A Place to Hide is an engaging WWII historical fiction novel that is a story within a story. Part is set in present day Silver Spring, Maryland where Karyn, a woman from Israel, has agreed to take down 92 year old Teddy's holocaust story for his grandchildren. Teddy is not Jewish, but when he is given a diplomatic post in the Netherlands just as Hitler is ramping up his offensives, he becomes involved with a Jewish woman and his life takes a decidedly different turn. The focus of the story is on the significant efforts in Holland to save many Jewish children and also Jewish families through a variety of techniques and in a surprisingly widespread way among the general populace. It's a lovely story. Although the stark facts of the death camps are regularly referenced, Balson seems to avoid it getting too messy. This is both a problem, because part of me says that every book about the holocaust must be about the terrible losses at some fundamental level and the devastation wrought and a blessing because we can see that some people survived because people did not turn their backs on them. They did this at great risk to themselves. We all know that when the Frank family was discovered, the people that hid them also were arrested. Still, the novel felt a bit too pleasant and people in it were a little too lucky.

So, it was worth a read, but not complex enough for the story it told, as the afterward makes very clear.

A Place to Hide follows Teddy, an American who was working at the US consulate in Amsterdam at the start of WWII. We meet him when he is 92 years old and wants to have a book written about his life in Amsterdam so he can share his story with his grandchildren. His story involves working with secret organizations to hide Jewish families and children.

Parts of this story are based on true events and it was very surreal to read about this after just being in Amsterdam. I visited the Jewish Theater (part of the Holocaust Museum) while I was there, and saw several of the buildings referenced in this story, which made it easier to envision what was going on. I found I was able to connect more with the characters because of this.

Ultimately, the writing style of this book wasn't really for me, but that is a personal thing. The book is written almost entirely as dialogue because Teddy is telling his story to the writer. The dialogue felt a bit stiff at times and I struggled with that. Others may enjoy this type of writing more than me though, so I would still recommend the book to people looking for an interesting WWII historical fiction.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my review.

As always, I learned some new things while reading historical fiction. This is the story of Teddy, an older gentleman who is anxious to get his life story down on paper for his family ( or maybe just for himself) This story tells the story of children in The Netherlands during WWII. I liked the information but I found the writing style to be difficult to love. I just couldn't get lost in the story.

Real life stories are woven together with Ronald H Balson’s characters in A Place to Hide, a story about The Netherlands perspective of WWII. Theodore “Teddy” Hartigan is the scion of a wealthy Washington, D.C. family who place him into a comfortable job at the State Department and a placid diplomat’s career. In 1938, as Hitler’s inexorable rise continues, Teddy is re-assigned to the US Consulate in Amsterdam to replace fleeing staff.

Teddy feels completely safe in the knowledge that Holland has declared it’s neutrality in Hitler’s war on other European countries. As time goes on, Germany takes over more and more, forcing people like Teddy’s partner to live in fear.

I loved this story, I honestly didn’t know that much about the war’s affect on The Netherlands other than reading The Diary of Anne Frank when I was younger. This book is heartbreaking and beautiful as we watch the Dutch people pull together and try and fight for what is right. The way that Germany was able to bully it’s way across Europe and try to exterminate the entire Jewish race will always break my heart to read about. That level of hate will never make sense to me. I feel so incredibly sad for the families that were ripped apart, never to find each other again. Although our memoir writer Karyn is a fictional character, her story is all too real of the children that were secreted away from their parents to be hidden with Christian families so that they might escape being sent to the concentration camps.

I would like to thank St Martin’s Press for providing me a copy in exchange for my honest review. A Place to Hide is now available at your local library or book seller

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A Place to Hide by Ronald H. Balson is a historical fiction story following a US State Department diplomat during the Nazi occupation of Holland. Mr. Balson is a published author, educator, and an attorney.

Theodore Haritgan, a man in his late 90s has been contacted by Karyn, a Holocaust survivor, hoping to find her sister. She was adopted by a family and her identity changed to save her life, however her true name was lost, and she hoped he can help her while, at the same time, writing his biography.

Teddy, the son of a powerful DC insider has gotten a promotion and an opportunity to get ahead in the US State Department. He is placed in the Consulate in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, to process visas for refugees from the Nazi war machine.

Teddy hates his job but loves Amsterdam. Soon he falls in love with a Jewish woman, Sara, and the couple decides to adopt a young refugee named Katy. However, even as a wife of a diplomat Sara is unable to escape Europe and Teddy stays realizing that he holds the lives of his new family in his hands.

