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Tania Blanchard

Teoksen The Girl From Munich tekijä

6 teosta 188 jäsentä 4 arvostelua

Tekijän teokset

The Girl From Munich (2017) 92 kappaletta
Suitcase of Dreams (2018) 47 kappaletta
Letters from Berlin (2020) 21 kappaletta
Echoes of War (2021) 17 kappaletta
A Woman of Courage (2023) 8 kappaletta
Daughter of Calabria (2022) 3 kappaletta

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3.75 Stars. Tania Blanchard’s 'Letters from Berlin' brings vividly to life to a WWII perspective less often considered in fiction.

Susie is German by birth, by all appearances the Nazi’s idealised woman. However, she has a mind of her own and cannot stand idly by while her fellow Germans are persecuted because of the circumstances of their birth. She’s already lost her birth family, and so is prepared to do whatever it takes to keep her adoptive family, Aunt Elya (a Russian Jew), Onkel Georg (landed German gentry) and their son Leo safe.

While technically a multi-timeline novel, the bulk of the 'Letters from Berlin' narrative is set in wartime Berlin. I felt the prose and dialogue in the wrapping (the bookended reading of the letters) was less successful than the absorbing tale of Susie’s life within them. Continue reading: https://www.bookloverbookreviews.com/2020/10/letters-from-berlin-by-tania-blanch...
… (lisätietoja)
 
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BookloverBookReviews | 2 muuta kirja-arvostelua | Oct 29, 2020 |
Inspired by the author’s family history, Letters From Berlin by Tania Blanchard is a heartfelt story of love, courage, betrayal and survival during World War Two.

As the Third Reich escalates its purge of the Jewish people from Germany in 1943, eighteen-year-old Susanna Göttmann’s fears grow for the safety of her beloved godparents who have raised her since childhood. While both she and her Onkel Georg are Aryan, Tante Elya is a Russian Jew, and their son, Leo, is classified a ‘mischlinge’, a halfbreed. The ability of the family estate, Gut Birkenhof, on the outskirts of Berlin, to provide goods and materials for the Nazi’s has allowed Georg to keep his wife and son safe, but as the Party rhetoric intensifies, their situation grows increasingly precarious.

Letters From Berlin unfolds from Susanna’s perspective as a reasonably wealthy, educated Aryan in Berlin who loves her country but is appalled by the actions of the Nazi Party, and their treatment of the Jewish people. Her primary concern is naturally for her Aunt Elya, and Leo, with whom she has been in love since she was a child, and to help protect them she makes some naive, brave, and dangerous choices. I liked the character of Susanna, and felt for all she endured, especially when circumstances separated her from Leo, and resulted in the loss of her child.

The plot of Letters from Berlin doesn’t offer much in the way of surprises, but the story is nevertheless engaging. There are some tense and dramatic moments and the themes of war, prejudice, injustice, family and love are inherently emotive. That it’s loosely based on real experiences adds a layer of poignancy, and I was glad Blanchard offered an epilogue of sorts.

Blanchard’s portrayal of life in Berlin during the war is interesting. In mid 1943, when the story starts, there seems to be little change in the day to day life of the wealthier of Aryan citizens, but as the country’s enemies close in, and the activities of the resistance take their toll, the privations grow. Blanchard merges fact with fiction as she writes of the forced labor camps, the failed conspiracy to kill Hitler, the bombings that set zoo animals loose in the streets, and the chaos post ‘liberation’.

A touching historical fiction novel, Letters From Berlin is a satisfying read.
… (lisätietoja)
½
 
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shelleyraec | 2 muuta kirja-arvostelua | Oct 22, 2020 |
Novels about World War II from the German aspect have been increasing in recent years, offering the reader an opportunity to see the war from multiple viewpoints. I’ve read several over the years, but none have been so dramatic as Letters from Berlin. There is so much packed into the one novel, it’s amazing to think that one person could experience so much heartbreak over their lifetime.

The story is buttressed by a prologue and epilogue that are quite different to the blurb on the back. It is the story of a mother and daughter (Ingrid and Natalie) discovering the mother’s background. The plot then moves to the story of Susie, Ingrid’s mother, in wartime Germany. Susie’s own parents are dead and she had lived for many years with her godparents and their son. They are her family, but there is one problem – her godmother Elya is Jewish, making her son Leo half-Jewish. Elya has been protected up until now thanks to the family’s productive estate and fast talking to the Nazis. But as things become worse for the Nazis, things start to get more desperate. Susie, in love with Leo, knows she can’t be with him. But somehow she must protect her own family… She enters into a pact with a high ranking official in the government to ensure her family’s safety. Still feeling uncomfortable, Susie uses the information she discovers at Nazi functions to assist the German resistance. Will it be enough to save her family and their beloved estate? Will Susie be with Leo?

There is a lot going on in Letters from Berlin – the persecution of the Jewish people, the crumbling Nazi regime and people losing their families and homes. Yet there are a lot of positive things happening too, as Susie and her friend become nurses and help some of the child workers return home. Love is a strong theme in the novel, whether it be romantic love, family love or the love of home. Susie is a very determined character, who makes some rash decisions but seems to always evade trouble. She has quite a few near misses but uses her wits and beauty to get through it. Leo, her true love, is a stronger, quieter character in the novel. He adamantly disagrees with Susie’s choices, but has the wisdom to understand what she is doing. Susie’s godparents are wonderful, strong and willing to support their adopted daughter in any way possible. Even the villains in the novel are portrayed brilliantly. I quite liked the way the character Julius was portrayed as he was brilliantly unpredictable.

One thing that irritated me about Letters from Berlin at times is the way that Susie as the narrator feels the need to push certain points home to the reader. I think her love for her family and Leo shone through the narrative without her repeatedly saying how much she loved them. Likewise with her agreement to keep her family safe. I didn’t feel that the opening and closing of the book with Ingrid and Natalie added much to the story. I was a bit confused that the book was a sequel to another one initially. However, if you enjoy a dramatic story of war, family and love it’s likely that you will be swept away by Letters from Berlin.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the ARC. My review is honest.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
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birdsam0610 | 2 muuta kirja-arvostelua | Oct 17, 2020 |
The front cover of this book is eye-catching and it immediately piqued my interest when I saw it, so I was keen to give it as go as I thoroughly enjoy historical fiction. I liked that the setting was as WWII was coming to an end, and that it was narrated by a young, German woman It gave a different perspective although, I have to say, Lottie's blind devotion to Hitler, especially at the start, had me gritting my teeth in frustration.

Sadly, the book didn't reach it's full potential. It was more of a romance than historical fiction. I am so tired of love triangles, and there were parts when the storyline slowed to nearly a stop. I found myself skimming the second-half of the book and was glad to finally reach the last page. I felt sorry for Heinrich in the end and found the conclusion too 'happily-ever-after' for my liking. Overall, The Girl From Munich was an okay but fairly forgettable read.… (lisätietoja)
 
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HeatherLINC | Jul 22, 2017 |

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Teokset
6
Jäseniä
188
Suosituimmuussija
#115,783
Arvio (tähdet)
½ 3.4
Kirja-arvosteluja
4
ISBN:t
44

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