This tragic yet compelling read follows three German sisters whose lives change drastically during World War II. Life ceased to be normal for any Jewish person in Salzberg, which is where Johanna, Brigit and Lotte lived. With loving parents, the sisters each played a different role. When Johanna, who often felt invisible, begins to draw close to Franz, hired by her father as an apprentice in his clockmaker's shop, she sadly relaizes how different their prospects are, as Franz is Jewish.

When the Anschluss presses closer and closer, Brigit and Lotte each take vastly different directions in their lives. Secretly, the resistance is taking place, and each of the girls take on roles to help as many Jeews as possible, despite the ultimate danger they will face if they are ever caught.

When the sisters end up in different concentration camps, they experience horrid treatment due to their strong values, despite the bonds of love they had formed before they were imprisoned. In fact, one of them fell in love with a German soldier, just as Johanna fell in love with Franz. And another took an entirely different dictiron in life. How will the sisters remain strong and surive the cruel treatment they and thousands of other individuals faced in those horrid camps? With their loving parents stilll in Salzberb, their lives changed irrecovably as hope seemed like something very far away.

This story broke my heart, bringing tears and intense sadness as I read it. The lessons in this story proved that love and courage can indeed make a person strong, so strong that surviving the worst possible treatment can indeed happen. However, what occurred along the way as we see the amazing strength each sister had and how they managed to survive the best they could was just incredible.

One thing about historical fiction that I enjoy is the setting. Reading about World War II does not bring happiness any way whatswever. However, when reading a story that took place in Austria, especially when the sisters' story had a clear connection to my favorite movie of all time, The Sound of Music, which I have seen dozens of times, gave me more knowledge about that terrible time in history and how and why many different people ended up in concentration camps. The reason for their imprisonments gave me a powerful history lesson.

I love how faith waas threaded through the pages of this powerful story making it even more compelling. Kate Hewitt is a fabulous author and this book moved me into double digits with the books I have read by her, and each and every one, including this book, proved to be wonderful and inspiring reads.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

The Edelweiss Sister’s follows the story of three woman in Australia. As the title suggests, Lotte, Birget and Johanna Eder are sisters, who share a somewhat content life with their father Manfred who is also a clockmaker, and their mother Hedwig.

Each of the sisters have their own dreams they long to achieve. Johanna helps her mother out with the housework, but she longs for the opportunity to embark on a typing course that will allow her some independence. Birgit sees herself as being rather lain looking, and often feels invisible as she doesn’t feel she stands out in any way, so she busies herself working alongside her father in his workshop. Lotte, the youngest and some would argue the prettiest of the three siblings, realises that her true calling in life is to become a nun.

As the sisters try to achieve their dreams in life, it is far from straightforward. Brigit finds herself tangled up in the resistance movement and Johanna falls head over heels in love with her fathers apprentice Franz, who is a Jew. Following the Anschulls, they find themselves putting their lives at risk in order to save Franz who has become dear to them, but this obviously has some rather dire consequences as they are then taken to the concentration camps where they suffer some truly inhumane treatment, something nightmares of made of.

I have read all of Kate Hewitts books to date, and they never fail to capture my heart with her refreshing way with words, and the Edelweiss Sisters is another beautiful, emotionally driven story by this fantastic author. The story is poignant and emphasises the resilience and strength that human kind possesses. The characters are all wonderfully developed and have strong personalities and dreams they long to achieve in life. The bond between the Eder family is truly moving, and encompasses the importance of having compassion and love for one another.

Another brilliantly written, emotional read from the incredible Kate Hewitt.

🎉📚ℍ𝔸ℙℙ𝕐 𝔹𝕆𝕆𝕂 𝔹𝕀ℝ𝕋ℍ𝔻𝔸𝕐📚🎉

🤗Today is a big day for Kate Hewitt! It is Pub Day for The Edelweiss Sisters, and boy are her readers in for an inspirational, yet heartrending story.

⚡With powerful insight, this novel once again renewed my love for WWII Historical Fiction. One main difference in this novel vs. the mountains of others in the same genre is that Hewitt managed to humanize EVERYONE involved. She allows her readers to gain an understanding, however small, of the ultimate suffering that even those in the Nazi party faced. Don't get me wrong - this novel does not glorify or even focus on those people, and never does she condone what was done by them. However, part of what makes her characters so endearing is their ability to see beyond what is directly in front of them and to offer mercy where there should be none.

