Historical fiction is my favourite genre and whilst I enjoyed this book I also have mixed feelings about it. This book switches between the past (ww2 in Norway) and present day. I found the start of the this book very slow and a bit boring as not much happened, took me a while to get into. This book gives you an insight into the lives of Norwegians during ww2. The second half definitely picked up. To be complete honest I was a bit disappointed with this book as I expected there to be more about the resistance, I also didn’t like Anni’s decisions as I found it selfish that she choose her new life in Germany over her daughter …
The writing style is nice and it’s still a good book.
Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book, all opinions expressed are my own.

Really heartwarming story of a Grandmother Mother and daughter during World War 2 and the unbearable hurdles they have to endure. Keeps you guessing as to outcome and how heartbreaking their lives are. A story of how strong women had to be in the most dangerous of times yet still manage to put others before themselves. A great read that left me respecting how hard the times where.

Historical fiction is one of my favourite genres and one of my favourite historical periods to read about is World War 2. I already knew I would love it and I wasn't wrong. Beautifully written story line that made me feel everything. I loved it

Absolutely heartbreaking. In Norway 1944, a young girl and her mother wait for her father and husband to come home. Her mother disappears after a while. It is told in a believable voice. Great book!

Thanks for the opportunity to read and review. Excellent historical fiction book primarily set- thought provoking, educational and emotional.

Have you ever heard of Norway's infamous Bigamy Law enacted by the exiled government during World War II?

No?

Neither had I until this novel. Chances are it never made it into history textbooks. This review/novel is not to revile or blame anybody, but to open people's eyes to what did happen. Be warned, it's an emotional read and can upset some people's sensibilities. But it is a MUST READ.

To quote the authors Anan Singh and Natalie Normann (Anna Normann is their pseudonym), "The Bigamy Law allowed Norwegian men who had found new partners abroad during the war to get a divorce from their unsuspecting spouses and remarry... Norway was the only country during the Second World War to pass such a law. The shame hung heavily over the victims of the Bigamy Law...."

In occupied Norway, separated from Lars Odland, her sailor husband, Anni and 7-year-old Ingrid face all the difficulties and dangers Nazi occupation brought with it. Rationing, privations of almost everything: bread, milk, cofee, tea, butter, eggs, meat, vegetables (barring turnips and potatoes), clothes, footwear, winter wear, coal in a bitterly cold country... sudden disappearances, fear. The only ones who seem to have it made are the quislings, Norwegian Nazi collaborators up lives, separating children and parents, causing untold grief and pain, compounding the injustice with unimaginable cruelty.

Anni's actions and reactions teach us much about love and loyalty to one's country, family, people, and forgiveness.

Extremely well written, this novel is not to be missed. Anna Norman has now become an automatic addition to my TBR.

I was given a complimentary copy of the book @NetGalley, @Allison&Busby. But all opinions are my own and unforced by any consideration. I'm so grateful I got to read this story of a little known, but huge injustice perpetrated by the so-called "good" side.

#TheSilentResistance #TheBookishPilgrim #HistoricalFiction #WorldWarTwoFiction

Anni, a mother in Norway, tries to do the best she can during World War II. Left with her daughter Ingrid while her husband Lars is away at sea, she helps the resistance as best she can with her mother in law. When a German is sent to live with her, Anni’s life becomes ever more complicated. Ingrid, as she grows up, has questions about what she remembers and the end of the war, and sets off to find out what exactly happened to her family.

What a beautiful story! The Silent Resistance is a wonderful reminder of family, love and survival. Told with flash forwards alongside the main story, moments of revelation are paired with the actual events, and it is fantastic. Side characters are well developed and are imperative to the story as well. The story was well written and will stick with me long after I finish it.

Great novel, especially for those that enjoy World War II books!

This book is a heart-wrenching tale of love, loss, and survival set against the backdrop of Nazi-occupied Norway.

I was totally gripped as the story unfolded, gradually revealing Anni's fate. The suspense was palpable and I was desperate to learn what had happened to her. The characters were incredibly well-developed and I found myself totally invested and immersed in their lives. I would have loved to have known more about the missing years of Anni; maybe this could be another book?!?

As someone unfamiliar with the German occupation of Norway, I found the historical context to be both fascinating and heartbreaking. The novel brought to life the hardships endured by the Norwegian people and the sacrifices made by those who resisted the occupation. It made me appreciate the characters' struggles even more and gave me a deeper understanding of their motivations.

An excellent book that whilst it is a work of fiction, I have no doubt that it is a pretty accurate reflection of life during these horrendous times and I must thank the authors, Allison & Busby and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this captivating story.

