A Place to Hide

Ronald Balson has done it again! Every book of his is thoughtfully written, engaging and A Place to Hide is no exception. Teddy Hartigan is sent to Amsterdam during World War II to work in the US Consulate. Throughout the book, Teddy is confronted with the complicated intricacies of immigration during war time, exploring moral questions and themes that are relevant to this day. The book is great historical fiction with the twist of a perspective that is not commonly written about. The book was engaging and filled with suspense from the first page to the last. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book early.

Ronald H. Balson is one of my very favorite writers. He has written so many historical fiction stories about World War 2 that on their face seem very similar but always end up being unique. The characters are exquisitely well-developed, and by locating each story in a different European country, I have learned so much about the war.

A Place to Hide was no exception. I was familiar with the Dutch occupation, mainly because of Anne Frank, but this story was very different than hers. The frame story was also captivating. Balson manages time and again to write the most endearing curmudgeons who inevitably have excellent reason for their surliness and withdrawal from the world.

As with all stories about the Holocaust, I grew increasingly anxious as time passed, but particularly as the book progressed (and I knew I was nearing the end), I waited for the other shoe to drop.

This is historical fiction at its finest.

Most didn’t believe Hitler would take the Netherlands next during WWII. He already had control of Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungry, Poland, Denmark, Norway and France. It was a neutral country and many figured it would never happen to them.

We look back on how this occurred many years ago and how incredibly sad it was. And we think: how could this happen? Yet, we never seem to grasp that history could repeat itself with a war that could again cost millions of lives. Read this book! While it’s in the past, it could happen with an evil dictator in charge. The book is expertly written with a handful of characters during this horrific time.

It starts when Karyn Sachnoff agreed to write Teddy Hartigan’s story in exchange for help in finding her sister, Annie. She lost track of her when they were separated as young children during WWII in Amsterdam. Teddy still had contacts that she hoped would be useful. He was in his 90s and his health wasn’t great. But his memory was right on with details that weren’t yet told to his adult children. Now he was ready to give them the full story of his life.

This isn’t filled with descriptions of blood on the streets. It’s a beautiful love story about a time when people had courage to resist and help others. It’s well researched and makes the reader think about how quickly this dictator gained power and was able to take over. Hitler and his German leaders wiped out most of the Dutch Jews in the Netherlands along with citizens willing to fight back. It’s disturbing and thought provoking.

My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of September 17, 2024.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read A Place To Hide. Ronald H. Balson writes an amazing story about how ordinary people came together to save innocent lives during World War II. This is a beautiful book about fighting back and fighting for what's right. This book is a must read.

This was such a good book! I loved the characters, and their story. The dialogue was realistic and enjoyable. I was very surprised by the ending!

A beautiful and well written story of selflessness, during horrific events. Your heart pours out to Teddy and Sara, and orphaned Katy. Another great historical fiction book, of an ordinary 'person' who bravely makes the decision to make a difference, rescue lives, and do right for those suppressed. I highly recommend this book!

I have loved every book this author has written since I discovered him a few years ago. The writing and characters are impeccable as are the storylines. In this book, Freddy is such a great character! You can’t help thinking of the bravery of all of them during wartime. And how many children had a chance now.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

A Place to Hide" traverses well-trodden ground, exploring the perennial theme of escaping the looming shadow of the Nazis. Despite the familiarity of the subject matter, this novel offers a refreshing and captivating take on well-known historical events.

One of the best features of the book is its richly drawn characters, who are imbued with depth and complexity. Balson brings these characters to life, making it easy to envision them and become emotionally invested in their journey.

Despite having a sense of the eventual outcome, I found the story compelling. Balson adeptly maintains tension throughout, ensuring that the book remains a good read from start to finish.

I have really loved reading Ronald Balson's books as they are both informative as historical fiction and grpping as narrative. This latest offering is NO EXCEPTION. Absolutely a great read!

