While I appreciate the great deal of research and depth of study that the author put into the stories of the women in this book, I found it to be somewhat disjointed. Telling the story of D-Day from the viewpoint of women is such a unique and welcome idea, and each woman had such a unique if not somewhat gritty storyline. I found it difficult to like/relate to one or two of the characters, yet I was riveted by each storyline. In this book, you will meet a Resistance fighter, an older French widow who has had no choice but to let Nazis board in her home, an American radio star deeply embedded in the Nazi regime and spreading propaganda over the air waves, a Secretary in occupied France who works for a high ranking Nazi officer and a nurse in England just across the channel from the landing witnessing first hand the horror in the aftermath of the first wave of the invasion. If you are a fan of historical fiction you will likely enjoy this unique viewpoint of D-Day. Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read this book.

Five different women, five different stories written about their e lives following D day and World War 2. A fantastic historical fiction book that is captivating and reveals the struggles of women during this harrowing time period. Definitely va must read for historical fiction fans.

I requested this book thinking it would be the stories of 5 women and how their lives intersected on D-Day. Unfortunately, the book was just five separate stories. They were made confusing by splitting up the stories and telling them all in real-time. Any one of these stories could have been extended into a full book. They felt unfinished as they are currently written. Two of the women work for Nazis, and I did not enjoy their stories at all. It's hard to read a story when the main character is despicable and their story is just about their selfish desire to survive. The other stories were better, but none of them completely captured my interest.

Thanks to the author, Alcove Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

Finally - a book that totally sucked me in! It's been a while since I have read one of these..

This is a story of a few days in time during WW2 - D-Day. There are several women in this story and it tells the story of how the way and how D-Day impacted them. You have a woman in France who is a member of the resistance. You have an American in Berlin on the radio- is she committing treason? You have an older women sheltering wounded German soldiers in her home in France - not by choice, but she still comes to care for them. Let's not forget about the German woman in France who takes notes during the German interrogations. Lastly, there is a nursing aid in England who wants more from life than just to be wife and mother.

Not all of the women interesect, and not all of the women are likable, But thats not the point of this book. the main character is really the war, and D-Day and these women are a way to show all the sides of it - the good and the bad. (The good meaning the good that people can do, not the good of war). This is also a story of how each of these women come to understand that as women we have a voice and we have a part to play.

I really enjoyed each of the characters, although there were one or two that I liked more than the rest.
I cringed during several of the scenes, but they really added to the impact.

If there was a sequel to this book, i would read it in a second - I really want to know how these women end up. I can imagine it, and I think this adds to how great this book it, but I still want to spend more time in their lives. I totally recommend this!

4.5 stars - I am rounding up to 5 just because of the author's not giving us a "happily ever after" . I thought the ending(s) were perfect.

I want to thank the author, the publisher and #netgalley for the ARC which did not impact my review.

For anyone that loves WWII historical fiction, add this book to the list. It focuses on five women and their vastly different roles and experiences on D day. Each chapter is told from each one of their point of views and some of the women/chapters briefly overlap. A secretary working for the Germans in occupied France, a nurse tending to the wounded in London, a resistor passing communications in France, an American broadcasting German propaganda in Berlin, and a woman with German soldiers in her home, you as the reader get a feel for the tragedy of war.

Thanks to Netgalley and Alcove Press for an early copy in exchange for my honest review.

I normally like historical books but this one was hard to follow who was who. I did like the summary on the back and I thought it would be great but it was a little flat. I did not enjoy the book.

This is a great book on multiple experiences during WWII. It was an easy yet emotional read of the individual stories that were connected yet separate.

I struggled to get into this book, it was a little clunky in places and i found it very hard to connect to any characters because of how separated their chapters were.

Told in alternating chapters by 5 very different women, this recounting of D-Day is at times hard to read and impossibly to put down. Highly recommend.