This is an interesting novel about the Netherlands before and during the Nazi occupation. I found the research to be excellent, this is a true historical fiction, not a story which takes place in the past. The main characters in the book are fictional, however they live through historical events, interacting with people that existed.

Most WWII novels focus on atrocities, I assume that’s what people want. A Place to Hide by Ronald H. Balson, however, focuses on the groups of Dutch citizens who, at great personal risk, made a positive difference to save lives.

After reading historical fiction books, I always make sure to read the author’s notes at the end, when available. In the Book Lover’s Library I learned more about English lending libraries, and in this book I took the time to look up the creche, a nursery school that played a part in the story.

The Nazis arrested a large number of Amsterdam’s Jews and put them in the Jewish Theater, Hollandsche Schouwburg, but allowed the children to be put in a nursery on the other side of the street headed by Henriëtte Pimentel. Ms. Pimentel was an educator and a member of the Dutch resistance who dvices a plan to sneak out the kids and have them adopted by Christians. All the while, the manager of Hollandsche Schouwburg, Walter Süskind, erased the children’s names from the German lists.
Another amazing World War II story.

In a time when Jews around the world are being vilified and antisemitism is running wild under the guise of “protest” and “intellectualism”, it’s important to remember the consequences of such rhetoric.

I am enjoying A Place to Hide but I can't read it non-stop because the events are so depressing, especially considering current events in US, Israel and Gaza. Please pardon me but I can't review on Amazon right now. Thank you for letting me read this book; I will put a review on Amazon when I can finish it.

I love how this story unfolded! Teddy, is telling his story to a reporter in exchange for finding out who she is. She was sent to safety as a baby during the war. She knows nothing about herself. Teddy has connections and wants to leave behind his story for his grandchildren.

This is a unique tale told in two different time lines. It has lots of history that I had no idea about. Y’all know this is my favorite time period. But the setting of Amsterdam in the war is unusual. I did not know a lot of details of what happened in this area of the world.

Teddy works for the US consulate and he is in charge of all the visa applications. So, you can just imagine that his job is stressful. He ends up falling in love with a young Jewish girl and they have adopted an abandoned child. This leads them to help hide quite a few children when they are invaded by the Nazis. So, emotions run rampant in this novel.

The only reason for the four star rating is that I felt the ending was rushed. I wanted a bit more. This is minor, it just didn’t quite feel finished.

The narrator, Fred Berman, did an excellent job. There are quite a few different characters throughout this novel and he had a unique voice for every one.

Need a good WWII novel set in Amsterdam…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

This piece of historical fiction is a fresh take on the classic ww2 narrative, told from the perspective of an American ambassador to the Netherlands just prior to Hitlers takeover. The main character, known for smuggling Jewish orphans out of Europe, spends the book detailing his story in an interview to a woman adopted at a young age during the war, unsure of her heritage or what remains of her birth family.

Unfortunately the interview style didn’t work for me over the course of this book. The interviews seemed a little too perfect and orchestrated, making it feel cheesy.

Readers who prefer straightforward writing, dual timelines, and fully PG narratives will find what they are looking for here. Solid 3⭐️ for this reader.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

It seems that I frequently find myself drawn to historical fiction focused on World War II. This book gives a slightly different perspective as the main character narrates his actions as an American working for the US consulate in the Netherlands. When Teddy realizes how difficult it is getting for people to get Visas through legitimate channels, he realizes he can't simply return to America safely when so many others are in jeopardy and joins the resistance effort.
Balson does an incredible job in this book and in his other works to mesh a compelling story while still including some historical details. Not always easy to read because of the subject matter, but history that needs to be read just the same.

You know how some historical fiction is heavy on the story and light on the actual history (and sometimes the timeline has been fudged in order to better align with the narrative)? This is definitely not like that. As Teddy tells his story to Karyn, you see the build up to WW2 happen (in a CliffsNotes or TLDR kind of way) via the new laws and subtle policy changes. Readers that love to have a lot of information in their books will love this one. My eyes typically start going cross-eyed and my brain tunes out if I start seeing a lot of dates in novels. I did not have this problem while reading A Place to Hide. In fact, I read it in one sitting. There's enough story to keep the historical fiction lovers happy and enough history to keep the nonfiction readers happy. I'm off to go check out more of Ronald H. Balson's books.

Thank you, Netgalley, for allowing me to read and review this book. These opinions are completely my own.

Although the book seems like an interesting read, it is too detail-oriented for my current cognitive issues. There are many details within the first chapters, and I got overwhelmed with information and American history ( I'm not American, so there was googling.

