A View Across the Rooftops tells the story of Josef and Michael as they struggle to survive during the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam. While I sometimes feel that there is a flood of World War 2 novels, this book truly stands out of the pack. The themes of love even in the darkest of times still stand true today. Beautifully written, this book is a must read for anyone that wants to learn more about how remarkable the Dutch people were in their resistance of the Nazi party. Based on true events, you will not want to put this book down!

A good story about life under occupied Amsterdam in WW2. However I struggled on many occasions to pick it up once I put it down and found I didn't feel a connection with the characters. I am glad I finished it as I learned a lot about that aspect of life during the war.

As historical fiction stories go, this is an extraordinarily generous one, rich, dense, and satisfying. It is heartbreaking at times. This is a new author to me and I will be seeking more of her work.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

A View Across the Rooftops is a very moving book set during the period of World War II in Amsterdam. These are hard times and only love and compassion provides (some) solace.

Josef Held is a professor teaching mathematics, whose life seems to hold no charm after the passing of his wife Sarah many years ago. He finds Hannah Pender at the university charming and yet cannot find the urge to take the relationship forward. The Nazi occupation and their treatment of Jews, brings more pain. His neighbor Mrs. Epstein is killed right in front of his eyes, an old lady who took pleasure in playing the piano. There is also his Jewish student Michael Blum, whose easy ways he finds difficult to relate to. And yet, Josef makes a choice – he helps Michael by hiding him. Michael is in love with Elke (who is not Jewish) and the prevailing situation separates them. There are further complications and risks with his niece Ingrid dating a high-level German officer.

Josef and Michael form a bond over time – at the start without even speaking much with each other. As trust grows, they learn to share their pains and memories of better times. There are several close shaves while Michael is in hiding, and he also falls seriously ill at one time.

This is not a fast paced book, and yet it is very beautiful – a sum total of the characters, their inner feelings, circumstances and the strength of the story. It is a wonderful story of courage, letting go and find purpose in the most difficult of situations.

My rating: 4.5 / 5.

Love this cover! This was a quick story that kept me up late to finish it! I enjoyed the story and am amazed at the characters determination in such hard times. Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for a great read!

If you love historical fiction and WWII books you will really enjoy this.

A View Across The Rooftops is a heart wrenching book which shows how a sample of people coped during the war. A young Jewish man in love with a Dutch woman, a Dutch man who just wants to survive, a young Dutch woman who is swept up with the wrong crowd (The Third Riech) and a Dutch woman who's story leads her to join the resistance.

I have always enjoyed WWII books and gained a recent interest in how countries other than the UK were affected. Being based on a true story, this gives an insight to how Amsterdam locals were affected throughout the war and their opinion of the Nazis.

I really struggled to put this book down, particularly the end of the book which I sat up until 2am reading and trying hard not to wake my husband with my crying!

There are lots of unexpected twists and turns and the book isn't predictable (other than the end of the war), which really keeps you interested. The characters are well written which absorbed you in them and makes you desperate to keep reading to discover what is going to happen to them.

This book has been cleverly written and I am so grateful to NetGalley and the author giving me a chance to read this pre-release.

4.25 rating
How many heart-wrenching WWII books can one read? Well, if they are like this book, I will keep reading them. Set in Amsterdam during the Nazi occupation, we meet mathematics professor Josef Held as life is starting to change all around him. He has been living a simple life with his cat devoid of any real emotion as he has never recovered from the death of his wife twenty years earlier. Only the simple pleasure of listening to his neighbor Mrs. Epstein play her piano is all he allows himself. But once his Jewish neighbor is murdered right before him, everything changes. And when his student Michael, a vibrant, artistic young Jewish man, needs his help, Josef must find the strength and courage to come to his rescue putting his own life in jeopardy. Inspired by a true story, this book was beautifully written and extremely moving showing that heroes exist beyond the battlefields. Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and author Suzanne Kelman for the opportunity to read this impressive book in advance of its October 25 release.

I don't read many historical fiction as I do not know much about history. Having got an opportunity to read this book, I would try to put words to my thoughts.

