Publisher: 29th October 2020 by Avon Books UK
Pages: 400 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: historical fiction, world war II
My Rating: 4.5 cups
Synopsis:
From the bestselling author of The German Midwife comes the heart-wrenching story of a country on the brink of war, a woman who puts herself in the line of fire, and a world about to be forever changed.
Berlin, 1938: It’s the height of summer, and Germany is on the brink of war. When fledgling reporter Georgie Young is posted to Berlin, alongside fellow Londoner Max Spender, she knows they are entering the eye of the storm.
Arriving to a city swathed in red flags and crawling with Nazis, Georgie feels helpless, witnessing innocent people being torn from their homes. As tensions rise, she realises she and Max have to act – even if it means putting their lives on the line.
But when she digs deeper, Georgie begins to uncover the unspeakable truth about Hitler’s Germany – and the pair are pulled into a world darker than she could ever have imagined…
My Thoughts
‘It was the beginning of war - and me, in so many ways. Part of me, I think, will always be that Berlin girl.’
Mandy Robotham is quickly becoming a ‘go to’ author for me as you are always guaranteed a great read. The interesting aspect of this novel is that it is pre World War II and takes place over a year from summer 1938 until the declaration of war. It is fascinating to be on the streets of Berlin as tensions begin to rise.
‘... it was vital that someone should record this abuse against humanity – pictures, in this case, might be more valuable than words. So far, reports alone had not been enough to provoke any reaction from outside Germany to what Hitler was creating. Maybe the world needed to see it in stark black and white, staring at this debacle over their breakfast?’
The story centres around Georgie Young, a young British journalist sent to Berlin as a foreign correspondent. Being a Londoner, Georgie’s view of events are insightful as she witnesses the ruthless control as the Nazis assume a stranglehold on the city. Once again, Mandy has done her research and it is fascinating to be a witness to how things begin to change in a city that Georgie feels drawn to and feels such affinity with.
It starts off a little slow, as there are a range of characters to establish. At times the plot could be stronger, overall however, the smaller everyday events compensate for this. By the end, the pace really picks up and as the action reaches a crescendo, it is hard to put down. It was encouraging to have a strong female lead in, what was then, a male stronghold - she could hold it ‘with the boys’ who came from a range of newspaper affiliations. I also very much appreciated the detailed epilogue that gives a brief window into what happened to many of the characters throughout the years to follow. Something not often given and provides nice closure.
‘More than ever, she’d felt herself come of age in just one night; there was no pretence at being a fledgling reporter now. This was serious. And she had little choice but to rise to the challenge.’
There is some romance but it runs secondary to the overall theme. There is also Rubin, Georgie’s Jewish driver, who provides the first person POV for the domestic viewpoint and what it was like in the last days as many tried to escape persecution and incarceration. The ending is a little predictable but the epilogue, as mentioned, more than compensates for that.
Despite not being a five star read as I have found Mandy’s other books to be, this is still really solid reading for historical fiction fans, particularly WWII diehards. The attraction here is to be a part of the Berlin living just months before war was actually declared and seen through the eyes of a young person not affiliated or under the Nazi spell.
‘Why wasn’t the rest of the world truly afraid? Did everyone have to live directly under Hitler’s tyranny to realise his vile capabilities?’
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.
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