Grief and anger spill over in Fran's small village when German prisoners of war are sent to the nearby camp. After the death of her beloved brother on the front lines in Europe, it is hard for Fran to see these young men as anything but his killers. But prisoner Thomas, with his gentle nature and piercing blue eyes that see into Fran's very soul, will force her to question everything she thought she knew.
Thrown together on the day one of the mines on the beach explodes, they begin to meet in secret. Fran even dares to dream about a future when their countries are no longer enemies and their blossoming love is not something they must hide from the world. But when Thomas receives shocking news from home, Fran must decide how much she is willing to risk for love...
1989, Berlin: Tiffany arrives in Berlin just as the wall that divided a nation finally falls. As citizens celebrate in the streets, she joins the tide of people crossing the newly opened border between West and East. In her pocket is a crumpled letter addressed to her grandmother, yellowed with age, that has led her in search of a wartime secret with the power to change her future...
Inspired by an incredible true love story, this is a beautiful, sweeping tale about the power of hope in the face of war and the legacy of a terrible choice. Fans of Fiona Valpy, The Forgotten Village and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society will be absolutely gripped from the very first page until the final, heart-stopping conclusion.***
Tiffany lowers her rucksack onto the packed pavement of Freidrich-Strasse and listens to the sound of singing. CHAPTER ONE
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(@Bookouture, 18 June 2021, 340 pages, ebook, #ARC from the publisher via # NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed, #BlogTour 18 June, #booksontour)
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This is a new author for me. I've read and enjoyed books set the same periods and the blurb sounded similar to other title's I've read so I thought I'd enjoy it. I wasn't disappointed. Apparently, the book is based on a true story which intrigued me. I enjoyed the way the book moves between two time periods gradually revealing the threads that link them. A lot of author's use a similar structure and I tend to enjoy fiction that uses this. I've strangely read a lot of books set in Berlin recently. Must be my new thing. I found this well written and engrossing.
