Have you ever encountered art, literature, or music that impacted you in a way you can’t forget?
This month, we discuss a historical novel about a painting that altered several lives, and a work of history in which opera changed two ordinary lives, which in turn saved numerous lives.
But first:join me and three other historical novelists on October 17th on Zoom for “Women Breaking the Rules: Heroines in Historical Fiction.” To join us for the discussion, sign up (no charge) at:
How can a novel about a painting keep you turning the pages?
Susan Vreeland, author of Girl in Hyacinth Blue, pulls this off with 8 chapters that work on their own as short stories, but leave readers wanting more.
With its focus on a Dutch painting, this novel (published in 1999) explores the artwork’s origins, the paths it traveled over the centuries, and its impact on individuals who possessed it.
Girl in Hyacinth Blue has likely served as a model for authors of more recent novels with through lines consisting of objects (especially of art) rather than individual people.
Characters:
Beginning with the painting’s most recent owner, going back in time to the girl the artist portrayed, the author reveals the core of each personality through his or her relationship with the painting.
I would spoil the story if I mentioned the relationship of each character to the novel as a whole. So, while I must avoid comments about specific characters, I can mention the topics these stories bring up:
The position of girls and women in earlier times
Artists’ economically vulnerable professions
Calamitous floods in the Netherlands
Execution of “witches”
The “Middle Passage” slave trade
Nazi looting of art treasures owned by Jews
Above all, the individual stories show how the painting at the heart of this novel revealed or changed the character of each owner.
Strengths:
The author’s creative connection of the stories is part of the wonder of this novel.
She uses key details to create a distinct setting for each of the 8 stories.
In a brief space, she develops each character and his/her relationship to the painting.
Weakness:
If a reader hopes for a single set of characters throughout the novel, s/he won’t find it in this novel.
Content review:
The novel contains references to physical intimacy, but not extensively throughout the novel.
My Recommendation:
Although this novel isn’t lengthy, it covers much ground. If evocative, well-written stories combining a painting, people, and their times interest you, you’ll enjoy Girl in Hyacinth Blue.
I love to read about ordinary people doing extraordinary things, especially when the stories are true—and I hope you do, too.
In Overture of Hope, two unassuming British sisters show their courage and heroism during World War II, venturing into Nazi territory to rescue Jewish opera stars facing extermination.
Author Isabel Vincent reveals the true story of how in the 1920s, Ida and Louise developed a passion for opera by listening to vinyl records, and she shows where that led them. They loved to attend live opera so much they took brown-bag lunches to work and saved their meager salaries to buy tickets (standing in line for discounts, of course) to operas in London.
Ida, the outgoing younger sister, took the lead in reaching out to visiting opera stars, such as Amelita Galli-Curci. Bold correspondence led to fan relationships with luminaries. By the time Hitler came to power, the sisters had established friendships with several stars and often conversed with them backstage when they came to London.
Among their operatic friends, Austrian conductor Clemens Krauss and his wife, soprano Viorica Ursuleac, became controversial because of their collaboration with Hitler. At the same time, they enlisted the aid of Ida and Louise to help Jewish opera singers escape from Nazi-occupied lands.
Ida’s success as a romance novelist enabled the sisters to travel as opera tourists who often arranged singers’ and families’ escapes, as well as smuggling out the priceless jewelry of the Jewish people they assisted.
Characters:
They are shown as the very human individuals they were—even the heroines weren’t perfect.
Ida – years into adult life, she found success as a romance novelist. Later in life, she enjoyed recounting the stories of what she did in the war
Louise – quiet, shy, she lived in her younger sister’s shadow the majority of her life
Strengths:
Exciting plot, well-researched
Weakness:
Sometimes a bit more repetition of facts than readers need
Content review:
Includes accounts of Nazi persecution and acts of cruelty, although not in graphic detail
My Recommendation:
If you enjoy a heroic story involving characters from the world of opera, and you’d like to learn more about what happened in the opera world during the war, this is a book for you.
Reader, what works of art, literature, or music have changed your life?
How could a tobacco-chewing, defiant, small Polish peasant woman thwart the Nazis’ attempt to exterminate the Jews?