1941, Amsterdam, Nazi invasion, a Professor Held, who taught advanced mathematics saw brutality occurring everywhere. His niece started dating a German soldier. Michael his pupil was banned from attending his class. In order to save his life, impulsively, the professor offered Michael a safe place to hide.

My first book by Susanne Kelman, the book read fast. The characters soon took up all my attention, and emotions were wrenched when I read about the atrocities on humanity. The author created an aura of the World War II, and life of the people living in those times and their struggle to survive.

All the characters, Professor and Michael and their love interests, told me their tale poignantly. At times, I had to tell myself to breathe as the scene would suck in all my emotions. This was a heartbreaking captivating story where sacrifice and love on the backdrop of WW2 made it a compelling read.

I loved it. Such a brilliant book about the role of individuals during the Holocaust and the Ditch resistance. It felt true to the historical setting and didn’t trivialise events.

I will review properly over at www.overflowinglibrary.com closer to publication

I’ve read many books on WW2 and the related atrocities that accompanied the battles, but I’ve never read one like this before. Mesmerising, emotional and beautifully written and from a perspective I’ve not seen before,

I'm so sad that I did not like this. The summary makes it sound wonderful, the cover is gorgeous, and I'm totally here for grumpy main characters that begrudgingly do the right thing. But the writing is just not for me. Here are a few sample sentences (and I read just the first two chapters):

"Cream sandals emphasized her shapely ankles..." (you'd think a man wrote this, but alas, it was a woman)

"...her dropped-waist, calf-length, silk dress had been reverently tucked and folded by elderly female relatives and young unmarried friends." (because being old and/or unmarried obviously means you have no hope in life)

"...I started to fall a little bit in love with your father as I watched him reciting." (she tells her husband this!! at their wedding!!)

"I'm not sure how long our love with last if you don't know how to keep love alive like that. I can't see mathematical equations making me feel quite the same way." (girl has a point about math, but girl, shouldn't you have figured this out before the wedding?)

"He continued with intense romantic emphasis, "[insert mathematical equation that I don't want to retype here]." (what is this sentence!!!)

"As their lovemaking fell into a gentle rhythm, all that could be heard was the soft creaking of the windmill as its sails lifted toward the darkening sunset sky." (this is a sentence that exists and it makes me want to hurl)

I rest my case. Other things are writing about "expectant eyes", using Holland and the Netherlands as interchangeable terms (they aren't), using the phrase "shapeliness" several times in just a few pages, and having the grumpy professor examine a female coworker while she's speaking to him like she's a piece of meat ready for consumption. If this is all men think about, no wonder the world goes to shit. And then he goes home, and asks his cat how its day has been!! Was that supposed to make me think he was a reasonable human? After objectifying a clearly married woman? Knowing that for at least half the book (I think there is a second perspective I didn't get to) I would have to be in this patronizing asshole's head did NOT make me want to continue this story.

Anyway. The story seems fine. It's what made me want to read this in the first place, and I wish I enjoyed it more. The cover is really pretty. But this book is clearly written for romance readers who feel like delving into historical fiction for a change. With that, I leave you this one last sentence that was the last straw for me:

"'I am just going to lie here until you are overcome by my incredible body and beg me to make love to you again,' he informed her." (y'all are Jewish in Occupied Amsterdam, shouldn't you have bigger things to worry about?)

What a lovely book ! So beautifully written ! If you like historical fiction you must read this book !! In a time where Jewish people are being rounded up and taken away, who is brave enough to try to save them ? Who is willing to turn against their own people and help the enemy ? It is truly a love story, different kinds of love stories all in one book. Absolutely loved it !! #buythebook

Suzanne Kelman's novel, A View Across the Rooftops, brings a different look into the atrocities we all have heard about WW II. The story features a quiet Mathematics Professor just trying to survive in Nazi occupied Amsterdam as he continues to mourn the death of his young wife 20 years earlier, a receptionist at the same University, widowed during the Great War, neither knowing the other ones story. A young Jewish student and the Dutch woman he loves, the professor;s niece and a Nazi officer all have stories to share. Students are disappearing everyday as the Jews are being taken away. A student with no where to go shows up at the Professor's house needing a place to stay and be safe. Hearing the stories told from each person's point of view is heartbreaking, encouraging and helps to show the lives these people lived through no fault of their own, only the circumstances placed upon them by the war. As U read the choices each person made, I found some brave and encouraging, some decisions predictable and I recommend this book to everyone. It will make you cry, and smile and even cheer for the characters as they go through the nightmarish years of the occupation of Holland by the Nazi's. Make sure you take the time to read the author;s notes at the end of the book.
Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and especially Suzanne Kelman for the opportunity to read this book and share my honest review with you.

