Perfectly Ordinary People
- Downloads：8760
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-08-14 11:21:40
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Nick Alexander
- ISBN：1713667584
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Hilary
，
I was addicted to this book until completion。 The structure of it made it so real and vivid！！I enjoyed the structure of the book so much - I was able to listen to the interviews on audible and read Ruth's chapters on Kindle which enhanced my experience。 It made me sob at the end when William connected with Igor。 A very clever， moving and superbly researched novel I was addicted to this book until completion。 The structure of it made it so real and vivid！！I enjoyed the structure of the book so much - I was able to listen to the interviews on audible and read Ruth's chapters on Kindle which enhanced my experience。 It made me sob at the end when William connected with Igor。 A very clever， moving and superbly researched novel 。。。more
Samantha Woods
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Easily the best book Nick Alexander has written， loved it。Beautifully written， poignant， heart breaking and a real page turner didn't want to stop reading it but didn't want it to end。 Easily the best book Nick Alexander has written， loved it。Beautifully written， poignant， heart breaking and a real page turner didn't want to stop reading it but didn't want it to end。 。。。more
Pam Houglan
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love conquers The horrible events of WWII & the consequences for all people。 Jewish， gay and all the others that Hitler decided were “different” are detailed here。 May we never forget these heartbreaking stories expressed here。 May we all realize what hate can do to our fellow humans and our world。
Denise
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brilliantAt the start of the book was going to stop reading because I was confused and lots of different names glad I didn't was great and a bit hard to read to think what Jews and gay people went through heartbreaking brilliantAt the start of the book was going to stop reading because I was confused and lots of different names glad I didn't was great and a bit hard to read to think what Jews and gay people went through heartbreaking 。。。more
Julie A Morrissey
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BeautifulTotally out of the norm for me。 It's a real， sit， relax with a cup of tea book。 But what attracted this book to me was the secret Behind a family and reflecting on how you can grow up thinking you know your family， just needing to know what you need to know about your family， but in the end do you know them？A beautifully written story based on some true facts， horrifying in places， beautiful in others。My sister and I are sadly left with more questions than answers， at least they found t BeautifulTotally out of the norm for me。 It's a real， sit， relax with a cup of tea book。 But what attracted this book to me was the secret Behind a family and reflecting on how you can grow up thinking you know your family， just needing to know what you need to know about your family， but in the end do you know them？A beautifully written story based on some true facts， horrifying in places， beautiful in others。My sister and I are sadly left with more questions than answers， at least they found theirs。 。。。more
Shelly Fabian
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I won this book via a Goodreads giveaway。 This was a good historical fiction novel about WWII。 There are topics that are taboo/unspoken in history class。 The Nazi tortured and murdered other groups of people in addition to Jews。 Although this book started off slow for me to make the connection between past and present， I was quickly engrossed in the story。 I recommend this book if you enjoy WWII stories。 Alexander picked a perfect title for this book。 Happy reading！
Mrs Susan Kourea
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I started this book unsure that it was for me but my goodness I was very quickly drawn into the characters。 Some very sad and graphic stories but lovely to see how it all came together。 Really enjoyed it。
Sally
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what a story， one of the best books this year， cried more than once， takes you through quite a journey both now and in WW2
maria seilius
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This is a good dual timeline novel that is a definite page turner 。 In all honesty I have to admit that it was Grandma Genny's tale that I was most interested in 。 This is a good dual timeline novel that is a definite page turner 。 In all honesty I have to admit that it was Grandma Genny's tale that I was most interested in 。 。。。more
Ale
，
ENGBook really really recommended。The structure of this book is an alternation of past and present: in the present Ruth and her story， in the past the Genevieve interview to a gay french journal。 When Ruth’s paternal grandmother dies， she realizes a sense of void for having missed the occasion to know more about her， so she tries talking to her grandfather or her grandmother’s cousin but… she does not manage to get to meet them in time or to talk to them properly。 Meanwhile her life continues， s ENGBook really really recommended。The structure of this book is an alternation of past and present: in the present Ruth and her story， in the past the Genevieve interview to a gay french journal。 When Ruth’s paternal grandmother dies， she realizes a sense of void for having missed the occasion to know more about her， so she tries talking to her grandfather or her grandmother’s cousin but… she does not manage to get to meet them in time or to talk to them properly。 