claire2909's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
kmbooky's review against another edition
4.0
This book is well written. You feel the love of the three sisters and truly feel like you are one of them. There were so many times I was happy and then shocked and horrified. I love seeing the fact that these woman tried to help the resistance. It's nice to see all three sisters doing their own thing while also dealing with being occupied by Germany. Some parts where so hard to get through as it felt like I was there. Honestly a great story and I can't wait to get the second book. Seriously recommend if you like historical fiction, war, nazi, Germany, woman who are strong and take care of themselves.
booktalkwithkarla's review
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
This novel was recommended to me by my MIL. Several times I almost put it down - partially because of the story and partially because of the writing. I guess I wasn’t in the mood for a war story and didn’t love how it was told (show don’t tel). I persisted. I wanted to connect with the characters - any character and I didn’t.
It is part of a trilogy and I know beloved. But not for me. If you like war stories with some romance, maybe give this a try.
A few lines escaped the “telling” and offered more. Here are two of my favorites.
“It was good lying on the ground and feeling the earth beneath her. Calming somehow, connecting her to the timelessness of life, rooting her in what could not be destroyed.”
“No, it’s the bravery of ordinary people that touches me. In the face of everything that’s wrong, remaining human. That’s what really matters. None of us know what we are going to be faced with and yet we carry on.”
georgieyoung's review
4.0
4.5 !! this book was so good & so so emotional. maybe my nan needs to give me more book recommendations lmao
georgina_young's review
4.0
4.5 !! this book was so good & so so emotional. maybe my nan needs to give me more book recommendations lmao
georginayoung's review
4.0
4.5 !! this book was so good & so so emotional. maybe my nan needs to give me more book recommendations lmao
kindle_and_crossstitch's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
A beautiful story, which reminded me a lot of The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.
The story centres around three sisters - Helene, Elise and Florence who live in the Dordogne during Nazi occupation. It was impossible not to be drawn into their story, there are some really lovely moments of true hope, as well as some incredibly gut wrenching ones.
I like Dinah Jefferies books, my main gripe with them being that sometimes the female characters are a bit weak and too reliant on men to save them. Not so in this case, all of the women in this book are strong in their own ways.
I’m really looking forward to the next two books in this trilogy.
A beautiful story, which reminded me a lot of The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.
The story centres around three sisters - Helene, Elise and Florence who live in the Dordogne during Nazi occupation. It was impossible not to be drawn into their story, there are some really lovely moments of true hope, as well as some incredibly gut wrenching ones.
I like Dinah Jefferies books, my main gripe with them being that sometimes the female characters are a bit weak and too reliant on men to save them. Not so in this case, all of the women in this book are strong in their own ways.
I’m really looking forward to the next two books in this trilogy.
shelvesofstarlight's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my goodness this book is incredible and I cannot wait for the rest of the series to see what happens next. It was full of heartbreak and loss but all hope and love at the same time and the ending just broke my heart.
The three sisters were just amazing characters and I loved them all so much, from feisty Elise to sweet Florence and strong Helene, as they struggled through life in occupied France. They all experienced so much in the course of this book and it just broke my heart for all of them at several points in the book. They had all grown so much by the end of the book and I cannot wait to see what happens to them in the book. We also had Jack, Victor, Hugo and Marie who I also loved so much and they definitely all deserved happier endings than they got. I hope we get to see more of them in the next book.
The plot was well crafted and it had me enthralled the entire way through and I cannot express how much the ending destroyed me. I actually had to read the last page through my tears. There was so much heartbreak, all of various forms, throughout the book peppered among moments of hope and love that it was just such a devastatingly beautiful book and I loved reading every second of it. And I felt that it dealt with the historical aspect of the story wonderfully too, it was well-grounded in the time period and I liked how key events played out in the story.
And the writing was just stunning. I was blown away, and of course, devastated at so many points by what was going. I cannot wait to see what happens next in the series because I know that while it will most likely break my heart all over again, it will just be spectacular.
I was kindly provided with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review as part of a blog tour.
The three sisters were just amazing characters and I loved them all so much, from feisty Elise to sweet Florence and strong Helene, as they struggled through life in occupied France. They all experienced so much in the course of this book and it just broke my heart for all of them at several points in the book. They had all grown so much by the end of the book and I cannot wait to see what happens to them in the book. We also had Jack, Victor, Hugo and Marie who I also loved so much and they definitely all deserved happier endings than they got. I hope we get to see more of them in the next book.
The plot was well crafted and it had me enthralled the entire way through and I cannot express how much the ending destroyed me. I actually had to read the last page through my tears. There was so much heartbreak, all of various forms, throughout the book peppered among moments of hope and love that it was just such a devastatingly beautiful book and I loved reading every second of it. And I felt that it dealt with the historical aspect of the story wonderfully too, it was well-grounded in the time period and I liked how key events played out in the story.
And the writing was just stunning. I was blown away, and of course, devastated at so many points by what was going. I cannot wait to see what happens next in the series because I know that while it will most likely break my heart all over again, it will just be spectacular.
I was kindly provided with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review as part of a blog tour.
linneaandspybat's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
It's like one event just follows another without a real story to tie them together. The characters are rather boring and the book just goes on and on, and still not much time passes. Definitely not one of the better WWII historical fiction books.