The Hidden Book by Kristy Manning is an exceptional historical fiction novel based on the true story of a WWII European Heirloom.

This compelling story is beautifully written and with dual timelines explores the trauma of war over several generations.

I enjoyed this book and would highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced reader’s copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Hidden Book by Kirsty Manning shares depicts dual timelines linking a grandfather’s story as a prison in Mauthausen concentration camp with that of his granddaughter as she tries to uncover his experience. Hannah’s mother’s silence and secrets make the journey a difficult one.
I am fascinated by the daily courage of many heroes during WWII. I knew nothing about this camp in Austria and very little about the Nuremberg Trials.
Nico, Hannah’s grandfather was definitely my favorite character. I deeply wish that I had been provided more of his story after the war. Roza, Hannah’s mother, was my least favorite character. Her bitterness was strong.
I was disgusted with the tremendous amount of sexual encounters in Hannah’s story. They simply were not necessary, in extreme detail, to shape her from girlhood to becoming a mother herself in order to discover who she was. She would have been just as capable of discovering and sharing her grandfather's past without those detailed scenes.
While the story of The Hidden Book is based on a true story, the fictional account was choppy and disappointing.
NetGalley and William Morrow Publisher shared an Advanced Readers Copy with me. This review is my opinion alone.

Hannah is always seeking a level of happiness but she seems to throw happiness away. On another timeline, Nico, Hannah's grandfather, is dealing with being a prisoner in a concentration camp but still finding happiness. Hannah is looking for answers that Nico has provided. Will it allow Hannah to be happy?

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow publishers for an advanced copy of The Hidden Book by Kristy Manning. I am an avid reader of WW2 historical fiction and this is my first encounter with the Mauthausen Concentration camp in Austria. Ms. Manning does an excellent job bringing to life the hardships and courage shown by prisoners and those on the outside willing to risk their lives for humanity. The dual timeline that discusses the granddaughters struggle to learn more about her beloved grandfather who survived the camp compliments the story line.

Why did her grandfather bring a parcel all the way from Yugoslavia to Australia?

And why was her mother horrified by it and told Hannah that she could not look at it?

Being a teenager and curious, Hannah found it and did look inside. What she found were pictures taken at a concentration camp, Mauthausen, where her grandfather was held prisoner during WWII.

Hannah knew nothing about the holocaust, but she was determined to find out and determined to find out how her grandfather had this book of photos.

We find out about his life during that time and move to present day as it is revealed that this was a concentration camp that was in operation and one where two prisoners were ordered to take photos of the prison and the prisoners.

The pictures in the book were used to prosecute during the Nuremberg trials.

Your heart again will go out to the Europeans and especially those in concentration camps who put up with the cruelty of the Nazis.

THE HIDDEN BOOK is another marvelous, heart-wrenching, well-researched book based on truth.

This is a gem you won’t want to miss if you enjoy historical fiction and wonderful characters.

You will love all the characters for their strength both past and present.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I was able to read an ARC of this thanks to William Morrow, the author and NetGalley. I love historical fiction novels and this was a great novel set in WWII.

This novel is a dual timeline that discusses the horrendous conditions of WWII and the Mauthausen concentration camp that was located in Austria. This novel was based on a true story and was beautifully written!

I really loved Lena’s side and perspective. Kristy did a fantastic job crafting this story! Definitely recommend to all fans of WWII set novels.

Thank you @NetGalley and @WilliamMorrow for the advance copy of this book in exchange for my review.

An interesting dual timeline story that explores the atrocities of WWII and the lesser-known concentration camp of Mauthausen in Austria. Based on a true story, this book is a must read for any WWII historical fiction fan. During the war, Lena's family lives in view of the Mauthausen camp. As Lena befriends a prisoner, Nico, she puts herself and her family at risk as she hides an album of photos taken by the camp photographer. This photo album became instrumental in ensuring convictions during the post-war trials.

Fast-forward to modern day Australia, Hannah becomes aware of a family photo album her grandfather brought with him from his homeland. Hannah's mother, suffering the loss of her husband, the generational trauma deeply affects young Hannah as she leaves her home for university. Through her love affairs, the birth of her children, and a failed marriage, Hannah discovers what it means to love unconditionally, forgive, and accept yourself and others to live a fulfilled life.

Kirsty Manning does an excellent job of exploring the hard lessons life brings to our doorstep, whether through our own choices and the choices of others. Do not overlook this book!

#TheHiddenBook #NetGalley #WWII #historicalfiction #womenheroes #mauthausen #concentrationcamps

I would like to thank NetGalley for the opportunity to ready the digital ARC of this novel.

