Set in Prussia in the days before WWII, this is an emotional love story with a large cast of characters. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Fans of the genre will welcome this for the different take Segovia offers.

World war stories are my favourite. This one is related to WWII. Writing style was lyrical and had me on edge throughout the story.

Tears of Amber by Sofia Segovia is set in Germany in the run up to and during the second world war. It is loosely based on a true story , and is a powerful account of what life was like for ordinary German families during this dark and tumultuous time. The cast of characters is large, which might be confusing initially but as their stories unfold and we see how they cross paths and their stories intertwine the reward is worth the initial effort. The book does move at a slower pace, particularly in the first half. The author does not shy away from depicting the horrors of war and how it impacts on innocent civilians , and there are some truly heart breaking moments.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

The good people at Over the River PR sent me a copy of this lengthy and engaging WWII novel, by the author of The Murmur of Bees. Sofía Segovia has a beautiful way of writing and the first half of this story captures the characters thoughts and personalities so we really feel like we know them. Set in Prussia in WWII it follows two families as they deal with war and loss. It is heart-breaking in parts. I have to say that I read all the time about WWII, but usually from the viewpoint of the victors. This was an unforgettable look at two families’ experience – based on true events.

Tears of Amber is an intense and emotional tale of the hardships everyday citizens faced during WWII, told through the struggles of two families whose lives are turned upside down, first by military recruitment, then by hunger and the loss of the homes, and finally by the need to flee from the approaching victors. We hear the story through various POVs, and all of those came across well as distinctive and captivating voices. The prose was gripping yet easy reading, which kept me turning the pages, and the action was nicely paced, so there were never any dull moments. There was plenty of misery in these pages, but there was also a spark of hope, which kept the tale from becoming too depressing. Recommended to fans of historical fiction looking for tales of WWII told from a different angle. It gets 4.5 stars from me.

Forced to flee their homes in time of war, three families are uprooted during WWII and face daunting prospects. Man's inhumanity to man and the strength of these characters is well presented in this historically accurate novel. Recommended reading.

This is an intense, devastating and powerful story that highlights a side of the Second World War less commonly known; the fate of East Prussia and the German and Polish people who lived there at the time war broke out. Segovia focuses on two rural families and their flights from their homes when the Russian army invades. They struggle to stay together amid a terrifying new world that is tearing them apart.

The writing is absolutely beautiful and the book has a haunting quality that enhances the heartbreaking story it tells. Segovia has a real skill for capturing a character's deepest thoughts and emotions, which is evocative and beautiful. But it was very difficult to read at times, made all the more so by the knowledge that so much of the story is rooted in truth. There is also hope to be found, in the way these amazing characters love each other so fiercely it feeds their survival.

I really took my time reading this one, it felt like a book to savour slowly. And reading the author's note at the end heightened all the emotion once more, as I discovered the degree to which she had based it all on real people and their stories. A desperately sad story but a beautiful tribute, masterfully written and translated.

A captivating historical fiction set during WW2 in Prussia. A sweeping saga of two families whose lives were uprooted by war. A heart wrenching story of war, survival, resiliency, and hope. Completely captivating and brilliantly told.

I received a free electronic ARC on May 6, 2021, of this excellent novel from Netgalley, author Sofia Segovia, translator Simon Bruni, and publisher Amazon Crossing. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. Sofia Segovia is an author I will follow. I am pleased to recommend Sofia Segovia to friends and family. This is a must-read for those of us who treasure words.

In this novel, we entered World War 2 in Prussia and Poland before and during the German push to take over Poland. We follow two young, growing families throughout the war as they attempt to survive and keep from starving. Unlike most novels covering this war, we see through the eyes of the citizens how they were mesmerized into the complacency that allowed them to be overtaken, often without a fight. We see the growing markets, the plentiful jobs, and the sense of comfort as the economy stabilized and grew in this Germanic area of Prussia, which preceded Hitler's push for world domination.

This book is quite emotionally presented. I felt on intimate terms with these families almost immediately, they felt like our friends and neighbors. The prose sings, and in places, I just had to stop and savor the words. I cannot praise this book highly enough. Ten stars would not do it justice.

