"Midnight Train to Prague" had me charmed by the setting and the surprise family secret. Windley's writing is beautiful, but the slow plot and flat characters left me wanting more. Great for emotional journeys, not ideal for fast-paced adventures.

I absolutely love books about the world wars. This one was right up my alley.
This one kind of had a different twist and started in between the wars, which is unique for books about that time period.
I really liked Natalia who was the main character. She was strong, brave and resilient, and I really admired her.
There are many surprises in this book and I learned to love the characters and really empathized with them.

In her highly acclaimed novel, Midnight Train to Prague, Carol Windley weaves a riveting story of resilience and fortitude through turbulent years of war.

Windley's story follows Natalia Faber, a young girl in 1927, on her journey with her mother to Prague, a journey that takes an unexpected turn when they are stranded in Saxon Switzerland. Here, Natalia learns of her father's survival and befriends a remarkable woman. On arrival in Hungary, she meets and marries Count Miklós Andorján. When her husband is sent to the eastern front, Natalia takes the journey to Prague in search of him.

Midnight Train to Prague paints a vivid portrait of friendship, loyalty, and courage as Natalia is thrown into a concentration camp and separated from her family. Though her faith and resilience are tested, Natalia manages to persevere and maintain her friendships. The novel not only speaks of her extraordinary bravery, but also highlights the beauty of love and family that helps to sustain her.

A masterful tale of the fragility and power of human spirit, Midnight Train to Prague is an engaging story that is sure to touch the hearts of all readers. Windley's poetic narrative brings this powerful novel to life and creates an unforgettable reading experience.

5 "elegant, ultrafeminine, romantic and then..." stars !!

Thanks initially to Netgalley, the author and Grove Atlantic for an ecopy of this book. When I went to access the book had expired. So I borrowed from the library and I thank them as well. This was released November 2020. I am providing my honest review.

This is an immensely skillful and artful piece of historical literary fiction.

I was at first charmed and then frightened and finally hopeful and always immensely moved.

I will not talk about the plot except to say the first half is the most delightful and deft romance and family drama and then the author moves us to how the German occupation impacts a variety of people during WW2 and the suffering and destitution to the aftermath and rebuilding of primarily Czechoslovakia and Hungary.

The characters are painted in impressionistic watercolors and depending on your distance and vantage point appear differently depending on your own angles and the quality of light and darkness. The plot is intricate and fascinating and the psychologies are deep and sound.

This was wholly satisfying, thought provoking and tragically beautiful.

Warmest thanks to Canadian author Ms. Carol Windley.

A story of coming of age during WWII in Europe. It seems like only yesterday there was Paris and Riviera, shopping and restaurants, late nights out and mum's stories of her conquests. But now it is all about basic survival.
Midnight Train to Prague weaves it's way through pre-war, war and post-war Europe. It is populated by characters connected by strong bonds or chance meetings. It tells a story of surviving, love, betrayal and, above all, human nature.
I found this book a bit dragging but overall interesting and full of details that lovers of historical fiction or even historical romance would find interesting and attractive.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. Great WWII novel. Highly recommend.

Lately I started to show interest in WW I & WW II books, even though I never cared much about it before. I don't know what happened that changed my attitude towards the war-themed stories - maybe I grew up a bit, so I can handle the brutality of those horrible times a bit better. What caught my attention about this particular book is that you meet hungarian characters and part of it takes place in Hungary, where I'm from.
This book has everything that you need in a WWII story - worrying for someone you love fighting in the war, trains, nazis, concentration camps, drama, mistery and sadness. Maybe that's why it was a bit too much for me, it was like the author wanted to throw everything in the mix at once.

Midnight Train to Prague is a WWII book that feels unlike other WWII books. The lives of some of the characters seemed very everyday life with a background hint of war, which I suppose there's a lot of reality in that. All of that changes of course! The only downside was it felt like there were a lot of characters to be keeping track of.

I love the plot of this book, but unfortunately couldn't get into the writing style. It was a DNF for me.

I love historical fiction, especially this timeframe but I couldn't really get into this one. It felt jumpy and it just didn't feel like my heart was in the story!

Content warnings: war violence, starvation, concentration camp

Natalia Faber lives in a convent during World War I and witnessed some of the horrors that war brings when the soldiers return. She is raised by a single mother whose parents immigrated to Argentina years earlier.