I love historical fiction, and have read a lot of historical fiction around WWII. My favorite aspect of this book was Lena's side of the story. I do not feel that I have seen many viewpoints from someone who lives near a camp and the small actions of defiance that was taken by these individuals. Additionally, the family taking actions to keep Greta safe as also a great plot point-

The album/photos obviously played a huge role in history and it was a great point to tie the three main characters together. I think Kristy Manning is strong write, One quote that sticks me days after finishing was said by Nico- "It's not nothing. These tiny, simple things of beauty... they're everything. They make life rich. The taste of coffee or chocolate. A snowflake on the tongue. Making angels in the snow. I'll never take these moments for granted"

I just wish I had MORE insight to the characters. I felt our insight to Nico, Lena and Hannah was surface level and I was not able to truly understand what made them tick and drove them for their decisions. I would endorse this book for anyone who likes historical fiction.

This is definitely a five star novel! Impeccably researched this WWII story is based on true events. A secret book of photographs of the human atrocities of the Nazi work/extermination camp of Mauthausen, Austria was created by a Spanish enslaved photographer of the camp In the 1940's. It was hidden for years by a local resident and when the Allies finally arrived and the book was turned over to them it was instrumental in convicting Nazi officials of crimes against humanity and helped nail the coffin in their final sentencing. I just loved this book! I loved the characters, the descriptions of the local flora and fauna and especially the ending. The story jumps back and forth between current times and the late 1940's towards the end of the war. Hannah and Lena are our main characters, Hannah of modern times and Lena of the past. Each has a wonderful story to tell. I loved the 'family tree trail' of how these characters and their loved ones were connected. So clever and deep. I will be reading much more of this author Kristy Manning. A solid 5 stars.

Oh how I loved this book! It is well written, the story is unique and intriguing, and the characters are lovable. It is written from a dual timeline and the personal perspectives of characters during WW2 and character's during the life of a survivor's granddaughter. Although some chapters skipped long periods of time, months to years, the plot did not suffer and it didn't feel as though there were huge missing gaps.

The story is heartbreaking, but I was happy crying at the ending and so excited for a reunion. Well done, Kirsty Manning! Highly recommend!

This story was well researched and had some fascinating information in it. Unfortunately the book itself wasn’t as fascinating. The modern day storyline was the issue for more - it was hard to connect with the main character, the timeline would jump, and things just felt rushed. The WWII timeline story was, however, interesting & heartfelt.

This is an interesting book focusing (mostly) on photographs taken at Mauthausen. The historical parts of the book involving the concentration camp inmate photographer, the photographer's assistant, and the way they work to preserve the history of the camp are all well-written and engaging. I found the (more) modern storyline less so. It's really just a story about the ways in which people grapple with history and I didn't feel like Manning had much new to say with regard to that. My overall feelings is that this fits well and carves out a new space within the World War II fiction genre, but I think it needed a better editor to really make it stand out.

4.5 stars rounded up.

I received an ARC of this book from William Morrow via NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback. I flew through this book and finished in less than two days.

I had recently read another WWII historical fiction novel which was set up similarly (past & present, various voices). I was wondering if this book would have similar problems as the last one I read, mainly, that it was quite difficult to keep track of who was who. Fortunately, this was not the case at all here. Every narrator had their own voice, and it was very clear who was speaking.

Most WWII novels focus on Jewish people, so this was unique in that the main characters are other groups persecuted by the Nazis (political enemies, people with "undesirable" health issues, and war resistance - plus one other group that is revealed later in the book but which I did guess). I really enjoyed Lena's chapters in particular. The characterization is in-depth, and the reader can feel Lena's stress over her many secrets.

I did not enjoy Hannah's chapters as much, and I the half star I took off is actually for this. Every time we saw Hannah, there were many years in between. Her story therefore felt rushed (particularly with her love interests!). I also think Hannah's mother's attitude toward the book was very far-fetched.

I had previously seen the movie The Photographer of Mauthusen, which is about this same specific topic, and I recommend it to other readers who enjoyed this book.

3.5 stars

I had high hopes for this book and parts of it fell flat for me. My initial draw to the book was the WW2 setting of Mauthausen Concentration Camp. I visited Mauthausen in middle school, the first of multiple concentration camps I’ve had the privilege of visiting. I really enjoyed the past narrative set in Mauthausen and surrounding town, the modern day story line is what lost me a bit.

The storyline follows three characters, one in modern day Australia, and two in WW2 (one in the Mauthausen camp and the other a local in Mauthausen village). The WW2 storyline spans the course of a year, the end of the war, the modern day plot is more of a coming to age story and spans from 1990-2018. At times it was difficult to remember how much time had passed in the modern day narrative.

At around 60% I was debating putting the book down because it just wasn’t clicking, but then around 75% it started to redeem itself and I ended up enjoyed the last bit of the book.