I can’t put into words how I feel about this book. I learnt things about the atrocities that, although I should’ve, I didn’t know. I’ve read loads of holocaust books but this was from a different view. How people survived this I will never know, but they were very resourceful and determined. An amazing story.

A gifted author of a heart-wrenching story of ordinary people elevated to the realm of heroes through love and sacrifice. Yes, evil existed in all its vastness during World War II but the love and courage that so many rose up to conquer it. It is an emotional journey of heartache and love that will leave you in tears. One of the finest books I have ever read. Would definitely make an excellent film.

I was excited to read this book as I had not read a book from this point of view of the war and I was not disappointed.
A View Across the Rooftops was a captivating story of love, friendships and hope foe the future. Its written with such depth the characters and settings come alive before your eyes. Thee opening scene was brilliant to read, its one of my favourite opening's to any story I have read for a while. The courage that the people of Amsterdam had to have had is unbelievable and is captivated in the characters of this story.
I really enjoyed reading this story and following the journey between Micheal and Josef. Josef a maths teacher gives Micheal a save place to hide while the Nazi's are occupying the country, but he needs to be careful about who he can really trust. With loose heavy in his heart he wants to help Micheal who is in love with a Dutch girl and give their love a chance in these terrible times. A captivating story that I really enjoyed reading.
I story that I am so glad I had the chance to read.

This is another heartbreaking based on a true story set during the 2nd World War. This story is set in Amsterdam and I highly recommend it. Make sure to have your box of tissues at the ready while you read this beautifully told story!

My thanks to Netgalley and Bookoutre for this advanced readers copy. This book is due to release in October 2019.

I received a digital advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is an edge of your seat page turner. It really lives up to its description of a heart wrenching story.

It is full of love, hope, determination and survival. It really left me questioning if I would have survived or not.

One big piece of advice I will give you if you decide to pick up this title is read the author notes! They add soo much depth to this story.
A View Across Rooftops is incredibly wonderful but heart wrenching read. The characters are well written and the book was overall interesting from page one. I would highly recommend this to any historical buff.

This was an absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking story about heroism, love, and hope for the future of Amsterdam and it’s people after the war.
This is a story of just how far one person would go to save another’s life.
This story gave me faith in humanity especially while it seems currently the world we live in is falling apart and the act of kindness is far and few between.
This is based on a true story which makes a read sometimes way more heartbreaking, and as the softy I am yes I did shed tears. :(
I definitely recommend this book

It’s 1941, Amsterdam is occupied by the Nazis. Professor Josef Held is a Mathematics Professor at the local University. Josef has never gotten over his wife Sarah dying 20 years previously but, he doesn’t let it show to others.
As the war goes on, his pupils are disappearing due to being Jews. They are either captured by the Nazis and sent off to the concentration camps, killed or are in hiding. So, when he discovers one of his worst pupils that he has. That is very confident and outspoken and poetic Michael Blum he offers to hide him in his attic.
The story also includes the story of Ingrid who is sympathetic to The Third Reich and has a relationship with a Major. She dreams of a life with Hendrich getting married and moving to Germany.
Also, Hannah Pender, the receptionist at the university who ends up a member of the Resistance and helps the cause to win the war.
I always enjoy reading historical novels about the WW1 and WW2 and this is no exception. This was a beautifully written story of Love, courage, self-sacrifice and determination. I loved the poems too that were linked in this story. They gave more meaning to the story. This was such an emotional story and so different to others that I have read in this subject. That I give it big fat 5 stars from me.