I settled in for an engrossing read about the millions of stolen books that were sorted and stacked and shipped after WWII. I had never given much thought to the theft of millions of books stolen by the Germans until reading Book Thieves which the author mentions in her afterward.
Labuskes cleverly tied in Emmy’s story with Annaliese and Christine’s. I had not been aware of either the Rosenstrasse protest nor the Edelweiss Pirates. I learned quite a bit from this novel but it also left me hollow because what I’d hoped would happen was in vain, for at least one character. It also illustrates just how much destruction and thievery had occurred during the war.

The Lost Book of Bonn is a beautiful work of historical fiction by Brianna Labuskes, an author who is new to me. I can assure you I will be actively looking for her other work. This is the second book in a row I've read taking place during World War II, encompassing three woman and highlighting the love of books and reading. However, they were both entirely different. I don't think there could ever be too many books about the resilience of woman, books and reading!

Emmy Clarke is a librarian and not a soldier, but the Library of Congress still sends her to Germany in 1946. She is to help the Monuments Men catalogue literature that was stolen by the Nazis prior to and during World War II. Though her department doesn't get recognized like the work of those who return stolen works of art, Emmy believes it's just as important. Notes in margins and dedications show how much the books were cherished and needed. On her first day on the job she finds a book of poetry by Rainer Maria Rilke; “To Annelise, my brave Edelweiss Pirate" is written on the title page. She is determined to return the book to its rightful owner. She discovers the heartbreaking story of two sisters, betrayal and redemption. Most astonishing, however, is the protest she discovers that took place in 1943 Berlin. After their Jewish husbands were detained by the Gestapo, hundreds of women gathered in the street demanding their husbands be set free. They faced freezing rain, RAF bombings and Nazis with machine guns, but they would NOT back down; no one ever dared to stand up to the Third Reich before. Will the stories Emmy discovers give her the strength to overcome her own painful past and embrace life?

This was such an amazing book filled with strong woman who would not give up or back down. The stories of each women took place in different times, but all blended together perfectly. In 1946, Emmy was sent to the town of Offenbach am Main to work at the Offenbach Archival Depot with Major Wesley Arnold, a historian who was a Monuments Man. Emmy lost her husband in the war about a year prior, and was still coming to terms with her situation. As she learned more about the history behind the Rilke book and spent more time with the Major, Emmy started to move on from her past and became open to the possibility of loving again. Her love of books and quest for the book's owner gave her new life. In 1937 and 1938 we learn about Annelise Fischer from Bonn, Germany, who was the Edelweiss Pirate referenced in the Rilke book, which was given to her by Eitan Basch, a Polish Jew, who was her love. The Edelweiss Pirates was a group of young Germans who refused to conform to the Nazis. They were nature loving students who spent much time in the mountains, and they started trying to thwart the Nazis. First there were childish pranks like sugar in the Hitler Youth's vehicles' gas tanks, but their protests became more bold and dangerous. Eitan tried to stay under the radar, but he couldn't resist his German love. Annelise's younger sister Christina was the polar opposite of her big sister. She was in the girls' branch of the Hitler Youth, and wanted to conform to fit in; she had a dangerous secret and didn't want to bring attention to herself. When Christina tries to warn Annelise of danger to her and Eitan, she unwittingly betrays them both and Eitan is taken away. We then have Christina's story which takes place in 1943. She was working for the Abwehr, which is the intelligence gathering agency of the Nazis. Christina, however, had become a double agent for the Allies. She tracked Eitan to Berlin and was determined to free him to make amends for her betrayal. She discovers a woman named Lisbeth who was connected to Eitan. The German womens' Jewish husbands in Berlin were detained and were going to be shipped off, probably never to be seen again. Christina, Lisbeth and all the wives began to demand the release of their husbands; this turned into the Rosenstrasse protest. These brave women faced almost certain death but refused to be silenced. One particular passage gave me shivers:

"Murderers," the women yelled for their men. "Murderers," the women yelled for their country. "Murderers," the women yelled for the world.

Dear God, the bravery and strength of these women simply awes me! Christina decides to exchange herself for Eitan so she could seek forgiveness for her sins. And I'm going to leave it at that. Telling the rest of the story will simply ruin the ending for you. I learned so many historical tidbits reading this tale. I suggest reading this book on an e-reader, because you will want to highlight people and events to learn more about them. This book was both heartbreaking and full of hope. Tears will be shed. Don't let this one pass you by.

