The Lost Book of Bonn
By: Brianna Labuskes
Review Score: 4 1/2 Stars

Boogie’s Bulletpoints

•This book seamlessly links together different parts of the war.

•It was really interesting to learn about the Edelweiss Pirates.

•I loved learning about how Emmy, Annelise, and Christina were all connected.

•There were so many great plot twists in this story, I was on the edge of my seat!

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The Lost Book of Bonn was kindly provided as an ARC by Netgalley and William Morrow. Thank you for allowing me to enjoy this wonderful book!

Release Date: 3/19/24

In the Lost Book of Bonn, we meet 3 Women at different stages of World War 2. Emmy, an American who is in Germany after the war to work with the Monuments Men (with books, in particular), Annelise, a free spirited Edelweiss Pirate in Bonn before the war started, and her sister Christine, who was an early party member and, by 1943, can see what rule in a Nazi Regime is like as she lives in Berlin and works for the Government.

I was completely engrossed by this novel. As the story went on, I wanted to know how the women were connected, what happened to each of them, and their perspective of Germany before, during, and after the war.

Labuskes does such an amazing job of describing Germany at that time, really getting you to feel the grit of a country at war. You feel the fear and uncertainty of the people who do not agree, just as much as you feel the hate of the people who felt the Nazis were right in their actions.

This book is one that I kept thinking about too, once I finished it. It’s one of the more intriguing Historical Fiction books I have read recently, and I think any Historical Fiction readers would enjoy it.

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In 1946, war widow Emmy is in Frankfurt working on a project to return books that had been confiscated by Nazis to their rightful owners (and barring that, find a place to preserve them in the Library of Congress) when she discovers a volume of Rilke's poetry with an inscription that immediately draws her in: "To Annelise, my Edelweiss Pirate."

In 1938, 18-year-old Annelise is part of the Edelwess Pirates, an outdoorsy group that has morphed into an organized resistance to the growing powers of the Nazis, when she falls in love with Eitan, a Jewish factory worker in her hometown of Bonn. But their love, and Eitan's safety, is in jeopardy thanks to Annelise's sister, who is a rule-following, uniformed member of the League of German Girls (the female equivalent of the Hitler Youth for boys).

In 1943, the aforementioned sister, Christina, has a cushy job in the Nazi intelligence-gathering department in Berlin when she learns that, despite being married to a gentile, Eitan has been captured and is headed for a concentration camp, unless she intervenes.

The stories of these three women interweave throughout the book, unfolding a story of resistance and self-awareness. It's rare to find a book that features German resistance to the Nazis on an organized scale — usually it's just one person or family or neighborhood, or the organized resistance is from the Allied Forces — and it was so refreshing to see a new take on what's become an oversaturated era in historical fiction, doubly so because the story is so well told. I absolutely loved this one, and will be recommending it widely.

A beautifully written book. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars. I knew of the monuments men, who worked to save precious artwork and later return artwork during and after WWII. This book told the story of the people who essentially did the same with books. Being a book lover and a historical fiction fan, this story quickly drew me in. The story is told from 3 points of view, each one a few years apart from the other. We hear from Annelise, a young woman who was part of a youth group, the Edelweiss Pirates, in 1938. It’s becoming a certainty that Hitler’s war is inevitably coming to fruition. The Pirates are against the war and many things happening in their country of Germany, including the youth groups that are forming under Hitler. They decide to take a stand.
Christine, Annalise’s sister, has joined the BDM, Hitler’s youth group for young women. Her story comes in with the 1943 timeline. The sisters, having opposing views, have a lot of friction between them. Christine makes some choices that change the lives of both of them.
Lastly, is the point of view of a young military woman from the U.S. who works for the Library of Congress, Emmy. She has been sent to Germany in 1946 to assist with sorting through millions of books the Nazis had stolen from occupied territories to try to find out more about why things happened the way they did in the war. The books had been recovered by the Allies and many people there are working to return them to their countries they were taken from- and hopefully to as many people as possible, though after the war that was often impossible.
Emmy pockets a book of poetry after finding a sentimental inscription in it. What happens from there is the intertwining of the three stories as Emma works to track down the original owner.
Sometimes books with multiple points of view and timelines end up getting confusing, but the author does a great job of seamlessly transitioning between the stories and its written in a way that is pretty easy to keep track of the different characters.
The story brings to light the story of the existence of the Edelweiss Pirates as well as the work of those who tried to return literature from people who were often robbed of more than just their books during the war.
The author tells the story well, using her research to be as accurate as possible about these things and also using her literary license to tell it in her own way. It’s a story of bravery, betrayal, determination, forbidden love, and perseverance which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Thank you to Netgalley and William Morrow for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