A Place to Hide is a gut wrenching historical fiction about the Jerusalem of the West, Amsterdam. My heart absolutely broke reading about the Jewish families who made the choice to put their children up for adoption to save their lives. Ronald H. Balson did a great job with including historical facts throughout the story and keeping everything as accurate as possible.

Thank you for the opportunity of an eARC and I am leaving this review willingly.

To all my fellow historical fiction lovers: READ THIS! A few years ago, I exclusively read WWII historical fiction, but the heaviness of those stories made me take a break. When I picked up this book, I was worried it wouldn't measure up to titles like *The Nightingale*, but it did not disappoint. The historical details were so descriptive and accurate that I felt completely immersed in the time period. This is a story of kindness, bravery, and learning from our history. This was my first book by this author, but it certainly won’t be my last.

If I could rate this one more than five stars, I would.
The way the story was set up was amazing. In 2002, a Holocaust survivor meets with a former employee of the U.S. consulate of Amsterdam, hoping to find information about her long-lost sister. The elderly gentleman agrees to help Karyn in her search , on one condition; that she will take notes on his memories of WW2 and form them into a written memoir for his grandchildren. What follows is a thrilling, heart-rending, unputdownable account from a man who risked much to save people who were otherwise doomed to a horrible fate.
This is historical fiction at its best. I’ll certainly be looking for more books by this author!

*In 2024, the Amsterdam nursery school and Jewish theater which were major features in this story, have been converted into a Holocaust museum and memorial and opened to the public.*

**I received a digital copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.**

Gripping historical fiction and rich in detail. I didn’t want to put it down.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

A Place to Hide by Ronald H. Balson is a captivating novel featuring intriguing characters and a well-crafted storyline.

An inspiring story of love and resilience that I won’t soon forget. Well done.

It’s so easy to forget all the little steps that were taken—all the dozens of edicts aimed at discriminating against the Jews—by the Nazis towards their goal of the Final Solution. So often we recount the death count and the atrocities committed without taking a look at the smaller events that led to them and the common heartbreaks along the way: the families torn apart and the parents that had to make awful decisions in an effort to save their children. I appreciated that this story—told from the eyes of an old man (one of the fictional characters) recounting his life as a diplomat working at the US consulate in The Netherlands in the late 1930s and throughout WWII—focused on that slow march, those difficult days and weeks that turned into months and years. I especially appreciate that this story is anchored around events that really happened, inserting fictions in the characters (although some characters were actual people in history!) and smaller elements rather than attempting to rewrite history. I felt like I was reading an easy to digest history lesson!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher and a big thank you to the author for sharing your story—it’s an important one to tell and I am honored to have read an advanced copy of this book. I hope that—just like Teddy intended—some of those adopted children will read it and feel seen.

A must read, a tragedy, and deep hatred for people of the Jewish faith. It is almost unbelievable that so many people died, and this book gives us a glimpse of the insanity that was going on.
We put faces to the people in this mist of the invasion, and occupation, but before the invasion, and people not being granted visas to get out of Europe.
This story also focuses on survivors, and keep reading, we do find out what happens to some, not all.
This is a fictional read, and be sure to read the author's notes, there are some real people here, and some that a fictional character was based on. I loved knowing what happened to one of the very evil ones!
While this historical book is not easy to read, I think we need to not forget!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher St. Martin's Press, and was not required to give a positive reviw.

A Place to Hide by Ronald Balson

A thought provoking novel about love and common human decency, A Place to Hide astutely teaches us about what it takes to be human in a time of turmoil. As it teaches it makes you feel the love of every day citizens and the lengths they will go through to protect their own community. Ronald Balson has really driven home how the Dutch people dealt with not only the Nazi's but also their Jewish neighbors. It is important to and worth reading and will leave you wondering if the Jewish people will ever be able to live in peace. With the rise of Anti Semitism in today's world this piece of literature will be instrumental in teaching the modern world a little about humanity. How we need it during these times of trouble and how to show it and not fear persecution. How to protect the people persecuted and how to understand that somebody different does not have to be an enemy. This book will become a classic, unputdownable, must read for sure and Mr. Balson has out done himself with this wonderful piece of art.