I really enjoyed the historical setting in this story and how everything was beautifully done and realistic. The characters felt like they were supposed to and enjoyed that this was a true story, it really added the charm of this novel. I appreciated that the author used their story to tell what was needed and I enjoyed getting to go on this journey with them. Monica Granlove has a strong writing style that worked with what I was hoping for and look forward to reading more from Monica Granlove.

Based on a true story about a couple separated by WWII. It tells of his fight to get back to her. Very deep and touching.

This book, based on the true story of the author's grandparents, is both an endearing love story and a historical account of what happens to people caught in the net of the rise of the Nazis. Karla and Bruno, who meet and marry in 1936, are Germans caught in the web of the Nazi party. They are terrified by the Nazis and can clearly see the evil of the party and the fuhrer. They are sympathetic to Jewish friends and endeavor to save their lives by helping them escape with the assistance of some roaming Americans.

Bruno and Karla are both hard workers, he as an electrician and she as a seamstress. Bruno is an incredible and skilled "fix it" person, expertise that eventually saves him from the more brutal and horrific side of war. Once he is forced to sign up with the Nazi army, he is able to repair things with aplomb, thus saving him from going off to war to kill other soldiers. Toward the end of the book, when Bruno is captured by the Russian army, he spends almost two years slowly traveling mostly on foot from Siberia back to Germany. This part of the book is moving and expertly drawn, taking in the reader with its descriptions of land and people.

Bruno and Karla end up having four children, the first of whom is a disabled child, eventually killed by the Germans as he is not a perfect child who will fit the description of the perfect German offspring. Bruno and Karla then have three more children, and as parents, they could not be more supportive, loving, and perceptive.

In spite of the challenges of their lives, and as they try to evade all contact with the German military, both Bruno and Karla sympathize with and help others. They are perfect examples of how people can survive with tenacity and hard work. By the time the book reaches its end, we, as readers, feel privileged to have spent a number of years with this amazing couple and their family.

There are a number of grammatical errors that I hope an editor will fix, but nonetheless, I feel that I was fortunate to have the opportunity to read this book and thank the publisher and Net Galley for this chance.

Thanks net galley for this incredible true story of survival and love.
Karia was a seamstress and Bruno an electrician In Germany in 1936.
They met and fell in love during the time Hitler was taking over Germany.
They were both against the Nazis and Bruno was terrified he was going to be called up in the army.
He was and sent to,Siberia where he was captured by the Russians.
Karia struggled with her two children In a.bombed Germany.
Bruno was determined to,get home and against all odds he made it.
In 1959 they were both asked to tell their amazing story of survival, this is a love story which is amazing .

The astonishing story of two lovers trying to survive war. This is written like a memoir or an interview in the first person.