💯Since this story took place in Austria, I absolutely loved how the author included the Von Trapp family and Mother Abbess Virgilia Lutz (The Sound of Music) along with Corrie ten Boom (The Hiding Place). I thought that was just brilliant and is exactly why I adore Historical Fiction.

🌷While I agree that there are hints of The Nightingale in this novel, I would say it stands alone as it's own powerful WWII Historical Fiction novel and is certainly worth your time.

♥️Many thanks to Bookouture Publishing and NetGalley for gifting me with this advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!

👍You can read more of my reviews on my blog mamasgottaread.blogspot.com or follow me on Instagram @mamasgottaread !

Another book about World War II and another time where I felt as though the story was so unique that even though it took place in a moment in time where I have read quite a plethora of books, the characters and setting made the story feel different from all the ones in this historical fiction sub genre.

Three sisters who are all very different from each other are trying to find their passions and direction in life as World War II is entering Austria where they live. The oldest Johanna has spent a lot of time in their family's kitchen and would rather stay there and disregard what is going on outside their home. Birgit the middle has apprenticed under their father the clockmaker, but has dreams to become a part of the resistance and fighting the German invasion of their country. The youngest Lotte is known for her singing voice, but goes a completely different route in entering the abby as a nun and her perspective on the war is so interesting.

I appreciated that the author included three sisters who while at the heart of things believes the same values, but they each go about it in completely different ways. This epic story really shows how the war impacted a family and how each responded differently. I loved how each sister was given the opportunity to share their perspective and while reading I often wondered how accurate this book depicted families as war invade their countries and their homes.

I have read a few of Kate Hewitt's contemporary stories and loved that she brought the same character development and plot movement to a historical fiction book and made these characters come to life.

I’ve made no secret of my love for historical fiction, and I’m always excited to find a new author. However, there are a few who I am predisposed to love, and Kate Hewitt is one of them.
Don’t believe me? Look at this review for Into the Darkest Day.
Her characters are always fully formed, and their actions are natural and organic. I feel like I have been set down in the middle of their lives, rather than watching from afar (if that makes sense). This story continues that tradition.
After a brief prologue set in 1945, the rest of the story is set in Austria, late 1930s, and told in alternating points of view of three sisters, Johanna, Birgit, and Lotte. In the face of political and national events, each of the sisters chooses a different path.
I liked how the author made each sister unique, with her own set of worries and concerns. The chapters follow pretty much the same order of the sisters, but the time periods do jump forward by a few months most of the time.
If you know anything about history, you can see the storm brewing from the beginning. What makes this book much more interesting is that the reader knows what is coming, but the characters don’t.
The author does a great job of keeping them within the confines of their personal knowledge at the time. This lends authenticity to the story while also giving the reader insight into how everything was able to go so wrong so quickly.
I’m not going to go into details about the sisters or the family, because that makes up the brunt of the story, and I would hate to ruin anyone’s experience.
However, I will tell you a few things that I noticed about this novel.
I’m a huge fan of musicals. I grew up with the classics, and I have many a cast album memorized. Two of my favorites are “Fiddler on the Roof” and “The Sound of Music.”
I couldn’t help but think of the latter one, due to the setting and time period. I even predicted a moment in the early pages. So, kudos to the author for that dose of realism. What I enjoyed however is that the author kept that realism throughout.
No spoilers. Let’s just say that if you’re familiar with “The Sound of Music,” you’ll recognize quite a bit. Some of it is mentioned clearly, but other parts are more subtle.
(Side note: when I was around 11, my parents and I visited Germany and Austria. We took a “Sound of Music” tour that highlighted real and fictional places related to the Von Trapp story. Those came to mind as I read this book).
Also, I was reminded of “Fiddler on the Roof,” in that each of the daughters blazes her own path while their parents don’t always agree with their choices. It certainly was reminiscent of the three oldest daughters in Fiddler, and how each of them grows up with a different perspective and desire.
I would have liked this book anyway, because it is well-written with memorable characters and a thoroughly researched and meticulously outlined story. But continuously finding bits that I could relate to the musicals gave me an added bonus.
This is an excellent book and shouldn’t be missed.