Meanwhile her life continues， she finds love and her family encounters a huge misunderstanding。At a certain point she manages to talk to her grandmother’s cousin， Ethel， who sends to her a package with 6 cassettes: it’s an interview in french。 In the book there is， since the beginning， this contrast between Ruth’s life who has no great problems to deal with， and Genevieve who tells in the interview her story when she was a teenager: a gay girl with gay friends right before， in the middle and after the Fascist regime。Genieve interview is very very special （pay attention there are some really cruel descriptions） because it made me think how precious are these memories about what happened; this book is fiction but Pierre/Christophe character is inspired by a person who really went to the camps because gay。I really appreciated the book。 Because of the memory， and also because of the contrast with a “relaxed” life: I think we， now， owe a lot of people for this relaxed life。I will read the book Nick suggested at the end。。I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley， thank you so so so so much！ This review is my own honest opinion。ITASe lo trovate in giro ve lo raccomando tantissimo。La struttura di questo libro prevede l’alternarsi di capitoli nel presente e nel passato。Nel presente abbiamo Ruth con la sua vita， la sua famiglia etc。， nel passato abbiamo Genevieve in una intervista a una rivista gay francese。Quando la nonna paterna di Ruth muore， lei si rende conto che non sa molto della nonna e così cerca di chiedere al nonno e alla cugina della nonna; ma non riesce mai a fare in tempo oppure ad avere una chiacchierata seria。Intanto la sua vita continua: trova l’amore， nella sua famiglia succede un pasticcio quasi enorme e poi riesce finalmente a parlare con Ethel， la cugina della nonna che le spedisce 6 cassette di una intervista in francese。Sin dal principio quindi c’è anche questo contrasto: la vita “comoda” di Ruth e invece la vita di Genevieve quando era una adolescente gay appena prima， durante e dopo il regime fascista。Ho apprezzato tantissimo l’intervista （attenzione che ci sono descrizioni abbastanza crude！）; la storia è inventata diciamo， ma il personaggio di Pierre/Christophe è ispirato a una storia vera。Mi è piaciuto il libro， sia la parte intervista come memoria， come dicevo sopra， sia la parte di vita “rilassata”: penso sempre che la dobbiamo a tante persone。E leggerò anche i libri che Nick suggerisce alla fine del libro。。Ho ricevuto una copia gratuita dalla casa editrice tramite NetGalley。 Questa recensione contiene la mia opinione ed è pubblicata liberamente。 。。。more
Mary
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What an enthralling and engrossing story。 I enjoyed every single minute of this novel。 The author has captured the very essence of this era。 The story is really fast-paced and kept me turning the pages well into the night。 The characters came across as very real in the telling and the historical aspects of this novel have been very well researched， although be warned， there are aspects of this story that are truly harrowing。 This novel is a must-read for those who love quality historical fiction What an enthralling and engrossing story。 I enjoyed every single minute of this novel。 The author has captured the very essence of this era。 The story is really fast-paced and kept me turning the pages well into the night。 The characters came across as very real in the telling and the historical aspects of this novel have been very well researched， although be warned， there are aspects of this story that are truly harrowing。 This novel is a must-read for those who love quality historical fiction set during World War Two。 I highly recommend it。 。。。more
Rosalind
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What a great book that held my attention right to the end。 The historical information on same sex relationships was difficult to accept and much of how the Jews were treated， I was familiar with but it still seems hard to understand such behaviour。 The characters were well portrayed which is typical of the author。 The novel is set in present time and Ruth， through interview tapes unravels her family’s past which explains how various relationships were influenced。 Thanks to NetGalley for an advan What a great book that held my attention right to the end。 The historical information on same sex relationships was difficult to accept and much of how the Jews were treated， I was familiar with but it still seems hard to understand such behaviour。 The characters were well portrayed which is typical of the author。 The novel is set in present time and Ruth， through interview tapes unravels her family’s past which explains how various relationships were influenced。 Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy。This really deserves 5 stars。 。。。more
Heidi
