All The Lights Above Us
By: M.B. Henry
Pub. date: May 10, 2022
Date Reviewed: October 2, 2021

Many thanks to Alcove Press, NetGalley & to M.B. Henry for allowing me access to this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
I’ve been loving the historical fiction genre these days, as there have been so many written lately. All The Lights Above Us, a Wonderfully written, historical fiction novel, Did Not Disappoint. Told from the viewpoint of five Completely Different women, this book tells the story of D-Day through the eyes of these five women. I’m giving 5/5 well-deserved stars to this Absolute Gem of a book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
#AllTheLightsAboveUs #NetGalley

This book follows the lives of several women during WWII. Theda, Flora, Adelaide and Emilia are in France on the front lines. Theda is a medical volunteer, Flora is a member of the French Resistance and Adelaide is an older woman forced to billet German soldiers. Emilia, a young German woman, is a secretary for the Gestapo. In Germany, American expat Mildred has made a life as a radio propagandist known as Axis Sally.

I wish this book had a few less characters. Right when I became really interested in one, the point of view shifted. This made the book feel a bit fragmented. Despite this criticism, this book was well written and engaging. It moved at a nice pace. Overall, 3 out of 4 stars.

I initially chose to read this book because I have started a slight obsession of reading women in wartime books recently; and let me tell you, this fit into that niche perfectly. It is the story of 5 different women and how they are dealing with the hours leading up to (and the aftermath of) D-Day. This story was beautifully written from each perspective, and it gives a fantastic account of the full 24 hours of June 6th, 1944.
I will say, there is one character I did not like at all; although, I believe she is written to be someone you shouldn't like, so that made me feel a little better in my dislike of her.
All in all, I loved the way this story unfolded and gave us a perspective from multiple different sides of this harrowing day in history.

All The Lights Above Us by M.B. Henry
I’ve often wondered who I would become if war should breakout in my backyard. Would I become more of myself or less? Which parts of my character would strengthen and which parts would wither? Would I be brave and fight, or hide and focus on survival? These are how the five women in All The Light Above Us reveal themselves to the reader.
With their unique backgrounds they experience themselves during war time as caricatures of their previous selves. It’s not enough that Mildred is an American Expat who now lives in Germany, but she finds herself making a living reading for German radio propaganda.
“Mildred hated the word “propaganda”. She carefully avoided it when she described her job. Oh sure, she said some pretty nasty things into the microphone. She slammed the Allies. She railed against the Jews just like everyone else. And she did it all with a smile.”
It’s not enough that Adelaide, whose love of motherhood has made her the caretaking mother figure for German soldiers living in her French countryside home. Because “After all, even Germans needed a mother”
Theda, Flora and Emilia round out the five main characters in this gripping novel taking place in one of history’s greatest single war-time feats, June 6, 1944 D Day.

Author M,B,Henry takes the reader back to the time of D-Day, June 6, 1944, While The Lights Above is historical fiction, much of the story is based on fact, including many of the characters, M.B. Henry intertwines the stories of five completely different women and how they impacted a date that affected much of the world:
The Five Women:
Mildred considers herself an American, as she was educated in New York, but she is employed by the Reich-Rundfunk-Gesellschaft German radio. She often reminds herself of her place in the war by receting, "I'm just an actress, its not propaganda, it's just my job",
Theda Portmouthis an English nurse, a medical volunteer, and she cares for falllen soldiers. At twenty-six and she is considered a spinster, thus she little possibility for much of a future.
Flora resides in Caen, France and a member of a resistance group. She often feels frustrated because the men often laugh at her thoughts and ideas, "the resistance is a form of military life. If you want to be a soldier in the army, you do what is ordered." Also, Flora believes that the Germans would never toture the Jews.
Adelaide resides in Sainte-Mere-Englise, Franc3e where she cares for the German soldiers while he is searching for her daughter and granddaught.
Emilia, is also from Caen, France she is described as "Golden haired, with perfect Aryan eys". Emilia realizes she could use her good looks to her benefit, Beauty is a double edge sword," her beauty and hertyping ability helps her to survive.
Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres and I am quick to pick up a novel that focuses on WWII. I found the novel exciting and difficult to put down. Henry fleshed out the characters: however, I had some dificulty following some of the characters, I needed to create a list in order to keep track of the ladies. I enjoyed the the short chapters and the way Henry alternated between the characters. This novel ways a pleasure to read and It has earned a five out of five stars
I would to thank Netgalley, the author, and the publisher the or reading this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An engrossing read. Really interesting and well-written from multiple perspectives. You will learn a lot about one of the most important dates in modern history.