The Edelweiss Sisters follows three Austrian sisters before and throughout World War II as they grow from young women living at home with their clockmaker father and hard-working mother to adults forced to merge their own decisions with the harsh reality the changing world has created. Youngest daughter Lotte leaves behind the troubling city in favor of life as a postulant in Salzburg's Nonnberg Abbey, while middle child Birgit balances resistance work alongside a romance with a man who eventually serves in the German army and older sister Johanna falls in love with their father's Jewish apprentice.

WWII fiction is a crowded genre and it can be tricky to find a unique take on the events, but Hewitt succeeded with this book.

Beautiful story of three sisters living in Austria during World War Two. We follow Johanna, Birgit, & Lotte’s lives as the world around them continues to change. All three sisters chose very different paths in love but risk everything to keep each other safe. The strength they have shown in dire situations is profound and yet heartbreaking too. My heart ached for these sisters and their story.

I loved this! The chapters alternated between characters which made it hard to put down. It seems like there is an abundance of historical fiction written about WW2, however this is a ‘must read’ if you love that genre. It was riveting & emotional. 5 stars!! Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for the ARC.

The book is set during the entire Second World War period in Salzburg, Austria. With the war ominously close, there was a surge in resistance movements by communists and anti-Nazis within Austria. Those found involved in resistance or hiding and abetting Jews were executed or shipped off to concentration/labour camps.

The story opens in 1934, three sisters - Johanna, Birgit and Lotte Eder lead a rather reposeful and contended life with clockmaker father Manfred and mother Hedwig. Johanna helps her mother with household chores but yearns to do a typing course and become independent. Birgit regards herself as a plain Jane and hence invisible to the world, helps her father in the workshop. She gets mixed up in the resistance movement. Lotte, the youngest and the prettiest of the three, realises her calling to become a nun. Johanna falls in love with her father's apprentice Franz, a Jew. After the Anschluss, they imperilled their life to save Franz. This led them to nightmarish concentration camps where they suffer inhumane treatment meted out to the inmates.

The Edelweiss Sisters is a poignant tale of sacrifice, the resiliency of the human spirit and faith. It is a single timeline book which was a refreshing change from an overdose of dual timeline historical fiction. Kate Hewitt has distinctly outlined all the characters particularly the Eder sisters. I especially loved the character growth of Lotte, who in the face of all doom and gloom and adverse circumstances, held onto her faith with all her might. The description of the plight of prisoners of war and Jews at concentration camps like Mauthausen and Ravensbruck was so well done that it conjured up the horrific images in front of the eyes.
It is definitely one of the best historical fiction I have read this year. It is a tear-jerker that I couldn't put down. I cannot recommend this book highly enough

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Edelweiss Sisters’ by Kate Hewitt in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

It’s 1938 and the three Eder sisters, Birgit, Lotte and Johanna, live with their parents Hedwig and Manfred the clockmaker in Salzburg, Austria. They live quiet lives and try to ignore the changes as Hitler’s Nazi party take over their country but as Lotte becomes a postulant at Nonnberg Abbey, Johanna falls in love with Franz her father’s Jewish apprentice while Birgit whose life is saved while working for the Resistance starts to have feelings for Werner Haas, one of Hitler’s lieutenants.

I didn’t think Kate Hewitt could improve on the historic story of ‘The Girl From Berlin’ but now she’s written the remarkable ‘The Edelweiss Sisters’, which is a poignant account of the lives of the three Eder sisters who live, love, face hardship and heartache in their native Austria. From page one I’ve been enthralled by the accurate descriptions of life in occupied Salzburg and the courageous actions of those who steadfastly refuse to kow-tow to Hitler’s army and his followers, the brownshirts, and work in different ways to save the lives of people whose only crime is being Jewish. Each sister has her own story to tell and we follow them as the Russians advance, then England and later America enters the war and the prisoners who’ve managed to stay alive are repatriated. This is a touching and truly wonderful novel that’s had me so gripped in its spell I’ve spent a whole day just reading and unable to stop until, amid tears of emotion, I’ve learned the fate of the characters. Thank you, Kate, for this amazing novel that I can’t stop thinking about and which will stay in my thoughts for a long time to come.