I have read so many WWII/Holocaust books that oftentimes I say to myself why am I picking up another, and yet every single time I pick one up I learn something new. And, when you think about it, isn’t that the beauty of reading? We read to escape but when it comes to historical fiction, I always enjoy learning something new and fact checking at the same time being the teacher that I am. I was intrigued by this book because of the work done after the war to retrieve and catalog literature that was stolen by the Nazis. What I didn’t expect though was that through this book I would learn about the Rose Street Protest which I had never heard about.

The book follows Emmy Clarke, a librarian, sent to Germany after the war to assist in the retrieval and cataloging of books stolen. Upon doing her work she stumbles upon a book with an inscription written to Annelise. Thus begins the story of not only Emmy but also two sisters, the women of the Rose Street Protest, along with the horrors of the Holocaust and the courage displayed during WWII.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It wasn’t overly fast paced and wanted more from the central love story but I did enjoy learning about the Rose Street Protest and the other brave stories from ordinary citizens who stood against the Nazis.

This story is initially grounded in the story of Emmy Clarke who travels to Germany in 1946 on behalf of the Library of Congress to sort and document books that had been seized by the Nazis during the war. She works alongside the Monuments Men and plays a key role in the literary world.

I wish the book had really leaned in to this particular story line, but two other story lines are woven in. One story line is from the late 30's, focused on Annelise, a member of a local Pirate group. A second storyline is from the early 40's, primarily focused on Annelise's sister Christine. The common thread that ties these together is a book that Emmy has found with a personal inscription to Annalise, and Emmy is determined to return the book to the original owner.

The close timelines made the book a little more confusing/slow for me to read until the connection between the storylines began to develop a little more.

This book toggles between 3 different timelines: one in 1938, 1943 and 1946. In 1938 we hear the stories of sisters Christiana and Annelise as they are growing up in Germany with friends who are persecuted by the Nazi's. In 1943, we are following Christina who is amidst a group of German women trying to free their Jewish husbands that are being held captive. In 1946, we are following Emmy just after the war. She is a librarian who is trying to sort through all of the books that were stolen by the Nazi's to get them back to their rightful owners. When Emmy stumbles onto a book with messages written in the margins, she is on a mission to find the rightful owner and understand their story. This is a story of the sadness and horrors of war, along with several stories of love and friendship, and stories of woman who have different views of the world. It took me a little time to get into this with the storylines switching, but once I did, it really drew me in. There are a few twists that I didn't see coming. It was a very powerful story that I enjoyed and would recommend to others. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an advanced copy to ready.

I read “The Lost Book of Bonn” by Brianna Labuskes. I am a historical fiction fan and this book seemed like the perfect fit for me. The story of 2 sisters, WWII, and a mystery. The book had so much potential, but was just an average read (in my opinion). Some parts were confusing, especially the first few chapters, and other parts were cluttered with details unnecessary for the story. I debated between giving the book a 3 or a 4. I decided on a 3, because at times I felt like I just had to push through the book. Other parts of the story were exciting and rich. There were not enough of these parts for me to give the book a 4.
I rated “The Lost Book of Bonn” ⭐️⭐️⭐️

When I started reading “The Lost Book of Bonn” I thought I wasn’t going to like it. The fact that there were alternating chapters with three different perspectives made it hard for me to invest in the story right away. I found that I preferred Emmy’s perspective over Annelise’s and Christina’s in the beginning. I almost put this book down. I’m so glad I didn’t.

