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plantybooklover's review
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I received this book as an arc via NetGalley:
Really nice piece of historical fiction! Probably my favorite piece of historical fiction all year.
The Opera Sisters is a fictionalized story of the real-life Cook sisters, opera aficionados, who meet and rub elbows with some of the greatest opera stars of their time, while aiding and assisting refugees from Nazi Germany.
The author allows us to follow along as the Cook sisters travel to and from areas in Europe for Opera performances and to meet with contacts as they assisted desperate persons to leave Germany. The author intersperses wonderful descriptions of opera between dramatic near misses and joyful reunions. It's really a nice bit of balance throughout the novel. The book was inspiring and hopeful without becoming maudlin- which is a feat in itself when writing about WWII is involved.
Personally, I really did enjoy this book. It was better researched than many works of historical fiction, and really focused on events that related to the sisters and their activity. (in other words, no wild meetings with Hitler that did not occur etc)I was a bit frustrated with the pulling of a Churchill speech that didn't fit into a totally different year/time to suit the story, but I think most readers will overlook that easily. This would be an excellent book for young readers or younger book clubs- there is very little to offend anyone through out the book and it does introduce topics for discussion, while ending on a realistic but positive note.
Really nice piece of historical fiction! Probably my favorite piece of historical fiction all year.
The Opera Sisters is a fictionalized story of the real-life Cook sisters, opera aficionados, who meet and rub elbows with some of the greatest opera stars of their time, while aiding and assisting refugees from Nazi Germany.
The author allows us to follow along as the Cook sisters travel to and from areas in Europe for Opera performances and to meet with contacts as they assisted desperate persons to leave Germany. The author intersperses wonderful descriptions of opera between dramatic near misses and joyful reunions. It's really a nice bit of balance throughout the novel. The book was inspiring and hopeful without becoming maudlin- which is a feat in itself when writing about WWII is involved.
Personally, I really did enjoy this book. It was better researched than many works of historical fiction, and really focused on events that related to the sisters and their activity. (in other words, no wild meetings with Hitler that did not occur etc)I was a bit frustrated with the pulling of a Churchill speech that didn't fit into a totally different year/time to suit the story, but I think most readers will overlook that easily. This would be an excellent book for young readers or younger book clubs- there is very little to offend anyone through out the book and it does introduce topics for discussion, while ending on a realistic but positive note.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism
Minor: War
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