In war, children are invariably the losers. They have no power to control things and even if they survive, the long term consequences are often significant. In this novel, Ingrid and her mother Anni live in Occupied Norway in 1944. Anni has been a long time member of the resistance, but her actions are well hidden and almost no one in her village knows of them. Her husband Lars, is away as part of the Shetland bus and it has been 3 years since she has heard from him. She does her best to keep him alive in her daughter's memory.

When a German civilian, Herr Kerber is suddenly billeted in their home, life becomes a lot more complicated. Anni has to cut back on her resistance activities and be even more discreet in what she does. The local towns people begin to look at her differently and to treat Ingrid differently, bullying her, calling her mother names. Bullying is always hateful and when Ingrid is bullied by her closest friend, it brought back memories to me of the harrassment one of my own children faced and how it devastated me.

Food is in short supply for Annie & Ingrid but their new tenant has access to better supplies and as Annie begins to find out, perhaps this German is one of the good ones. Over time they come to a mutual understanding of the loneliness they all share and while he has no idea of Anni's resistance activities, their friendship grows.

A letter from her husband changes everything . While he has been away, he has divorced her without her knowledge. This was apparently something called The Norwegion Bigamy law, that happened in many Norwegion families leading to poverty and very few answers to how it could happen. As a reader I could feel her shock and imagine the emotional pain. Her goal was to keep Ingrid happy and healthy and she did the very best she could. As the war drew to a close and the Gernan official had to leave in a hurry, life did not become any easier for them. The community looked even more askance at her and ultimately as revenge was taking place upon those seen as collaborators, Annie decided to send Ingrid to live with her father at least until things settled down.

Years go by. It is 1952 and Ingrid is still living with her Dad and his new wife (who fortunately is a wonderful step-mom. Annie always promised she would return to Ingrid, but it hasn't happened and she has no idea why. Her Norwegian grandmother has been in regular contact but all else is a mystery - one that Ingrid really wants to solve. Her journey back to Norway to see what she can find out brings many surprises, twists and turns. As a reader, it deeply moved me bringing tears at times and a desire to hold on to hope even when there seemed to be none.

This was a well researched story and beautifully written. I would highly recommend it to those interested in life in Norway under Occupation, and World War 2 fiction fans. I will be looking for more from this pair of authors. Many thanks to #NetGalley and #AllisonAndBusby for inviting me to read an Arc of this novel. All opinions are solely my own.

The Silent Resistance shines a light on a lesser known and shocking part of WW2, the Norwegian Bigamy Law. A heart-breaking story of a mother's fierce love for her daughter and the impossible choices she is compelled to make. A beautifully written, well researched saga that kept me turning the pages to unravel the family mystery. Highly recommend for fans of WW2 fiction who enjoy a poignant, emotional read.

Thank you to @allisonandbusby and Netgalley for this ARC.

A fascinating read of intrigue, fear and romance. This beautiful story pulled me into Anni and Ingrid’s worlds, and I cared deeply about them. Insight into their lives at different times paints a vivid picture of their experiences. I was gripped by the unique perspective on World War Two in Norway and was unaware of the hardship. I also delighted in glimpses of the landscape, food and culture. This novel is well researched and brimming with emotion. A heartbreaking and breathtaking World War Two saga that will keep you turning the pages into the wee small hours. Simply stunning!

Having had the privilege of reading an early draft of Th Silent Resistance, I was delighted to read this ARC and meet the wonderful characters again, especially Anni. With its intriguing title and evocative cover, the reader is immediately drawn into this gripping WW2 novel set in occupied Norway. It is a story of immense courage, the strength of the love between Anni and her daughter, Ingrid, against the odds and the undercover work of the Norwegian resistance. I was compelled to keep turning the pages towards the very satisfying ending. Beautifully written, it’s a poignant emotional story that will stay with me for a long time. Thank you to Allison and Busby and NetGalley.

My favorite thing in a historical novel is learning about places and circumstances I hadn’t known anything about previously. I knew almost nothing about Norway during WWII, and this book helped me fill in that void. Just terrific.

Norway, historical-figures, historical-novel, historical-places-events, historical-research, history-and-culture, injustice, bigamy-law, post-WW2, family-drama, family-expectations****

Everyone loses from a war, especially families. In Norway, the government thought to ameliorate the endless delays in finding those missing in war by enacting a thing called the Bigamy Law. Who knew?
This novel explores the pain of one such family.
It took me a long time to finish d/t PDF without TTS.
I requested and received a free temporary uncorrected advance proof from Allison & Busby via NetGalley. Thank you!
Dec 05, 2024 #TheSilentResistance by Anna Normann @NatalieNormann1 @AllisonandBusby #HistoricalNovel #PostWW2 #Injustice #Norwegians

I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. I would give the The Silent Resistance a 3.5. The novel started off slow, picking up in the second half. I appreciated the slow reveal of Anni's motivation between alternating view points. The characters were likable and complex, it just took a while to get there.
<br/><br/>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/166064341-jessie-hass">View all my reviews</a>

This was an excellent read. Highly informative about life in occupied Norway in WW2 and its aftermath, it demonstrated the injustice of punitive laws instituted as reprisal against those seen to collaborate with Nazi rule. One of the lead characters was faced with a heart wrenching dilemma of choosing between her two children. Some laws in retrospect seem incredible, that a Norwegian man separated from his wife for over three years could divorce her without her knowledge. There. Was much pathos here, but a great happy ending.