In 1927, Natalia is about to finish school. Her mother Beatriz tells her to pack a bag despite final exams looming and the two women board a train to Prague.

Many reviews of this book mention that the writing style is odd, with much of the book written in the past tense. I find it doesn't detract as much in audiobook form, as the narrator is telling a story from the past. It does start to read more like a non-fiction title after a while. The odd style combined with hard to pronounce names and large amounts of detail fails to capture the reader's attention after a while.

DNF.

Representation: single mother

Midnight Train To Prague is a historical saga that spans two decades. It details the trauma of war and how it has affected our protagonists. Themes such as suffering, loss, and trauma are the main focus of this saga. Author Carol Windley details the atrocities committed by the Germans, and though this book is powerful and gut-wrenching, its slow pacing and disjointed writing might turn off some readers.

Timing is everything to get into a book. This book at the time that I read it, just did not captivate me or keep my interest. The story was to jumpy and I couldn't stay with it. Took me a long time to get through it - and that says a lot considering I already read at a snail's pace!

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Carol Windley and HarperCollins Publishing for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

Midnight Train to Prague, while having an interesting plot, was just a disconnected, rambling story for me. The writing felt disjointed and congested, which made it a hard read. Overall, I just didn't like this book: I couldn't get into it, I got distracted, and felt confused.

I'd give this book 2.5 stars, mainly because the characters are not well developed. With a back and forth timeline and many characters, it didn't lend to a fluid book. But Windley is a great writer, and I appreciate all the history she shared. Unfortunately, the book didn't hold my attention. Great cover!

Natalia Faber travels from Berlin to Prague with her mother Beatriz in 1927, she’s just finished high school, and their train is delayed in Switzerland. A man falls ill aboard the train, a doctor tends to him and her name is Dr Magdalena Schaeffer. Mother and daughter continue their journey to a spa near a lake in Hungary, and here they meet Count Miklos Andorjan, a journalist, and his girlfriend Zita Kuznetsova.

Zita leaves with Beatriz, both women are flighty and selfish, and they travel to Argentina together. Natalia and Miklos marry a year later, when WW II begins, Miklos travels to the Russian front, and Natalia waits for him in Prague. Her mother-in-law taught her to read tarot cards, she sets up a shop reading people’s fortunes and meets Anna Schaeffer. The little girl she first met on the train in Switzerland all those years ago, the Germans accuse Natalia of spying, she’s sent to a concentration camp, and Anna’s sent to Germany to work as a maid.

Midnight Train To Prague, is a historical saga, and it’s a long story that spans two decades. You discover what happens to Natalia and Anna during the war, their terrible suffering, loss of family, property, and the atrocities the Germans committed in Czechoslovakia and Hungary. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, at times the plot was a little confusing, and three stars from me.

This is the kind of book I would usually love, but this one was a miss for me. I did power through, but it was hard to invest in the characters in this book. There was a lot going on, but it lacked the heart to get me invested. I was confused by the large cast of characters, and it seemed to go on long sidebars of historical facts. I found it came off a bit dry because of it. Technically proficient, it lacked the heart element that I need to really care about the outcome.

Carol Windley's latest work is exciting and superbly entertaining. This action packed advanture story is a must read. As far as the writing style and narration is concerned, it is absolutely fantastic. The way author has wevaed the story with the mastery of writing style and narration, it is truly commendable. Overall, it was a great experience. I highly recommend this work and give it full 5 stars for the writing, narration and overall presentation. Happy Reading.

3 out of 5 stars - It was ok

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic, Atlantic Monthly Press for this Advanced Reader Copy.

This book follows the life of Natalia Faber from shortly after WWI to post WWII. We're introduced to many other characters along the way as they weave in and out of her life story, including: her mother, Dr. Magdalena Schaefferová, Miklós Count Andorján, and Anna Schaefferová.

While I found the story somewhat interesting, I have to be honest and state that I got bored and wondered where the heck it was going. The only reason I continued reading to the end was because I needed to know if the story line actually wrapped up all the characters we'd met. Many of the "coincidences" of meeting people and then running into them later seemed highly unlikely.

I love a good war story. It's a genre I dont read often but still enjoy sporadically. I wasnt the biggest fan of this one and how it was written. It jumped around a lot and was written in a passive manner that I didnt care for. I prefer stories told by a character or two. There were also so many different players (characters) it was kind of hard to follow.