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wwii

59 books.

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Secrets of a Charmed Life

by: Susan Meissner
Ave. Rating: 4.19
Pages: 386
Year Published: 2015
Date Read: 07/09/2020
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I'll Be Seeing You

by: Suzanne Hayes
Ave. Rating: 4.11
Pages: 313
Year Published: 2013
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Saving Amelie

by: Cathy Gohlke
Ave. Rating: 4.22
Pages: 464
Year Published: 2014
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White Rose, Black Forest

by: Eoin Dempsey
Ave. Rating: 4.08
Pages: 270
Year Published: 2018
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The Nightingale

by: Kristin Hannah
Ave. Rating: 4.57
Pages: 448
Year Published: 2015
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All the Light We Cannot See

by: Anthony Doerr
Ave. Rating: 4.32
Pages: 531
Year Published: 2014
Date Read: 09/03/2018
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The Orphan's Tale

by: Pam Jenoff
Ave. Rating: 4.02
Pages: 353
Year Published: 2017
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"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
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The Zookeeper's Wife

by: Diane Ackerman
Ave. Rating: 3.48
Pages: 368
Year Published: 2017 (2007)
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A Town Like Alice

by: Nevil Shute
Ave. Rating: 4.14
Pages: 359
Year Published: 2000 (1950)
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Corelli's Mandolin

by: Louis de Bernières
Ave. Rating: 3.99
Pages: 437
Year Published: 1995 (1994)
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"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
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The Rose Code

by: Kate Quinn
Ave. Rating: 4.49
Pages: 624
Year Published: 2021
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Lovely War

by: Julie Berry
Ave. Rating: 4.23
Pages: 480
Year Published: 2019
Date Read: 04/27/2020
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The Alice Network

by: Kate Quinn
Ave. Rating: 4.27
Pages: 503
Year Published: 2017
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Enchanted Islands

by: Allison Amend
Ave. Rating: 3.75
Pages: 306
Year Published: 2016
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The Orphan of Salt Winds

by: Elizabeth Brooks
Ave. Rating: 3.66
Pages: 293
Year Published: 2019 (2018)
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"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
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Beneath a Scarlet Sky

by: Mark T. Sullivan
Ave. Rating: 4.39
Pages: 526
Year Published: 2017
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"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
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Winter Garden

by: Kristin Hannah
Ave. Rating: 4.19
Pages: 394
Year Published: 2010
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"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
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Number the Stars

by: Lois Lowry
Ave. Rating: 4.15
Pages: 137
Year Published: 1998 (1989)
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"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

Code Name Verity

by: Elizabeth Wein
Ave. Rating: 4.01
Pages: 452
Year Published: 2012
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Winter Passing

by: Cindy McCormick Martinusen
Ave. Rating: 4.1
Pages: 392
Year Published: 2000
Date Read: 10/06/2007
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From Sand and Ash

by: Amy Harmon
Ave. Rating: 4.31
Pages: 372
Year Published: 2016
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Vienna Prelude (Zion Covenant, #1)

by: Bodie Thoene
Ave. Rating: 4.25
Pages: 461
Year Published: 2005 (1989)
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Be Not Afraid

by: Robert L. Wise
Ave. Rating: 3.22
Pages: 384
Year Published: 2001
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Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption

by: Laura Hillenbrand
Ave. Rating: 4.35
Pages: 492
Year Published: 2010
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Those Who Save Us

by: Jenna Blum
Ave. Rating: 4.1
Pages: 479
Year Published: 2005 (2004)
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Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

by: Winifred Watson
Ave. Rating: 3.98
Pages: 234
Year Published: 2008 (1938)
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The Right Sort of Man (Sparks & Bainbridge Mystery #1)

by: Allison Montclair
Ave. Rating: 3.99
Pages: 320
Year Published: 2019
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We Were the Lucky Ones

by: Georgia Hunter
Ave. Rating: 4.37
Pages: 403
Year Published: 2017
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Sophie's Choice

by: William Styron
Ave. Rating: 4.18
Pages: 562
Year Published: 1992 (1979)
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The Yellow Bird Sings

by: Jennifer Rosner
Ave. Rating: 4.1
Pages: 304
Year Published: 2020
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Last Train to Istanbul

by: Ayşe Kulin
Ave. Rating: 3.87
Pages: 374
Year Published: 2013 (2002)
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The Distant Hours

by: Kate Morton
Ave. Rating: 3.88
Pages: 562
Year Published: 2010
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"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

Code Name Hélène

by: Ariel Lawhon
Ave. Rating: 4.42
Pages: 451
Year Published: 2020
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Three Hours In Paris

by: Cara Black
Ave. Rating: 3.9
Pages: 350
Year Published: 2020
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The Storyteller

by: Jodi Picoult
Ave. Rating: 4.26
Pages: 461
Year Published: 2013
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The Swiss Courier

by: Tricia Goyer
Ave. Rating: 3.91
Pages: 324
Year Published: 2012 (2009)
Date Read: 07/01/2012
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The Last Year of the War

by: Susan Meissner
Ave. Rating: 4.18
Pages: 389
Year Published: 2019
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The World That We Knew

by: Alice Hoffman
Ave. Rating: 4.19
Pages: 372
Year Published: 2019
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The Women in the Castle

by: Jessica Shattuck
Ave. Rating: 3.84
Pages: 356
Year Published: 2017
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The Jane Austen Society

by: Natalie Jenner
Ave. Rating: 3.75
Pages: 320
Year Published: 2020
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"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
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The Secret Keeper

by: Kate Morton
Ave. Rating: 4.13
Pages: 484
Year Published: 2012
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"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
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A Bridge Across the Ocean

by: Susan Meissner
Ave. Rating: 3.79
Pages: 368
Year Published: 2017
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Resistance Women

by: Jennifer Chiaverini
Ave. Rating: 4.06
Pages: 640
Year Published: 2019
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The Narrow Road to the Deep North

by: Richard Flanagan
Ave. Rating: 4
Pages: 467
Year Published: 2013
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The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

by: Mary Ann Shaffer
Ave. Rating: 4.17
Pages: 277
Year Published: 2008
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"Wish I could give more stars - so fantastic! History and funny characters and romance."
- katelynn
10/30/2013
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The Huntress

by: Kate Quinn
Ave. Rating: 4.26
Pages: 576
Year Published: 2019
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"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
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The Chilbury Ladies' Choir

by: Jennifer Ryan
Ave. Rating: 3.95
Pages: 371
Year Published: 2017
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"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
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In Farleigh Field

by: Rhys Bowen
Ave. Rating: 3.97
Pages: 397
Year Published: 2017
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The Invisible Bridge

by: Julie Orringer
Ave. Rating: 4.16
Pages: 28
Year Published: 2010
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Salt to the Sea

by: Ruta Sepetys
Ave. Rating: 4.33
Pages: 391
Year Published: 2016
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The Auschwitz Escape

by: Joel C. Rosenberg
Ave. Rating: 4.34
Pages: 468
Year Published: 2014
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Everyone Brave is Forgiven

by: Chris Cleave
Ave. Rating: 3.76
Pages: 418
Year Published: 2016
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"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
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The Book Thief

by: Markus Zusak
Ave. Rating: 4.38
Pages: 552
Year Published: 2006 (2005)
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"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