This was a very interesting read. It followed the Blumenthal family as they tried to fit together the pieces of their lives and discover what happened during and after World War 2. The children left Nazi Germany on Kindertransports so as you can imagine some of this story was a little upsetting. The children ended up living with host families and not a lot is know about their lives once Lillian and Margueritte were settled. I was very interested in learning about society at the time this novel was set bu the part of the novel set in Cape town was incredibly interesting also as we learn about Lillian's grandmother's live. It is set during Nelson Mandela's imprisonment and although it was set many year's after the Nazi dictatorship the apartheid regime mirrored many of the Nazi's policies and behaviour. This was a really enjoyable read and a very clever piece of fiction. I really enjoyed it and I definitely recommend!!!

"Dreams of Silver" could have been a bit better written. While the story is based on fact, the writing managed to take away from my enjoyment. It certainly could have been a better sequel.

Just when I think I've read everything on the subject of WWII,
I find another,take on this very subject.
This is the sequel to "The Silver Music Box." written by Nina Baites and it is wonderful.
This is a novel about 2 sisters who were sent out of their Country,as their parents were running for their lives.The youngest child was adopted by a wonderful family and had a great life.The oldest at the age of 7 was given a dead child's identity and virtually sold to an older couple,thru a crooked adoption agency, who had wanted a child for yrs.They treated her well and loved her dearly,but she grew up without the knowledge,of her younger sister.
Recurring dreams of the silver music box, after she was older led her to unlocking buried memories of the past and in the meantime,the younger sister starts to look into the possibility that her older sister is still alive.
Many things come to pass,both good and bad but they finally reunite after many yrs.
I've given away a good bit of the storyline but you must read this novel to find out the rest.
A big thank you to Netgalley and publishers for the opportunity to Read and review "Dreams of Silver."

This is the sequel to Silver Music Box written by a German author who had a translator translate it to English. Just how does one go about reviewing a book like this? A book that is so full of emotion it gave me a lump in my throat and clouded my eyes through the tears that fell so I couldn't read it for a bit. A family heirloom, a silver music box crafted in 1914 links surviving members. It has been passed down through two world wars. I do recommend you read the Silver Music Box first to get a full understanding of the story. This book kept me captivated from beginning to end and reading into the wee hours of the morning.
Pub Date 13 Nov 2018
I was given a complimentary copy of this book from AmazonCrossing through NetGalley. Thank you. All opinions expressed are my own.

I think the book is ok. Not as engaging as I thought it would be as the plot is quite predictable and ordinary. There are better historical fiction out in the market, and "Dreams of Silver" is quite a mediocre in quality comparatively speaking.

I read the Silver Music Box earlier this year, loved it and anxiously awaited this sequel, I should have re-read the Silver Box just before I started this one, it took me a little bit to get back into where we left off. But once I re-acquainted myself with the characters and got the previous and current names straight we were on a roll. I enjoyed this one as much as I did the first. I love the way the chapters go between characters, the author has a wonderful way of giving you enough background to know what is happening and enough suspense you want to read more to find out what is coming. She also adds historical information that adds to the depth of the story and gives you a true setting of how the times and events took place. I found the segregation in Cape Town very informative and even though I have read numerous WWII books, she has added a whole new perspective with her orphan scenario.
I would recommend you read the Silver Music Box first, this story can stand on its own, but the character development will be much better if you have the background. I also highly recommend both books. High 5*****’s.
I was given the opportunity to receive this book from Amazon Crossing through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. This one gets 5*****’s.

I was happy to see that the author had written a sequel to "The Silver Music Box". I loved the first book for it's writing and story. However, I felt like "Dreams of Silver" a bit disappointing. It did bring the story to a conclusion. But some of the heart of the story was missing. I felt like it was more of a biography than the first book. I realize that these books are based on fact, but the writing was much more analytical than in the first book. I completely loved the story, but thought it could have benefited from more emotion occasionally.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Crossing for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

It would really aid the reader if they Ms. Baites first novel in this series first. It is called The Silver Music Box.