And while the truths of history are always up for debate, empathy is one of my best tools for examining them. Putting a human face on the trials of long ago can help us better connect with what happened.
—M.B. Henry

D-Day…it had an affect on not just the brave soldiers who stormed the beaches of Normandy. It affected a young woman in the resistance, a mother worried about her grown child in the midst of the chaos, an English nurse tending to the wounded, a famous radio broadcaster who was known to spew propaganda and a Reich secretary made to take notes as her boss tortured people. MB Henry brilliantly brings to life different prospectives of the beginning of the end of WWII. While most of the characters are fictional, they all represent very real people and this story takes you along as they navigate their way through the scariest night of their life. It’s life changing and they all learn something about themselves that they didn’t know before.

I LOVED this story and as I read the authors notes…the quote from the author herself that I shared above is why. When an author uses empathy to put a face to a name or a place, history comes alive in ways you wouldn’t believe! This is D-Day through the eyes of women and the various roles they played during WWII.

Thank you NetGalley, Alcove Press and MB Henry for early access to this gem of a book. It will stay with me for a long time!

6th June, 1944: The launch of the Normandy Invasion, also known as the beginning of the end. This was the Allied invasion of western Europe and indeed the most important as ”the fate of countless people around the world rested on this one day.”

This book is a great mix of fact and fiction which can only be accomplished with great knowledge and research of the truth. After a brief introduction of the book’s five main characters, in the midst of utter mayhem, chaos and death, we get to witness the consequences of war.

Mildred Gillars, Theda Brown, Flora Babineaux, Adelaide Paquet and Emilia Wagner; five very different yet strong-willed women in various parts of England, France and Germany take us through this one day of their life that truly changed everything. Mildred’s struggle with Nazi propaganda, Theda’s encounter with casualties of war, Flora’s realisation of the risk her mother undertook for her safety, Adelaide’s motherly heart which yearns only to be able to see her daughter again, and Emilia’s persistence through every Nazi monstrosity; all of them powerful ladies with powerful emotions.

There are some strong moments through the book which are in stark contrast to anything war-like; these have been written extremely well. It is these moments of happiness that emphasise the underlying humanity in us all.

Historical fiction has recently become a subject of my interest and this book only took it even further. A massive thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC.

Keep an eye out for this one next year!

What a wonderful read. True events crossing over with fiction to help creative a wonderful, sometimes sad read. The women is this story were wonderfully described and I could feel a fondness with everyone of them. Have the tissues handy!

A 3 star read. I’m disappointed as the synopsis of this book - a historical fiction following the lives of five women, from all over the globe, in WW2 - was one that really intrigued me, but the end it’s delivery fell below my expectations.

The writing of the war itself was thorough and evidently well researched - two must-have’s for any historical book. However, my biggest irk with this read came down to the formatting.

I have read multiple, multiple POV books and usually this is a style which works. However, for whatever reason, it led to a real feeling of disconnect in this work - the widely separated storylines meant that I struggled to recall what exactly what was occurring in a particular characters story. By extension, it made this book drag a considerable amount because of the distance between individual characters chapters - it made it almost impossible to become attached to a character or their story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Alcove Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for this honest review :)

All The Light Above Us gives us a look at what the real D-Day was like on the beaches of Normandy and all over the occupied countries in France, England and in Germany. With characters based on real-life people and their experiences, M.B. Henry does a great job with this WWII historical fiction read, keeping you hooked from the start. Though I felt I wanted a bit more to round out some of the storylines at the end, this was a good read nonetheless.

