Helpful Score: 2
Cyrla is half-Jewish and living with Dutch relatives during World War II. Being nearly identical to her Dutch cousin, Annika, places her in a unique position to take Annika's place in a Lebensborn- a home for pregnant mothers of German babies- after Annika's unexpected death. Cyrla tries to keep her true identity a secret while living in the home but her Jewish heritage will soon put herself and those close to her in grave danger.
Historical fiction is my favorite genre and there is not much written about the Lebensborn or the despicable plans the Germans' had for their Aryan babies, so I was immediately interested in the backdrop of this novel. The book gave a fictional account of what a home for these unwed expectant mothers might have been like, and I found it absolutely fascinating.
Sara Young (who has also written under the name Sara Pennypacker) tells Cyrla's somewhat romanticized story in a way that was engaging while still being a bit over embellished. Cyrla's situation was compelling and I was anxious to discover how her story ended, but the enjoyment I derived from reading this book was mostly due to the interest I had in the subject matter, not necessarily the story line or Young's writing style.
I recommend this book to readers who enjoy historical fiction, but it is nowhere near as good as others in that genre (i.e. The Help, The Book Thief, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society). I wish more authors would try to tackle a novel about that part of World War II history.
Historical fiction is my favorite genre and there is not much written about the Lebensborn or the despicable plans the Germans' had for their Aryan babies, so I was immediately interested in the backdrop of this novel. The book gave a fictional account of what a home for these unwed expectant mothers might have been like, and I found it absolutely fascinating.
Sara Young (who has also written under the name Sara Pennypacker) tells Cyrla's somewhat romanticized story in a way that was engaging while still being a bit over embellished. Cyrla's situation was compelling and I was anxious to discover how her story ended, but the enjoyment I derived from reading this book was mostly due to the interest I had in the subject matter, not necessarily the story line or Young's writing style.
I recommend this book to readers who enjoy historical fiction, but it is nowhere near as good as others in that genre (i.e. The Help, The Book Thief, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society). I wish more authors would try to tackle a novel about that part of World War II history.
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