Inspiring

Sixty Blades Of Grass by Elizabeth Millane is a powerful historical novel that I read in just one sitting. I was totally engrossed and could not put it down.

The novel is set in Nazi-occupied Holland during World War II. The action is grounded in fact from stories told to the author by her relatives. Lead character Rika was revered by all.

Wartime Holland was a dreadful place to be. Trust was in short supply, even within families. If you told no one about what you were up to, no one could accidentally talk. Resistance workers and collaborators existed side by side – but who was working for which side? Who was playing who? Lines sometimes became blurred.

Rika has a special needs sister. She needs to be kept safe for fear the Nazis would ship her off to Germany to meet her death.

Love still flourishes in times of war. But would the couples live to see peacetime?

We witness the bravery of ordinary men and women who did what they could to help others and to sabotage the Nazi war machine. To be caught would to mean torture and/or instant death.

The book is written in the first person from various points of view, as well as in diary entries. The reader becomes intimately acquainted with the characters.

I found Sixty Blades Of Grass a totally absorbing read, very powerful and inspiring. There were acts of abominable cruelty but the bravery of ordinary men and women shines through.

Sixty Blades Of Grass is a book crying out to be read in memory of the brave souls who survived and those who perished.

I received a free copy from the publishers. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

JULIA WILSON