The Violin Makers Daughter by Sharon Maas
Stacey • July 28, 2019
A riveting tale of impressionable Sarah, an apprentice violin maker and non-practising Jew in the midst of a raging war, systematically spreading throughout Europe. The first time the Nazi’s appear they decide to hide their Jewish background and stay in their beloved family home. The terrorizing wait to see if they can remain hidden and be left in peace…. The ultimate betrayal eventually comes to call and their status of Aryan decent has come into question and they are given a week to provide the paperwork… The countdown begins.
The time has come to flee but they cannot flee together. They must separate and go in smaller groups. Sarah must go alone and she must leave first. Her life depends on her ability to blend in, keep her head down, trust the people she does not know, to keep her safe. She must learn to keep her emotions in check. Keeping the despair of leaving her family from bubbling to the surface and her blind hatred for all Germans under wraps as to not draw attention to herself.
On her journey she mets Ralf, German and a soldier. She still can’t bring herself to trust him, even after her saves her life. Now he’s on the run too and agrees to get Sarah safely to where she needs to be. During their journey he will do much more than just protect her…. He will teach her to avoid detection, master her emotions, be brave and how to survive… He shows her that just as a war can destroy and create hate, It doesn’t have the power to stop an all consuming love.
Hiding their identities and deny who they are as the race from safe house to safe house, Ralf and Sarah continue their journey together. All too soon Ralf is captured and Sarah has a choice to make.
The weight of the world seems to rest on the shoulders of young Sarah. Having no world knowledge and being held in practically like a hostage in her home by a war she doesn’t understand and the full gravity of it being held secret by her parents. All she wants to do is make violins and put the love and careful attention to detail into each and every one. When the pounding on their door comes that night and Sarah now knows what her parents were keeping from her. She must leave the safety of her home, of her family and make the dangerous journey to safety. The rough terrain and the soldiers everywhere. Not knowing who she can trust, keeping a part of herself hidden so she can remain undetected. She has to keep her wits about her and ultimately her eye on the prize.
You can feel the emotional rollercoaster she is on. You literally watch her throw off her adolescences and transition into womanhood in such a quick succession, it would make anyones head spin. It really comes to a head when she is saved by a young German Soldier, Ralf who is now on the run too, having risked his life to save her and her friend Eric.
The journey is, at times, agony to read. Sarahs hatred for all Germans is so black and white that she can’t, at first, see there is so much grey all around her. Everything she says, everything she does, every small detail has to be just right in order to avoid detection. She has no life skills to help her on this life or death quest to safety. She is learning as she goes.
The whole book from start to finish is like watching Sarah mature from a naive caterpillar into a butterfly of knowledge. Her full transition from child to woman is painfully played out and you will feel every emotion right along with her. My heart was so full to bursting and the tears were hard to bite back knowing she was wholly dependent on herself and trying to navigate her feelings for a man she barely knows and didn’t trust in the beginning. No experiences to draw on and no Mother to ask. The whole book had me reeling with the simplicity of tale and the complexity of a world that we today, cannot comprehend. You could almost hear the footsteps of the Soldiers along the cobble stone streets and feel the pounding on the front door.
I’ve never read any of Sharon Maas’ work before, which is shocking to me as I am an avid historical fiction reader. This book was right on the money for me. You can feel the fear of the unknown, the hatred and the violence of a time that the author herself, didn’t live through but really has a way with the written word. I felt like I was living through 1940s France. The hairs on my arms would stand on end whenever she came to a check point. The air of silent terror really played out well through the whole book for me.
I really felt love can conquer all, even hatred. Historical fiction enthusiasts should really add this to their reading pile. If you enjoy having your heart beating as fast as a drum, having sweaty palms so slick you can barely hold the book any more and breathing so quietly so the Nazi’s can’t hear you, then this is the read for you.
