I see I'm not alone in being unable to finish this. I read a few chapters and just felt like the prose was a lot of nonsense, almost pretentiously so. Galley is formatted poorly, which also makes it hard to even want to read.

very impressive historical fiction that i would recommend. well done and i found teh characters memorable. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

DNF

This book is sadly wasn't for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for this ARC opportunity.

I couldn't finish the book. The summary and the cover peaked my interest, but I couldn't get past the first chapter.

I couldn't finish the book. I think that summary was interesting but once I started reading I think that my interest was just not there and had to dnf the book.

In her exceptional debut novel 33 Place Brugmann, Alice Austen weaves a gripping and poignant story set against the backdrop of World War II in Brussels. At the heart of the narrative is the Beaux Arts apartment building at 33 Place Brugmann, where the lives of its eclectic residents intertwine in unexpected and often dangerous ways as the Nazi occupation looms. A blend of love story, mystery, and philosophical exploration, this novel is a powerful meditation on identity, loyalty, and the cost of resistance in times of great peril.

The novel opens on the eve of the German occupation, with Charlotte Sauvin, an art student and resident of the building, as our guide. Charlotte’s intimate knowledge of the building and its inhabitants—each character marked by their own secrets and aspirations—sets the stage for the unraveling of a complex web of relationships. The Raphaël family, art dealers whose valuable collection disappears under mysterious circumstances, become a symbol of the larger cultural and personal upheaval taking place. As the war intensifies, the residents of 33 Place Brugmann must confront their own fears and moral choices when a Nazi officer moves into the building, complicating their already precarious lives.

Austen’s writing is both elegant and gripping, drawing readers into the lives of her characters and the tense atmosphere of occupied Brussels. Each chapter shifts perspective, offering a window into the minds of different residents, from Charlotte’s godmother, Masha, a seamstress embroiled in a dangerous affair, to Colonel Warlemont, a man with his own hidden motives. Through their stories, Austen explores the transformative nature of war—how fear can distort a person’s identity, how love can inspire acts of courage, and how art can become both a refuge and a weapon.

The mystery surrounding the Raphaëls’ missing art collection serves as a metaphor for the deeper losses experienced by the residents of 33 Place Brugmann, who find themselves caught between survival and resistance, deception and truth. Each character is forced to confront what they are willing to risk—and for whom—in order to preserve their humanity in the face of unimaginable horrors.

33 Place Brugmann is a novel that speaks to the restorative power of art, love, and courage in times of oppression. It’s an evocative, beautifully written exploration of the ways in which ordinary people are shaped by extraordinary circumstances. A masterpiece of storytelling, this novel will resonate with readers long after the final page, leaving them reflecting on the moral complexities of wartime choices and the enduring strength of the human spirit.

33 Place Brugmann is a small apartment building, in Brussels, Belgium. This story is a microcosm of the Nazi occupation of Europe during World War II. The longtime residents of this lovely building include a successful architect and his beloved daughter Charlotte, who is a college student, as well as her best friend Julian and his family, who are Jewish. There is also there is a crusty, widowed Colonel, and his dog,Zippy. Masha, a Jewish Russian refugee, lives in a maid’s apartment. Miss Agatha Hobert is the nosy neighbor who spys on everyone. There are pro Nazi occupants as well as resistance members. Everyone has the same goal, to survive the war.

Each character narrates their own story, which is somewhat confusing, until we get to know them. This beautifully written tale includes heroism, as well as heartbreak and betrayal. The reader becomes an invisible occupant of 33 Place Brugmann.

This is one of those books that quietly pulls you in and lingers long after you’ve finished. Set in an apartment building in Brussels during World War II, it follows the lives of its residents as they face the growing threat of Nazi occupation. Through the character stories, it explores how people survive, resist, and find moments of beauty in a world falling apart.

What really stood out to me were the characters. They felt so real, like people you might know—or wish you could protect. Each person had their own voice and perspective, and their lives were all connected. The building itself became a kind of anchor for the story, a place that held all their hopes, fears, and quiet acts of bravery.

This isn’t just a story about war, though. It’s also about art, philosophy, and the little moments of humanity that keep people going even when everything seems hopeless. I found myself thinking a lot about the small choices people make—things that might seem insignificant but end up changing everything.

If you love historical fiction that feels deeply human and focuses on the relationships between people, I think you’ll really connect with this book. It’s beautifully written, emotional, and thought-provoking. I know I’ll be thinking about 33 Place Brugmann and its residents for a long time.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Press for the chance to read this incredible debut.

DNF - Althought I was eager to read this book, it didn't end up working for me in the end. I'm sure there is an audience out there who will appreciate the story for all that it holds.

Unfortunately I DNF'd this book at about 30%.

I could not get into it and I believe the writing style was simply not for me. I was very intrigued by the plot, but even after giving it two tries I could not get myself to want to keep reading.

Perhaps in the future I will give it another try and it will stick but unfortunately, this was not the time for me.

