This book was recommended to me last year, when I raved about Code Name Helene, a fictionalized story about a real-life World War II hero, Nancy Wake. A Woman of No Importance is a biography of Virginia Hall, one of the first and most recognized female undercover agents in France during World War II. Her…
The first time I heard about this book, I was struck by how much it sounded like my own family. Neumann grew up in Venezuela, but her father was born in Czechoslovakia. He survived the Holocaust but never talked about it, and she grew up not knowing any of his family, except for her father’s…
This was a fantastic historical novel about World War II that is even greater because it is nearly all true. Author Lawhon gives us the story of real-life hero Nancy Wake, an Australian who serves as a British special operative in World War II, working with French resistance fighters. As with many historical novels, Lawhon…
If you’re looking for a book that explores the horrors of the Holocaust but does so in a really beautiful way, I recommend this book. It begins in Berlin, where a mother, Hanna, is trying desperately to save her daughter Lea. She learns that there is a rabbi in town who knows how to create a…
I always appreciate historical fiction that covers an event that I should be aware of. Salt to the Sea is about the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff, a German transport ship carrying 10,000 German military and refugees from Germany and surrounding countries. Over 9,000 people died after the ship was hit by missiles from a…
I liked this book though it didn’t resonate emotionally as much as I expected it to. It’s a story of man in India who is recalling when his mother abandoned him as a child. Gayatri was a free-spirited artist who clearly felt constrained by her marriage and societal expectations. She leaves her family for a…
Readers of historical fiction will enjoy this book about MI5 agents in World War II (and post-WWII) London. I also know there are some Atkinson fans who didn’t love Life After Life and prefer something a little more straightforward, so this book should please them as well. It’s thoughtful, interesting historical fiction written with Atkinson’s…
I read this book for the Read Harder 2018 challenge, because it had a female protagonist over the age of 60 (thanks to those who recommended it). I was surprised by how few books have protagonists (male or female) over 60, and when they do, much of the book is spent in reminiscing about the…
I recommend this book to anyone interested in World War II history and the role women played in it. I had no idea of the sheer numbers of women in the U.S. who were recruited by the Army and Navy, nor did I understand the importance of what they did, until I visited Normandy and…
I read Pachinko for a book club and also for my Reading All Around the World challenge. This book was also listed frequently as one of the best of 2016. It’s about a Korean family who move to Japan during World War II. While it covers several generations of the family, it focuses on relations…
If you’re a Jennifer Egan fan, you’ve already heard that this book is a bit different from her others, in that it’s traditional historical fiction. If you loved Goon Squad, this book isn’t anything like that one, but don’t let that keep you from reading it. Manhattan Beach tells the story of Anna, who grows…
There’s no shortage of great historical novels written about World War II. This is a good one – probably not one of the best, but I found it more interesting than the Pulitzer Prize-winning All the Light We Cannot See. Although it’s not really fair to compare one book to another; World War II played out…
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I read, breathe, and live in bookish worlds.
Book Reviews
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