Wow! This was an emotional story from the very beginning!! I loved this story and it was so heartbreaking at times! Highly highly recommend...

Beautiful, yet strong. Undoubtedly Kate Hewitt has created a powerful story which turned out as a real page turner. Being a historical fiction lover, i can tell that, this book is one of the finest examples of historical fiction which left me thinking "This is real good"!

If you are a Historical Fiction lover, do check out the book.

Thanks,
Tanjim
IG - tanjim1

Set in Salzburg Austria during WWII, The Edelweiss Sisters tells a richly woven tale of bravery, love, resilience, hope, survival and the power of humanity.

The story is told from the different POVs of three sisters as they navigate their way through uncertainty, loss, heartache, destruction, betrayal and devastation during a period in history that was fueled by hatred, fear and greed. I was inspired by the courage, strength and bravery these young ladies portrayed and the sacrifices they made as part of the resistance movement. Ordinary woman doing the extraordinary, they truly possessed such humility, compassion, resilience and strength to do what was right.

Historical fiction is by far my favorite genre and the author really nailed this one with her storytelling and attention to detail. The intertwining for of historical figures like the Von Trapp family and Corrie ten Boom brought a sense of believability to this fictional tale. An overall wonderful read, this would make for a robust bookclub discussion. Lovers of The Nightingale, From Sand and Ash, The Alice Network and All the Light We Cannot See will enjoy this.

Thank you to Kate Hewitt, Bookouture and NetGalley for a chance to read this ARC that will publish 08JUN21. It’s one that will stay with me for a while.

The Edelweiss Sisters is a world war two historical fiction set in Austria and is a story of the Eder family. This story is a fiction but some locations and characters are real and woven very well. Johanna, Brigit and Lotte are very different from each other in their ambitions and what they want from life. But when circumstances arise in their life that requires them put their lives at risk for their loved ones and the community they pull through. The author has beautifully brought all the characters to life on paper and you start feeling the doubts, pain and love that these characters all going through. Austria comes to life in this novel and I can see the beautiful landscape. The Edelweiss Sisters is a wonderful historical fiction novel not to be missed.

This novel begins in Salzburg in 1938 with three sisters, Johanna, Birgit and Lotte. They are very close, living above their father's clock repair shop with their parents Hedwig and Manfred. As Hitler gains power and war breaks out across Europe these three sisters find themselves having very different experiences throughout.
This book was unique, each chapter is told in the POV of one of the sisters at a time, we get to share in each ones thoughts and feelings as well as see their experiences happen. I really liked this aspect of the book, I feel it brought me closer to each character, giving me a deeper understanding of them and their feelings and motivations.
The story tells of each sesters separate experiences throughout the war, what they did and did not do, what sacrifices and hardships each had to endure. Their individual stories that separate them at times but ultimately reunite.
In this story we are taken from comfortable family living in Salzburg to the horrors of concentration camps such as Ravensbrück and Mauthausen, witnessing some of the most horrific inhumane behavior that man can inflict on fellow man. We also see that love and faith can prevail even under the most evil of circumstances.
I enjoyed the reading the sister's stories and I recommend this one for all historical fiction fans, just be sure to have some tissues handy because there are some heartbreaking moments.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the free ARC of the e-book version of this novel, I am leaving my honest review voluntarily in return.

This is my first book by Kate Hewitt and I chose it because of its genre and premise. I have read many a tale set during this time surrounding the Nazi occupation and concentration camps and yet this one was still different enough to stand out. It centres around three sisters and each chapter is told in the narrative of each sister respectively for a fuller and clearer picture. But what also makes this story that little bit different is that it incorporates other figures from history that we may have heard of from that time - the Von Trapp family, Maria Von Trapp and Corrie and Betsie Ten Boom - as well as a visit to Hitler's own mountainside retreat Berghof.

The prologue opens in 1945 with a heartbreaking scene that immediately draws the reader in. A baby, just weeks old, is left in a crate on the doorstep of Nonnberg Abbey. Who is she? Where did she come from? And who was her mother? These are just some of the questions we ask ourselves as we begin this heartbreaking tale. But to answer that, we have to rewind some years for the complete story.

