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World War II

The Nightingale

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The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Adults & Teens

Vianne and Isabelle are estranged sisters living through their new reality of a Nazi occupied France during World War II.  Isabelle is the younger, impulsive, defiant sister who speaks her mind about any injustice while Vianne is the older, cautious, and practical sister trying to manage the household and keep her own daughter safe under rapidly worsening conditions.  With the men in their lives taken away by the war, they both find themselves in roles they never imagined and have to reach deep inside themselves to decide which risks are truly worth taking.
This is a wonderfully told story about love, war, sisters, friendship, and true heroism.  It makes you ask yourself ‘What would I do?’

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The Girl with No Name

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The Girl with No Name by Diney Costeloe
Format: CD Book
Who it’s for:  Adults and teens

Lisa is a thirteen year old Jewish girl escaping Nazi Germany after her family has been driven from their home.  She was sent to England with other children and eventually arrived in London, lonely, scared and unable to speak English.  A childless couple took her in and cared for her.  Lisa attended school with many other refugee children and she gradually learned English.  When the Nazis bombed London Lisa escaped to a bomb shelter but she was injured.  She lost her memory and couldn’t recall anything about her previous life.  She was transferred to a children’s home until it also became a target of the attacks.  Another evacuation forced her to find a new home in the country with a kind spinster woman.  If you are a fan of historical novels, listen to this captivating story by Diney Costeloe.  This is the first book in the series.  The next one is The Married Girls.

The narrator, Anna Bentinck, has a wonderful speaking voice and makes this story come to life.  She is a British actress and producer who has done hundreds of broadcasts on BBC, was the voice for an animation series and has narrated many audiobooks.  The author, Diney Costeloe, writes historical novels and also writes romantic novels under the name of Diney Delancey.

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In This Grave Hour

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In This Grave Hour by Jacqueline Winspear
Format: CD Audiobook
Who it’s for:  Adults

Jacqueline Winspear writes the Maisie Dobbs series about a young English woman detective.  Her writing is highly entertaining and she describes everything in great detail.  Orlagh Cassidy is an award winning narrator who is able to change her accents to make each character distinct as well as speak in different languages.  The combination of author and narrator makes this audio book a pleasure to listen to.

In This Grave Hour is set in England in September of 1939, just as World War II is beginning.  Maisie, a young private investigator with experience solving murder cases, is tasked with solving the murders of three former Belgian men who become refugees in England.  As the investigation proceeds, Maisie encounters other murders that are somehow connected to those of the Belgian men.  To further complicate the situation, a young refugee girl arrives with a train of children being sent to England to live with families to protect them from the violence of war in their own countries.  The little girl, named Anna, doesn’t speak and Maisie is determined to find her family.  Britain is on the brink of war and is approaching its gravest hour.  I highly recommend this audio book if you enjoy mysteries and historical fiction.  I’m looking forward to listening to the next book in this series.

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