In the Shadow of the Storm

Normally I love historical fiction. And I loved this book - right up to the end. It didn't have any kind of conclusion. You just feel like everybody carries on with their lives. But I like books that have some sort of conclusion. I know that there's a second book in the series so maybe if I read the two one after the other I would feel differently. But I was left bereft - not knowing what happened to these families. I did care about the characters and the story, so I was disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book. I'm really looking forward to the second in this series when it's published in the US.

The author wrote a great piece of historical fiction focusing on the sacrifices two families make to survive during the war. The emotions these characters felt as they navigated their new reality and uncertainty kept me invested. I highly recommend this and will be seeking out more from this author to read!

This book was so good. I didn't to put it down! The characters were well rounded, and the storyline sucked you into it and made you feel like you were really there. The author did an great job telling this story.

As World War II destroys their world, the Sholz family is uprooted and re-settled in the gulag, experiencing extreme hardship. They are resilient and want to survive. I think this book may have suffered in translation as the characters do not seem to be well-developed and personable. Also the plot is underdeveloped and hollow. Only my opinion.

Forced From Their Homes

This is the story of two separate German families from a Crimean village. As WWII begins the Soviet Union is harassing, arresting, and reassigning those that do not agree with their party, the Germans' that live in Soviet Territory. It worsens as the war begins and becomes more heated.

The first family the Scholz family consists of the Father Wilhelm, the mother Anna, their son Erich, their daughter Yvo, and the priest's daughter they took in Rita.

After the Priest that lives next door is pulled from his home and murdered by the Security Commission men, Anna Scholz takes in his daughter Rita. A Russian family moves in next door in the house of the priest. Soon the Security Council came knocking on their door and were given 1/2 hour to pack as they were being relocated to Luza in the Republic of Komi in the far north. This was because Wilhelm did not agree to turn his land over to the Security Council to be used as a Kolkhoz (Collective Farm). The family must leave behind everything except their suitcase and go to their new home in the far north. This is only the first of the times they will be relocated. Their journeys and their trials as Wilhelm is arrested more than one is told in their story.

The second family the Pfeiffer family consists of the father Samuel, the mother, Hilde, their son Harri, and their daughter Emma.

After the arrest and murder of his brother Samuel and Hilde are worried that the family will feel repercussions due to his brother being labeled a traitor. A few nights later a friend knocks at their door and lets Samuel know that he overheard a conversation and that Samuel needed to leave as they were coming to arrest him that night. Samuel flees the village leaving his family behind.

Samuel hitches a ride on a freight train and goes south Samuel's friend give Harri a letter as he is going to school one morning. After school his mother reads the letter and tells the children they will join their father on Christmas vacation as it will be less obvious if they do it over the holidays. This is the first time they will move and not the last. Since Samuel is now an enemy wanted by the Soviets it catches up to him more than once and they have to move more times and start over. This book tells the story of their adventures as they elude the Soviet Police.

This book tells of families and of their love for each other. It tells of the horrible way they were treated by the Soviets. They were families without a home. The Soviets thought they were spies because they were German and the German's though they were traitors because they were living in Soviet Territory.

The book will make you laugh, make you cry, but you will never forget the courage they show as they survive in whatever situation is thrown at them and as they start over again and again from nothing leaving all their belongings behind.

The story was interesting, inspiring and page turning. I highly recommend it.

Thanks to Ella Zeiss, Amazon Publishing UK, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an advance copy of the book.

A moving, harrowing story set in WW2. Thirty minutes notice and Anna and her family are ordered to pack up their belongings by the Germans in Crimea and literally stuffed on a train for a week to an unknown destination. It struck me as scandalous that human beings could treat others in such a manner, but they find some succour and compassion as the plot unfolds. Anna was a strong character who made the best of things to ensure her family was fed, clothed and safe. Her resourcefulness was commendable and an example to us all. What happened to Rita, their ward in the end? That confused me somewhat, or perhaps I missed something vital. There was a further family who moved around so much I lost touch with them, and it seemed to tail off and left open to conjecture. Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK

As a fan of historical fiction, this was pretty good.

This book tells of families an of their love for each other. It tells of the horrible way they were treated by the Soviets. They were families without a home. The Soviets thought they were spies because they were German and the German's though they were traitors because they were living in Soviet Territory.

The book will make you laugh, make you cry, but you will never forget the courage they show as they survive in whatever situation is thrown at them and as they start over again and again from nothing leaving all their belongings behind

Great read a book that drew me right in took me back to a different time a different place In history.I love historical fiction and this is a really good novel.#netgalley#amazonuk

Translated from its original language of German, IN THE SHADOW OF THE STORM is the story of two families from a Crimean village on the Soviet border. In 1930, the Soviets begin bullying, harassing and arresting anyone who did not agree with their Party and its ways. It was like reading about the Nazis storming the Jews and then shipping them off to concentration camps...and in an essence, that's just what the Soviets did to the Crimean Germans.