Beginning during a time when Hitler was rising to power in the 1930s and Austria lived under constant threat of occupation, we meet the three Eder sisters - Johanna, Birgit and Lotte - who once sang together in a festival in which the Von Trapp family had also in 1934 and known as the Edelweiss Sisters, for the sprig of Edelweiss their father had each given them to wear on stage.

The sisters live in Salzburg with their clockmaker father Manfred and their stalwart mother Hedwig above the clock shop and while the family fear their nation will fall to the Nazis but do not subscribe to their propaganda or bullying tactics. So when Franz Weber arrives to begin work as an apprentice the family offer him solace in their attic and soon Johanna finds herself caught in trap of forbidden love. For Franz is Jewish - albeit half-Jewish but that will matter not to the Nazis. The couple enjoy trysts and hidden meetings together whilst trying to keep their love secret. Meanwhile, Johanna wishes to do something more with her life but keep house and live in the kitchen.

Middle sister Birgit had been her father's apprentice for two years when Franz arrived to replace her. Hurt and angered that her abilities were not valued, Birgit longed to find something in which she would be appreciated. Then when she sees the unnecessary violence inflicted on a poor Jewish lad, she enters the world of the Resistance movement to stand up against the rise of the Nazi regime. At least here, her presence is seen whereas at home she feels invisible. But one night, the authorities arrive to raid the coffeeshop where their meetings are held and Birgit flees along with her comrades...straight into the arms of Werner Haas who rescues her from capture with a kiss. And Birgit falls in love. But Werner is a soldier with the Austrian army which Birgit knows will only be time before becoming the German army...meaning he will then be a Nazi. So she keeps her activities with the Resistance secret from Werner and keeps Werner a secret from her family, unsure they would approve of some of his ideals. And then the Resistance learn of her relationship with Werner and Birgit finds herself having to prove her worth to them by gathering information from Werner for their cause. Until Werner learns of her motives and her involvement...

And then there is Lotte, the youngest of the sisters. She is the one with the angel's voice that prompted her father to send her to study music and song. But Lotte finds that everyone there is far too competitive taking the joy out of singing for her. It is then that Lotte finds herself drawn to the peaceful confines of the church and thus a calling to become a nun, entering the Nonnberg Abbey as a postulant. Life in the Abbey is a sheltered one and far different to that which is going on around them. Lotte does not see her family in all the time she is a postulant and for the first six months or so of her service as a novitiate. But it is when she discovers a fellow novitiate is assisting the Resistance with the harbouring of Jews in the Abbey that Lotte finds herself in a quandary. To report her would place the Abbey and all therein in danger...but to do nothing would also place them in danger. And then one night she is summoned. Her sister Johanna has come seeking her help for Franz. The Gestapo have raided their house and shop and taken their father away for questioning. Johanna has learned of the Abbey's involvement through the Resistance and now begs for their help for Franz. Lotte knows at once what she must do.

Until now, the sisters and their family had mistaken the level of danger that threatened them all. They were not Jewish but by not supporting the Nazi's regime and their propaganda, they are as good as, therefore putting them all in danger. And now Johanna must find a way to protect the man she loves as the sisters risk everything to transport him to the safety of Switzerland.

WOW! When I started this book I found it so completely slow going and wondered when it would ever pick up. It didn't help that the chapters were also lengthy and it did take a bit for the story to gain momentum and pick up. But it eventually did and I was glad I stuck with it because it is one of those stories that will stick with you long after you have finished. Those that feature the horrific nature of the Holocaust will always tug at the heartstrings when you see just how cruel mankind can be. The harsh and unfair treatment of the Jews was abhorrent, and to simply expect whole nations to concur and succumb to their cruel regime was just barbaric. What I found a little refreshing was a soldier who bore no hatred for Jews despite rising to the ranks of a Nazi officer and thus finding himself questioning the motives behind such harsh treatment of individuals who are completely innocent. He fought for what he thought was best for Austria but found himself in a situation he wanted no part of.