I have a soft spot on authors who are not afraid to cross the boundaries of their cultures to tell important stories to the world, as what is done here by Sofia Segovia. Several weeks ago, I happened to read a non-fiction book on a similar topic about the flight of East Prussians following the Russian advance in early 1945, Inge's War: A Story of Family, Secrets and Survival under Hitler by Svenja O’Donnell. It’s amazed me how Segovia, a Mexican, could write in such great details the fate of many East Prussians despite the fact that she is not a German or at least has partial German ancestry. To spill the beans a bit, the author does mention in her afterwords that this story is inspired by the real events of the main characters who spend their time in retirement in Mexico.

As in every historical fiction, the story finds a parallel in real historical events. It starts in 1935 as our protagonists were born in East Prussia, two years after Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany. The story focuses on two families, the Hahlbrocks and the Schippers who lived in two different villages in East Prussia. The two families lived in relative comfort in the first few years of the war, as East Prussia was a region isolated from the war with its self-sufficient ability despite the fact that the first siege of Hitler’s war on 1 September 1939 happened in the nearby Free City of Danzig. But soon, the two families faced the inevitability of war as the Wehrmacht attacked the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, breaking the Nazi-Soviet Pact concluded two years previously.

Ilse Hahlbrock grew up on a farm where his father administered the family’s asset with the help of four Polish Zivilarbeiter. One of the Poles, Janusz, befriended her and told her many stories from his childhood life. Unlike the three other Poles, Janusz found comfort living with the Hahlbrocks who treated him as an equal, despite the Nazi policy which looked on the Jews and the Slavs as Untermenschen. Ilse’s father was exempted from enlisting in the Wehrmacht due to the fact that the army needed farmers to bring up more rations to support their battles. But the Hahlbrocks had to escape their farm in early 1945 as more signs appeared that the Germans were losing the war, and the Soviet advance was only a few kilometres away.

Our other protagonist, Arno Schipper, also hailed from East Prussia. He witnessed the event when Adolf Hitler gave his speech in March 1938 in Königsberg, the same year when the Nazis would commit the atrocities to destroy Jewish-owned stores, buildings, and synagogues in the infamous Kristallnacht — the Night of the Broken Glass. Arno’s father was soon called to serve in the army in advance of German’s attack on the Soviet Union, opening the eastern front. His father returned after a bullet hit him during the harsh Russian winter, but he was never the same man that Arno used to remember fondly. Just like the Hahlbrocks, the Schippers also found themselves in a precarious situation to escape the Soviet advance. But unlike the Hahlbrocks who escaped in a single cart together, the Schippers were separated due to difficult circumstances and Arno had to survive only with his mother.

The story is really lengthy, and I’ll have to admit that I felt sleepy in some parts of the story, while some parts could engage me to keep turning the pages for hours. Sofia Segovia takes good care to write in great details, even employing German and Polish sentences that challenge my basic proficiency in both languages. The title takes reference from the tears of Queen Jurata (or Jūratė in Lithuanian legends) who lived in a palace at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. Her teardrops became amber pieces washed ashore from the Baltic as she mourned her lover, a young fisherman called Kastytis, who was a mortal and killed by Perkūnas, the thunder god as he discovered their forbidden love. It’s a good metaphor to the story itself, of millions of Flüchtelinge who lost their East Prussian home after the war and forced to live as an exile in postwar Germany.

Sovia Segovia managed to write a story that is comprehensive in details, while not compromising the emotional quality. I found myself weeping several times as I imagined the wartime situation that befell the Hahlbrocks and the Schippers, something that rarely happened to me through books. I could imagine that this is a highly challenging work for Simon Bruni, the translator, bringing this work from Spanish to English. The topic is also highly intriguing, about the flights and miseries that were experienced by millions of East Prussians who lost their home after WWII, establishing an alternative point of view that the Germans were also victims of Hitler’s regime. In some ways, it also depicts the war from the point of view of women who suffered after their husbands and sons were conscripted. A must-read for anyone interested in the discourse of WWII.

Tears of Amber follows two Prussian families, the Hahlbrocks and the Schippers, leading up to and during the Second World War, mainly from the perspectives of Ilse Hahlbrock and Arno Schipper. Ilse and Arno are small children at the beginning of the story, with no idea of what was to come as war looms ever closer. We learn of their everyday lives, the changes, decent into poverty and conflicting feelings that begin to occur with the rise of the German army and the Nazis.

Janusz, a Polish orphan and prisoner of war, is assigned to the Hahlbrocks’ farm as a labourer and, through his friendship with Ilse, is accepted and well treated by the family, eventually embraced as one of them. Janusz is a wonderful storyteller and his tales help to keep spirits up through the horrors, when the family are forced to leave their farm, all they hold dear and flee for their lives.

