April, 2021

"The Berlin Girl" by Mandy Robotham        

Reporter Georgie Young is assigned to Berlin in 1938 just as Hitler is consolidating power and imposing restrictions on the Jewish population. Georgie tries to report back what is happening, but has to balance that with threats to the reporter community.

         Overall, this book was pretty forgettable. It was slow paced and seemed to lack action. Most of the characters were bland and seemed to blend together. Overall, a bust.

"The Pull of the Stars" by Emma Donoghue         

Nurse Julia Power is called into work when many of her colleagues are struck down by the flu. Focused on expectant mothers, Julia is left to run a ward of 3 sick people. When she receives help in the form of a young volunteer, Bridie, the two form an instant connection.

        I found this book to be extremely interesting and hard to put down. It was nicely paced and the characters were well developed. My biggest complaints are that there were no quotations marks in the digital version of the book, and I thought the book really needed an epilogue. Despite these criticism, this is one I would highly recommend.

"Eli's Promise" by Ronald H. Balson         

This book follows three different timelines, all focusing on Eli and his family. In 1939, Eli and his family are struggling with the restrictions on Jews. Forced to sign his company away to Max, Eli demands that Max keep his family safe. In the post-war period, Eli lives with his son in a displaced persons camp. When he hears word that a man named Max is selling immigration documents to the U.S., Eli is determined to find him and seek revenge. In the mid 1960's, the pov changes to Mimi, a young girl who is connected to Chicago politicians via her best friend. Here, Eli is investigating corruption with the U.S. government.

         I had trouble with this book. I did not find Eli to be a very likeable character. He seemed unreasonable and hot tempered throughout the pre and post wartime scenes. The third timeline did not work at all. Switching pov halfway through the book was pretty jolting. Overall, this is not a book I would reread or recommend.

"A Bend in the River" by Libby Fischer Hellmann         

After their village is burned to the ground by American soldiers, sisters Mai and Tam escape down the Mekong river. In Saigon, Tam finds work in a restaurant, while Mai Mai becomes a bar girl, flirting and drinking with American soldiers. Disgusted, Tam parts ways with Mai and ends up training and fighting with the Viet Cong.         

This felt very much like an Americanized story. I enjoyed the story itself, and reading about the two different paths, but somehow the book lacked authenticity. Mai and Tam felt very western. Overall, a bust.

"This Time Next Year We'll Be Laughing" by Jacqueline Winspear        

"This Time Next Year We'll Be Laughing" is a memoir by author Jacqueline Winspear. The book outlines her parents time during WWII, and her turbulent childhood. Unfortunately, the book seemed more like a therapy session than a readable memoir. The author jumped from time period to time period, person to person, making the book hard to follow. The book was repetitive, slow moving, and unfortunately a bad read. Overall, not a book I would re-read or recommend.