Archive | October 2020

Under A Sky On Fire by Suzanne Kelman

A Chord Of Three Strands

Under A Sky On Fire by Suzanne Kelman is a powerful historical novel set in London in 1940-1941 at the height of the blitz.

The novel follows the fortunes of three women – two WAAF’s and one who works in Churchill’s cabinet war rooms. They are all brave young women fighting on the home front for a better tomorrow.

The reader witnesses their bravery and their bulldog spirit as lives continue living and loving in spite of the bombs falling. There is camaraderie where souls help each other get through the darkest of times.

There is a hope, a hope that life will get better and families will be reunited. Evacuation of children was hard but necessary. Both parents and children found it difficult to do.

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When I’m With You by Jennifer Rodewald

Believe In Me

When I’m With You by Jennifer Rodewald is a charming contemporary Christian novel. It is the third book in the Big Prairie Romance series but can be read as a stand-alone.

We all have a past. We need to face our pasts before we can move forward into our futures. Sometimes our actions are misunderstood by others because they do not know the roads we have travelled.

Locking up our hearts to prevent hurt does not work. We will become bitter if we refuse to forgive those who have hurt us. The sins of others must not be projected onto the new people that we meet.

Everyone deals with grief differently. We need to realise that and not project onto others what we think they mean. We need to have honest conversations for fear of misunderstandings.

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The Lost Children by Shirley Dickson

Heart Wrenching

The Lost Children by Shirley Dickson is a heart wrenching historical novel set in the North East of England mainly during World War II.

The novel shows the bond of twins – a boy and a girl born in 1935. Theirs is a story of searching to belong as they are evacuated in 1943.

Shirley Dickson has created some marvellous and realistic characters. The twins will lodge in your heart as their self-sacrificing love and unbreakable bond shines through.

There is a community spirit in the village where everyone knows everyone’s business, and pulls together when there is a need. There is much warmth and some tough love when needed.

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The Medallion by Cathy Gohlke

He Makes A Way

The Medallion by Cathy Gohlke is a powerful Christian historical novel set in Nazi occupied Warsaw during WWII. Cathy Gohlke has woven a fictional tale around factual events. Real figures such as Dr Korczak and Irena Sendler put in an appearance in this heart wrenching tale. The fact that we know that these events happens really affects the emotional response to the novel.

As the Nazis marched into Poland, the world seemed silent. “Where was the world?” Poland felt abandoned to its fate and it remained abandoned.

Cathy Gohlke has penned a traumatic tale following two women throughout the war. The novel alternates between their voices as we follow their fates. We witness the bravery – ordinary women who did extraordinary acts of courage to help their fellow man.

Nazi persecution of both Jewish and Polish people was the way of life. There were always those who would report their neighbours. Trust was in short supply. There were those who would put their life on the line. When asked why, the response was: “My husband risks his life each day to save others- because that is what Jesus did, and what He wants us to do.”

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