I received this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Be on the lookout for The Lost Book Of Bonn by @brilabuskes as it hits bookshelves Tuesday (3/19). This is a story you don’t want to miss!

Set immediately following the end of WWII, describes the power of words and how they’re used for good and for evil. The story begins with Emmy being sent by the Library of Congress to Germany where the Monument’s Men are hard at work sifting through and locating the countless works of art and literature that were stolen by the Nazi’s. While her job is to find certain articles pertinent to the library, she can’t resist the urge to reunite a personal book with its owner. This book of poetry contains a small inscription and Emmy is determined to find the owner of the book or the person to whom it was inscribed.

This book takes us back to the prewar years and right in the thick of things. It introduces us to two sisters, Anneliese and Christina…Anna who sees the Nazi’s for what they are and resists in any way she can and Christina who immerses herself in the Nazi culture believing every bit of propaganda told to the German people. As time and the war progress…she begins to see what’s really happening and what could become of things if the evil was allowed to prevail.

The power of word is such a strong theme in this book. From the burning of books, to the theft of literature, to the study of Jewish history…the Germans wanted to use it against them. I know I’m not articulating how I felt about this book very well but it had a huge impact on me. Historical fiction is great at getting a person to see beyond what the text books teach you. This is a great example of the human experience from multiple perspectives during WWII. I wholeheartedly recommend this story!

Thank you so much to @netgalley, @williammorrowbooks and @brilabuskes for early access to this story. It left me speechless! #book #books #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookreview #newrelease #bookshelf #historicalfictionreader #historicalfiction

Grab the tissues. Grab the tums. Find yourself a quiet place where you won't be interrupted. Allow yourself to be transported to a time that many would like to forget but one than none of us should forget. The Last Book of Bonn grabbed my attention from the very beginning. The use of different characters gives the reader a broad spectrum of the time period from 1937 through 1946. Experience the horrors of war through the eyes of Annelise and Christina, sisters with two very different views of the Nazis and Emmy, a librarian sent to help return books taken by the Nazis. On her first day at work, Emmy finds a book with a very touching dedication. She is determined to reunited the book with the original owners, Annaelise and Eitan, the person that wrote the dedication. She sneaks it out of the warehouse, determined to find them. The alternating chapters with the three females gives the reader different sides to the same war. Get ready to be blown away. I did not expect so many of the things that happened. I cried so many tears for those destroyed in some way. By stomach rebelled reading the drama, suspense and horrors of war. This book made me realize forgiveness is not easy. How can you forgive those that stood by without standing up to evil?

Dark times in Germany!

Gripping story about sisters who lived in Bonn just before WWII
Annalise the older loved to hike and party with her friends in a group called the Edelweiss Pirates. Later they took more and more subversive action against the ruling Nazi party
Christina, the younger sister liked to follow rules. She became a member of the Bund Deutscher Mädel, promoting young Aryan women who followed rules, who fit in, who presented the ideal woman who embraced her place in the social fabric.
Widowed Emmy Clarke is a librarian who’s sent to Berlin in 1946 to look through the acres of books seized by the Nazis. Many are valuable. The scope of looting by the Nazis is phenomenal. Here she meets Major Wesley Arnold, part of the Monuments Men team.
Emma chances upon a book on her first day that has an inscription, beginning “to Annelise” ending with Eitan.” Emmy senses a deeper story behind the inscription. Emmy is inspired to see if she can find out more about these people.
The story moves from one character’s viewpoint to another’s —Annelise and Christina, Both interspersed with Emmy’s search in 19476.
What it tells us is that not all people are the enemy and that when they stood together they might prevail. The story of the Aryan women married to Jews who protest against their husbands being detained and held in the Jewish community center on Rose Street, awaiting transportation, is harrowing and admirable.
Such a sensitive novel about evil times that aren’t as cut and dried as we would wish.
A superb read!

A William Morrow ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

Readers who like WWII novels will enjoy this book. In each WWII story I read I enjoy learning something new like the Rose Street Protest and the Edelweiss Pirates. I loved Emmy's dedication to her job and finding the story of Annelise and Eitan. I didn't care for the relationship between Lizbeth and Christina. Enjoyed the author's note.

One mysterious book, 2 sisters, 3 women, and a timeline of 8 years. The Library of Congress sends librarian Emmy Clarke overseas to Germany to help retrieve and catalog a vast collection of literature plundered by the nazis. Emmy becomes intrigued when she finds a book with personal messages inside and his compelled to return it to the rightful owner. What follows is a gripping story of resistance, betrayal, survival, and love.