As summer begins in the northern hemisphere, I hope you’ll have opportunities to get away from normal routines, relax and read—perhaps J.L. Witterick’s My Mother’s Secret.
This short historical novel is based on the lives of Franciszka and Helena, a Polish mother and daughter recognized as “the Righteous among the Nations” in Israel.
In the midst of the German occupation of Poland in World War II, they risked everything to save the lives of people they barely knew.
The author weaves the stories of these desperate people with the lives of Franciszka and Helena, crafting a suspense-filled plot that keeps readers turning the pages.
Characters:
Helena – narrator, protagonist, and daughter of Franciszka. Her mother and brother shape her character, but she must make difficult choices on her own.
Franciszka – Helena’s mother, the heroine of the story, hides two Jewish families and a German soldier. She says “If you choose to do the right thing, it’s a conscious decision at first…Your actions with time become your character.” Her life exemplifies her words, and readers will root for her.
Bronek – Jewish carpenter who appeals for help for somewhere to hide his family from the Nazis
Mikolaj – son of prominent Jewish doctor whose family also needs a place to hide from the Nazis
Vilheim – young German vegetarian who values every living being. After being drafted into the GermanArmy, he’s disgusted by the Nazis’ actions and deserts. If caught, he will face death by firing squad.
Strengths:
This story cuts to the core of every character and reveals how each one responds to danger and moral dilemmas.
Weakness:
Heroic characters seem almost too good to be true.
Content review:
Contains references to violence that occurs offstage.
My recommendation:
According to publishing industry veteran, Howard Wells, My Mother’s Secret is “authentic and reads like poetry.” From my perspective, this novel is a quick read that was hard to put down, with characters, events, and themes that challenged me to reflect on what I would do in similar circumstances. I hope you’ll consider it as a worthy addition to your reading list.
Reader, can you recommend a story of heroism to inspire other readers?
If you know any librarians, can you imagine them as heroic spies?
Neither can I, so Madeline Martin’s recent novel, The Librarian Spy, sparked my curiosity.
I discovered a spy-filled World War II story set in Lyon, France, and an intriguing, new-to-me location—Lisbon, Portugal.
Here’s the plot in a nutshell:
The Allied Special Libraries and Information Bureau in Lisbon brought in research librarians from the U.S. and U.K to track down facts about clear or possible Nazi plans and activities, which helped shorten the war.
At the same time, German spies in Lisbon soughtinformation about Allied plans.
Into this mix arrived a constant flow of refugees (especially Jewish) seeking safe refuge from parts of Europe under threat or occupation by the Nazis.
In occupied Lyon, France, under threat of torture or immediate execution, the Resistance continues to work actively against the Nazis, printing and distributing truthful news about the progress of the war and the Nazis’ crimes.
The stories begun in these two locales converge at a certain point in the story (sorry, no spoiler here!)
Characters:
Each must make heart-wrenching choices with potentially fatal consequences:
which risks to take
whom to trust
whom to help
Most are heroic, so readers will root for many, among them:
Ava Harper – 1st protagonist, she’s a Rare Book librarian recruited from the Library of Congress to aid the U.S. intelligence effort in Portugal
James MacKinnon – Brit in Lisbon who takes an interest in Ava, who thinks he works for the Special Libraries and Information Bureau
Elaine Rousseau (alias of Hélène Bélanger) – 2nd protagonist; she’s a resident of Lyon, France, who sympathizes with the Resistance, but her husband, Joseph, forbids her from volunteering and scolds her for not being a proper Vichy wife
Etienne – Joseph’s best friend, he connects Elaine with the Resistance
Josette, Nicole, Denise, and Manon – all Resistance sympathizers in Lyon who interact with Elaine
Sarah – Jewish refugee desperate to escape with her young son, Noah, to join her husband in the U.S.
Kommander Werner – cruel German known for torturing Resistance captives in Lyon so they would reveal names of their fellow anti-Nazi sympathizers
Strengths:
This suspenseful story keeps readers on the edge of their seats, while weaving in setting details and interesting information that’s not widely known about Portugal and Lyon in World War II.
