wwii
59 books.
A Town Like Alice
by: Nevil Shute
The Auschwitz Escape
by: Joel C. Rosenberg
Those Who Save Us
by: Jenna Blum
White Rose, Black Forest
by: Eoin Dempsey
I'll Be Seeing You
by: Suzanne Hayes
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The Women in the Castle
by: Jessica Shattuck
The World That We Knew
by: Alice Hoffman
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Winter Passing
by: Cindy McCormick Martinusen
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Saving Amelie
by: Cathy Gohlke
The Last Year of the War
by: Susan Meissner
The War That Saved My Life (The War That Saved My Life, #1)
by: Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
read
Corelli's Mandolin
by: Louis de Bernières
"Great romance, interesting history, complex characters. Definitely takes you through a range of emotions. Some of the history stuff is slow but it's easy to breeze past :)"
- katelynn
12/31/2013
- katelynn
12/31/2013
The Narrow Road to the Deep North
by: Richard Flanagan
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The Orphan of Salt Winds
by: Elizabeth Brooks
"What I was hoping for was gothic, not child-molester creepy. Those two things are not the same. I had the heeby-jeebies for most of this book.
There were certain things I liked, so it wasn't a total loss."
- katelynn
06/29/2020
There were certain things I liked, so it wasn't a total loss."
- katelynn
06/29/2020
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The Jane Austen Society
by: Natalie Jenner
"4.5
This was a surprise hit for me! I did not have high hopes - reading it only because of book club. I love Jane Austen books but I am by no means a super-fan and I generally avoid any "fan fiction". I could go without excessive talking about her too, but this book!
It has such a rich cast of characters. They had such complex issues, I was rushing to the end to see them grow and find some peace. I loved watching them make connections with each other and the way books provided a bridge across such huge social, economical and age divides."
- katelynn
08/05/2020
This was a surprise hit for me! I did not have high hopes - reading it only because of book club. I love Jane Austen books but I am by no means a super-fan and I generally avoid any "fan fiction". I could go without excessive talking about her too, but this book!
It has such a rich cast of characters. They had such complex issues, I was rushing to the end to see them grow and find some peace. I loved watching them make connections with each other and the way books provided a bridge across such huge social, economical and age divides."
- katelynn
08/05/2020
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The Chilbury Ladies' Choir
by: Jennifer Ryan
"This was a sweet, light story that reads super fast. It feels strange to classify a WWII story as “light” but it felt that way (maybe in comparison to some other novels read recently).
I didn’t love the epistolary/journal style - it seemed awkward and unrealistic. And the “twists” were rather obvious and unsurprising.
I enjoyed the read though. I didn’t want to put it down. The characters were charming with good development. "
- katelynn
02/03/2018
I didn’t love the epistolary/journal style - it seemed awkward and unrealistic. And the “twists” were rather obvious and unsurprising.
I enjoyed the read though. I didn’t want to put it down. The characters were charming with good development. "
- katelynn
02/03/2018
The Time in Between
by: María Dueñas
The Yellow Bird Sings
by: Jennifer Rosner
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The Huntress
by: Kate Quinn
"Wonderfully done. This book was almost 600 pages, but I would've kept reading for another 300. Such fascinating, complex characters! Like nothing I've ever read before. And I learned a lot about WWII subjects I don't know much about. Quinn kept the history fast-paced and the characters multi-faceted. A fantastic read!"
- katelynn
08/12/2019
- katelynn
08/12/2019
Three Hours In Paris
by: Cara Black
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The Swiss Courier
by: Tricia Goyer
read
All the Light We Cannot See
by: Anthony Doerr
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Everyone Brave is Forgiven
by: Chris Cleave
"Still reeling a bit from this one. It started out so light-hearted and hilarious - the tone reminded me so much of P.G. Wodehouse, which I LOVE. There's a moment when all of that changes. The tone of the book, along with the internal journey of the characters, gets more and more serious. As I can imagine with the war, it's rather a jarring change, but it feels real and true.
The writing is so, so good. It checked my boxes of heart and humor, then checked my additional box of "teaches me history without me noticing".
I didn't love the ending, but again, it felt real. It's not neat and tidy, but it speaks to the reality of the time and the progression of the characters."
- katelynn
12/13/2019
The writing is so, so good. It checked my boxes of heart and humor, then checked my additional box of "teaches me history without me noticing".
I didn't love the ending, but again, it felt real. It's not neat and tidy, but it speaks to the reality of the time and the progression of the characters."
- katelynn
12/13/2019
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Last Train to Istanbul
by: Ayşe Kulin
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Resistance Women
by: Jennifer Chiaverini
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The Orphan's Tale
by: Pam Jenoff
"I loved the circus setting and growth of the relationship between the two lead women. It definitely felt over-dramatic at moments, but who am I to judge? It was a dramatic time.