As the stories developed, the three perspectives slowly merged into a cohesive dynamic that captured my attention. This well researched uncommon and unique perspective of Nazi Germany during World War II made for an interesting and informative historical fiction read.

This book follows three women: Emmy Clarke, Annelise Fischer and Christina Fischer during and after World War II. Annelise and Christina are teenaged sisters who each take very different political paths during the war. One is part of the resistance while the other is supporting and working for the Nazis. Their journeys and actions are told in alternating chapters. Separately, Emmy is a librarian for the Library of Congress. After taking an assignment abroad in Germany after WWII has ended, Emmy comes across a lost book of poetry with an inscription written in it to Annelise. Emmy’s mission is to return the book to its rightful owner.

I enjoyed each character’s development and complexity throughout the chapters and the intersecting relationship that ultimately emerged.

I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the Edelweiss Pirates. This resistance group comprised of many German youths started with small pranks against the nazis and evolved into life-risking protests by Germans who would have benefited from the Nazi system.

I would recommend this book to all of the historical fiction lovers out there as well as anyone interested in a unique perspective of WWII.

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow Books and the author, Brianna Labuskes, for the opportunity to read this Advanced Reader’s e-proof in exchange for my honest review.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher: William Morrow for providing me with an ARC, in exchanger for an honest review*

Intriguing, Mysterious.

My favorite historical fiction is set during World War II. I'm not sure what it is about that time period, but I've read several books set during World War II, and they've all captivated me. Of course, it's a plus if the story includes books; how can you not enjoy a story about books? The title and cover of The Lost Book Of Bonn piqued my interest when I discovered it on Netgalley. The cover is breathtaking, and I wonder what the woman in the picture is thinking about. After reading the book's summary, I was even more captivated by the story. I knew I'd fall in love with the story before I even began reading it. It didn't take long; I was engrossed in the story from the first page. There were a few slow parts in the story, mostly when the characters were introduced, but once it got going, I couldn't get enough, and every page left me wondering what would happen next.

I like how the story was told in different timelines, from different points in the war. Annelise's story takes place at the beginning of the war, whereas Christina's takes place in the middle of it. Christina changed so much from the start of the war to the middle of the war that she appeared to be a completely different person. I wasn't sure about Christina when she was described through Annelise's eyes, but when I read it from Christina's perspective, it was a whole different story. I couldn't help but wonder if the two sisters would ever be reunited, and what would happen if they were. Emmy’s story on the other hand, it connects the other two stories and that’s one of my favorite’s parts in the book. I think if I was in her position, I would be curious too, and wonder what happened to them.

The Lost Book Of Bonn is not always an easy book to read, but it's a book you'll never forget. There is more I could say about this book, but I don't want to give too much away before it comes out. This is an important book to read and a source of inspiration. I'm glad I got to read it before it was released. Now I'm looking forward to seeing what other adventures the author will take us on.

Not only was art plundered by the Nazis, but books too. Two sisters are at odds with each other before and during the war. Annalise joins the Edelweiss Pirates as a way of protest against the Nazis. Christina is a model member of the girls Hitler Youth movement.
Emmy’s husband was killed in the war and she never wants to go to Germany, but as a librarian, the opportunity to recover stolen books propels her to Frankfurt. She finds a personal book with an inscription and wants to find the owner.
Requires a bit of concentration because the story jumps back and forth from 1946 to 1938 to 1943. One of the women is LGBT.

I love historical fiction especially books that deal with wwii. The last book of Bonn deals with two time periods… during the war and after. Sometimes I think things get lost or muddled in two time periods but Brianna handled it beautifully and it wasn’t confusing at all. The love stories between the characters were each unique and so sweet. The strength of the women in the book was inspiring. They were willing to fight for what they knew was right even in the face of danger. Each character had something internally they were fighting as well and it was interesting to see them work through their own issues. the ending tied it all up perfectly so it was very satisfying. I loved this book and highly recommend it.

I gave The Lost Book of Bonn 4.3 🌟
I loved it! I finished it in 2 days. No matter how commonplace WWII stories are, there is always something to learn in the human story of resistance and doing what is right simply because it is right and not necessarily easy or personally beneficial. While I have not read The Library of Burned Books, I would assume that if you liked that book, you would also like this one because it has a similar premise and layout. The story follows three women living in Germany, as you jump back and forth through the timeline of 1937-1946 showing how we are all intertwined by the effects of war.

I rated the book based on several things:
Originality 3 🌟 /vs/ Research 5 🌟 - This is a classic WWII story set in Germany. Obviously this should speak for itself! However, the story was so well written and researched I found myself learning something new, which I didn’t expect. Particularly around Christiana’s adventure… I read the author’s notes after I finished the book and was so impressed by the thought and intentionality put into the story. I look forward to reading the reference suggestions.

Engaging 4.5 🌟 I wanted to know what was happening until the end. I took off .5 because I felt like there was one piece of like 30 that I didn’t fully get to finish and would have appreciated one or two more chapters to full explain where/how the characters got to where they are in the end.

Emotion 4 🌟 I am not one for emotions past initial rage!!! But this story evokes thought provoking questions in a time when we need direction in our world. It felt very applicable in today’s setting and a true reminder to not repeat our past sins.

Structure/Grammar 5 🌟 to my knowledge anyway, plot, characters, grammar, all came across well. Nothing jumped out at me. It is easy to read and understand and ultimately immersed me in the lives of these characters.

The Lost Book of Bonn by Brianna Labuskes is focused on three main female characters and leads us to understand the role of each one to the "lost book" featured in Labuskes title to this novel. The main characters and the starting year of their individual timeline are: Emmy - 1946, Annelise - 1937, and Christine - 1943. While each one's story starts in the year that I just listed, each woman has a part, or parts, of her storyline revealed that take place at other points in time either in the past or in the future. Each woman's story is interesting and keeps the reader turning page after page to see what happens next. What I was most impressed by with this novel were the characters involvement with historical events that I'd never read about before despite the dozens of WWII related novels I've read. One of the characters is a member of Edelweiss Pirates which was a group of anti-Nazi young people that carried out subversive actions against Hitler's regime and was a group whose existance I had not known about previously. More importantly, we get a very realistic picture of what the Rosenstrasse Protest must have been like to the participants as one character finds herself immersed in it. The Rosenstrasse Protest was the only mass public demonstration by Germans in the Third Reich against the deportation of Jews. The protest lasted seven days and eventually led to the release of approximately 1,800 Jews. I recommend this book for the interesting overlapping storylines of Emmy, Annelise, and Christine and even more so for the historical significance of events the characters experienced.

This was a great read. There are lots and lots of stories coming out about surviving WW2, I think we are finally realizing that we need to understand this time period better. I have read books based in Poland, in Britain, but not many based in Germany.

It was interesting learning about the German resistance and how some truly fought against the Nazis and their regime. I loved the inclusion of the Monuments Men and their work in this.

Having said all that, I struggled with the gay characters. Not because they were gay, not because that isn't real, but because it felt more politically woke more than genuinely real.

This is not a closed door type of story, nothing is graphic, there is really little cursing, but this is not young adult friendly in my view.

I was intrigued when I learned that one of my favorite thriller writers was also publishing historical fiction, & I can now say with confidence that I will read anything Brianna Labuskes writes.