After Father Freiderich is pulled from his home and murdered in the street by the Security Commission, Anna Scholz takes in the pastor's siz year old daughter Rita. A Russian family soon moves into the pastor's former home and soon begin asking their neighbours to join a collective farm, a "kolkhoz" (I have probably spelt that wrong) and turning their existing land over to the Council to be used as such. When Anna's husband Wilhelm politely declines, the Security Commission come banging on their door in the middle of the night stating that they are to be relocated to Luza in the far and are given half an hour to pack. Anna had had the foresight to prepare for such an event by sewing their valuables into the hem of her coat.

The children, Erich, Yvo and the pastor's daughter they had taken in, Rita, are frightened. But Anna does her best to mollify them and make it sound like they are going on an adventure. Little do they know that where they are going will be like hell on earth, crammed into huts with only one family per bunk with very little to feed or clothe themselves or their children. The men are sent away to fell trees, clearing space to build a new resettling camp for them...the promise of something better which turns out to be just the same. Then Wilhelm is arrested for spreading anti-Soviet propaganda and Anna must survive the long harsh winters with her children - Erich, Rita and Yvo.

The second family in this story are the Pfeiffers, consisting of Samuel (father/Vater), Hilde (mother/Mutti), son Harri and daughter Emma. They fled the Crimean German village after the murder of Father Frederich to the safety of their family in Armavir. But when Samuel's brother Otto is arrested and executed, the family are worried they would feel the repercussions and also be branded a traitor. Soon they are warned by a friend that Samuel is to be arrested so he leaves his family and flees and the village.

Hilde tells the children they will be joining their father over the holidays for Christmas, since it would be less obvious. But it is not the first time they will move. Since Samuel is wanted by the Soviets, they need to move several times to elude the Soviet Police.

All is moving along...when suddenly, the story just stops. Literally stops. Like in the middle of a chapter and it ended partway. Like only half the book was loaded onto Kindle.

I normally love historical fiction and I did enjoy this book...to a point. But on the whole it was soooo depressing and had no real conclusion with that abrupt ending. I like books to have a conclusion - some form of closure. But this one didn't even have that. Everyone just seemed to carry on with their lives which left me feeling kind "what was the point?"

Based on the true story of the author's own grandparent's experiences, IN THE SHADOW OF THE STORM was a sadly depressing story. It was like a Soviet version of Auschwitz, although maybe not on as bad a scale. I had to find it ironic that the Soviets did much the same prior to the war, when over a decade later, it was the Soviets who freed survivors of the Jewish concentration camps.

In the end, IN THE SHADOW OF THE STORM was an okay read but it left the reader with no real sense of closure. Despite the fact it is part of a trilogy, this book should have given some form of ending which would have been comfortable...but instead it just stopped.

I would like to thank #EllaZeiss, #NetGalley and #AmazonPublishingUK for an ARC of #InTheShadowOfTheStorm in exchange for an honest review.

In the Shadow of the Storm didn't capture my attention. The writing style, of course, is fitting of it's time, but I couldn't get invested in it enough to finish.

What a heartwrenching story into the lives of families and the way they were treated by the Soviets. Everything is taken from these families but how their love for each other helps them survive their horrible situation. I was unaware of the experiences many people endured leading up to WWII.

This was a well written book and you are drawn into the story and you will be invested in the lives of these two families. Their strength and determination to do everything possible to survive is amazing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

The German settlement in the Crimean village in the 1930’s, the sound of a car engine is enough to make Anna Scholz start to worry, when she notices three armed men sitting in the car are from the PCFIA she knows it’s going to end badly and she hears shouting coming from her neighbors house. Pastor Friedrich Hamann's dragged out and he doesn’t resist and he hopes his daughter Rita remains hidden. Of course they find her, they can’t be bothered taking the little girl to an orphanage, they leave her behind and Anna takes her in. The Scholz family are arrested next, Anna, Wilhelm, Erich, Yvo and Rita Hamann. They spend days on a crowed train headed to a labour camp, when they arrive their dirty, tired and starving. The families separated, they don’t have the right clothes or shoes to survive the freezing winter and the children’s health declines.

The Pfeiffer’s do a moonlight flit to safety, they soon discover the can run but their past, it will follow them and of course it’s does. For years both families are sent from one place to another, all they own is what they could carry in a suitcases and life is very difficult for them. They moved so many times, I lost track of where the two families stayed, how often they moved, I found the story confusing, and maybe due to it being translated into English. I gave the book three stars, all thoughts expressed in my review are my own and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

2.5 stars.
this did sadly not capture me, i don`t know why - i can`t put my finger on it. But i really wanted to enjoy it.

Kind of knew where this story was going to go very early on, but still really loved the writing and felt like this was a really good read!