Weakness:
Although this is a compelling story, a major premise is fictional. This may disappoint readers seeking a completely historically-accurate novel. The author admits that the U.S. sent no women librarians to Portugal during World War II to uncover potentially useful information.
Content review:
Descriptions of violence committed by the Nazis will make this story disturbing for some, especially young readers.
I recommend The Librarian Spy, an entertaining and informative dual-protagonist novel, to readers who enjoy suspenseful reading about the World War II era, with a fresh twist.
Reader, what are your favorite novels of World War II?
I hope you’ll find good cheer in this season! As my contribution, I’m reviewing a recent novel,The Last Bookshop in London, an inspiring story of the power of books, courage, friendship, and hope as London endures the Blitz during World War II.
London, 1939. Grace, a young woman from a small town in Norfolk, arrives in the big city, desperate for a job. She lands a temporary position at a run-down bookstore, but she’s not a reader and has little interest in books. Then the Blitz, Germany’s effort to bomb England into submission, begins. Britons’ responses often put them in conflict with each other, even as people needed to unite to survive this dire threat to their nation’s existence.
How much of this story is based on facts vs. fiction?
Author Madeline Martin answers this question in a blog post:
“Aside from the characters and Primrose Hill Books itself, everything is as true to history as was possible for me to make it. Even the location of the bombings and when they occurred (with one exception) are exactly how they were recorded in history.”
How did the author come to understand her characters’ world?
She used the following sources:
Books
Personal eyewitness accounts
Photos taken before, during, and after the war
Videos and sound bites
Characters: (a few of the many)
Grace, the protagonist – young and naïve at the start, the story’s events force her to make choices that help her mature
Mr. Evans – owner of Primrose Hill Books, his depression adds to Grace’s doubts about working at the bookstore
Mrs. Weatherford – Grace’s host in London, a support to Grace. In the face of tragedy, she must find new strength and purpose.
George Anderson – Grace’s love interest, he’s a lover of books who joins up to fight the Germans.
Mr. Stokes – an Air Raid Precautions warden partnered with Grace to monitor blackout compliance during the Blitz. His attitude and beliefs challenge Grace.
Jimmy – orphan who hesitates to trust anyone after his parents are killed in the Blitz.
Strengths: The well-crafted plot, telling details, and sympathetic characters combine to create a page-turner that’s both entertaining and educational.
Weakness:Happy endings for the surviving characters leave readers on a positive note, but they seemed a bit unrealistic after the tragedies of World War II and the Blitz.
Content review: Descriptions of death and injuries, but no profanity or physical intimacy.
I recommend The Last Bookshop in London. This novel’s time setting could have made it depressing. Instead, Madeline Martin skillfully weaves a plot that doesn’t avoid the terror and death of this harrowing time, but ends in personal transformation and national unity.
Have you heard of (or seen the movie about) the Monuments Men, the special force of Americans and Brits assembled after Germany’s World War II defeat?
They rushed to recover artwork stolen and hidden by the Nazis. It’s a suspenseful story that has found its way into numerous novels.
The Roses Underneath, set in Wiesbaden, Germany, in August, 1945, explores a less widely-known aspect of this story: the involvement of German civilians in the effort to return stolen art to its rightful owners.
This novel, the first in the Anna Klein trilogy by C.F. Yetmen, reveals the conflicts and complications faced by Germans as they interacted with the American military that defeated the Nazis.
During World War II, Germans had been treated as traitors if they opposed the Nazis.
Now, to gain the trust of Americans (and secure employment to rescue them from destitution), German civilians need to prove their loyalty to the mission of the Monuments Men.
Characters:
I appreciated this novel’s realistic portrayal of its characters, revealing both their virtues and faults. The difficult decisions they faced force readers to consider the choices they would make in such situations.
Anna Klein – the protagonist, she’s torn between love for her idealistic socialist husband and her fear of what will happen to her young daughter and herself as the Soviet Army advances
Amalia – Anna’s intelligent six-year-old daughter who would have preferred to stay with her father in Soviet-occupied Thuringia
Captain Cooper – an American architect working for the Monuments Men, he becomes Anna’s boss; his moral compass and gut feelings guide his actions, frequently causing problems in the military chain-of-command environment.
