This is a heartbreaking historical fiction novel taking place during WWII. I thought the writing was a bit choppy with the POV hard to follow at times. It was just an “okay” read for me.

I loved this book! It's well-written, enjoyable, and a great read. Armando Lucas Correa did a great job of writing in a way that captures the readers attention, and makes you not want to put it down until you're finished! I would highly recommend it!

This is my first book by this author, I had a hard time engaging with the story. I liked the premise of the plot and was hoping for more.

Historical fiction is my weakness. I love reading about things and events from war eras and dictatorships, you name it. This was as heart breaking and beautiful as it gets. There are a lot of books out there about war and it’s not easy task to create a story out of tragic events amd turn it into sacrifice and love.

I really enjoyed The German Girl by this author. This book was also good but didn’t quite hit the same mark. The storyline was gripping, definitely keeping my attention. I read a lot of World War II-related books, and I learned more about the bravery of the Resistance in this novel. The author built out a couple of the characters well, but I wish he’d gone deeper on a few others (Claire, Danielle).

I felt the ending was a bit rushed, and I wished there were greater closure for the reader. However, this novel is still worth the read and I wouldn’t hesitate to encourage someone to read it. .

The Daughter’s Tale by Armando Lucas Correa—author of The German Girl—used the genre of historical fiction to explore a real event in World War II that I had never read about. To quote the publisher:

“New York City, 2015: Elise Duval, eighty years old, receives a phone call from a woman recently arrived from Cuba bearing messages from a time and country that she’s long forgotten. A French Catholic who arrived in New York after World War II, Elise and her world are forever changed when the woman arrives with letters written to Elise from her mother in German during the war, unravelling more than seven decades of secrets.

Berlin, 1939: Bookstore owner and recent widow Amanda Sternberg is fleeing Nazi Germany with her two young daughters, heading towards unoccupied France. She arrives in Haute-Vienne with only one of her girls. Their freedom is short-lived and soon they are taken to a labor camp.

Based on true events, The Daughter’s Tale chronicles one of the most harrowing atrocities perpetrated by the Nazis during World War II: the 1944 massacre of all the inhabitants of Oradour-Sur-Glane, a small, idyllic village in the south of France. Heartbreaking and immersive, The Daughter's Tale is a beautifully crafted family saga of love, survival, and hope against all odds.”

Correa did a good job weaving together a novel around a true event. It contained some beautiful writing, and many characters I cared deeply about. By its very topic—however—it was bleak reading at times. There were many redemptive characters, but as a whole this was a dark novel because of its setting and the historical event it was centered around.

As the book begins, we see Germany through the eyes of a Jewish family which consists of Julius—a notable cardiologist—and Amanda Sternberg—who has inherited a bookstore from her father—and their two young daughters. The Sternberg’s—who consider themselves very German—lives are shattered as they watch Hitler and the Nazis come to power. Julius is such a good doctor that he keeps Nazi patients despite the fact that he is Jewish, and Amanda has good Gentile friends, but they are powerless to stop what is happening around them. These passages (with my commentary interspersed) describing book burning and the bookshop being eventually ransacked are beautifully written:

“In May, Amanda’s store had survived the burning of more than twenty thousand books in Opernplatz, dragged like corpses on wheelbarrows by spellbound university students who imagined their futures would be made by feeding the biggest bonfire ever seen in Berlin.

That dark evening of May 10, 1933, they had all heard on the radio the speech that would seal the future of what until that moment had been their country: “The era of extreme Jewish intellectualism has come to an end, and the German revolution has again opened the way for the true essence of being German.’”

(Amanda tries to sort out the treasured books in her bookshop to prevent all from being burned, but eventually, she can only save one book which she hides. University students (ironic isn’t it), a Nazi neighbor, and other Nazi sympathizers carry off the entire contents of her bookstore and burn them. In the passage below, Jewish Amanda and her husband Julius are comforted by Hilde—a German Christian friend at one point):

“‘They’re only burning paper. The books are still here,” she said, raising her first finger to her temple, all her anguish captured in a gesture. “If they really want them to disappear, they will have to burn all of us,” she declared. “Do they think they can incinerate everything I learned from my father? They can never do that, Hilde. My father’s voice will always be with me . . .”

She was unable to continue.

“There are still some good Germans left,” Hilde said, trying to console her. “I’m German too. This is my country, no matter what they say.”

“A poet predicted this a century ago: ‘Where they burn books, they will also end up burning people.’ The chancellor has hypnotized everyone, especially the young people, who act on impulse.”

In her dreams, Amanda had already seen the bonfire. The flames reached right up to the clouds; the pile of books was higher than any building in Opernplatz.

In the real world, it was no more than twenty or so students emboldened by their swastikas and the National Socialist youth anthem, taking revenge on a handful of books. There would be others, she knew. This was just the beginning.”

Amanda and her husband escape with their lives this time, but, of course, you can predict what happens. He is—of course—detained, but manages to get two passes to send their daughters away from Germany to put them on a ship to Cuba. When Amanda gets there, she inexplicably only puts one child on the boat—fleeing with her other daughter to France where they end up hiding with a French Catholic friend in the little village which is fated to meet a sad end.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book and for allowing me to review it. I apologize for my very tardy review. (Publication date May 2019)

The Daughter’s Tale takes the reader on a journey back to Berlin, 1939. This was such a gripping story, based on events during WWII, and covers the tragedy in history.