My Edelweiss Pirate

Emmy Clarke is a recent widow. Her husband was killed even before he reached the Normandy beach. She works as an archivist at the Library of Congress. She was recruited as a temporary volunteer archivist to head to Offenbach am Main, where the government had set up an archival depot that held the millions of books the Nazis had plundered from occupied nations. It was part of the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives unit, better known as the Monuments Men. She is met at the Bonn train station by Major Wesley Arnold. He is a gruff man in his late thirties. He drives her to the warehouse where the book storage is located. From this start, the story is told of Clarke’s search for three German teens who are associated with a book of poems and grew up as the Nazis were consolidating power through World War II.

The main storyline consists of three threads. Emmy Clarke narrates the first thread that unfolds in 1946. She finds a book someone has written as a dedication to his Edelweiss Pirate. She becomes obsessed with finding who wrote the dedication or his Edelweiss Pirate. Her boss, Major Arnold, assists her in this quest. This thread provides the structure for the story and its resolution. Annelise Fischer, a teen living in Bonn, Germany, narrates the second thread that starts in 1938. She is not a typical German youth. She is not a member of the female Hitler Youth organization. She dresses outlandishly for the time and spends much of her time in the nearby mountains with other youths who share her views. The third thread is narrated by Annelise’s younger sister, Christina Fischer. This thread starts in 1943 in Berlin, where she works in Abwehr, the military intelligence agency. Christina is also a central character in the Annelise thread. In that thread, Christina is a good German teen. She is a member in good standing of the female Hitler Youth organization and a constant irritant to Annelise.

The tension was maintained through both Fischer threads, as most of their activity would have deadly consequences if they were caught. To make it more difficult for Annelise, she has caught the eye of a leader in the Hitler Youth who makes her activities more difficult. As this thread progresses, their actions become treasonous, and tension rises. Repeated cliffhanger situations also helped maintain my interest. Reading this novel was easy and not confusing, even though the main storyline jumps between the three threads from the novel's start. My interest was captured and maintained to the novel’s end.

As this is historical fiction, Annelise and Christina have extensive backgrounds. There is much use of flashbacks. The discussions, especially between the sisters, also provide much insight into their characters. Adding to the Background is a B-storyline thread between Annelise and a young Jewish man. While a unique insight into Annelise is provided, the risk is elevated even more. These aspects did enhance my reading enjoyment. In the post-war thread, Emmy Clarke is a well-developed character with flashbacks and part of two B-storylines with Major Arnold and her roommate. These three aspects greatly enhanced my reading enjoyment.

Some aspects that can cause some readers to stop reading are present in this novel. There are some intimate scenes, but they are not extensive. As for language, this is one of the cleanest books that I have read. I found only one vulgar word, no rude words, and only two that fringe upon impious. Violence starts with teen fistfights but escalates to deadly situations. This novel should not be objectionable to most readers. Lastly, in this category, this is a standalone novel, so there are no issues with the unexplained references to the previous novels.

There are many reasons that I enjoyed this novel. I learned about the Edelweiss Pirates and a little-known aspect to me concerning what the Nazis looted and their return as part of the Monuments Men. I liked that the overarching main storyline thread could have been a standalone novella. The only aspect that did not maximize my reading enjoyment was the ending. For me, it was bittersweet. Given that two of the threads occurred in pre-war and wartime in Germany, this ending could be the realistic ending to this novel.

This is the fifth novel by this author that I have read. This is my favorite and one of the most enjoyable of the many books I have read. She only solidified her position in my Must-Read Authors. This novel is a gem that I highly recommend reading. I have another ARC of hers on my Kindle and am looking forward to reading it. If I could rate this novel higher than five stars, I would.

I received this novel's free prepublication e-book version through NetGalley from William Morse & Custom House. My review is based solely on my own reading experience of this book. Thank you, William Morse & Custom House, for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.

I've really liked other books by this author, but sadly didn't love this one. This was a tri-POV historical fiction set before, during, and after WWII, and I did like the insight it provided into some of the resistance efforts in Germany at the time.
*
However, I didn't end up getting anything out of the post-war POV, it seemed fairly irrelevant, and anticlimactic. And I was left really confused about what happened during the war, I'm still not clear about how the main character from that POV got away with what she did, and how it came together. I also felt like all the characters were fairly one-dimensional.
*
Also, the romance that came up in each of the POVs was very insta-love, which I'm not a fan of (forgiven for the pre-war one, because they were so young).
*
Overall this was fine, but to me it doesn't stand out among all the WWII novels out there.

