become a spy knowing the odds of dying are very high and thus leaving a young child without a mother.

I highly recommend this book for readers of both Historical Fiction and WWII stories. I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.