Emil Schilling – a disillusioned German soldier who lost his fingertips to frostbite in Leningrad, he returns to Germany and scrounges for employment
Frieda Schilling – Emil’s sister who provides daycare for Amalia
Oskar – orphaned German boy Anna discovers hanging around a villa; he resists Anna’s efforts to help him
Ludwig Schneider – German art dealer who tries to hide his thefts of art during the war so he can work for Monuments Men
Gerhard Heinrich (aka Schenk) – former gallery owner whose greed threatens Anna
Madeleine Wolf – best friend of Anna’s deceased mother ; she takes in Anna and Amalia after they walk to Wiesbaden
Strengths:
Exciting story set in an eventful era
Dives deeply into the period and the Monuments Men
Distinct characters with complex motivations and stories
Weakness:
Anna took chances that didn’t seem believable for a cautious woman who’d been living under Nazi rule for years.
Content review:
Contains some profanity and mention of sexual exploitation during and after World War II
Bottom Line:
This novel entertained me with its panoply of characters and plot twists, educated me about the plight of Germans after World War II, and challenged me to think about how I would respond in similar circumstances. I recommend it to readers who enjoy an exciting history-based story with depth of setting and characters.
In my own writing news:
If you’d like to be among the first to read my latest novel, I’m looking for fans of historical fiction to join my team of beta readers and early reviewers. Please contact me here!
Reader,can you recommend books where vanquished people become heroes?
As I write, Poland is playing a heroic role—welcoming, sheltering, and educating refugees from its besieged neighbor, Ukraine.
Much of the world admires this generosity. Is it simply charity on Poland’s part?
Both fiction and non-fiction can help us understand Poland’s attitude.
The non-fiction side:
Experts point to Poles’ sense that they face a common threat from Russia.
Poles viewUkrainians as freedom fighters against Russia, and they relate to that identity.
Poles’ welcome of Ukrainian refugees feels like self-defense—that they’re helping Ukraine struggle against Russia’s invasion.
Why should Poland feel threatened?
Poland’s geography—its proximity to Germany and Russia placed its people and culture in harm’s way for invasion by both powerful armies.
Poland suffered grievously during and after World War II. Not many of us were alive then, but eyewitnesses and historians have provided detailed accounts.
Historical fiction can immerse us in past events and eras through the eyes, ears, and emotions of people who lived or might have lived through those times.
This month, we feature a short discussion and review of The Warsaw Orphan: A WWII novel by Kelly Rimmer. This 2021 publication was inspired by Irena Sendler, the heroic Polish nurse who saved thousands of Jewish children.
Reader, what heroic actions have inspired you?
May the heroic deeds we read about inspire us to act courageously to help those in need!
The Warsaw Orphan, a compelling novel set in Warsaw during and after the WWII German occupation, skillfully weaves together the contrasting lives, interactions, and story arcs of its protagonists:
Elzbieta/Emilia—almost 14
She lives in a comfortable apartment
Her life appears stable, but she must conceal her true identity
Roman Gorka—the teenage son of a Jewish family forced to cram into the ghetto
He works at a sewing machine to make uniforms
He’s idealistic about changing the world, but must pay a heavy price under Poland’s repressive conquerors
Two sympathetic supporting characters immediately emerge:
Sara—a nurse and social worker whose hidden work is smuggling babies and children out of the ghetto
Chaim (aka Pigeon)—He becomes Roman’s best friend and rescues him, time after time
Later in the novel, two other characters’ personal journeys also elicited my sympathy:
Truda—Elzbieta’s adoptive mother
Uncle Piotr—a wealthy businessman who deals with the Nazis to make profits
He supports Elzbieta’s family and sacrifices for them
Author Kelly Rimmer portrays her characters with historical accuracy as complex, fallible people, and readers will identify with their struggles.
A warning: with its many tense scenes and threats to the characters, this novel was difficult to put down.
Content review: This novel describes the violence of war, including sexual violence, and a detailed portrayal of conditions in the Warsaw ghetto.
If you persevere through the difficult moments of this time and place, The Warsaw Orphan will reward you with powerful emotional experiences.
