There’s a good reason World War II fiction is such a popular book genre. The war was a classic case of good versus evil, with both heroic and haunting moments to read and write about. Continue reading
Category Archives: WWII Fiction
Book Review: Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Life After Life explores the concept of reincarnation and how simple decisions can fundamentally alter the course of one’s life. Although I mostly liked it, the story got bogged down in the middle and ended ambiguously. Continue reading
Book Review: The Secret of Santa Vittoria by Robert Crichton
The Secret of Santa Vittoria takes place in a small village in the mountains of Italy during WWII. It is a brilliant commentary about human nature, relying on deadpan and sometimes dark humor to cover topics like love, honor, power, community dynamics and prejudices. Robert Crichton cleverly weaves a parable that pits Italian peasants against German soldiers in a cat and mouse game involving the wine that serves as the lifeblood of the little village. Continue reading
Book Review: The Tuscan Child, by Rhys Bowen
In The Tuscan Child, Joanna Langley is distraught when her estranged father dies. Regretting that she didn’t know him better, she travels to the Tuscany region of Italy to find out more about what happened to him when he was shot down in the area during World War II. But someone wants the secrets of the past to stay buried. Continue reading
Book Review: Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan
World War II Italy is the setting for Beneath a Scarlet Sky, an engrossing novel based on the wartime experiences of teenager Pino Lella. Although it’s based on actual events, it reads like a thriller that has a lot of suspense and a lot of heart. Continue reading
“The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir”, by Jennifer Ryan
Set in England during WWII, “The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir” focuses on the war’s impact on a small group of women as told through fictitious journal entries and letters to family and friends. Continue reading
Book Review: The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
The Secret Keeper is a really well-written and cleverly structured mystery that spans a couple of generations in Great Britain. Great characters and a hard to predict ending make it a top notch read! Continue reading
Book Review: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Charm. This book has loads of it. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is set right after the end of WWII and tells the story of a woman author who discovers a unique group of people on the island of Guernsey and the story of how they survived the German occupation of their homeland. Continue reading
Book Review: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
All the Light We Cannot See is a beautifully written, poignant story set in Europe during World War II. It tells the story of how a blind, French girl and an orphaned German boy experience the war. Continue reading
Book Thoughts from Bed 