After becoming a soldier’s widow, Emmy Clarke vowed to never set foot in the country that started the war that cost her her husband; but Germany is where we find her in the year 1946 because her employer, the Library of Congress, has tasked her with helping the Monuments Men sort through the literary loot of the Nazis. When she finds a book of poetry with a personal message inside, she enlists the help of one of the Monuments Men & together they go on a journey through the last decade to find the people connected to this specific volume - and they find much more than they could’ve imagined…

I love this book. There are so many things I learned from it (there were boxcar librarians in Montana to serve lumber camps [Emmy’s mother was one], a resistance group called the Edelweiss Pirates existed & was essentially the opposite of Hitler youth groups, the Rosenstrasse Protest was Aryan women facing the threat of death & demanding their Jewish husbands be returned to them anyway), & so many interactions between characters in the book that really made me think about what exactly they were facing at that moment in history, & the complicated feelings that go along with their specific situations. The way Emmy couldn’t hold onto her hate for Germany once she saw it in person gives you a lot to ponder, & the idea that books themselves can forge a connection to someone that you wouldn’t normally have anything in common with, is beautiful. I also enjoyed the many quotes placed throughout the story in relevant places.

Thank you very much to NetGalley & William Morrow for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Obsessed from start to finish. Kept me on the edge of my seat and turning the page. I was fully immersed with the story.

The Lost Book of Bonn contains many stories within its pages. At its heart, Brianna Labuskes' novel is about loyalty and bravery, and justice. It is also a novel about strength, growth, and finding one's self. Labuskes does a nice job of weaving so many stories into a cohesive whole. Readers learn about the resistance group, the Edelweiss Pirates, a group of young people, for whom nature provides a path to growth and resistance. Another group of resisters are women, the German Aryan wives of Jewish men, who decide to resist the Nazis and rescue their husbands. Readers learn that not all Germans sat back and let Nazis destroy their lives. The Rosenstrasse Protest during February and March 1943 is another example of resistance, a story with great depth, that Labuskes includes in The Lost Book of Bonn.

To tell these stories, Labuskes creates three women--Annelise and her younger sister Christina, both of whom have stories to relate in 1937-1943, and Emmy, a woman who in 1946 is driven by her love of books to attempt to reunite stolen books with their owners. The Offenbach Depot was a book depository for books stolen by Nazis from libraries, museums, and private homes. Labuskes includes so many stories that just thinking about them is overwhelming, and yet the author weaves all these stories together, using 3 women lives, Labuskes makes the 3 women's complex lives believable..

I do not want to include spoilers, which is very tough. Labuskes' efforts to explore resistance in Germany and by German women is a significant motivation in telling these many stories. I want to thank the author, pu=blisher William Morrow, and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC. My comments included here reflect my honest feelings about The Lost Book of Bonn.. I do recommend reading this novel and will be buying a hard copy to include in my library.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read The Lost Book Of Bonn. This amazing story follows three amazing women during the rise of the Nazis, through the war and in the aftermath of it. This story pulled me in from the first chapter. This book is well written and meticulously researched. It touches on so many important pieces of history, but it doesn't gloss over the horrors. This is a book that will stay with the reader.

Following 3 women as Hitler roses to power thru reconstruction, this book is a powerful look at how fear and hate can be used to control people and finally how banding together can overcome those in power.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, William Morrow, and the author Brianna Labuskes for the ARC of The Lost Book of Bonn.

I was completely captivated by this historical fiction story which took place during and after WWII. I absolutely loved how Labuskes told the story through three different women. I thought it was so clever to have Emmy, a woman who travels to Germany after the war to help find lost books stolen by the Nazis, intertwined with two German sisters, who held completely opposite views about Hitler and what was happening to their beloved homeland.

When the war starts in Germany, two sisters Annelise and Christina, are at odds about Hitler. Annelise is the older sister who is free spirited and despises anything to do with Hitler and his views. The younger sister, Christina, looks up to her sister but she is also a rule follower and she quickly gets involved with a youth group endorsed by Hitler. They still remain close until one horrible night in their hometown of Bonn when Christina accidentally betrays her older sister by informing a well known Hitler supporter where Annelise's Jewish boyfriend is hiding in Bonn. After this incident Annelise vows to never speak to her younger sister again.

When Emmy shows up in Germany after the war she comes across a lost book of poetry with an inscription in it to Annelise, and so begins Emmy's quest to find the owner of the book. The story goes back and forth between Emmy's search for the book and the story of how the two sisters are involved in the war.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading historical fiction, especially revolving around WWII. Brianna Labuskes knocked this one out of the park in my opinion.