Part history lesson, part romance, part a cautionary tale.
Although beautifully written, this was a hard read at times. Not because of the words but of the horror they conjured up. The horror of seeing people beaten in the street. Bullies, including a romantic partner, randomly taunting and abusing innocent Jewish citizens in the streets, even using them to rest their muddy boots on. Seeing Jewish families being terrorized in their homes and businesses. Then, being forced out of those homes and businesses, even being arrested and taken away. Where? It's vague to them. The characters don't know the full horror of it yet but, you, the reader do. Linz, Austria, went from being hopeful to being frightened and distrusting of friends and neighbors as atrocity followed atrocity.
Again, we readers know the reality behind the bewildering events they are enduring and want to yell, "Run! Get out while you still can!" We know the reality of that warning, even in the earliest days, being futile, of course. Ella, the story's focus, doesn't. She starts out just turning 21, a rather naive and innocent young girl caught up in the romance of being picked by handsome Max as his girlfriend. Yes, there's a bit of pride in that, too. All too soon, however, she confronts reality. She's unnerved by Nazi officers overseeing the annexation vote early on, for instance. Then Max wants her to attend a Bride School for potential Nazi wives. It's more boot camp than bridal, with an emphasis of having lots of children and being subservient to your husband. Just to complicate things, Ella realizes she has feelings for an old friend, an old friend who just happens to be Jewish. How can she help him and others while remaining safe herself? That is the focus of the story, really, the resistance, in this case from inside.
I won't detail the plot further as I don't want to dilute the impact of Ella's story. You'll like and sympathize with her, a person who manages to find good in even her more strident fellow "brides" while risking it all to help those being persecuted. You'll definitely like her mother, too, and older readers will sympathize not only with her situation but her female changes, let's call them, too. She has a horrible secret, too, one that haunts her throughout the story. There are other fascinating characters, one who will feel real to you and, hey, you should look up Albert Goring, Hermann Goring's brother.
Bottom line, you'll immediately realize how relevant this story is to events happening today. The air of potential danger that hovers in the air is likely to give you chills at times. You'll being with the euphoria of Ella and her fellow Austrians as Hitler visits Linz and follow her heart-wrenching story through to the end. She learns a great deal about others and, more importantly, herself. What is important to her. You'll fret over her safety throughout, wanting to comfort her as she meets disappointment after disappointment. You'll also wonder if such a thing as Bride Schools existed. Yes. So did the Kindertransport, complete with reassurances to the children that Ella knew by then were unlikely to be true.
In other words, a heart-breaking but, oh, so wonderfully powerful and important read. While I cringed at the brutality, the hate, the sheer arrogance, and violence, I felt hope as Ella grew as a person and did what she could to make a difference. Thank you more than you know #BoldwoodBooks and #NetGalley for making this available to me early. It needs to be widely read. We must never forget, especially when we see the same patterns emerging again.
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