Meanwhile Arno and his mother, while trying unsuccessfully to escape the army, are forced to hide in the ruins of house in Königsberg, hoping to wait out the war and then reunite with the rest of their family.

This tale of WWII gives a different perspective from the majority as it focusses on the fate of the two families. Vivid imagery and atmospheric prose depict what they must do in order to survive. The characters are brought to life as we follow their struggles, unimaginable hardships, heartbreak, fear and sorrow while witnessing their strength, courage and the endurance of the human spirit.

The fact this story is based on true events and real people make it all the more powerful. As the author states in the notes at the end ‘Tears of Amber is a fictional novel inspired by real events. Not only by official texts, but also by the accounts of two children and their families who had to travel enormous distances to survive one of the biggest and most terrible exoduses in human history, before coming together in exile.’

How people actually survived the realities of such an exodus is a miracle in itself, although not all did of course, and one such ending is a very sad one. Wonderfully written and translated, it’s an unforgettable and compelling, albeit sometimes harrowing, story.

After loving The Murmur Of Bees back in 2019, there was simply no way I was going to be able to resist a newly translated story by this author. Add the simply stunning cover and the fact that Tears Of Amber is WWII historical fiction and I was even more convinced I simply HAD to add it to my shelves... And I'm glad I did, as I ended up having an excellent time with this story.

Tears Of Amber can be seen as a family saga where we follow two different Prussian families as they have to face the struggles of war. The story starts in 1938 before the war begins, to show part of Hitler's rise to power as well as the initial reactions of the people to his promises. Afterwards, the story spans the whole war as well as the first two years after... Giving us the full picture of what it was like for the common people in Prussia during and after the war; both farmers and their families. To give us a more multi-dimensional picture even, Tears Of Amber uses a multiple POV structure where we follow not only the two children Arno and Ilse, but also other members of the family as well as the Polish laborer Janusz who has to 'work' for Ilse's family. This might seem like a lot of characters and POVs to keep apart, but the chapter beginnings let you know who's turn it is to lead the story and the development of the characters is such that they are memorable and easy to keep apart.

I personally loved that this story is based on true events and that Arno and Ilse really existed (Ilse told her story to the author herself). It shows that the author has investigated the topic extensively and while Tears Of Amber is essentially still a piece of historical fiction, the story does feel authentic as a result of the many descriptions and details. The writing itself is once again splendid, and the translation really feels flawless as you won't be able to recognize this story as such. I really liked the incorporation of German, Polish and Russian words and small phrases, as they added another level of authenticity to the story. Their meaning is easy to deduct from the context too, so no dictionaries needed either.

My only complaint would be that the pace was a tad too slow to my taste and the story did feel a bit overlong. True, Tears Of Amber is a mostly character driven story and the pace always tends to be slower in this type of stories... But still, I found that certain parts of the plot (especially those relating to the daily activities of the characters) made the story drag a little and I feel that the story would have flowed better without them. That said, if you see this story as a family saga first and WWII fiction second, the execution itself is splendid.

In short, if you enjoy well written WWII historical fiction with a lot of dept and focus on a big cast of characters and don't mind a slower pace, Tears Of Amber is an excellent choice.

If you enjoyed the author’s previous book The Murmur of Bees you’ll definitely want to pick this one up too. Ilse’s life gets turned upside down as war descends on East Prussia and we follow her family’s subsequent exodus away from the encroaching Russian forces. Meanwhile, Arno and his mother are trying to hide and wait things out with hopes of reuniting with family after the war, but instead, they face horror and desperation as they try to survive.

Even if you’ve read a lot of WWII fiction in the past, this book is unique and certainly has a different feel to any I’ve read previously. It’s a story that will suck you in and with such vivid pictures being painted you’ll feel as if you’re walking alongside the characters, feeling their anguish, terror, and small moments of joy.

I definitely recommend picking up a copy of this book for yourself.

Tears of Amber is a phenomenal story about two families uprooted by war and forced to flee. Both stories are amazingly well-told and will stick with you long after you finish the last page My favorite characters were Janusz, Isle, and Arno. I was so heartbroken for them. The horrors they had to witness were just unspeakable. The characters were so well written that I became really invested in them, I really cared about what they were going through. And the setting, well that was spot on, the frozen tundra-like environment really made things a lot more difficult for everyone to survive.. This is easily one of the best books I have read this year, it is truly something special.

𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐧𝐝; 𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐡𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐫- 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭, 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧’𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐢𝐫𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬.

War, all of it’s horror stories, full of so many sides of the same coin, where despite the repulsion and evil deeds there is sometimes goodness. Goodness is easy when it doesn’t cost us yet it’s hard to find in darkness. When we must protect our family, it’s shocking what people are capable of. This novel is about two families uprooted by war and everyone they meet on their path. Children are forced to join the effort on the front, or if too young than to remain ever watchful in their homes, or if a captured enemy, then to serve your captor as a prisoner of war. Segovia isn’t concerned about victors, because in this novel everyone loses, there are no winners just people who crawl out of the rubble half human, if they are ‘lucky’ (that word like a razor blade in the mouth). Despite what we imagine, the movies we watch, the fictional and non-fictional books we read, even the experiences our own family members share, we will never be able to comprehend what survivors endured. Your own people becoming enemies, a war that grew into a monster that went out of control devouring everyone. Separation, starvation, betrayal, death and people who have no choice. One thing spectators of the past like to do is shout how they would be brave, how they would never go along with things, they would be giants but in reality, non-compliance and rebellion was met with death or something worse- because yes, there is always something worse.

The Hahlbrock family have already survived the devastation of war, now the Führer has provided a life of order, food and a promise for a great future. When their youngest, Isle, is born they cannot imagine their Führer’s grand ambitions, nor what he has planned for his people and the rest of the world. Their darkest days are not behind them after all. The Schipper family’s youngest son, Arno, is celebrating his third birthday on the streets of Königsberg. It is this historic day, on the shoulders of his father, that Arno watches amongst a sea of people as red flags wave, slogans echo in the air, and heavy military vehicles pass in a parade of power. As a swell of voices chanting, “Heil Hitler!” dance in his head, it feels like confusion and when Hitler speaks through a loud speaker, Arno is too young to understand any of it, but it will change his entire live. Both Isle and Arno will be robbed of their childhood. As war approaches, school will drive home dangerous ideas, frightening parents, but one must keep their mouth shut and remain steadfast to the cause. Neighbors can’t be trusted, nor can soldiers. Fathers and sons are forced to either maintain their farms to feed the soldiers or join the war. When East Prussia starts to fall, Isle and her family are forced to flee. Januz, a forced laborer on her family’s farm (prisoner for all intents and purposes), dazzles young Isle with ‘tales of a besieged kingdom in the Baltic Sea from which spill the amber tears of a heartbroken queen.” Loyal to the Hahlbrock family, to the disgust of his fellow laborers, it is his mother’s stories that he uses to keep hope alive in the child’s beating heart. Something about Isle reminds him of someone he has lost, and for the first time, he feels cared for in a strange way, not much minding the hard work, now that he is no longer in danger of the wolves in the cold forest. But wolves are everywhere, and you can never trust anyone. Even when they must flee the Soviet Army, he remains steadfast, refusing to leave Isle, her mother and siblings to fend for themselves, even at his own detriment. Januz is my favorite character, and my heart was ripped out for it. As they escape, more than tears will be spilled.

Arno and his mother are going through their own dark winter of the soul, hiding in the ruins of a Königsberg mansion, with bombs falling around them, so much death from one day to the next, soon living like rats cowering in the shadows and rubble from the enemy. Neither knowing what happened to Arno’s father, or his siblings, afraid that maybe they were abandoned. His mother is losing faith and hope, weakened by her illness, unable to see the light at the end of this hell they now find themselves in. Tyrants and liberators are one in the same. Memories feel like nothing but fading lies, reality is distorted. Forced to give up their land, their very roots, each other… how is anyone to survive when bound to nothing, when loved ones are reduced to ash? Does it matter what side is winning when the world is decimated? Every character suffers invasion, and must do what they are ordered to do, so long as they have breath left within them. They must be grateful for another day, for crumbs. The war continues and they must give everything they have, including the lives of their sons and daughters. Some use stories to escape the scorched earth, but all stories must come to an end. The wind will change direction many times, and it is with a gift of an amber teardrop that will provide a future for Arno and Isle when their stories converge.

This is a painful read for every stage of life. Beautifully written despite the horrors because of the character Januz’s presence. He is able to warm the coldest heart. Yes read it!

Published May 1, 2021

Amazon Crossing

Tears of Amber
BY Sofia Segovia

Tears of Amber by Sofía Segovia is a sweeping historical fiction saga that is heartbreaking, engaging and a powerful read based on true to life events. This book follows these characters' journey chronologically through alternating point of views where the writing is completely immersive into the horrors of their life experiences in the midst of the war of what is current day Poland.