Language: occasional strong language
Spice: descriptive fade to black, same sex kisses and relationships
Content considerations: WW2 themes, miscarriage, rape, divorce

The Hiidden Book is such a wonderful book. It involves four characters Lena, Nico, Hannah and Hannah's mother. Hannah's mother is Nico's daughter and she and Hannah lives in Australia when Nico comes to visit bearing a mysterious book.9 Hannah is desperate to see what the book is about but Nico tells Hannah's mother not to let her see it because it contains graphic pictures of prisoners from a Nazi concentration camp. It does switch from WWII back to present times. This brings Lena and her sister into play . They see the prisoners go back and forth to work at the quarry. Lena's family has a secret because her sister had a brain injury and if the Nazis find out she could be executed.
It involves intrigue as Nico asks Lena to had copies of photographs of the camp . Eventually these photos will be used against the Nazi during the Nuremburg Trials.
A wonderful book about another concentration camp and World WarII.

I think I have read too many dual timeline books lately because this one seemed too difficult for me to stay with both stories. The WWII story was very compelling and I could feel the terror and horror of that time and everything they were going through. The history was well told. However, I was not as interested in the modern story. The relationships didn't have the same depth and I just wasn't really into what was happening to the characters. A good addition to my knowledge of WWII. #TheHiddenBook #NetGalley

Dnf read a quarter of the book and the story did not grab me.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

The Hidden Book is a story about the WW2 concentration camps. I’ve read quite a few about this subject but this one comes from a perspective that is new to me.

It begins in the 1940’s Mauthausen concentration camp. A young boy sneaks passed SS guards to hide a book containing photos of prisoners in the camp. A Spanish POW, Mateo Baca, a photographer, has been forced to take the photos and make 5 books for Nazi leaders. He secretly makes a 6th copy hoping to give it to the Allied soldiers who are rumored to be arriving any day.

It alternates with the story of Hannah Campbell, who in 1980, at 12 years old, comes across the secret album. Her grandfather, Nico, who survived Mauthausen, brought it to Australia when he comes to visit his daughter, Roza, and her family. Roza is angry that Nico brought the book and forbids Hannah from looking at it. This begins Hannah’s lifelong journey to find out why she can’t see the photos and why her grandfather is in one of them.

I didn’t realize that the 3rd generation holocaust children were as affected by what happened to their family. To Hannah it is a double tragedy because she is not allowed to learn about her heritage or the holocaust. It causes a lot of contention between her and her mother.

When she is older and finally visits the sights she is dismayed to see tourists rushing to have their photos taken in the gas chambers, and the infirmary where the doctors did horrible experiments on prisoners. She was hoping to see more respect shown in memory of the people who suffered and lost their lives there. Most of all she wanted to find out how and why her grandfather had the book.

I don’t want to give any spoilers so I will just say the book has an interesting ending that I didn’t expect. The book helped me to learn about the people who helped, some who gave their lives, to bring charges against the Nazi criminals.

Thank you, William Morrow, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley!

Kirsty Manning provides a thoughtful look into the lives of those impacted by World War II and through the eyes of their descendants, weaving a story that transcends generations. I feel like her writing really shines as she weaves the stories of Lena and the prisoners of the Mauthausen concentration camp. The human emotion is so vivid and so raw, it's hard to not experience the fear, the sadness, and the helplessness of Manning's characters as they confront the evil around them.

Perhaps slightly less sympathetic are the stories of Hannah and Roza, the mother and daughter whose experiences with Nico's album lead to this journey through the past. I found Hannah's struggle against her mother's wishes to keep the book hidden a bit tiresome. Hannah wants the book. Roza says no. She never gives the why. You never see the same depth of character or humanity of Roza or Hannah that you experience with Lena.

I found the ending of this book a bit abrupt, and I was left wanting more from Hannah and her family. I wanted to better understand all of their motivations and their reconciliation with the past. While Hannah eventually published her family's story, it felt shallow and undefined.

Overall, this is a beautiful story of humanity. It gives you a better understand of some of the less famous but still brutal concentration camps, and you'll enter the mind of the young people who made to make difficult choices when confronted with evil. I would have liked to see more of the present-day character development, but it's still a good read if you are interested in historical fiction and World War II.

Given the number of World War II novels that I have read, it always surprises me when an author writes about or from a perspective that is new to me. Manning managed to do that with The Hidden Book - a novel based on the actual existence of a book of photos taken by a prisoner inside of Mauthausen concentration camp. Using one of my personal favorite formats, this dual timeline novel was an easy read despite the difficult subject matter thanks to Manning's writing style. While I enjoyed The Hidden Book, I do feel as though it was missing something that I can't quite put my finger on...I didn't feel like I was dying to keep reading or finish the book to see what happened. I don't know if it's that the characters seemed a tad underdeveloped or the fact that there just wasn't much mystery or suspense, but in any case, it was still a solid read.