This tackles the true story of the multitudes of families that were decimated during that time. As with Historical Fiction, I am always shocked to discover yet another true event that takes place at this time, and had no prior knowledge to the slaughtered villagers, which was so heartbreaking.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Atria for the free copy. All opinions are my own

I read a lot of historical fiction about WWII and while I liked the angle of this one - it's a story that focuses on mother/daughter relationships and the choices women had to make during those dark times - was one I hadn't heard before. It focuses on real events that are truly heartbreaking and it's impossible to read this book and not be overcome by the dark things people did and endured.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. I have long enjoyed historical fiction set in WWII and love a good book with a dual timeline. This book was engaging and well written. I thought both parts of the story were well written and equally interesting. Sometimes I find myself speeding through one character's story over another's, but that wasn't the case with this book. The Daughter's Tale was powerful moving, even more so after realizing it was based on a true story.

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BERLIN, 1939. The dreams that Amanda Sternberg and her husband, Julius, had for their daughters are shattered when the Nazis descend on Berlin, burning down their beloved family bookshop and sending Julius to a concentration camp. Desperate to save her children, Amanda flees toward the south of France, where the widow of an old friend of her husband’s has agreed to take her in. Along the way, a refugee ship headed for Cuba offers another chance at escape and there, at the dock, Amanda is forced to make an impossible choice that will haunt her for the rest of her life. Once in Haute-Vienne, her brief respite is inter­rupted by the arrival of Nazi forces, and Amanda finds herself in a labor camp where she must once again make a heroic sacrifice.

NEW YORK, 2015. Eighty-year-old Elise Duval receives a call from a woman bearing messages from a time and country that she forced herself to forget. A French Catholic who arrived in New York after World War II, Elise is shocked to discover that the letters were from her mother, written in German during the war. Despite Elise’s best efforts to stave off her past, seven decades of secrets begin to unravel.

Based on true events, The Daughter’s Tale chronicles one of the most harrowing atrocities perpetrated by the Nazis during the war. Heart­breaking and immersive, it is a beautifully crafted family saga of love, survival, and redemption.

Elise lives in New York. She has a daughter Adele and a grandson Etienne . Mrs Rosen found some letters in Cuba that belong to Elise. The book spanned across time . Amanda has a store front and must get rid of all ungerman books. To ignore the task would put her family in danger. Amanda is pregnant . Amanda dreams she is to have a girl Viera .Amanda's husband a doctor is taken to a forced labor camp for being a jew . Amanda and lina later Elise are also taken later on. Viera has been taken to Cuba. Amanda must do what it takes for Lina to survive. Elise is my favorite character. I was hoping for a happy ending. I liked the ending.

I will not be reviewing this book. It is a book that I typically would gravitate to, however, for some reason my timing is off, and it has not held my interest. instead of giving it a poor review, I will read and review at a later time. thank you.

Gorgeous cover! This wasn’t my favorite historical fiction book covering WWII - I think the story telling was a little all over the place for me. But overall I enjoyed it and recommend if you are a fan of historical fiction.

Heart wrenching I was swept right into ww11 into the lives of the two sisters separated by th horrors of war.The characters come alive a book that will stay with you. #TheDaughterstale #netgalley.

The Daughter's Tale is another unique look at the plight of people trying to survive during World War II. Hiding identities and trying to escape, this book provides another look at the desperation and will of people for survival. I thoroughly enjoyed the bouncing between time periods, looking back at the events which brought this family now to present day. heartbreaking, but beautifully crafted. This book is a must read for historical fiction fans.

Synopsis blew my mind away. Historical fiction, WWII period, is my absolute favorite. I was looking forward for The Daughter’s Tale.

My mistake was that I concentrated on the title and waited Daughter’s Tale. There were two involved but none of them had narrated the story. Most of it was told through Amanda’s, the mother. I understand that it was heart wrecking and tear-dropping plot but it wasn’t alive. At least for me.

Thank you Negalley and Atria Books for The Daughter's Tale by Armando Lucas Correa ARC in return of my honest review.

This novel starts by following a young pregnant woman in Berlin in the 1930s and goes on to follow the story of her second child during WWII and its impact in France.
It touches on many horrific realities that happened during WWII, both for Jews and those labeled communists. While many of the scenes are heartrending, I felt that the main character was never fully fleshed out. We were given glimpses of what was going on in her head, but often it seemed like she did or said things very abruptly and was not given the opportunity to become a more dimensional figure. The book itself seemed as though it jumped around in some places and while it was not confusing for plot or timelines, it did feel disjointed.

The Daughter’s Tale is an excellent novel about a family that lives during World War II. The difficulties experienced during WW II are experienced in detail. I love reading a novel that allows you to care about the characters as you experience living during Workd War II. . Read this novel.!! You will not be disappointed.

Another wonderful historical fiction book about the effects World War 2 had on so many people. The Sternbergs had a good life. They owned a bookstore that Amanda ran and Julius was a doctor who had just begun his medical practice, but then things start happening.
Amanda must get rid of all the books that are considered offensive, unpatriotic, etc. Among her books were keepsakes that she wasn't able to save. She could only choose one book.

Things begin to worsen. Her husband is gone and she is left with two little girls....the letters she receives from her husband.....they broke my heart in two.

I need some time to come back from this book. It's a heavy read and pretty emotional as well.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

This novel describes the story of two sisters who were separated during the horrors of Nazi occupation in World War II. This novel was beautiful descriptive. It was heartbreaking to read, but another eye opening novel about the dark times in German occupied countries and how families had to overcome their horrible circumstances. I enjoyed reading this!

The Daughter's Tale by Armando Lucas Correa is a hauntingly beautifully written historical fiction novel. The setting ranges from Germany, Cuba, New York City, to amongst other locales. The story takes place, for the most part, during World War II. I love it when I am reading a book and it whets my appetite to do some research and learn more about the time period in which the story took place, this is one of those books. Make sure to have tissue handy, you will deeply feel the emotion of the characters.