This book is set mostly in Amsterdam during WWII showing before and during the Nazi’s takeover as well as the efforts of Dutch citizens to save as many Jewish lives as possible.

I learned so much from this novel (looking it up to confirm of course). I had never known that over a period of a year almost one thousand children were rescued from the Crèche, just weeks before deportation to concentration camps, and adopted out to families willing to hide them.
Also, after hearing of 400 Jewish citizens being arrested and sent to concentration camps the locals were enraged. They organized a mass strike, one of the only protest in Europe against the mistreatment of the Jewish people. Due to the violence inflicted upon the strikers by the Nazi’s it only lasted a few days.

As with any historical fiction set during this time it was emotional to read about but I appreciated this new-to-me perspective.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the alc and St. Martin’s Press for the arc via Netgalley.

(3.5 rounded up)

I don’t read a ton of WWII fiction anymore, as I have read so much, but I did really enjoy this book. I haven’t read anything by Balson before, but I may just have to check out some more of their work now.

What I haven’t read a ton of is the role and history of Amsterdam in the war, and I was so intrigued by all of this info, and it was nice to read a WWII story set in a place other than Germany or Poland.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review "A Place to Hide".

Karyn is in search of information about her long-lost sister, who she was separated from during World War II. She is connected to Teddy Hartigan, an elderly gentleman, who might be able to use his resources to track down the information she is hoping for. In return, Karyn helps Teddy to write the biographical account of his time working in the US consulate office in Amsterdam during WWII. As Teddy recounts his past, he reveals memories of the lead up to the war and the struggle to make difficult decisions that will mean life or death for those impacted by them.

Ronald Balson did a great job of creating a story steeped in accurate historical facts. He captured the slow build up and unraveling that occurred in Amsterdam as the Germans gained control. While historical fiction based during WWII can be dark and difficult to read, this was focused on the positive efforts of people helping others.

As a home educator, I enjoy using literature to bring context and connection to historical events and places. From that prospective, I feel like this book allowed me to gain a greater understanding and perspective of WWII than I had before.