It does seem like an amazing book for history lovers, and I do recommend it; it's just not for me.

This is an astounding story of bravery, dedication, fearlessness, and hope. I've read a lot of WWII historical fiction, but I was not aware of what went on in the Netherlands until I read this book.

In a vein similar to Schindler's List, this is a historical fiction story of courage and unselfishness that is recounted by an American government consulate worker who spent a treacherous time in the Netherlands during WWII. He chose to stay even when he could have gone back to the U.S.

In reading this book about heroic men and women who performed astonishing feats of bravery in the face of adversity, I was once again awestruck by the selflessness and devotion of people that wanted to help others, even if it put the safety and security of themselves and their families at great risk in which they could lose everything they owned, including their lives.

My sincere thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read a DRC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

A Place to Hide by Ronald Balson

Ninety-two year old Theodore (Teddy) Hartigan has a story to tell and Israeli Karyn, a journalist, wants to find her sister. Their relationship will help them both. Karyn flies to Washington DC to scribe the memoir of Teddy’s life. In return, he promises to help find Annie, lost years ago in the Nazi cleansing of the Netherlands during WWII.

Great research went into the telling of Teddy’s story. Holland was neutral during WWI and remained neutral as the Nazis began to invade Europe. No one believed Germany would take over the Netherlands until it was too late. Teddy must find a way to get his family out of harm’s way. They are all Jewish, and Hartigan’s story of his life in Amsterdam during that period was representative of thousands living that nightmare.

This is a solid four star historical fiction novel I recommend to anyone interested in this genre.

A Place to Hide is another WWII survival story by Ronald H. Balson that is as inspiring as it is heartbreaking. Theodore “Teddy” Hartigan tells his story of working at the US Consulate in Amsterdam during Hitler’s rise to power and his reign of terror. There are villains but also heroes who do what they can to help. Research is excellent so that this historical fiction blends the facts well with the characters portrayed. A story that we should all read, brilliantly told.

A Place to Hide by Ronald Balson is my third book by this author. I found myself swept up in this unique story. It is set during the early day of World War II. The story is about the life of Theodore “Teddy” Hartigan as he leaves the USA and takes a job in the Consulate in Amsterdam. The year is 1938 and Hitler has already begun his rise to power and march across Europe.

The story is told during present day as Teddy Hartigan looks back at his life during this time. Teddy has never discussed his life during this time. Mr. Balson does a seamless job of moving between the past and present. He has a gift of writing a story that one can easily get immersed in. The characters are rich, endearing, kind, honorable and memorable.

The setting is so well written you can easily picture Amsterdam. You can vividly see where Teddy is living. You can see the inside of the Consulate and the local school.

Teddy’s job at the US Consulate was to process visa applications. As you can imagine, the quotas for coming into the United States was so small compared to the millions of people, especially Jewish Families, that wanted to emigrate. Teddy soon comes to the conclusion that there much be another way to help the people he has to turn away.

Teddy meets and falls in love with Sara who is Jewish. By loving Sara he is also put in an untenable situation because if Teddy was shipped back to the US, he wouldn’t have been able to take Sara because of the visa problems. Sara finds a girl who was dropped off at a local school. She is all alone and ultimately Teddy and Sara take Katy in. Katy is also Jewish. By this time the war has escalated. Teddy finds himself working with the resistance in Amsterdam and as a spy for the US.

The tension builds as the authorities begin looking for Teddy and the Nazis have stepped up their deportation of the Jewish people. I would highly recommend this book and cannot wait to see what Mr. Balson has in store for us next. Well done.

Many thanks to the author, St.Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A PLACE TO HIDE by Ronald H. Balson is an engaging and thoughtful work of historical fiction set during the late 1930s in the Netherlands. I have read a lot of historical fiction about the time frame of Hitler’s rise to power and the lead-up to the start of World War II, but this is the first book I have read where the focus was on the events taking place in Holland. Theodore “Teddy” Hartigan is the son of a wealthy Washington, DC family. He ends up with a comfortable job at the State Department communicating with foreign diplomats and monitoring events in an increasingly volatile region. As Hitler’s rise escalates, staff in Europe are fleeing their posts, leaving critical positions vacant. In a move that will change his life, Teddy is re-assigned to the US Consulate in Amsterdam, becoming in charge of processing visa applications for refugees from the surrounding countries that the Nazis have conquered. But as Hitler tightens the laws against Jews, it becomes clear that the existence of all Jewish people is threatened. Teddy soon realizes that he may be in a unique position to help. He joins forces with the father of his Jewish wife, Sara, and other members of the underground resistance to save as many lives as possible despite the incredible danger they face. I enjoyed this well-researched and informative book that had a good blend of historical and fictional events and people as is outlined in the Author’s note at the end. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.

