I adored this book and I have to say that I thought it was simply superb!

This book had everything and it is one of the most well developed books on this period that I have read in a long time, the writing style was perfect and the story was brought to life so well.

The characters were brilliantly well developed, they worked well, had brilliant strength and I love the feelings that Lily was able to portray for them.

It was a book that will stay with me and it was one that made me well up more than once, it is a wonderful story, very well written – no hesitation in giving the book 5 stars – very highly recommended!!

This book was simply amazing. It started out with Ingrid, a young woman, caring for her elderly grandfather, Jurgen–who also suffers from dementia. He’s rude, and difficult to care for–as he lost his last caretaker, Marta, due to his verbal abuse.

In the beginning I felt so bad for Ingrid–this grandfather that she was caring for, who was just awful to her. And then we go back in time to Jurgen’s story…

What follows is such a tremendously sad tale of twins Jurgen and Asta and how they were impacted by the Germans and the holocaust, while living in Hamburg, Germany.

Reading this story made me incredibly uncomfortable because the thought of what real-life victims put through similar situations, was heartbreaking. I am so fortunate to have read this wonderfully-written story that evoked so much emotion and left me with quite the book hangover.

Uncomfortable or not, I am so glad I read this. I’m so glad to have been able to immerse myself in the lives of these characters and to see what hardships certain groups of people had to go through due to Hitler’s Nazi regime.

If anything, this has made me more hungry to learn more history, as well.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review this wonderful book!

THE GERMAN GIRL


BY LILY GRAHAM

A swallow will always find its way home if it can find its nest. This one is another favorite of 2020. It is about the Holocaust that begins in Hamburg, Germany and ends in Denmark. This one played out like a Shakespeare tragedy. At its heart it is about a brother and sister who grow up being really close and are forced to flee Germany and emigrate to their Aunt's in Denmark. The man that arranges for them to cross the border to flee Germany is swindled out of his money because the man driving them in a vehicle along with other refugees doesn't hold up his side of the bargain and he leaves them all at the beginning of a forest to cross in the middle of freezing cold Winter.

This ragtag group of the brother and sister who are the youngest of only sixteen year's old get into a skirmish with a couple of older people in the group. The Nazi's capture some of them in the forest and Asta the youngest and the sister gets separated from her beloved brother. This is really their story. The thing that I loved most about this novel is that it takes place in Denmark which is quite a different and unique setting for a Holocaust story. Another thing that makes this a favorite of 2020 is the belief of Asta and her brother whom both wrongly believe each other are dead and their journeys finding their ways back to one another.

This was a fascinating story that held my attention throughout the entire story from beginning until the end. There was never a point while reading this that I grew bored ever. I highly recommend this story of World War II that makes the bond of the brother and sister Asta's closeness so real and an unbreakable bond. This allows them to reconnect with each other with the help of one great man that transcends two different Countries--Germany and Denmark.

Holocaust stories are often hard to read because of the cruelties of the SS Officer's following Hitler's propaganda about making Germany the greatest country and world power. We don't often read these for enjoyment because of the cruelties endured by people who were hunted as in the case of this story. This one was much more enjoyable to read and the arc of this story about this one family is absolutely heartbreaking. If you only read one World War II story a year about the Holocaust, please make it this one. It is that excellent!

Publication Date: January 12, 2021

Thank you to Net Galley, Lily Graham and Bookouture for providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinion's are my own.

#TheFlightofSwallows #LilyGraham #Bookouture #NetGalley

This is an emotional and heart wrenching world war II novel.

This is my first historical novel by Lily Graham.

We have twin sisters who are told not to return home. Their parents have been taken by the nazis.

This is the start of the holocaust in Germany and ends in Berlin.

The story flows really well. The setting is described really well. It was emotional to read about the living conditions and how hard the war was on some people.

Highly recommend

I thought this was a fantastic book. I’ve read a lot of historical fiction this year but none that focus on the plight of the Nazi’s during WWII, so this was new territory for me. This reminds me a lot of the books by one of my favourite writers, Ella Carey so I felt right at home. This is a gripping, fast paced book. I was sucked right into Asta and Jurgen’s world from the start, rooting for them as their world’s fell apart and they realised just how dangerous their world had suddenly become. The historical research seemed spot on to me. There is a wrap-around story set in the present when an ancestor of the twins discovers her family’s darkest secret but only a few chapters are set during this timeline. Asta and Jurgen’s story is very much the driving force of the book. I cried buckets reading this. I really loved i

There has been a bit of a wait between Lily Graham’s last book The Child of Auschwitz published in 2019 and this new book The German Girl but the wait was worth it. I have to say I much prefer the author’s books in the historical fiction genre compared to her earlier vastly different books. I feel she has really found her niche and it comes across in the writing, plot and character development. The German Girl is a dual timeline book. The story set between Sweden in 1995 and Germany and beyond in the war years. Both aspects of the story are very well told and held my attention throughout as we follow the story and repercussions of Germany coming under the control of a madman who decided Jews are not worthy of attention. They do not have any definition or place in German society. What follows is a tale of heartbreak, loss, separation and grief and it is one that will have you engrossed from the beginning to the end.

On a daily basis Ingrid navigates the cold, barren and frozen landscape of Northern Sweden to reach her grandfather Jurgen’s cabin. If she did not visit to care for him she can’t not bare thinking about what would happen to him. For many years he has lived alone surrounded by the wilderness and for that time he was very capable but now he is suffering from dementia. He often forgets the basics of life which he needs to do every day in order to survive. His personality can rapidly change from one where he is happy enough and open to one where he reverts back to the past and he can be argumentative, confrontational and refuse all help. But Ingrid persists, she needs to do this for herself. She has returned from the city of Malmo as there is nothing there for her and she views this task of carrying for Jurgen as something to keep her going. But she struggles as each day she does not know what frame or state of mind she will find him in.

When he unexpectedly starts speaking in German one day Ingrid is surprised. When she was younger and started to learn German in order to help a friend Jurgen went mad and denied her the opportunity to learn it but she forged ahead. Why now has he suddenly started speaking German? Did something specific happen to him during the war to make him react so violently when German is spoken? So sets in motion a story of revelation, separation, loss and guilt. Ingrid could never imagine the story that Jurgen will tell but it’s an important one which tells so much about their family history that was kept hidden and now is the time for it to come out into the open after so many years buried under a mountain of emotions.

I loved the initial chapters set in Sweden describing the set up as to where Jurgen lived and what his relationship with Ingrid was like. I got the sense that at times she felt useless that she couldn’t help enough or reach out to him to get past the aggressive front he often put up. The discovery of a drawing by Ingrid forces Jurgen to open up and we are taken back to his past. A slip of the tongue when he calls Ingrid by the name of Asta reveals he had a twin sister whom the family never knew about. Jurgen takes Ingrid on a journey back to the past and a remarkable and heart-breaking story is revealed. I did want a little bit more from the present day in Sweden but I understand the more the book moved on the focus had to be on Jurgen and Asta’s past but things did tie together nicely in the present day towards the end. Jurgen is releasing the burdens which he has held so tight for so many years and by doing this he may allow others and Ingrid to care for and help him in the present day.

Sweden was neutral during World War Two whilst the world went made with starvation, mass persecutions and concentration camps where unspeakable things happened. Jurgen lived in Hamburg with Asta and his family and he confesses to Ingrid that they were Jews. The Nazi’s took away their citizenship like they did to so many other people be they gay, disabled , gypsies or simply for holding the wrong political beliefs. Asta and Jurgen go from an innocent childhood where they played tricks on the operator of a local water taxi to having their family torn apart as their parents are taken from their home and transported to a camp for refusing to change their documentation. Fortunately enough the twins were away from the house when the raid occurred and now they are left alone, homeless, frightened and scared and unsure of their next move. One can’t imagine having your world turned upside down in the blink of an eye to go from security, love and comfort to a life on the run. They are aware of an aunt in Denmark, Trine, but as to how they will get there they cannot comprehend. Through kindness and good luck they escape Hamburg and embark on a journey that will change their lives even further than they have already experienced.

Lily Graham details what happened to Jews and how their lives were changed with the introduction of the Nuremburg Laws. It’s clear she undertook extensive research to convey just what people experienced and suffered through at the time. At no point did this story read like a history book instead historical fact was blended with fiction to perfection throughout. The journey the twins undertake and the people they subsequently meet was riveting and packed full of unease and tension. They do their best to reach the Danish boarder. Their own goal was to get to Aunt Trine where safety awaits even if Trine did not know what had happened to the family. It really was edge of your seat stuff as you did not know with each turn of the page would bring. Horror and bloodshed or a successful escape to a safehold?