The camps feature in the latter part of the story and, although not heavily, they do play a significant role. It is there we meet Betsie ten Boom briefly, sister to Corrie who is mentioned towards the end of the book. Her love and faith are a refreshing change to the sorrow and death normally highlighted in the camps. But Betsie is like a breath of fresh air, though she only features for a small part, she is definitely hard to forget. And while many would ask "where was God when thousands of Jews were being slaughtered and their women raped?", the inclusion of such faith despite the uncertain and evil times in which they were in I felt were a realistic portrayal of their plights.

THE EDELWEISS SISTERS is certainly a different WW2/Holocaust tale but still has the capacity to tug at the heartstrings with this heartbreaking tale of three sisters who against all odds, rise above them with their faith, love and bravery.

I recommend this story for fans of historical fiction who like a real tear-jerker with a heartwarming end. But bring tissues!!

I would like to thank #KateHewitt, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheEdelweissSisters in exchange for an honest review.

Riveting. The attention to detail is breathtaking as we follow the paths of sisters Johanna, Brigit. and Lotte. They all live as a family with mum and dad who is a clockmaker. Then Franz starts work as an apprentice showing interest in Johanna. War breaks out and Brigit. Works alongside Ingrid in helping others out the country. Lotte questions her whole being. You will be unable to put this down so make sure you have tissues beside you.

Kate Hewitt paints a story of three sisters who live in Nazi-occupied Austria. Johanna, Birgit, and Lotte work in their father's clockmaking shop. Their father hires Franz, who Johanna falls for, but since he is Jewish, their love puts the entire family at risk. Lotte joins the convent, and Birgit joins the Resistance. The three sisters work together to move Franz to Switzerland. What a moving, heartbreaking story!

This novel is so powerful and brings about a mixture of different emotions. I loved every part of it. We never really consider the Austrians in World War Two so this was a new view point for me.

Lovely stuff! Four out of five!

Life is quiet in Saltzburg, Austria, for the Eder sisters. Joanna, Birgit, and Lotte however along with the people of Austria all that serenity while working in their father's clock making shop is about to end as the world approaches war and Hitler is about to annex Austria. The girls all have different opinions about Hitler and the presence of the Nazis. Joanna thinks they might not be so bad, while Birgit believes that they are up to no good. Lotte, the baby of the family wants peace and solitude and is on the brink of considering a vocation to the nunnery.

When their father hires, a young man, Franz, a Jewish boy, Joanna is smitten but the realization overtaking many is that Jews are to be detested, are to be purged from society, and of course eventually are to be eliminated. With the Anschluss being put in place, the lives of the girls and their family change to inevitable tragedy. Their father a non-supporter of the Nazis is taken to prison and interrogated while Franz goes into hiding, luckily not being found in the Eder household. when it is searched. The father returns damaged from his ordeal.

Meanwhile, Lotte has entered the nunnery, at Nonnberg Abbey, where she believes she can escape the war and its tumult. Little does she realize that soon, it will come knocking on the abbey's door. Birgit can't watch the unhappiness that war brings. She enlists in the resistance which later on will play an important part in helping Franz escape for a while.

The sisters come to the realization that they will need to band together, and enable their hope and spirit to succeed and do what they can to thwart the injustices they see around them. There is sadness ahead as they and others experience the horrors of Ravensbruck and Mauthausen. The outright detailing once again of conditions, and how people were annihilated because of their faith, their way of life, and their physical or mental state is one that brings that horror home once again. However, it is that hope and love which powers them forward even though it seems as if destiny will deal them an awful fate.

I enjoyed this story which had much going for it as the girls awaited fate and certainly were not prepared in any way for its outcome. The power of love and the belief that humanity when called upon can succeed, once again show that life does go on despite the horrors of war. It always a powerful message especially to those of us who have lived in freedom.

Thank you to Kate Hewitt, Bookutour, and NetGalley for a copy of this story due out June 8, 2021.

What a solid historical fiction! It took me a while to warm to the sisters, but their characters were likeable and so well developed that by the 30% mark I was in love with them. Hewitt manages to strike the right balance of emotions and hope that this novel had me on the edge of my seat, especially towards the end. Overall, it was a lovely read, one I'd recommend to any historical fiction fans.