Thank you to NetGalley & Alcove Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

“All the Lights Above Us” is a historical fiction novel spinning the tales of five different women immediately before and during the WWII D-Day Allied invasion on June 6, 1944. Mildred is an American living in Germany and working at a radio station spreading Nazi propaganda. Theda is an English girl living in Portsmouth and working as part of the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD). Flora is a French girl working for the French Resistance after her parents are taken by the Nazis. Adelaide is an older French woman who has billeted Nazis during the war. Emilia is a Gestapo Intelligence Office in France, working as a stenographer during interrogations.

M. B. Henry weaves together the stories of these women, based in part on real people and events. The result is a beautifully written encapsulation of D-Day from multiple viewpoints, capturing the perspectives and emotions of the differing women of not just D-Day itself, but also the whole of WWII and what it has meant to them as the end draws near. It is an original take on the WWII historical fiction sub-genre. The stories are so engrossing I devoured this novel in a day. The multiple viewpoints, which change by the chapter, are seamlessly brought together so that the story flows perfectly. While telling the tales of five different women could have easily gone awry, M. B. Henry has done a fantastic job of integrating the stories so that the novel flows easily.

I read a lot of historical fiction, and historical fiction surrounding WWII is one of my favorite sub-genres. This book has easily become one of my favorites. M. B. Henry captures the history and multiple perspectives of the war splendidly. Although the novel essentially covers one singular day in the war, it does not feel drawn out. Instead, the author has written the novel in such a way that it left me wanting to keep reading about these women and what came next. M. B. Henry did an excellent job blending real people and events into this historical fiction, bringing the characters, places, and struggles to life. The novel is engaging, the characters are believable, and the stories tug at your emotions.

Overall, I highly recommend this book, and I will be purchasing a copy upon its release. I’ll also be following this author to monitor for any future books. M. B. Henry is definitely an author to watch out for.

A really interesting historical fiction story of 5 women from different backgrounds told through their perspective of what their lives were like before, during and after the D Day invasion in 1944. I really learned a lot about this period of history and the authors notes at the end of the book are a must read. A captivating read.

This book follows 5 very different women on D Day, June 6 1944. For me this book was different than the usual WWII story, one that I enjoyed. and found interesting. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In “All the Lights Above Us” by M. B. Henry we get a glimpse into what it must have been like and may still be like for women trying to exist in the world. As a male reader, I was struck by the personal character of the stories that were shared. I felt I got to know the “real” people of the time although most of these were really mostly composites.

The author notes in her Author’s Note section that “When creating a work of fiction, I find the best place to start is with the truth.” It appears to this reader that is exactly what she did. One of her main characters is Mildred Gillars aka Axis Sally is a real person and Henry notes that scenes are taken from real life.

The other women that we follow in the story Emilia, Adelaide, Theda, and Flora are mostly fictional, but their stories are set in real times and could have been true for women of the day. These are people who live in Germany (Mildred and Emilia), France (Adelaide and Flora), and England (Theda). These are people who are doing propaganda disguised as “art”; office work; being a mother; working in the Resistance; and serving in the hospital treating the wounded after D-Day.

As the reader takes it all in, it must have been horrific to have existed in these times regardless of being in Germany, France, or England. The stories are sometimes funny but more often heart-wrenching and full of pathos, but in all cases believable.

The author has done a wonderful job of capturing the essence of war; not in the actual battles but the backstories of the people living with the aftermath of them. War and its horrors become real to the reader and at least makes this reader determined that no one should have to live this way again.

Definitely a great read and highly recommended to those interested not in warfare but the human stories surrounding it.