ALL THE LIGHTS ABOVE US by M B HENRY is the story of how the sixth of June 1944, D-Day, affected five women from different countries and walks of life. Their stories are well told and their emotions well described against the background of the horrific realities of WW11. These women are extremely brave as they find themselves in untenable situations. At a time when women were not encouraged to operate in a man’s world, we see the myth that women are the weaker sex totally destroyed!
The author has obviously done a great deal of research and the fictional characters fit in well with the historical ones.
Whilst I recommend this novel as a great read, on a personal note I do not approve of the blasphemous use of the Lord’s name. That is why I have dropped one star.
I waa given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Alcove Press. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

All the lights above us
By M.b Henry

Many thanks to Netgalley, author M.B Henry and alcove press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"As long as we have all these conflicts, it's the women who will continue to suffer, so that is the one reason why I guess as women we should really work for peace because we know how painful wars can be to us and our daughters.
                                    -- Wangari Maathai

Yes, war or feminine it's the womenfolk who suffer loss, trauma and bereavement.

'All the lights above us' is a wonderfully written, well researched and captivating historical novel.
The writing follows the events of the day before and after the 'Dday' through the lives of five women - Mildred, Flora, Adelaide, Emilia and Theda.
Mildred in Berlin, Germany working at a German radio station, she's rather a famous one known as axis-sally.
Theda Brown in Portsmouth, a nurse at voluntary Aid detachment -VAD, who had her priorities in life.
31-year-old Flora Babineaux from Caen, France, whose parents were arrested and was deported to some unknown camp, she doesn't even know whether they are alive or gone!!
Adelaide from Saint-mere-Eglise, France hers was the character that I loved the most, whom I could connect to as a woman myself. She was into her 60s and was forced to clear a room in her elegant home for the German soldiers.
Emilia worked at the Gestapo intelligence office
All their stories run parallelly but they are not interconnected though.

Author M.B Henry has a great potential for her characterization is strong, rich and in-depth.
It's a fast-paced novel, with very expressive descriptions.
Doesn't drag the matter and make you bored, take my word for it.
I loved the author's note at the end, be sure to read it.
I give this book four stars.
This is an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for my preview of All The Lights Above Us by M.B. Henry, in exchange for an honest review.

All the Lights Above Us is a historical fiction novel that tells the story of the D-Day invasion on the beaches of Normandy, June 6 1944 through the eyes and experiences of five women - Flora, Adelaide and Emilia who live in France, Mildred from Germany and Theda from England. The women are introduced in the first five chapters of the book with each following chapter continuing each woman’s story, one at a time.

At first I found it difficult keeping who was who and, what was happening to them, straight. That said, once I “knew” the women their stories were very easy to follow and I was hooked.

Although I grew up hearing about D-Day and we continue honor the remaining veterans of the war every November, I knew very little about the landing at Normandy until I read this book. I thought I knew a lot about the Holocaust but M.B. Henry introduced me to Mildred, known as Axis Sally and a part of history I had not heard of before. I knew about the destruction of French and English towns but not about how the people who lived in those towns reacted to what happened on D-Day. Henry’s detailed writing also added to my knowledge of the French Resistance Movement.

I appreciated the book's focus on the women of France, England and Germany. Henry’s descriptions of how women were treated, dismissed, discouraged from taking on responsibility still rings true today. Men were in charge but it was often a woman who took on the challenge, took on the risk, saved the day, so to speak.

Women were looked at as different if they wanted more than marriage and children. They were expected to follow in their mother’s footsteps, to marry the right man and raise a family. Henry’s chapters defining Theda’s struggle to be her own woman were superb. Flora’s story, as a member of the French Resistance, frustrating and inspiring. Although I didn’t care for Emilia, Henry made it easy to understand how she got where she was, as Henry did with Adelaide. As for Mildred…well, you decide for yourself. All I can say is M.B. Henry got it right.

All the Lights Above Us is beautifully written. Words flow, descriptions are vivid and characters are rich. Some of the landing and hospitals scenes are so realistic I found them hard to read, but I read on. Don’t miss the authors notes at the end to learn more about the fictional characters and the real life drama and people of D-Day June 6, 1944.

With grateful thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest opinion.
This book was really not what I thought I only read part of it iam sure for other readers it's absolutely perfect but for me it's sadly not.

The author blends history, politics, and personal stories and drama into this novel expertly. he narrative follows the events of the day before and following D Day in their horrors, passion, courage, foolishness, treachery, and self-deception through the experiences of five women. The chapters are not extremely lengthy, but full of detail and you're able to keep the plot lines of each woman separate. The author brings the events, stories of the five women, and fictional representations of real life figures together into a wonderful novel that I highly recommend to anyone who enjoys WWII historical fiction.