The Silent Resistance by Anna Normann is a gorgeous story about courage, family (especially mother/daughter), sorrow, hardship, love, and perseverance. Set in Norway late in World War II, danger lurks everywhere and war changes everyone. Nazi collaboration is suddenly rife. Desperate times call for desperate measures and people do what they wouldn't in times of peace.

In 1945, Anni does what she can to comfort and bring joy to her precious little girl, Ingrid. Anni's husband has not returned from the war. Besta, Ingrid's delightful grandmother, is an important part of their lives and has ways of gifting even though items are nearly impossible to procure. They have much-deserved occasional treats and times of play. All Ingrid knows in her young life is war. She can differentiate between "good" and "bad" men. When a Nazi comes to their home asking to billet there, Anni has no choice. She now has a stranger,..an enemy...under her roof with her daughter, and danger is inescapable. Anni also has a secret life of sorts.

Interspersed throughout are chronological timelines after the war which give the reader glimpses into the characters' later lives, seamlessly done. The Bigamy Law and fraternizing with the enemy were very real and carried serious repercussions.

The historical details are incredibly detailed such as rationing, "Blue milk" and shortage of ordinary items including boots, especially leather. We take so much for granted such as safety pins, buttons, butter, and oranges which then were akin to treasure and invaluable bartering tools. People had to become enterprising and resourceful.

I like that the author based her book on a family member who lived through Haugesund. What a lovely way to honour her and showcase this lesser-known part of the war in Norway. This book grabbed me immediately. Not only is the setting unusual but the writing is intelligent and full of heart. It was very easy to love several of the characters.

My sincere thank you to Allison & Busby and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this life-enriching novel which really stirred me.

This was a gripping historical read that had me totally engrossed from the start. I knew nothing about the war in Norway which was supposedly a neutral country. Germany realised very quickly that they wanted this country to stop a lot of the resistance activities that were centred there, helping the allies and to have yet another country to rule. The two main characters are Anni and Ingrid her daughter but all the family, friends, villagers and the dreaded Germans were all described excellently.. The story reflects on many emotions such as hatred, love, kindness andd above all devotion to others. The story line deviates a part way through to gve the story of the war period and the aftermath and this is so well written that it is easy to follow the situations that Anni and Ingrid were faced with and the tough decisions that both took.. The story displays clearly the shame that the decisons made by the exiled government showed. The Bigamy rule and other changes to the Norwegian government rules that were changed basically to penalise the women who had survived rationing, being forced to be nice to the occupiess, Germans, and trying hard to bring up their children in the best possible way and not trying to let them see the fear that surounded the adults even though they knew that there were bad men in their country.
I would highly recomend this book to anyone interested in the second world war as it shows the human side across both Norway and germany.

A great WW2 novel set in Norway, which makes a refreshing change. Anni and Ingrid are great characters and you really become invested in what happens to them but at the same time I also learnt a lot about Norway in the war that I didn't preciously know. Very compelling storyline and definitely recommended to fans of this genre

This is one of the best WW2 novels I’ve read. It is set in Norway towards the end of the war, and in the years afterwards as Ingrid tries to unravel the mystery of what happened to her beloved mother Anni.

The book opens with 8-year-old Ingrid being bullied by classmates, with accusations that her mother was a collaborator in a relationship with a Nazi. We then move back: we see how brave Anni is as a member of the resistance, and how her feelings grow for Herr Gerber, the German billeted in their house. The story also moves forward through the twentieth century as Ingrid finds snippets of truth about what happened. The awful truth is heartbreaking and had me in tears.

At the heart of this book is the depth of love of Anni for her daughter Ingrid, a relationship that is beautifully drawn. But it's also a page-turner: I feared for the family’s wellbeing, and wanted to know what happened next.

It was refreshing to learn about Norway as a place, and what happened there during and just after the war. I had heard of Quisling, and was aware that Norwegians are uncomfortable about the degree of Nazi collaboration - but that was the limit of my knowledge. This book shows that, as often happens, women were victimised and marginalised.

If you enjoy WW2 stories and want a new perspective, I highly recommend this book.