The scenes set deep in the forest were tense and anxiety inducing, and it was almost as if the climax of the novel was reached halfway through with the worst occurring and separation ensuing. But still Lily Graham had a lot more up her sleeve and for a good section of the latter half of the book we follow Asta as she navigates trying to find her twin. To say anymore would give away far too much but suffice to say there were lots of twists and turns and we get to see a whole new side to Asta as she has to grow up fast. The story could have easily gone one way but I loved how the author really developed Asta as a character and showed how she was forced to change and then how she subsequently dealt with the changes that were thrown in her direction. You definitely want a positive outcome but as a reader viewing the overall picture you really aren’t sure if that is at all possible. The bravery, strength, courage, grit and determination of the characters are all so well highlighted. Your heart breaks for what happens to them because of the actions of one insane man but the story that is told here gives you hope and a belief that good things too can happen. Yes, The German Girl is a heart-breaking story and too often that word is used on the front cover of historical fiction and it doesn’t ring true but here it does as Lily Graham packs this story full of interlinking events and secrets alongside agony, anguish and distress. It’s a great read and a good addition to the genre.

Favorite Quotes:

Marta was Ingrid’s cousin. She was also the old man’s last helper. It was fair to say that it hadn’t gone well. It had ended with Marta refusing to ever darken Jürgen Anderson’s door, even if he died, and someone needed help moving his mouldering body …‘Even then – find somebody else,’

That was our surname – before I changed it after the war. It means swallow, like the bird…. My father used to say that the two of us were like our namesake – you know that swallows seldom rest, they spend most of their lives in flight? … Except of course we became birds without a nest to return to.

If I ever find out who your father is, you horrid brats, I’m going to send him my condolences!

There are people that should be sorry, but you’re not one of them.


My Review:

I must confess to being rather ignorant about the countries of Denmark and Sweden, other than a vague notion of where they rest on a map. Shortly after starting this missive I stopped reading and consulted my go-to all-knowing source, the font of all the important knowledge worth knowing, and my chief source of information – Mr. Google. Armed with a bit more reference and leaving many of my researched pages open, I returned to my rapt perusal of this poignantly written, heart-rending, and compelling tale.

Lily Graham’s moving and thoughtfully written account repeatedly bruised and squeezed my coronary muscle in a ruthless manner before breaking it completely and finally patching me up again. I am ruined! Her evocative yet tensely striking storylines were expertly crafted with well-chosen words, which delivered a resounding emotional impact and hit all the feels from the carefree childhood of clever prankster twins to their traumatic escapes and distressing and harrowing adventures once separated. I was quickly sucked into every new thread and felt familiar with each new locale with her vivid and haunting depictions. She has mad skills and an ardent new fangirl.

The German Girl is a heartbreaking and captivating story of the fates of a Jewish family living in war-torn Hamburg, Germany. It is a story about family, belonging and the lengths we will go to for the ones we love. It's 1933 and the Jews living in the city are becoming more and more concerned about Hitler’s intentions in the wake of laws being passed to curtail their freedom. His National Socialist Party was increasing power by the day. Fast forward to 1938 and it's the end of another school day when Jürgen Schwalbe exits the boys’ grammar school as quickly as possible and walks the five minutes to meet up with twin sister, Asta, outside the girls’ grammar school to start the walk home together. But on their way back to the flat they share with their parents they are ambushed by a nurse known to their family who ushers them away. Heartbreakingly they are informed that their parents have both been taken by the Nazis to Dachau work/prison camp all because Mr Schwalbe had been brave enough to contest the situation when he was asked to produce documents to verify that he had made the changes that had been previously specified. All Jews must have a ’J’ stamped on their passports and men have been forcibly assigned the middle name Israel while the women must use Sara. Due to his resistance and non-compliance he and his wife are shipped off unable to even say goodbye to their loved ones who they will likely never see again.

Asta and Jürgen manage to escape to the safety of their Aunt Trine’s residence in Denmark where they try to come to terms with losing their parents in such a tragic manner. The second plotline is set in Northern Sweden in the 1990s and tells the tale of a granddaughter caring for her elderly grandfather who has decided to live in an isolated cabin in a tiny hamlet and this also showcases the beauty of family relationships. This is a compulsive and deeply moving World War II historical novel and it's even more gripping as it is seemingly based on a true story. The relationship between the twins was beautiful and made for wholesome reading. The German Girl highlights the unbreakable bond between brother and sister who have both been through the same horrific events together. At points, I was moved to tears by the powerful and richly-detailed narrative that has so much atmosphere and intensity. The dramatic escape from Germany had me on the edge of my seat and Graham ratcheted up the tension. You are desperately hoping the pair manage to escape Hitler’s clutches and my heart was literally pounding. Written superbly and in a way that sucks you in and has you invested in what is going to happen from the very beginning, I thought the dual narrative played out effortlessly and the changes between North Sweden in the 90s and Germany in the 30s were seamless. A touching, enthralling and scintillating historical thriller, this is a book I highly recommend.

A heartfelt and emotional story of twins in the lead up and start of World War 2. One of my favourite genres, a dual timeline. We see Jurgen in the present day as an old man moving towards the end of his life. He accidentally reveals a glimpse of his previous life which he has buried to his granddaughter who finds a sketchbook with drawings from his youth. We then move to the WW2 story and all is revealed in an engaging page turner of a story.

THE GERMAN GIRL by LILY GRAHAM is the poignant story of the escape to Denmark from Nazi Germany by Jewish twins, Jurgen and Asta Schwalbe. As Hitler's inhumane treatment of the Jews escalates, the Jewish inhabitants of Hamburg begin to wish that they had made their escape while there was still time. It is when the twins' parents are taken by the Nazis that these two fifteen year old children start their journey, hoping to make it to their Aunt Trine in Elsinore.
It is an exciting read with quite a twist at the end. It is also about love and courage against all odds, and it is good to see how people put their lives at risk to help the fugitives.
It is only in 1995 that Jurgen tells his granddaughter Ingrid the story of his life.
I found the book inspiring and recommend it as a really good WW11 novel.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bookouture. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

I enjoyed this book, my first historical fiction read of 2021 and a new author discovered. Lily Graham has set a high bar for the other historical fiction authors to reach, with great characters and emotive writing in this book.

The story starts in Sweden in 1995, when Ingrid is making changes to her life, including checking on her grandfather Jürgen. However she discovers that Jürgen is not who she has always thought he was. We travel back in time to Hamburg in the 1930’s to find out what happened to Asta, Jürgen and their family as the Nazi party tried to remove all the Jewish people in Western Europe.

I flew through the story, and found myself unable to put my Kindle down, wanting to find out what happened next. As usual in historical fiction novels set during this time period, there is a lot of tragedy and heartbreak, but there are also some lighter moments too. I’m happy to recommend the book to readers of my book blog and I will be looking to read more books by Lily Graham in the future.

💔Heartbreaking and memorable tale of flight from Nazi Germany😪

This story had all the elements required to make a wonderful, emotional and instructive read. I knew little about Denmark's role in WWII. This story of young Jewish twins Asta and Jurgen, who had to flee their hometown Hamburg to seek refuge from the Nazis with a relative in Denmark, brilliantly conveyed their fear, their fighting spirit and the good will and tangible support of both friends and strangers they met along their perilous journey. Romance comes into it as well as a bittersweet, tearful twist as the Nazi threat storms into Denmark. Yes, there's violence but it's not graphic or prolonged: a story like theirs set in this period and place cannot be told without it.

I don't recall having read anything by Lily Graham before but she is a quality storyteller who made her characters come alive. I will definitely be looking for more of her work.

Thanks to publishers Bookouture and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

My first time delving into the work of author Lily Graham.
I am a huge fan of fiction set in the war years.
Lily created two wonderful characters in Asta & Jurgen
Her story tugged at my heart I must admit.
She delivered her story with passion, with emotion and above all else gave me the reader a sense that I was walking the journey with them as they tried to escape the clutches of Germany.
A beautiful and quite an emotional read.
I couldn't recommend it highly enough.
I am on the blog tour shortly for it so I will come back and post the link to my review
Thank you to Bookouture for my copy of this book. Much appreciated.

Hamburg 1938: Fifteen year old Asta is hurying home from school with her twin brother Jurgen.. The mood in the city is tense, synagogues have smashed with sledgehammers and Asta is frightened to laugh like she used too. But when she and Jurgen are stopped in the street by a friend, their world implodes further. Her Jewish parents have been dragged into the street by German soldiers and if she and Jurgen return to their home, they will bw taken too. Asta and Jurgen must make the perilous journey across Germany and into Denmark. to reach their only living relative. Will the twins make it there unscathed?

The story is told in two timelines. 1990's Sweden and 1938 Germany. Asta and Jurgen's parents have been arested and out in a concentration camp. Asta and Jurgen were very close and quite a lot of the story covers their journey to Denmark where the twins get seperated. Now, Jurgen is an elderly man with the onset of Alzheimers. He tells his granddaughter what had happened back then. This is a well written and esearched book. The characters are realistic and believable. What the Jewa had to endure doesn't bare thinking about. This story will mess with your emotions.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #Bookouture and the author #LilyGraham for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Lily Graham's latest heartbreaking novel THE GERMAN GIRL (previously title "The Flight of Swallows").

Having thoroughly enjoyed Lily Graham's previous book "The Child of Auschwitz" I was both eager and excited to dive into this one. Graham has a an easy style to her writing that is both revealing and engaging yet without being bogged down in facts - though she does note certain historical events yet without leaving you drowning in them. I read for pleasure and escape, and if I'd wanted a text book I would read one. But Graham's novels are heartfelt, heartbreaking and heartwarming and THE GERMAN GIRL is no exception.

Northern Sweden 1995: In a cabin in the woods surrounded by snow, Jürgen is an eldrly man living alone. His cabin has no electricity or any of the mod cons to help make his life more comfortable. His only form of heating is the fireplace and yet it remains unlit as he silently struggles to collect the firewood from the shed...though he would be loathe to admit that to anyone should they dare to suggest it. He lives a hermit's existence with his only contact in the form of his grand-daughter Ingrid, who comes to check on him daily and give him assistance. A proud man, Jürgen refuses her help, citing there is nothing wrong with him and to leave him alone.

But Ingrid sees the changes in her Morfar (Swedish for grandfather, translated as "mother's father") and knows he needs help even if he refuses to admit it. His arthritis prevents him from collecting wood from the shed to keep a fire burning in his cabin and she has no idea when the last time he bathed was. But it's not just his body that is failing him...his memories are also beginning to fade. Jürgen has Alzheimer's and there are days he forgets to bathe, forgets to eat, forgets to take care of himself. Which is why Ingrid comes to check on him daily, reporting back to her mother her concerns. They both know how stubborn he is.

It is at one such time he is refusing Ingrid's help that he seamlessly slips from Swedish into German. At first Ingrid doesn't notice, as German was second nature to her having lived with her German boyfriend for ten years, but it's not second nature to her Morfar...or is it? Ingrid recalls a time when she was a child when she had a new friend who didn't speak Swedish and so she made every effort to learn German and when her Morfar heard her reciting words in German he flew into a rage that frightened her. Normally so close she had never seen him like that before...but she never spoke German around him again. And then when tidying her Morfar's cabin one day, she comes across what appears to be a sketchbook with the initials J.S. inscribed into the leather. She knew her Morfar loved to sketch and paint, but she had not seen this before. When he discovered her looking through the sketchbook he became angry. Morfar never spoke about his childhood, her mother's mother or anything about his life before. But in those moments when he spoke German, Jürgen was almost childlike in his speech as he giggled and called her Asta. Ingrid knows there is more to the story and after some prompting and a few tears, he relents and tells her of his life before the war, what happened during those times...and reveals a huge secret that he has kept from the family.

Hamburg 1933: It is the beginning of Hitler's rise to power with the National Socialist Party but no one could foresee just how bad things would become under his rule. As laws came into place regarding Jews and anyone deemed inferior to the greater Aryan race, 11 year old twins Jürgen and Asta were oblivious as they created their own havoc, namely with the local ferry boat on one of Hamburg's many canals. The twins lived in a flat in the city with their parents, their father a doctor and their mother a nurse, and were often in trouble for playing pranks amongst the locals.

But life was about to become more difficult in the coming years. With the news of these changes which stripped Jews of their rights, the twins' father urged their mother that they must move before it got worse. His sister Trine lived in Denmark, which was neutral, and had asked them to come and live with her on numerous occasions but their mother refused to leave. She had a job she loved and she didn't speak Danish. Not only that, they would be living in a barn. A barn! But she would come to regret her decision.

1938: One day as the threat of war loomed over Germany, the twins were returning from school when a nurse who worked with their mother rushed to greet them and urged them not to return home. Their father had caused such a fuss at the hospital when some SS officers asked for their papers and he refused so their parents were taken, most likely to one of the many concentration camps. She told them that the Nazis would be searching and staking out their flat, awaiting the twins return so it was no longer safe and they must escape before they are captured. With nowhere to go, Jürgen and Asta broke into the ferry boat they regularly pranked and hid there until the owner discovered them. Fearing he would give them up, Polgo (the ferry boat owner) instead arranged for them to be taken to the border and into Denmark.

This is where things began to go incredibly wrong.

The heartbreaking story told is one of courage, strength and love between the two twins. The lengths to which they went to escape the Nazi rule and into Denmark is tinged with hope as well as sadness. As Denmark was neutral and not under Nazi occupation, the twins knew they would be safe there. They just had to find their aunt despite not knowing her address. But when they are separated, Asta is forced to make the trip on her own.

I have read many books surrounding the Holocaust with many different stories, but THE GERMAN GIRL (as with "The Child of Auschwitz") is such a different tale one would expect to read. As I said earlier, Graham's books are true to life without being bogged down by historical facts, making them easy to read. In her note at the end, Graham does explain that this book is based on a true story. With that being said, it certainly felt true to life without reading like a text book. Graham has the ability to bring fact into fiction and making it an easy and enjoyable read. Stories such as these, like Jürgen's and Asta's, are battles we may not have even known existed and by Graham's hand are made interesting to read.

Beginning in 1990 in Northern Sweden, the story of and elderly Jürgen now in his twilight years begins a little slow but gradually builds a picture of the man he became as a result of the horrors he lived through as a child. It is imperitive to the story to come as we see his gradual decline into dementia as he begins to relive happier days in Hamburg with his twin, the other half of himself. There is a line of his that speaks volumes, revealing that Jürgen is aware of his condition and that one day his story...their story...will be gone. When he relents and decides to tell Ingrid his story but seeing how painful it is for him, Ingrid says that he doesn't have to do it. But Jürgen shakes his head and says...

"No, Inge - you're right. I must speak about it. I can't bear to - but I must, somehow. Because when I go - when my memories do - so will she...so will they."

When his memories go, so will Asta. So will his parents. So will his story. So Jürgen must share it so that they may live on. It is a heartbreaking line that shows an awareness that not everyone with dementia is willing to admit.

It is when Jürgen begins his story that we are then transported back to Hamburg before the war and then his story takes us through those early days of war when they were making their escape into Denmark. While it takes several chapters to build up to this point, as Graham lays the groundwork for Jürgen's story, it is so well written that the slow pace at the start simply fades into the rest of the story. Covering several years, THE GERMAN GIRL is an emotional tale that sweeps us back through the years of the Holocaust and is filled with bravery, perseverance and courage. It is powerful, gripping and completely compelling.

Heartbreaking and heartwarming, THE GERMAN GIRL was previously titled "The Flight of Swallows" and while it underwent a title change I actually feel it's original title is more fitting to the story...for a few reasons. Jürgen's surname, for one, translated into "swallow" and their father used to compare the twins to swallows in flight...never settling until they were home. You will see when you read it, I do believe the original title was better suited that the current one which I feel is somewhat vague.

There are some funny moments that will have you chuckling as you read the escapades of the young Jürgen and Asta in Germany. It makes you a little sad to think how that changed and Jürgen became a grumpy hermit in the woods of Northern Sweden, far removed from the cheeky and mischievous young lad that he was back in Germany...before life changed for him forever.

I cannot say enough about this book without giving too much away. I can only say go out, grab yourself a copy and read it. You will not be sorry. It is an emotional and riveting book that is completely unputdownable.

A definite 5 star read and recommended for fans of historical fiction with an interest in WW2 fiction surrounding the Holocaust and the plight of the Jews.

I would like to thank #LilyGraham, #NetGalley, #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheGermanGirl aka #TheFlightOfSwallows in exchange for an honest review.

My first point for this review has to be about the change of title for this novel. Originally entitled 'The Flight of Swallows', the title brought out a feeling of a very emotive read. This was then changed to 'The German Girl', and I cannot think of a more bland title, especially when dealing with traumas around World War Two. It just doesn't do it for me.
That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this read and will definitely recommend it to others. It had great characters and a strong plot. The time lapse feature worked well, although I feel this could have been developed further rather than just at the beginning and end of the novel.
I am a twin too and this bond was warmly brought out by the author.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The German Girl is a heartbreaking World War II novel.

The German Girl starts with a woman moving to Sweden to take care of her grandfather after breaking up with her boyfriend. Her grandfather gets confused and doesn’t always say things that make sense. He starts talking German, a language he hates. This opens up the story of a past nobody knew about.

Asta and Juergen’s parents were taken by the Nazis. If they go home, they will be taken too. They have to try to escape the country to stay with their aunt in Denmark. The twins grew up pulling pranks and now have to count on strangers to escape. They have to figure out who they can trust and hope they don’t make the wrong choices.

The German Girl is a heartbreaking story of teenager twins that will do anything for each other. Trine hardly knows her niece and nephew. When her niece shows up unexpectedly at her house, she will do anything for her. She is worried about her niece and trying to help her through her grief. Asta is struggling and needs to be convinced she wants to survive. Asta slowly develops a friendship with Oliver. Asta was a scared teenager that wouldn’t let anything stop her. I really enjoyed this story. There were unexpected twists in the story that kept me invested.

I recommend The German Girl to fans of World War II novels.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for The German Girl.

This book is based in WWII. I’ve read quite a few books in this timeframe recently and each one is different.

This book tells the story of Asta and her twin brother Jurgen throughout WWII. They live in Germany and their parents are taken to a concentration camp. Asta and Jurgen are determined to go to their aunt’s house in Denmark to escape the Nazi’s terror. When they are separated, Astra is forced to make the trip on her own.

In an author note at the end of the nook, the author explains this book is based on true story. As many books I have read about WWII, it’s always interesting to read about battles I didn’t even know existed.

The book covers several years, from the beginning of the Nazi regime to close to the end of the war. I liked reading about the different times and how things changed. It’s also told from different characters stories and comes together perfectly.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in WWII but learning about an area that is not well known. It’s important we learn about everything that happened to avoid repeating it.

Escape from Germany

In Sweden, Jurgen is an elderly man living alone . His granddaughter is helping him out. He is suffering from the early effects of Alzheimer's and dementia. He does not want help. He never talks about the war years, but he sometimes lapses into speaking German instead of Swedish. His granddaughter knows there is a story and after much prompting he finally tells her the story of what happened during those times and a huge secret he has kept from the family.

Hamburg, Germany; at the beginning of Hitler's rise in power , no one realized how bad it would become under his rule. Many Jewish waited too late to leave Germany. When the twins, Asta and Jurgen's parents were taken, a nurse warned them not to return home.

They broke into the ferry boat and stayed there until the owner found them. He arranged fit them to be taken to the Border into Denmark.

This is when things went very wrong. The heartbreaking story told of these times is a story of courage and love between two twins.

This book was very good. It inspired me with not only the fortitude of the Jewish twins, but of the help they received from the Danish who did not agree with Hitler and helped a large number of the Jewish in Denmark escape to Sweden.
It also impressed on me the need to listen to the elderly and to hear their stories. To treat them with kindness as we do not know what they have lived.

The book was very well written and the characters were perfect. I would recommend this book.

Thanks to Lily Graham, Bookouture, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy in return for an honest review.

Thank you to both NetGalley and Bookouture for this advance reader copy of Lily Graham’s latest novel, The German Girl which is set for publication on 12th January.

I throughly enjoyed Graham’s previous novel The Paris Secret and this one is certainly no exception. This is a very well written courageous tale of twins Jürgen and Asta, two young Jewish children caught up amongst the horrors of Nazi Germany.

Living in Hamburg with their parents, Jürgen and Asta, as well as many of their friends, are soon victimised not long after Hitler comes into power. One restriction soon leads to another and on returning home from school one day, they are intercepted by a friend advising that their parents have been arrested and that they are not to return home.

Jürgen and Asta, just aged 16 are then on the run, fending for themselves as they do their upmost to flee to Denmark to their Auntie Trine, a plan their parents were in the process of putting together before their capture.

It’s evident that Lily has put a lot of research into this novel. It was interesting to read in the authors note that this story was based on a number of first hand accounts. The first, Peter Prager’s story and his interview the the USC Shoah Foundation were he describes what it was like to grow up in Berlin once the Nazis came into power and second, the remarkable true story of the Elsinore Sewing Club, a code name given to a group of people who helped save the lives of around 700-1400 Danish Jews - an astounding and very admirable feat escorting families to safety to neutral Sweden.

The only think that I’d of loved to have heard more on was more of Jürgen and Asta’s family life before the war however, that’s only a personal preference and that still makes for a fantastic read. 4 🌟 from me!