I'm passionate about history and historical fiction in particular—especially anything that covers the topic of WWII. Which is why I was excited to read this book. It's a refreshing and intimate—yet still harrowing—iteration of a horrific time in our world's history. It took a topic that is wildly saturated and yielded a fresh take. For that alone you should read this book, but stay for the sweet love story. I recommend highly.

I am familiar with Bruxelles, having grown up less than 2 hours (drive) away, so I was tempted by this historical novel as soon as I saw it on Netgalley. I have no idea who Alice Austen is (it looks like a pseudonym?) and if this is her first published novel, but it had no trouble grabbing my attention.

33 Place Brugmann is an address in central Brussels, a real bourgeois 5 storey high building in reddish bricks (you can search for it on Google maps). The novel is the fictional story of its inhabitants during the Second world War. Belgium was invaded by the Nazis in 1940 and occupied. Life got increasingly difficult with lots of food shortage, persecutions of Jews, Allied bombings. Some parts of the population were supporting the collaborationists, others the resistance, so that distrust and informing were commonplace among neighbors.

On 33 Place Brugmann, a wealthy Jewish family lives on 4th floor, on the same storey as a widowed architect and his daughter. There’s a seamstress living in a maid’s room in the attic, a gruff retired colonel on the 3rd floor, opposite to a nasty, nosy old maid, a middle-class family on the 2nd floor, and a notary and his wife on the ground floor. The story is told by the different residents one by one. We get to see what choices they have to do, what they think of one another, their lives, lies and secrets.

The only reservations I have is first, some parts where characters are dreaming or thinking about metaphors and philosophy points I didn’t fully grasp, and second, that the ending was abrupt and left me wanting for more. This is not a story where every story line will have a nice bow to tie up all questions.

Despite those minor problems, I really appreciated the depth of the characters, the solid writing and the sense of historical setting. I had the opportunity to read this book just before going to Brussels and it was a great reminder of the complexities of war-time history in this urban metropolis.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley. I received a free copy of this book for review consideration.

33 Place Brugmann follows the lives of the residents of a small apartment building in Belgium before and during the Nazi occupation. Told from the point of view of each of the residents, 33 Place Brugmann is a poignant work that attempts to capture how the lives of ordinary people were inalterably changed by the war. Although I enjoyed it overall, I often found it difficult to keep up with who was who as the points of view kept changing during the book. Definitely an ambitious effort by the author and well worth the read. Thank you to Net Galley for the advanced reader copy of this book.

33 Place Brugmann is a very interesting book about residents of an apartment complex before and during the Nazi- occupation of Belgium during WWII. I’ve read many books about this time period but this story was more intimate as it dealt with specific families, their relationships as neighbors and friends, and how the relationships morphed because of the occupation. By the end, the fate of some characters was certain and others were unclear. The story changes point-of-view for each chapter and the reader is challenged to fit all the pieces together. I liked this unique way of telling the story which grabbed me from the start. The characters have depth and writing is lovely. I recommend this book to readers of historic fiction. Thanks for an advance copy of this book.

I usually always enjoy historical fiction, and this was no exception. I wasn't expecting the love story element but really found that compelling in the face of so much fear and tragedy, which of course I had been expecting.

33 Place Brugman is a debut novel and what a book!
it's a mash up of mystery, history and love story against the backdrop of WWII. The residents of the apartment building reside together during the Nazi occupation. Austen includes multiple personalities and each chapter includes different viewpoints which produce interesting interactions about love, children and family.
It's complex but enjoyable even when the subject is grim. Austen truly demonstrates the importance of different points of view #33placebrugman #aliceausten #groveatlantic

I thought fictional books on the Holocaust were a bit overdone and the market saturated. However, the author went about it in a completely new way. The author followed the residents of one specific apartment building, even if they left and moved to a new country. Instead of having the characters give explicit detail on the Holocaust, it was more grim to see how slowly it took over, and how it affected everyone in different ways, even if their living situation was the same.

The story revolves around 33 Place Brugmann where we follow the residents as the war unfolds around them.
It was slow-paced but well-written. I wish there had been more depth in the introduction of the characters. But all in all, recommend it to anyone who loves historical fiction—especially war stories.

I really liked this book! It was well written, it kept intertwining the stories of the tenants of this building which is a great writing style that I love. I think it was a great balance of humanity, love, loss, grief, and war, not too much focus on one specific topic. I thought it was well done, I enjoyed it!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and especially the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review of the book!!

During the occupancy of Brussels by Nazi Germany, we are introduced to the various tenants of 33 Place Brugmann, whose stories intertwine and connect while trying to survive the regime. While each narrator details what they are currently facing, whether it is famine, illegal art dealings, or in the midst of war, the plot remains tragic and heartbreaking. Unfortunately, the book was hard to get through, both in its context and pace. I appreciate the telling of each narrative, but I found it very difficult to keep reading and wanted to give up on several occasions. I wish the author would've shared each characters' perspective longer than 10-15 pages at a time so that the plot would follow more seamlessly. 2/5 for this one, as I do believe the subject matter is of great importance but the read overall wasn't enough to keep me wanting to read more.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for allowing me to preview this ARC.