Sincerely, The Lioness
The storm by Rachel Hawkins Have you read any books by this author before? I’m a fan of hers so I’m a teeny bit biased but this book was amazing! The Rosalee inn sets a scene. Geneve owns the place and when her old friend returns after she left through a scandal.. all the secrets bubble to the surface! What will cause more carnage? The lies of the past or the hurricane heading directly for them? The book had a slow but brilliant start. One thing I love about her books is she knows how to set the stage and when things really get going… Oohh watch out! I loved the tone and the pace: the writing is always excellent but I felt the more dark edge in this one. The characters are all well developed and I wanted to learn more about them and hello!! Set in an inn!! Love that! Not always a massive fan of weather related plots in books but I actually quite liked that there was something coming that couldn’t be stopped! Felt the ending was done right and all in all.. solid book! 4 stars Thank you to @stmartinspress for my gifted copy. SMP early reader - book influencer - book review - thriller
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I just finished Falling for You Again by Kerry Lonsdale and here are my musings. Meli is a furniture artist. She crafts the most amazing pieces and looks forward to taking over the family business. She is blind-sided when her uncle plans to sell the business. When she finds out the company that is buying has someone she knows working for them… Aaron. A man she hasn’t seen in years… The man she married and divorced after a night in vegas… A man who might just be able to help her destroy the deal. Wow wow wow! This second chance story really took a unique twist by having the main characters meet by chance on a plane and get married in Vegas with the agreement they annul it after. They don’t see each other again until this deal. I loved the chemistry between them. The narration was absolutely wonderful and I loved how the whole book came to life in this beautiful way. I liked Meli a lot. I loved that she had a job outside of “pink” jobs that come up a lot in romance books. She was a rockstar with A wood-lathe and that was bad ass. I thought the plot was clever and unique. It really was a fun read. I liked the ending too. It was definitely an all round epic romance read! 4.5 stars Thank you @netgalley and @brilliancepublishing for my gifted ALC! You can find all my reviews at thelionessofliteracy.com And my podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/5kKN96RNPNh4uNDZzpIE1A #bookish #bookalorian #bookalicious #bookishblog #bookstagrammer #candianbookblogger #bookishbusiness #bookpodcast #litdulterous #readingbook #readersofbookstagram #bookrecs #fallingforyouagain #audiobookreview
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Book Review - Non fiction - History I just finished Tom Paine’s War - The Words that Rallied a Nation and the Founder for our Time by Jack Kelly and here are my musings. I don’t know a lot about American history but 1776 is a year I recognize. A country fighting for its independence…. FIST PUMP! What I didn’t know was anything about Tom Paine. He wrote a pamphlet called Common sense.. Something I see a lot of people without lately and he convinced people they could rule themselves. He didn't just write, he fought on the ground… I had no idea all the information I learned reading this book about how America started out its baby steps into independence and I have to say it was impressive! When did we as a civilization get so compliant? These men fought for America's future and we allow the cuff to be tightened all the time in the name of security. It was an eye opening book. I really enjoyed the writing and the whole tone of the book. It was well researched and I was thoroughly entertained. It’s a really good starter book if you want to dip your toe into the revolutionary war! 4 stars Thank you @stmartinspress for my gifted copy. Out jan 6th… Oh that date… Nice timing haha Check out my book podcast!! https://open.spotify.com/show/5kKN96RNPNh4uNDZzpIE1A #Bookcommunity #bookalorian #bookblog #bookishbanter #litdulterous
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I just finished The Liar I Married by D.K. Hood and here are my musings. How do you cope when you find that your husband wasn’t the man you thought he was.. You cannot remember things and he won’t let you see your children and you are the reason you had a bad accident? Oh man I didn’t see any of this stuff coming! I love books that keep you on the edge of your seat.. That keeps you unbalanced…. You never know who’s telling the truth… Where is the danger… This book had that in spades. I didn’t trust anyone. I was questioning everything. The story was so well done with the best of the best pacing. The narration was excellent. I was hooked. I could not put it down and that ending…. YAHOOOOOO I was shocked I tell ya… SHOOK TO MY CORE!!! If you read psychological thrillers, you have to add this page turner to your TBR! 4 stars Thank you @bookouture #theliarimarried #dkhood #thriller #thrillerreader #thrillerbook #bookreview #booksbooksbooks #bookcommunity #bookalorian #litdulterous #bookblog #bookinfluencer #bookrecs