All the Lights Above Us by M.B. Henry is for the historical fiction fan that is looking for a different perspective of D-Day.
Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for allowing me to read an E-ARC of this novel. The following is my honest and unbiased book review.
All the Lights Above Us is a story that is told from the perspective of 5 women within 3 time periods; prior to invasion, the midnight invasion and the invasion (D-Day). The story is very detailed about where each of these heroines come from, their view of the war and who they believe they are as individual women at their core. What I loved about this books is that you are forced to look at all angles of the war and think of stories that may have never been told or that you may have never heard about. What happens to an American woman who is Berlin during those days? Can you find love and still be independent with the world falling down around you?
The only part that I found difficult to maneuver was the number of women and stories you had to keep track of. At a couple of points within the book I found that I had forgotten about a character’s story until it showed up chapters later (sorry Emilia). I also found myself wanting more at the end of the book to find out what happened to each of these characters.
Overall I highly recommend this as a great historical fiction read. The book was fast paced, engaging and I felt like I learned just a little bit more about the people impacted during D-Day then I knew before.

Interesting book told from perspective of four different women. It makes your really consider what happened after D Day. Good characters. I liked the story resolution of each character

All the Lights Above us is historical fiction at its best. M.B. Henry has woven a story that takes us through the lives of five women before, after, and especially during the D Day invasion, June 6, 1944, when Allied Forces stormed Northern France.

Mildred works at the German radio station, RRG, spreading Nazi propaganda over the airwaves. She tries to tell herself that it’s just a job, nothing more. When D Day arrives, she comes to the realization that her life is essentially over and, once caught, she will go to prison, or worse, for committing a treasonous act.

Theda is a young girl living in the VAD dormitory with her friends. She’s fiercely independent and working in an English hospital in Portsmouth, England. On June 6, 1944, she was working in the hospital when the beaches of Normandy were stormed by Allied Forces. Hundreds of wounded soldiers were brought in to her hospital and she worked tirelessly to care for them.

Flora was raised by parents who worked with the resistance during WWII. When her parents were arrested by the Germans and taken to a camp, Flora also went to work for the resistance under the care of a family friend.

Adelaide is an older woman who lives near the beaches in Normandy. German soldiers took control of her home and she became somewhat of a mother to them. On June 6, D Day, she walked through bombings, parachuters, and chaos to try and reach her daughter and granddaughter.

Emilia worked as a typist at the Gestapo Intelligence Office in Caen, France. She took notes during prisoner interrogations and watched men get beaten and sometimes killed. On D Day, her only plan was to escape to safety without getting caught and tried for treason.

The story weaves in and out of these women’s lives through short, succinct chapters, allowing the reader to get to know each woman and why and what they did to survive the horrors of WWII. The descriptions of what happened on June 6, 1944 were descriptive, articulate and very well researched. Be sure to read the author’s note at the end where she explains what parts are based on fact and what parts are fictionalized.

I gave this book 5 stars as I was completely and totally engrossed throughout, I learned a lot about D Day and it has made me want to learn more.

Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC of this book. This is an honest review.

I read a lot of WWII fiction so I am always looking for a fresh approach to events we have read about a multitude of times. “All the Lights Above Us” focuses on five women around the events of D-day. First, we have Theda who works in an English hospital. Second, we meet Flora, a French resistance fighter. Next, we meet a German, Emilia, who works at a French prison near Flora. Meanwhile, Mildred works for a radio station in Berlin while Adelaide resides near the beaches where these historical events takes places.

Each of woman’s stories begins with the background that brought them to the moments before D-day and continues throughout the historical event to afterwards. While it could be a lot of characters and story lines to keep track of, the author shifts easily from story to story without confusing the reader. Each of the five narratives is well articulated—it is difficult to find a particular character to favor. While each of the story lines operates separately for the most part, they fit within the overall puzzle of how D-day impacted so many lives. My boyfriend and I have talked about visiting the Normandy beaches and I thought this book was excellent preparation for our trip.

Thank you the M.B. Henry, NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this book. It’s about 5 vastly different women during World War Two. Very well written and researched. Will be published in May 2022.