4 out of 5 stars
On Amazon (universal link) Publishing in March 2027
On Goodreads
How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.
In a Nutshell: Family secrets dating back to World War One.
This emotional drama tells the story of the Adler and Moore/Müller families, from the WWI experiences of Josef Müller, explained in stark and poignant detail in his diaries, to unanswered questions for the next generations of both families.
Far and away the part of the book I enjoyed reading the most was Josef's diary, about the horrific things that happened to him during WW1 and his connection to Heinrich Adler, moving on to the path he took immediately following the end of his service. Fascinating, engrossing - I loved his chapters and would have liked a whole book about him and Adler alone!
Aside from this, the story centres around his daughter Kate and granddaughter Maggie, and Adler's son Bill - whose character was particularly well-illustrated - as they uncover the secrets of the past. I found that some of the later chapters were a little long-winded; I thought they could have been streamlined. Towards the end of the book I felt as though I was wading through too much detail. Alas, Kate and Maggie didn't become three-dimensional to me, though I did enjoy reading about Kate's life - how the world has changed! But I never felt emotionally involved with them as I did with Josef.
This book could really do with the date at the start of each chapter, as it dots around between decades, constantly - I'd forget exactly when everything was supposed to be, as I read it over a period of about 10 days. Just 'Maggie - 1984' (for instance) under the chapter number would have solved this immediately. Also, I was bothered by the title - it didn't seem particularly fitting for the genre, or memorable. Do please note that all this is only my opinion, and other readers may disagree entirely!
It's a good book. A compelling story. It will not be published until March 2027, and I wish the author all the best with it.
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