For those of that were not alive, for those of us that weren't there, All the Lights Above Us gives us a look into the D-Day invasion. By giving us different perspectives, the author allows the reader to glimpse into the different sides and how they were affected. We don't just get the version of our country but the situations of other countries.

Some of the story is told the the eyes of Theda, a British nursing volunteer. She watches brave soldiers as they head across the channel. She cares for what is left of them at Portsmouth, England. The reader gets an idea of the suffering induced by returning soldiers, but also the suffering of those that took care of them, those that failed in saving them, those that went hours and hours without a break while they tried to save those that tried to save the world.

We see how Adelaine tried to save her home in France by taking care of the Germans that took it over. The elderly woman became like a mother figure until the Nazis turned on her and others in her town. We see her bravery as she ventures out alone to find her daughter and granddaughter. We see some of the kindnesses of the Americans as they help her along the way.

We get an idea of the fears that the resistance dealt with on a daily, make that hourly, basis. If it were not for them; the war may have ended differently. The reader is reminded of the various different personalities within the resistance. A common goal keeps them going.

The reader is reminded of all of the propaganda that influenced citizens and soldiers alike during the war. We are reminded of how important the radio was in communicating with different groups throughout Europe. If it weren't for the radio, citizens would not be able to keep up with what was going on.

All the Lights Above Us is a great way to learn about World War II. All the Lights Above Us is a great way to understand some of the lasting opinions of of those affected. All the Lights Above Us is an entertaining way to learn about the past so we don't repeat it.

Literature teaches us history in a way that is creative, meaningful, and unforgettable. This is what exactly what M.B. Henry’s All the Lights Above Us has let me experience. The book presented a rather momentous and memorable narration of the D-Day. The presentation of the plot and events in multiple point of views of the characters added to the distinct writing style of the author and the aesthetics of storytelling. Readers will be taken to a different world and live the life of each character each presenting a different perspective in narrating the events – reliving history through fiction.

This is a good literary piece to be included in literature classes specially in integrating history in the topic. I will definitely use this as one of the reading assignments in my 21st Century Literature class.

This is an enjoyable book about 5 women, from different countries, who experience World War 2 and D-Day. I was a little disappointed as I thought it was a tale about 5 women whose lives intertwine during the war. This was a book of separate stories. Well written and certainly factual for any fans of this type of book.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing this copy in exchange for my unpaid, honest review.

I have to say at first I didn't really like it, I had to force myself into reading it. But once I kept up with the names and different stories of each woman, all changed. I appreciated the fact that it includes one woman of each "band" in the war, it allows us to see how that day could have been for everyone. I disliked the end because it ends abruptly and I was hoping for a more slow kind so I could say goodbye to the characters. Despite of everything, I think it's a book worth to read, it opens your eyes to all sides of the story.

This novel took me three starts to get into. I found the first chapter clunky and was really distracted by continuity issues - she rubbed her bare legs but then he rubbed her stockings. On the third go, I told myself I’d read 5 chapters and then decide, and that was enough to make me keep going. It definitely improved.

This novel follows the stories of different women in the lead up to D-day: Axis Sally, an American in German radio propaganda (based on a real figure), Flora, a French girl in the resistance, Theda, a British volunteer in a hospital in England, Adelaide, a French grandmother with Germans living in her house, and Emilia, a German secretary to the SS. Each chapter furthers the story of one of these characters, and we see glimpses of their stories overlapping. The book is quite a feminist take on the situation, not that it’s necessarily a bad thing, and not that it’s incorrect to point out the difficulties and changes for women in this time, just that it feels forced. It feels like the author was looking for as many opportunities as possible to write some version of “ugh just because I’m a woman.”

In the end, I did get hooked on the story, but with the wealth of other World War II novels available, this wouldn’t top my list of recommendations. If a copy falls into your hands, read it.

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

M.B. Henry has taken stories of women from D Day and put them into the book All the Lights Above Us. There are four short stories and Henry alternates the telling of their lives in England, Germany, and France on that fateful day. There is Theda, a volunteer nurse's aid in Portsmouth, Mildred, an American expatriate radio personality in Berlin, Adelaide, a grandmother who is forced to house German soldiers, Flora who is aiding the French resistance, and Emilia, who has climbed the ranks in the Gestapio.

I kept waiting for their lives to intersect, but only two of them do. While their stories were compelling, I was disappointed in the book. I was allowed to read this on #NetGalley.