Also, why "The Orphan's Tale"? Is the orphan Theo? It's not his story at all. "
- katelynn
10/05/2020
Also, why "The Orphan's Tale"? Is the orphan Theo? It's not his story at all. "
- katelynn
10/05/2020
Code Name Hélène
by: Ariel Lawhon
The Paris Library
by: Janet Skeslien Charles
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In Farleigh Field
by: Rhys Bowen
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Secrets of a Charmed Life
by: Susan Meissner
read
Vienna Prelude (Zion Covenant, #1)
by: Bodie Thoene
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption
by: Laura Hillenbrand
read
Lovely War
by: Julie Berry
Lilac Girls
by: Martha Hall Kelly
Sophie's Choice
by: William Styron
read
Number the Stars
by: Lois Lowry
"I'm giving this a 4 largely for the sake of my child-self. It was really hard to read this and try to re-capture how I felt about it as a child. It just doesn't hold up like some children's books do. I would've honestly given it 3 stars, but I just feel like I'm betraying my younger self."
- katelynn
03/10/2017
- katelynn
03/10/2017
The Storyteller
by: Jodi Picoult
Salt to the Sea
by: Ruta Sepetys
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A Bridge Across the Ocean
by: Susan Meissner
The Nightingale
by: Kristin Hannah
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The Secret Keeper
by: Kate Morton
"Although a little slower paced than Morton's other novels, it delivers the same depth of character and twisting plot lines I love so much. The ending was also very heartwarming, compared to the other endings of her novels which are generally tragic in nature."
- katelynn
08/05/2014
- katelynn
08/05/2014
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Winter Garden
by: Kristin Hannah
"I loved reading about a time / period / place I know nothing about: 1930s/40s Russia and the siege of Leningrad. It was a truly harrowing moment in history.
Unfortunately, that was only about 2/5 of the book. The rest was a modern story framework setup to allow the telling of the other story. It felt weak and unnecessary. I'd rather have focused in on the historical story, even if it was super grim, than be dragged along with modern characters I never came to care for."
- katelynn
02/04/2019
Unfortunately, that was only about 2/5 of the book. The rest was a modern story framework setup to allow the telling of the other story. It felt weak and unnecessary. I'd rather have focused in on the historical story, even if it was super grim, than be dragged along with modern characters I never came to care for."
- katelynn
02/04/2019
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The Book Thief
by: Markus Zusak
"Beautifully written and incredibly challenging. The POV was really interesting and added a lot - definitely not your typical holocaust novel. I give four stars because the book really drags until about the last third - which is great! The unusual writing style also takes a while to get used to and felt a bit pretentious at times. But that's probably just personal prejudice - I like traditional writing."
- katelynn
04/04/2014
- katelynn
04/04/2014
The Right Sort of Man (Sparks & Bainbridge Mystery #1)
by: Allison Montclair
The Alice Network
by: Kate Quinn
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The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
by: Mary Ann Shaffer
"Wish I could give more stars - so fantastic! History and funny characters and romance."
- katelynn
10/30/2013
- katelynn
10/30/2013
The Things We Cannot Say
by: Kelly Rimmer
The Invisible Bridge
by: Julie Orringer
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
by: Winifred Watson
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Beneath a Scarlet Sky
by: Mark T. Sullivan
"I waffled a lot on the rating for this one, so I'll break it down here.
In terms of this man's story, Pino Lella, definitely 5 stars. It is unbelievable what he experienced. Completely fascinating! I especially loved hearing the followup about what happened to everyone after the ending. I even liked that you are left with questions, some unknown details that make it feel more like real life. I liked reading about Milan and the specific struggles and tragedies they endured during the war.
HOWEVER.
The writing itself was just not good. I feel like I need to apologize for having/expressing this opinion, especially about a WWII story, but I won't. Honestly, I almost stopped reading it. The story picked up enough in the end to justify me finishing it, but I would not recommend it to friends. It's painful to read bad writing."
- katelynn
01/01/1970
In terms of this man's story, Pino Lella, definitely 5 stars. It is unbelievable what he experienced. Completely fascinating! I especially loved hearing the followup about what happened to everyone after the ending. I even liked that you are left with questions, some unknown details that make it feel more like real life. I liked reading about Milan and the specific struggles and tragedies they endured during the war.
HOWEVER.
The writing itself was just not good. I feel like I need to apologize for having/expressing this opinion, especially about a WWII story, but I won't. Honestly, I almost stopped reading it. The story picked up enough in the end to justify me finishing it, but I would not recommend it to friends. It's painful to read bad writing."
- katelynn
01/01/1970
Code Name Verity
by: Elizabeth Wein
Be Not Afraid
by: Robert L. Wise
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The Distant Hours
by: Kate Morton
"Unlike other reviewers, I liked this book just as much if not more than Morton's other novels. One of the best books I've read in a long time. Such a great mystery - so many great reveals! I had no idea how it would end which is rare and refreshing."
- katelynn
11/30/2013
- katelynn
11/30/2013
Enchanted Islands
by: Allison Amend
The Paris Architect
by: Charles Belfoure
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The Zookeeper's Wife
by: Diane Ackerman
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We Were the Lucky Ones
by: Georgia Hunter