The WWII time period is starting to feel a bit overused in fiction, but some stellar works set during this era are still being published. One such story is The Midnight News, a haunting tale that captures the essence of London during the heart of the fighting. It’s 1940 and Lottie (Charlotte) Richmond has built…
Madeline Martin gives us another look at how bibliophiles fared in the conflicts of WWII in her latest novel, The Keeper of Hidden Books. A view of love, loss, and occupation, this stellar story will have you appreciating the freedom and peace you enjoy and realizing just what it costs to have it. It is…
Jacqueline Winspear takes a break from her popular Maisie Dobbs series to bring us The White Lady, a story of friendship, bloodshed, and betrayal. The cottage is a grace and favor home. Elinor White had done her bit (and beyond) for England over the course of two wars and was deemed entitled to the quiet…
Sally Brady was only eleven when her parents put her on a train headed to the west coast – back when her name wasn’t Sally Brady. She’s under strict orders to send money home to Iowa, to help support her sick mother, the dying farm, and her four siblings. It would be an enormous burden…
Code Name Edelweiss shines a spotlight on American anti-semitism in the years prior to WWII and brings attention to some little-known history in the fight against fascism in America. Summer 1933: Liesl Weiss is the second generation of her family employed by MGM. The huge movie lots and sound stages of the massive studio have…
It’s hard to find an original angle on a World War II story at this point. The Lost English Girl manages to provide a somewhat fresh twist on the subject by exploring the strained marriage between a Christian woman and a Jewish man, and the child she places in seeming safety for the duration of…
The Sound of Light is Sarah Sundin’s eighteenth WWII-set novel and her experience, and historical knowledge is abundantly evident in this tale, one that highlights how love can give us the courage to shine in even the darkest times. The night the Germans arrive in Denmark, Henrik Ahlefeldt is celebrating his birthday with friends. Once…
Marie Benedict’s The Mitford Affair is a fictionalized account of the infamous Mitford family, focusing primarily on the years leading up to and during the Second World War. While the novel does discuss all six of the Mitford children, it concentrates on three primary characters – the scandalous Diana, whose adulterous affair with a fascist…
Suzanne Fortin’s All That We Have Lost is an interesting but flawed story of how a widow, trying to rebuild her life, discovers a secret about a girl who lived during the Nazi occupation of France. I liked the premise a great deal, but have some caveats about the execution. Let’s start with the good….
Five people with busy, difficult lives find an oasis of friendship in their local library when they join The Blackout Book Club. It’s a story about love, war, and the pleasure of discovering a good book. When Avis’ librarian brother Anthony leaves town, he entrusts to her his position at The Cavendish Association Library. Not…
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