Well researched debut novel of the conflicts of war, with two people in love on conflicting sides in World War II. Recommended read.
Such a well researched book, this is the author's debut novel. The main characters are Missy and Conrad at the outbreak of World War II. Missy, after finishing school in the Swiss Alps, is staying in Germany for a time and falls in love with Conrad a german who seems to be aware of the rise of Natizism and the dangers rather than looking up to the madness of Hilter and his terrible regieme, "I can hear the shouty Hitler on one of his speeches they would have heard on the wireless".
They both contribute to the war in each other's countries, Missy with the Refugees Childrens Unit and Bletchley. Whilst Conrad is with the German Paratroopers.
This is a story of war from two sides, although I have read a great deal on the war there is something always to learn.
Thank you LoveReading for letting me review this remarkable story.
Of course the question is will they meet again? You need to read this to find out.
A great read for World War History enthusiasts – featuring a fast-paced, dual storyline between lovers Missie, a talented translator working at Bletchley Park and Conrad, reluctant Luftwaffe Conscript who find themselves on opposing sides of the brutal conflict.
This novel begins in Germany 1938 in a Europe on the brink of war where Missie Ormesby, a young Englishwomen, finds herself falling for Conrad Van Echlau, a fervent anti-Nazi who has recently been conscripted into the German Air Force. Their union is brief but deeply passionate and when war breaks out, they find themselves on opposite of the conflicts, torn between their love for each other and their loyalty to their family and country.
Throughout the novel the action switches between Missie, now working as a translator at Bletchley Park, and Conrad, a senior member of the Luftwaffe preparing with his team to undertake a daring British invasion. The book swings between the two perspectives and is unique in World War fiction in giving the perspective of the involvement from both sides and examining the conflicts between doing what the country requires of them and their own personal motivations and morals.
The dual perspective leading up to the potential invasion and the British attempts to thwart it make for exciting reading and give the novel a fast pace with plenty of drama to keep the reader gripped. There are however a great deal of military terms and detailed descriptions of the mechanisms of war and machinery which for me made it at times difficult to read and took away from what is at its heart a compelling story.
This book would be a perfect read for World War History enthusiasts who enjoy all the technical descriptions of the mechanisms of war alongside an exciting storyline.