Thank you NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press for this book for my honest opinion.

A Place to Hide is a WWII historical fiction book about an American man living in Holland during WWII.

Happenstance brings together two of our main characters, Teddy & Karyn, as they agree to a deal. Karyn will write Teddy’s memories down for his grandchildren & Teddy will seek out his contacts to find Karyn’s sister. (whom were separated during WWII)

First a few things I enjoyed:
- The well researched history. I knew very little about Holland during the war, so this as an interesting setting to me.
- The really heroic characters. These people made huge sacrifices to save people they didn’t even know. It was amazing & so touching.
- The premise of the story. A 92 year old man who escaped occupied Holland with his family telling his stories to a Jewish survivor, who happened to be in the same place during her childhood was fascinating.

The things I didn’t love:
- Some repetition. I thought to myself “didn’t I just read that?” a few times.
- I think the author could have done so much more with Karyn’s character. It felt like she was just a prop to get Teddy’s story written.
- The very abrupt ending! I was 92% into the book and didn’t think it was possible to wrap things up so quickly. It was possible, it just didn’t do the story any favours.
- I’m not sure about the style of writing. It was all dialogue.

Overall it was a good book, just a little bit lacking. I’m glad I had the opportunity to read it.

I found this to be a unique version of events during World War II. Readers are not taken to the concentration camps, although the camps are often alluded to in the book.

Instead, readers follow the life of Theodore (Teddy) Hartigan as he takes a job at the US Consulate in Amsterdam. It is 1938 and already Hitler has grabbed the attention of the world by his rapid rise to power.

Teddy’s job was to process visa applications, but the United States had quickly reached the limit on the number of visa applications available. Teddy soon comes to realize he has to help get these people to safety.

In the meantime, Teddy has fallen in love with Sara and they have taken a little homeless girl, Katy, to care for as their daughter. To complicate matters, Sara and Katy are both Jewish.

By this time, the war has escalated and no flights to the US are available. The people in Amsterdam are trapped by the borders surrounding it that are full of Nazis. Teddy soon finds himself working with the resistance in Amsterdam and as a spy for the US.

The tension builds as the authorities begin looking for Teddy and the Nazis have stepped up their deportation of the Jewish people. Before the book ends, readers will learn that Teddy was able to save many children and becomes an unsung hero to many of the people in Amsterdam.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am happy to give my honest review and recommend this book to other readers.

I am avid historical fiction reader, and in university I took many history classes that were centred around World War Two. My father is also heavily involved in events with veterans and has participated in many Dutch Liberation Remembrance events. I haven't read or studied a lot about the Dutch Occupation but I have some background knowledge about it and was looking forward to reading and learning about a new/fresh take on historical fiction in the genre.

While the subject matter for this book had a lot of potential I found that the way it was presented in this book was abysmal. The interview style felt off somehow, and the dialogue was stilted and awkward. What really bothered me was the bad editing (so many sentences/ideas that were repeated farther down the page, AND the characters and plots that were never resolved, What was the point of Burt collecting the baby pictures of Karyn and her children and grandchildren if he never returned to DC with them to show Teddy. I thought for sure that Teddy would recognize the child in the photos and the question of where Karyn's sister was would be answered. Unfortunately it felt like that plot line was abandoned and never mentioned again. The reader was gipped out of a resolution to Karyn's search for her sister and family by what seemed like a hasty ending to the book. After what seemed like a never ending set up to the story - SO much about spoiled Betsy and being in Anything Goes, the ending seemed rushed.

Maybe my ARC was a very early one and some of these issues were resolved. I really hope that they were before the book is published.

This was a wonderful and heartfelt historical fiction about WW2. It is very informative about events that happened in the Netherlands especially to Jewish citizens.

It follows Teddy, who works for the US Consulate in Amsterdam. He works to issue visas to thousands of individuals and refugees trying to flee Europe. As the war goes on Teddy and his girlfriend, Sara, realize that they might have the resources to rescue children from being sent to concentration camps.

This story was well written and really gets you invested in the characters. While the main characters are fictional, I loved how the author wove in real life people who helped in this amazing program to save jewish children by placing with families willing to adopt them. It's a hard and sad story to read but also wonderful to learn that there were those willing to risk their lives to help those in need.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc!