A fascinating, very interesting read. Magda works in a factory as a secretary.
This is pre-war Germany. When she is picked to be the Boss’s P.A- the
position she has always coveted she is thrilled. What she’s not so thrilled
about is to see the lapel pin Walther wears. Forward to the 1970’ss and
Nina, Magda’s granddaughter finds a drawing of a house which when
Magda sees it she visibly pales. Magda and her family are now in East
Germany. Those of us old enough remember the wall (the “ Anti faschist
barrier”) coming down but perhaps few realised or remember quite what
life was like for those on the other side. The late 1980’s is not that far
back. East Germany (officially the GDR- the German Democratic Republic)
a part of the eastern bloc existed from 1949 to 1990 and was a
Dictatorship/ Socialist state. Food was short and shops ran by the
government who tried to substitute products when they weren't
available. Alternate chapters tell of Magda working and Nina growing
up in the two respective time periods and then coming together
towards the end. Wow! A very moving account of life in both a war
time and an Eastern bloc regime. I was stunned, I was gripped, I was
very moved. Magda and Nina are both very endearing having similar
qualities of doing what is right and dogged tenacity and determination
against all odds. A treasure of a read, an informative one and one
to capture the imagination.
For more reviews please see my blog http://nickibookblog.blogspot.co.uk/
or follow me on Twitter@nickisbookblog
---------------------
Germany 1940. As secretary to the leader of the SS, Magda spends her days sending party invitations to high-ranking Nazis, and her evenings distributing pamphlets for the resistance. But Magda is leading a dangerous double life, smuggling secrets out of the office. It’s a deadly game, and eventual exposure is a certainty, but Magda is driven by a need to keep the man she secretly loves safe as he fights against the Nazis…
Forty years later. Nina’s heart pounds as she steps into an uncertain future carrying a forged passport, a few bank notes, and a scribbled address for The Tower House taken from an intricate drawing she found hidden in her grandmother’s wardrobe. Separated from her family and betrayed by her country, Nina’s last hope is to trace her family’s history in the ruins of the past her grandmother ran from. But, when she finally finds the abandoned house, she opens the door to a forgotten story, and to secrets which will change everything: past, present, and future…
A poignant and gripping novel about bravery, loss and redemption during the Second World War. An unputdownable read for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, We Were the Lucky Ones and The Alice Network.
Catherine Hokin is the author of two World War Two inspired novels set in Berlin, her favourite city. Following a History degree at Manchester University she worked in teaching, marketing and politics, while waiting for a chance to do what she really wanted which was to write full time. Her short stories have been published by iScot, Writers Forum and Myslexia magazines and she was the winner of the 2019 Fiction 500 Short Story Competition. She is a lover of strong female leads and a quest.
Catherine now lives in Glasgow with her American husband. She has two grown-up children – one of whom lives, very conveniently, in Berlin – and a life long addiction to very loud music.
https://www.catherinehokin.
No comments:
Post a Comment