Though I have read many WWII novels, this one was so special in that the writing really pulled me into the stories. The characters came alive in these pages - as the families did all they can to survive such unfathomable circumstances, and their stories intertwined, I was left amazed by the resilience and strength to survive and push through.

I highly recommend this book for historical fiction fans. Do not miss this one.

Set in East Prussia during the Second World War, this book tells the harrowing parallel stories of Ilse and Arno and their families. It is a very emotional story as the families move from childlike innocence in their rural idylls to full awareness of the horrors of the war.
At times it was difficult to distinguish between the two families and to tell who was who. I didn't feel as though the characters were clearly defined. The story was very slow moving. The switching between the two families seemed to interrupt the flow of the narrative.
I was disappointed that the synopsis of the story given by the publisher was nothing like the story I read. The synopsis had promised a completely different story.
Overall I found this a heartbreaking tale but far too long. The story could have been more concise and still have conveyed the build of tension and horror.

I couldn’t stop reading this! This was a compelling and vividly written novel that explores themes of war, family, courage and loyalty. It will make you take stock of what really matters in life.
The writing style was so interesting. And truly held my attention throughout it all!

First of all, Simon Bruni’s flawless translation takes an already incredible book to the next level! Congratulations are in order, Mr. Bruni. This is the best-translated book I’ve ever read. Seamless.

Sofia Segovia’s historical fiction highlights women in the staggering toll WW2 had on ordinary families.

What makes this book unique is that it’s told from the viewpoint of two children, Arno Schipper and Ilse Hahlbrock. Readers learn about the horrors of war experienced by the two Prussian-German families caught in the crosshairs of war and see how the war affected the women left behind when their husbands left to fight. Arno’s mother was left with 4 children and Ilse’s mother was left with 5 children to care for. Segovia reminds readers that refugees had to do whatever was necessary in order to survive even if it meant eating meat not meant for human consumption or burning doors taken from abandoned mansions as a source of heat and fuel for cooking. The horrors endured are made possible because they are united in love and courage.

My favourite character was the Polish labourer Janusz, who gave them hope and lessons through his beautiful folktales. He was able to keep their mind off the cold, the hunger and the horrors around them. He had the opportunity to experience freedom and yet chose to stay with them.

The lesson in it for me: We all can be a Janusz. All it takes to make this possible is for us to carry hope to someone who needs it.

“Son, sometimes you have to half-die so that you can live.”

I was gifted this copy by Sofia Segovia, Amazon Crossing, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Tears of Amber is simply a gem. Once again, Sofía Segovia demonstrates her ability to move the reader through each word, each phrase coined with such beauty and warmth, with such transparency and absolute appeal to the senses. Simon Bruni's translation is flawless.
Tears of Amber tells the parallel stories of two Prussian/German families, the family of Arno Schipper and that of Ilse Hahlbrock, and the coincidence of their destinies at the end of the war, when women and children are betrayed and abandoned by their own government to either face Russian vengeful invasion or flee in the harshest winter in history . It is a story of survival, of love, of loss, of struggle and of how in desperate times any hope, no matter how small, can keep an entire family alive. Each page is full of pain and hope that tear and rebuild the reader constantly. Each character touches your soul, you suffer with them, you rejoice with them. They leave an indelible mark on you.
It explores more the human experience and the human condition during a momentous historial period. The plot is thrilling, the character development amazing, and the real and present world connections are endless food for thought. In the stories about World War II we tend to take sides, judge good vs evil. In this optic, ALL Germans are placed in the side of evil. Easy to understand when all we know is the history of the government and it's truly evil leaders and what they tried to achieve and/or achieved, the irreparable damage they caused, the tragedy they left at their wake. But what about German children? Tears of Amber presents a new take on a very often told story. It doesn't deny the Holocaust, it suddenly crashes into it, but it's told from the point of view those never included in the history books or in the movies —two families, two children (Arno and Ilse), and how they are easily overtaken by the "official" narrative and even oppression. . This very well documented novel is testimony to everything that Ilse and Arno had to go through in order to survive in the largest exodus of human history. Tears of Amber becomes more painful —and more hopeful— when we realize it was inspired by a true story. Reading it made me realize that one cannot understand the whole story if one only reads the same single point of view, That one cannot judge a whole people without knowing the full story.