Member Reviews

A Light in the Window is interest(my historical fiction. Margarete is put into several untenable situations throughout the book. She assumes another identity to hide her Jewishness, but that only leads to more trouble and heartache. I thought captured the insidious nature of the Nazis and also the desperation of Margarete. I didn’t like Wilhem at all, even at the end. I certainly had no sympathy for Reiner either. I think readers will find this a different sort of historical fiction, showing the harsh realities Of WWII, where happy endings were in short supply.

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Margerete finds herself in the rubble of a bombed house where she worked, albeit unpaid as a maid/housekeeper. This is wartime Germany and Margerete has to wear a yellow star on her jacket to show she is of the Jewish faith. As she crawls through to get out she sees the daughter Annegret of the family she worked for, laying dead with her papers sticking out of her pocket. Margarete takes a chance and the papers and becomes a non jew to protect herself from the atrocities of war. Meanwhile in Paris the son Wilhelm is working for the SS but goes back to Berlin to attend the funeral of his parents with his brother Reiner who is doing his best to work his way up in the SS. Reiner has even named his children Adophina and Germania to try and impress his peers. Wilhelm learns something about his brother- how he treats women and how he raped their servant but sadly she died in the bombing as far as he knows. Wilhelm goes to find his sister in Leipzig and get rather more than he bargained for- his “ sister” being protected by a high ranking Nazi. Can Margarete survive behind her disguise or will Wilhelm tell on her? Wow. I loved this. It's a story of tenacity and determination against all odds, when survival is the only prize. A woman in a corner but able to think on her feet despite fear everywhere she turns. A reminder of the prejudices of war and a reminder of how simple things can sometimes prove these wrong when propaganda has brainwashed the majority of a nation. Of love and courage, of times gone by- but a reminder that sadly prejudices remain in some areas. A wonderful uplifting read.
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Emotional read and well pull at your heart strings with each turn of the page. And the author does an amazing job with not only the story but also bring her characters to life

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With grateful thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest opinion.
Have read a few other books by this fabulous author was delighted to get an early copy and it certainly did not dissapoint fabulously thought out and well planned can highly recommend.

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A light in the window by the fabulous Marion Kummerow blew me away. Through amazingly fluid writing and a great story line, you get engulfed in the storytelling until the end! A steady pace, nothing slow and nothing rushed. Perfect!
I loved this book – I lost my whole day reading – just couldn't bare to put it down! I’m giving this one a solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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In A LIGHT IN THE WINDOW, MARION KUMMEROW tells us a poignant love story between two unlikely people which takes place during the second world war. The darkness and evil of the time is contrasted with the Hannukah or Christmas candles at aunt Heidi's and the antique candlesticks on the windowsill at Wilhelm's flat, which seem to give a faint glow of hope.
The book is beautifully written and rich with emotion as the characters deal with the horrors of war, especially the inhumane treatment of the Jews, and the fear of falling foul of the Nazis. This fear is Jewess Margarete Rosenbaum's constant companion as she escapes the bombed Huber house, where she worked as a maid, disguised as their dead daughter, Annegret. Leaving Berlin, she goes to Leipsig where she stays with her aunt Heidi and very bravely gets a job at the Bibliotheka Albertina as Annegret Huber. She hates posing as the obnoxious Nazi girl who was so cruel to her but her very life depends on her acting the part.
Wilhelm Huber despises the Jews but does not want to get involved with their extermination as does his brother, Reiner. The author shows us the hidden vulnerability of this SS Oberscharfuhrer, who really only wants to enjoy the pleasures of life in Paris, and who would have preferred to study art rather than follow in his father and brother's footsteps. His complicated plan to get Annegret's inheritance, which depends largely on Margarete playing her part, is doomed if Reiner should find out that his sister is dead.
I am not going to tell you any more as I do not want to spoil the read for you.
It is a story about courage and sacrificial love that I found really beautiful and one I highly recommend.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bookouture. The opinions in this review are completely my own.w

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Well this book simply surprising! I can't put into words how incredible A Light in the Window is.
Set in Berlin, 1941.. Margarete is working as a house maid for a Nazi officer when his house is bombed.
She is the only survivor after the bomb! Margarete ends up getting mistaken for his daughter. And she thinks this might be her only chance at freedom.
She only needs a few hours to escape. Until SS officer Wilhelm Huber, hunts her down.
Oddly enough he doesn't report her identity. He offers her something in return.... She must go to Paris with him where she will live and portray to be his sister! Because no one would expect a Nazi lady of security being a Jew?! She is scared someone might find out but she also wants her freedom!

In this extraordinary, well written, beautiful story this woman finds courage, independence and shows what its like to be brave and living in such hard times!

Thank You NetGalley Bookouture and Author for this amazing ebook copy!

Posting to my Goodreads and bookstagram closer to pub date!.

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