Tag Archive | Anna Stuart

The Secret Diary by Anna Stuart

Oct3

Tell It To The Worms

The Secret Diary by Anna Stuart is a powerful dual timeline novel that I loved.

The book is set in present day and 1945 after the war has ended. The time periods are linked by a family and an old diary.

We see the devastation that loss causes. World War II ripped families apart but in present day, a dreadful accident sees a young widow and her young sons try to make sense of a senseless loss. Everyone processes loss differently. We ‘hear’ the raw pain as a young widow exclaims “Why did you leave me? … I can’t forgive you this because you aren’t … here to forgive.” She feels alone but she has family who walk beside her. “You don’t have to do this alone. I’m here for you.” The reader ‘feels’ the warmth and love of the extended family.

During World War II a friendship and camaraderie were formed amongst four young women who operated the ack ack guns. Their friendship would last a lifetime. They were bound together by love, and a secret that they would keep forever.

War changed the roles of women. “For her ‘freedom’ had been the war years.” As the men were away women stepped into their shoes. This created problems in the post war period as returning men and the older generation wanted to put the women back in their traditional boxes. “You can’t just pack the past away with your gas mask and your ration book and ‘go back to normal’ because normal is different too.” It is perfectly stated by a character, “Society wanted to slot us … back into our kitchen-shaped holes, but we’d grown and we weren’t going to shrink ourselves to fit back inside.” Society expected women to return to their old roles. “I’m not ‘a girl like me’ anymore – I’m a totally different girl. And I really like her!” The war changed lives in all sorts of ways.

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The Resistance Sisters by Anna Stuart

Aug23

To Live & To Love

The Resistance Sisters by Anna Stuart is a powerful historical novel that is grounded in fact. It is the fourth book in Women Of War series but can be read as a stand-alone.

The book is set over the summer of 1944 in Warsaw, Poland. It surrounds a family with three daughters and a teenage son. We hear of the resistance of Warsaw and witness the incredible bravery of ordinary citizens trying to save the city that they love. “Not all resistance is with guns.” Resistance comes in many forms as we follow the siblings as they try to disrupt the evil Nazi regime.

Warsaw is a much-loved city. It is heartbreaking to see it destroyed. “Buildings can be rebuilt. It’s the spirit of the nation that we are fighting to keep and you girls are a vital part of that.” The Poles are loyal to the city that they love. From the youngest to the oldest resident, resistance is in their blood. Some will die. There will be sacrifices by all but their will and their love will live on.

Although the Nazis take lives without a thought, we see that the sisters recognize the value of life. “Treat the dead with respect… He may be a Nazi but he’s still someone’s son.” Soldiers on all sides have mothers who will grieve their loss.

Despite the hardship and cruelty, the Polish people retain their humanity. “We’ve done the fighting… Let’s pray to God that we can now do the living and the loving.”

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The War Orphan by Anna Stuart

Mar9

Every Drop Of Love

The War Orphan by Anna Stuart is a powerful historical novel that I just couldn’t put down. It is grounded in fact and the third book in the Women Of War series but can be read as a stand-alone.

The action is set from January 1945 in Auschwitz. The war is in its dying embers but still the Nazis were incredibly cruel as they separated mothers from their children for the death marches. The mother/daughter bond was strong. “Wherever you are, I’ll find you.” After the war ended, both searched relentlessly for the other.

There was so much loss. The war tore families apart – some members managing to flee Nazi Germany, others were not so lucky. Until told differently, everyone kept hope alive.

We follow the war orphans from Poland to Windermere and to Surrey. Here, new family units formed as they only had each other. We see that dreams of employment bloomed as there was the chance for new beginnings.

We must never forget where we come from. “It was also vital that they kept hold of a sense of their heritage.” We need to know our roots. We want to pass on our family history and learn to “live for those left behind.”

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The Midwife Of Berlin by Anna Stuart

Sep13

A Desperate Hope

The Midwife Of Berlin by Anna Stuart is a powerful historical novel that consumed me.

Much of the action is set in 1961 Berlin, at the height of the Cold War. It is a time of division as east separates from west.

The Nazi reign of terror has gone, only to be replaced with a Soviet one.

As the Berlin Wall is erected, lives and families are torn apart. ‘Lists’ begin to appear, making defection necessary.

The East is living under communism. It is a nice idea in theory but doesn’t work in practice.

Similarly, lives were ripped apart in World War II by the Nazis. Babies born in Auschwitz were torn from their mother’s arms. Secretly, these babies were tattooed in their armpits with their mother’s number, in the hope that after the war, women could find their babies. “Hope is the greatest pain but also the greatest strength.”

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