There is so much to unpack in this well written, excellent addition to historical fiction of WWII. Emmy is a librarian at the Library of Congress, sent to Germany in 1946 to assist in the efforts of restoring stolen literature to their rightful owners, and collecting the propaganda that convinced a country to participate in Hitler’s madness regarding the “Jewish question”. When Emmy finds a book of Rilke poems with an inscription, she is determined to track down the owner. Annelise is a young woman, who in 1938, decides to participate in acts of resistance with the Pirates of Edelweiss. The group started out as an outdoorsy hiking group, but quickly saw that the poison of the Nazis was worth fighting against. Annelise’s sister, Christina, in 1943, decides to reject her Hitler Youth allegiance and her Abwher position, to join the Rosenstrasse resistance when intermarried Jewish husbands were rounded up in Berlin for deportation. I have studied the era and did not know about the Pirates of Edelweiss or the Rose Street protest. As a librarian, the efforts of the Monuments Men to restore books to their universities, collections and donate to refugee camps was admirable. This quote hit home, “They’ve always wanted to dictate what voices were allowed to speak. Whose stories were allowed to be told”. An ominous warning applicable today. Highly recommend this book and thank NetGalley for the ARC.

I was so excited to read this book as it covered several topics I wasn't aware of: a youth group that acted in opposition to the HJ, a group that attempted to return looted books to their rightful owners, and the Rose Street protest. Unfortunately, the delivery didn't work for me. Anneleise was too prickly and, in a way, too self-centered for me to truly connect with her. I didn't buy into any of the three romances. Also, the end felt rushed. For one of the main characters, there was basically only one sentence given about her fate. It felt like we deserved more than that. The author's notes were good.

Thank you to William Morrow and the Bookclub Girls for the early read.

I had high hopes for this book but it didn't live up to my expectations. At first I couldn't figure out why I couldn't get into the book. By the end I had several items I could say I didn't enjoy.
First thing I didn't enjoy I am going to just say is the writing style want an exciting wanting to start up all night reading style. I found that the regularity of the chapters being in the same order of characters and only changing at the end when it made the character's story more stressful was annoying. I hated the fact that around 80% of the story covered a week of time in different time periods then the last bit advanced one story 8 years. Skipping all the details I really wanted!! I thoroughly hated the ending as it felt like rushed closure after skipping all the parts of the story I wanted. I fell asleep so many times reading this book even during the middle of the day, it was just not exciting.
I was excited for the storyline but the book was more of a side story than the main story and it's an absolute shame.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by the publisher and netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I plan to review and discuss this book on my podcast The Honest Reviewers https://open.spotify.com/show/3H3ugH4xlzvjMXuUo1Lyvh .

Whew. Just. Whew. This book was an emotional rollercoaster. There were times it was so heavy that I had to put it down and come back to it later. I had no idea about the plundered books during the war or the efforts to get them back to their owners. I could have done without the lesbian love story but other than that the book was incredible!

Thank you Netgalley and William Morrow Publishing for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

This book took me on a whirlwind of emotions for sure. I thoroughly enjoyed this book so much/

In this book we follow 3 separate main characters. We follow Emmy who is with the Library of Congress. She is widowed when her husband is killed at the battle of Normandy. She comes across this book belonging to an Annelise from her love Eitan. So Emmy is on a mission to bring this book back to its rightful owner. For what she would give for one more piece of her husband.

We also follow two sisters Annelise and Christina. While Annelise is for the resistance and is trying to stop the Nazi's, Christina for the most part follows along with the Reich. Later on. secrets come out and of course their relationship is very rocky,

This book is filled with hope, sadness, fighting, and standing up for what is right. This is my second book I read from this author and I plan on reading more.