This story, the second in a series, begins in 1963. Lilian and her fiancé Sam are leaving London to go to live with her grandmother Lotte and her father Peter in South Africa. They are wrapping up things in London and Lilian wants to learn more about the fate of her sister Emma who was killed in an air raid in the 1940’s.

There is much back story, but Ms. Baites fills it in nicely for the reader.

What follows is a journey from South Africa to London and then to Ireland. It is the story of a young woman who searches for clues about her sister and won’t stop until she finds out the truth.

Although the book is rather predictable, there are some surprises and many very nice moments. Ms. Baites sets a scene very well and describes situations and emotions quite vividly. She vividly describes how the pain of the Holocaust carries through generations on an almost daily basis. I liked that the author interjected Dede into the story and her friendship with Lotte. In the early 1960’s in South Africa, this was a very dangerous situation – as well described in the book. It did not occur to me before reading this the close parallels between apartheid and the persecution of the Jewish people. Very well done, Ms. Baites! I am most certainly looking forward to reading your next book. Hats off to the translator of this novel. Alison Layland. You also did a great job!

I want to thank NetGalley and AmazonCrossing for forwarding to me a copy of this remarkable book for me to read, enjoy and review.

I was so excited to find out that Mina Baites wrote a sequel to The Silver Music Box. I really enjoyed the first novel, which followed a Jewish, German family from the beginning of WWI through the early 1960's. I was captivated by their story and the writing and was saddened that there wasn't more resolution for the family at the end of the first novel. The second novel, Dreams of Silver, picked up right where the first book left off. The author does a nice job of filling in details from the first book, so it could be read as a standalone, but it is a far more powerful story if you read both of the books. It was a stunning glimpse into the far-reaching effects of war, long after the dust settles. What happens to the people affected after the world goes on. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to any other books that Mina Baites writes.

<i> I received a copy of this title from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review </i>

With such a great story background, I had high hopes form this book.I just loved the first part of the series - The Silver Music Box.
However,this one did not really live up to the expectations.It lacked the charm and the connect that first book was able to create.

Dreams of Silver is a novel based on the nightmare of WWII. Two sisters, torn a part, with only a music box and hidden memories to link them. Against all odds, and with the assistance from others, are they reunited, along with their father and grandmother. The story spans from the 1940s-1960s and covers South Africa, Ireland, and England. I didn't realize until I read the afterward, this is a sequel to another book. It s a good story.

A wonderful sequel continuing the story the older sister. The sadness of the Kinder-transport at the reminder that the children sent abroad still didn't have a happy ending. By the end Baites couldn't resist giving hope and happy in the face of oppression and the grief of WW II. Recommend to readers of WW II fiction.

excellent read ,very interesting storyline written so future generations will remember the wae.
Liked the way it went fast forward from one country to another but still keeping the reader interested in the story,also liked the way the author introduced new topic with Nelson Mandela.
Can wait for the sequel to the book.

Twenty years after World War II, Lillian, who was sent from Germany to England along with her sister, Emma, during the war, attempts to retrace her sister’s last steps before she was killed in an air raid over London. With only the silver music box, a family treasure that miraculously survived two world wars, Lillian goes looking for answers. Her grandmother and an Irish woodworker also figure into the story of Lillian’s lost sister. Every time I read a story about those terrible wars, I wonder how anyone managed to stay sane, let alone might have been brave enough to risk everything to help someone else. Keep your tissues handy

First off i want to say that this is such a wonderful series! The first book is during WW2 which sets the scene for Dreams of Silver. This book is the years following the war and how people at that time in the aftermath are still trying to go on with life and find loved ones that are still missing, or in this book, presumed dead.. For me this book took more time for me to get into and was very boring at times. You kind of knew what was going to happen all through the story but took a while for the build up when it actually happened. All in all I would recommend this book as it is a good follow up to The Silver Music Box.