Publisher: 31st March 2022 by Avon Books UK
Pages: 400 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: historical fiction, World War II
My Rating: 4 crowns
Synopsis:
The next gripping and emotional historical fiction read from international bestseller, Mandy Robotham.
Norway, 1942. War rages, and operation Shetland bus is in full swing. Under cover of darkness, Rumi Orlstad and other locals smuggle British agents, fugitives and supplies across the North Sea to the relative safety of Scotland.
But when one mission goes awry, and Rumi’s husband is lost to the dangerous waters, she retreats from the clandestine group, vowing never to take to the seas again.
Meanwhile, her childhood friend Anya has been placed in Lebensborn, one of Himmler’s secret Aryan maternity camps. And when Rumi learns the fate of Anya’s child, she knows she has no choice but to face her fears and help Anya flee from Nazi grip…
My Thoughts
I have read and loved all of Mandy’s books and The Resistance Girl is another excellent addition to her offerings. Interestingly, this time around Mandy takes her readers to Norway and the story of their resistance during WWII, something I was not familiar with. Mandy writes such great historical war fiction with strong, independent women at the forefront and a realistic fictional tale to coincide with.
‘… they endured the biggest German troop concentration of any occupied nation.’
Mandy’s stories are always well researched and written with absorbing characters and plot lines. She expertly captures both the anger and fear, repression and resistance of the Nazi invasion. I also appreciated the inclusion of certain Norwegian cultural aspects such as fishing and knitting all set against the backdrop of pure Scandinavian landscapes. The story behind the Lebensborn and the baby trafficking to create a pure Aryan race is horrifying. Mandy brings it all to a climactic conclusion with an epilogue to appease those of us always wanting more.
‘Aren’t you always telling me Norwegian women can do anything? Isn’t this the time to prove it?’
For all this, I was not quite as invested in this book as I had been in Mandy’s previous offerings. I can’t really pinpoint the exact reason why - too much inner dialogues, lamenting the past, general story pacing throughout and wishing for a stronger focus on the Lebensborn aspect. Yet it is still an amazing and worthwhile read with such a unique offering from a new perspective in WWII literary fiction and characters that historical fiction lovers are sure to relish.
‘I wouldn’t wish you any other way. This anger, it fuels you, Rumi, to do some good. But I’ve learnt the hard way that it needs to be channelled.’
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.
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