4.5 Stars, rounded up for this piece of WWII Historical Fiction set in Germany. We have 3 narrators/timelines and it took me a bit to get absorbed into this book, but once I did, I couldn't put it down and read it from 30% to finished in one sitting.
In 1946, Emmy is a librarian sent from the Library of Congress to evaluate books in the Offenbach Archival Depot for returning to the US. On her first visit to the depot, she encounters a book of Rilke poetry with a dedication that captures her attention and she becomes determined to reunite the book with it's original owner, despite the fact that it's outside her purview at the depot.
In the mid 1930s, Annelise is a teenage girl living in Bonn, part of the Edelweiss Pirates, refusing to join up with the Nazi indoctrination based youth groups, joining her friends in little rebellions that become increasingly dangerous as Nazism spreads across Germany.
In 1943, we have Christina, Annelise's younger sister, working in Berlin for the Aberwehr, when she becomes involved in the Rosenstrasse Protest after the Jewish spouses of Aryan Germans are being held and prepared for deportation.
As the book progresses through time, we see how all three women's timelines tie together to get a fuller understanding of what happened between Christina and Annelise in the past, leading to Christina's determination to save Eitan, her sister's past boyfriend who has been rounded up in Berlin.
This book was slow to start off with the frequent timeline switching, but as the plot developed I was quickly wrapped up in it and as mentioned before, unable to put it down until I finished it. It's for that reason primarily that I have decided to round this up to 5 stars. The book wasn't perfect, and there were some plot gaps and missing details that I would have liked elaborated upon, but overall I very much enjoyed the premise and glimpse into life in Germany leading up to and during WWII.
Thank you to Book Club Girl, William Morrow, and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

When first hearing about this book, I was so excited to read it. It quickly became an anticipated read for me. That being said, it was hard for me to rate it a three-star, but that is truly what I feel that it deserves.

The story overall was very well done, and a very good story. It was an interesting read. I found myself falling in love with the characters, and relating to them in a multitude of ways. The story in itself was original, I have never read anything like it.

My major concern or complaint with this book was how slowly it read. Currently I am reading books in three to four days, but this book took me a significantly longer amount of time to read. I found myself having to reread multiple passages just to remember what happened. In addition, I found that it was hard to retain much of the story, making it easy to forget details within.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

For more reviews and discussions, listen to my podcast The Honest Book Reviewers with Nate and Emma.

https://open.spotify.com/show/3H3ugH4xlzvjMXuUo1Lyvh?si=ewdzfkUnSVKyDmAvHMHIPQ

Gorgeous cover for a lovely story! Great strong female characters that are just as entertaining independently as when their stories tangle together.

Make sure to read the authors dedication section as she provides some background information on the historical events and all her sources.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Thank you so much for the ARC

The post-World War II era is incredibly fascinating, so I get excited whenever a book tackles it. The Lost Book of Bonn examines the strength of resistance in the face of strong opposition and the nearly unbreakable links of human connection in the face of horrors by switching between three timelines: 1938 Bonn, Germany; 1943 Berlin, Germany; and 1946 Berlin. Although it was historical fiction, some of the story's parts were based on actual people and events, and it was eye-opening, especially in light of how things are going on in the country and around the globe right now.

What really got to me was how the Nazis fostered fear and hatred by creating a sense of otherness and alienation in order to seize and hold onto power. Naturally, this has been discussed in a lot of other publications, but what really got to me was how the Nazis fostered fear and hatred by creating a sense of otherness and alienation in order to seize and hold onto power. This has, of course, been discussed in many other works, but for some reason it especially jumped out in this one. It could be that the primary protagonist's character arc is what centers the plot. She initially enlists in Hitler's youth program, whilst her elder sister is developing into a potential resistance fighter. Her evolving reality and wisdom offer a perspective that I had not previously encountered.

This book has a lot of parts that I found myself underlining because they are still relevant today. The prohibition of literature and the gradual diminution of some people's rights like we have forgotten the power of and lasting consequences for them.

The intrigue of finding who the book belonged to & the faithfulness of the wives to stand up to the Nazis were highlights. I enjoyed the love story between the Major & Emmy but it did feel a bit forced. It felt like it all moved along too quickly. I did not enjoy the LGBTQ+ storyline, it felt forced and thrown in there just for diversities sake - it worked with the father/mother but adding it in more with the sister was just too much. Overall, the story felt rushed and aside from Annalise’s story it was not something to connect to.

4 – 4.25 STARS

Spanning across three different timelines, “The Lost Book of Bonn” puts yet another face to a period of history when innocence and love were lost to the atrocities born from hate and the grievous war against humanity. In contrast, we are shown the resilience of the human spirit and the willingness to take a righteous stand, regardless of age or the personal cost.

This compelling story takes us on a journey of two sisters, both on different paths, trying to find their place in a hostile world that has become divided. Through it all, we are privy to the good, the bad, and the devastatingly ugly. However, the constant switch between timelines was a bit disorienting and caused the pacing to be a bit sluggish. Hence, there were times when I found myself struggling to remain engaged. That said, it’s a one-of-a-kind story filled with little-known facts that will undoubtedly stay with you long after the last page is read.