Tag: Tolsma Liz

Daisies Are Forever

Gisela must hold on to hope and love despite all odds in the midst of a war-torn country.

Gisela Cramer is an American living in eastern Germany with her cousin Ella Reinhardt. When the Red Army invades, they must leave their home to escape to safety in Berlin.

However, Ella is a nurse and refuses to leave, sending her young daughters with Gisela. During their journey, Gisela meets Mitch Edwards, an escaped British POW. She pretends she is his wife in order to preserve his safety among other Germans, especially one wounded German soldier, Kurt, who has suspicions about Mitch’s identity. Kurt also has feelings for Gisela and tries to uncover the truth about her “marriage.”

Their journey to Gisela’s mother in Berlin is riddled with tragedy and hardship, but they strive to keep Ella’s daughters safe so they can reunite with their mother. During the journey Gisela and Mitch begin to develop feelings for one another beyond friendship. They reach Berlin, but their struggles are far from over. Gisela and Mitch must learn to live for the day and find hope in the darkest of circumstances.

In this moving, historically accurate portrayal of WWII Germany, the characters learn that, even with destruction all around them, some things last forever.

My Review:

I’ve read a lot of World War II novels and I’m always amazed at how authors find unique settings and perspectives for their stories. I knew absolutely nothing about this area of Germany (Prussia at the time) and the Russian invasion. Supposed allies fighting to free the world from Hitler’s tyranny, their brutality matched the Nazis and Tolsma captures the desperation and despair of the innocent civilians caught in their path. But she also conveys the people’s resiliency and courage and it all made for a riveting read.

We see that first hand in Gisela’s story which is full of danger and treachery in the midst of the most atrocious circumstances. Yet she doesn’t make the journey alone as an unlikely band of refugees gather together to make their impossible trek to freedom. That includes British POW Mitch and hiding his true identity makes their situation that much more dire.

Phew! But this was a gripping, hard to read at times, uncomfortable but ultimately triumphant story of love and loss in the midst of one of the most turbulent times in history.

I listened to the audio book, narrated by Carol Jacobanis who did a fantastic job with accents and phrasing and helped bring this story to life.

The Pink Bonnet + Giveaway

Random Retro Read

A desperate mother searches for her child.

Widowed in Memphis during 1932, Cecile Dowd is struggling to provide for her three-year-old daughter. Unwittingly trusting a neighbour puts little Millie Mae into he clutches of Georgia Tank, corrupt Memphis Tennessee Children’t Home Society director suspected of the disappearance of hundreds of children. With the help of a sympathetic lawyer, the search for Mille uncovers a deep level of corruption that threatens their very lives.

How far will a mother go to find out what happened to her child?

My Review:

published in 2019

I was first introduced to Georgia Tann and the Memphis Tennessee Children’s Home Society scandal through Lisa Wingate’s heart-rending novel, Before We Were Yours. I was fascinated and appalled during that read and experienced similar emotions over The Pink Bonnet.

This isn’t light fiction by any means, though the author does manage to infuse the story with hope. So many angst-riddled emotions stirred up inside of me while I lived every desperate second right alongside Cecile. Tolsma does an amazing job of capturing every dark emotion and the stark desperation of a mother searching for her kidnapped child. Cecile is relentless, her steely resolve propelling her forward in an investigation that becomes more daring and dangerous with every passing day.

And the way the levels of deceit and corruption are slowly uncovered…just chilling! Georgia Tann (an unconscionable monster of the vilest sort) had cooperation on every level of government and social class. The way she disparaged the poor (in the middle of a depression no less!) and saw them as unworthy of raising their own children, kidnapping and selling those children without a thought for the grieving families left behind. Never mind caring about what type of conditions many of the children were sold into. And her ‘work’ went on for 25 years! It just boggles the mind.

And all that ugliness is exposed in these pages. But there are triumphs too. And redemption. Percy’s story was particularly riveting. A legal assistant duped by Georgia Tann, he slowly begins to question her methods and reasoning and struggles with his own past trauma and need to become a successful lawyer…but at what cost?

A haunting page-turner.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This copy is for a paperback or ebook copy. Winner’s choice.

If you would like a the opportunity to win a copy of The Pink Bonnet, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday February 25 2023. Offer open to International Readers.