I've been wanting to read this for a while, found it for just a few dollars on Better World Books. Adding to Mt. TBR!

I enjoyed The Sweetness of Forgetting by this author, so decided to try this one, as well.

Others have commented that this book is nothing but cliches and a poorly written romance, and I suppose underneath there is some of that. But I read it differently and I really enjoyed it. In fact, I devoured the book, reading it in just three days.

The story is told from a few different viewpoints, from characters whose lives all intersect and impact each other on a deep level. In some other WWII novels, the war is the primary focus and the characters are secondary - and it seems with this novel, it's the other way around. So in that sense, this one is a bit 'lighter' than other books in the WWII genre, and I was okay with that. The main premise of bravery, resistance, and the sacrifices people made to help those they love (or even strangers, in the name of doing what was 'right') are still very much evident. Yes, there's a romantic story arc - but you can tell that just by reading the book-jacket. For me, that made it better and not worse. The ending was, of course, sad - but also happy, in a way, when you think about how the events of the story transpired to impact so many people in ultimately positive ways.

The author's note at the end points out that the storyline of the main character of Ruby was based on a real person, which made me like this book even more. I'll be recommending this to friends who like this genre.

Giving this to KariAnne - she can either pass along to others or give back to me later.