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Before the two timelines/points of view began to merge together， this almost felt like two books in one， historical fiction and a more contemporary family drama。 I was definitely more interested in Genevieve's chapters and felt myself wanting to get back into them each time we were back with Ruth。 I felt like Ruth's chapters dragged a bit， and I didn't really care about her relationship issues and everything。 In fact， if the book had just been focused solely on Genevieve， I would have given this Before the two timelines/points of view began to merge together， this almost felt like two books in one， historical fiction and a more contemporary family drama。 I was definitely more interested in Genevieve's chapters and felt myself wanting to get back into them each time we were back with Ruth。 I felt like Ruth's chapters dragged a bit， and I didn't really care about her relationship issues and everything。 In fact， if the book had just been focused solely on Genevieve， I would have given this 5 stars。 I enjoyed the interview aspect of this book and felt like it was the perfect medium to capture Genevieve's entire life story。 While it was fictional， I learned so much about both France in World War II and what life was like for gay people back then that I hadn't previously known。 It was both fascinating and horrifying， and Genevieve's story gripped me from beginning to end。 Be aware that this book covers some heavy topics like suicide and sexual assault， but most of it is just mentioned in passing and not graphic or anything。 This is a definite recommend though if you like books that feature incredible love stories and long-kept family secrets。 Thank you Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for this ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Kristine Drumm
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A wonderful readThis book brought home to me so many things。 Not only the absolutely horrible ordeals that people went through with the Nazi regime but also the resilience and love that people found。
Gertrude
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Nick Alexander is one of my very favourite authors。 Really enjoyed this story。 Well written。 Very engaging。 Sad and distressing story at times。 Story about modern day family。 Daughter begins to try and find out about her paternal grandparents who have died。 She discovers that both of her grandparents were secretly gay living in the Alsace region of France。 When the nazis invade gay people are persecuted and her grandparents are forced to flee。 Some distressing facts about how gay people were tre Nick Alexander is one of my very favourite authors。 Really enjoyed this story。 Well written。 Very engaging。 Sad and distressing story at times。 Story about modern day family。 Daughter begins to try and find out about her paternal grandparents who have died。 She discovers that both of her grandparents were secretly gay living in the Alsace region of France。 When the nazis invade gay people are persecuted and her grandparents are forced to flee。 Some distressing facts about how gay people were treated by nazis that I wasn’t previously aware of。 。。。more
Emily Judson
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An amazing tale of a family’s history that I had to learn more of with every page。 History， family， and love all made this story a true journey。
Abby Boss
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This is a book 50% historical fiction 50% women fiction。 It’s the story of Ruth as she is navigating her early 30’s and wondering why her families are so different。 She can’t seem to understand her closed off， anti-Semitic father and why she never knew her grandparents very well。 She is gifted with cassettes of her grandma being interviewed。 The story goes back and forth between Ruth and her grandmas story of surviving WWII。 I learned about a part of history I didn’t have any knowledge of。
Cindy
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Powerful！Wow！ This is the best book I have read in a long long time！ And I read at least 4-8 books a month。 I have not reviewed any of those books。 But I had to review this one as it hits you right in your gut; It is powerful， horrifying and heart-rending all at the same time。 There were times I had to just stop after reading a part， my stomach dropped and my heart just broke and I literally cried until I could continue on。 This book addresses a part of the Holocaust not usually written or talke Powerful！Wow！ This is the best book I have read in a long long time！ And I read at least 4-8 books a month。 I have not reviewed any of those books。 But I had to review this one as it hits you right in your gut; It is powerful， horrifying and heart-rending all at the same time。 There were times I had to just stop after reading a part， my stomach dropped and my heart just broke and I literally cried until I could continue on。 This book addresses a part of the Holocaust not usually written or talked about & the author did a superb job of portraying the horrors suffered by the characters （which you'll fall in love with by the way！） at the hands of the Nazis during WWII。 The characters are fictional but the atrocities committed against homosexuals at that time are all too real and true。 This book addresses so many issues and is so incredibly thought-provoking。 I could go on and on but don't want to give anything away 。 This is one of those books where you wish the rating system gave you the option of giving more than 5 stars！ 。。。more
Bradley Deckert
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This book is astonishing and outstanding。 You can read the other reviews for a summary， but what a captivating story， both modern and historical， that held me prisoner from the moment I started reading。 This is one of those books you just cannot put down even when it's so late at night that you really REALLY need to go to bed。 The overwhelming emotion that overtook me in the end made me realise， I must read this one again， and perhaps again。 This book is astonishing and outstanding。 You can read the other reviews for a summary， but what a captivating story， both modern and historical， that held me prisoner from the moment I started reading。 This is one of those books you just cannot put down even when it's so late at night that you really REALLY need to go to bed。 The overwhelming emotion that overtook me in the end made me realise， I must read this one again， and perhaps again。 。。。more
Marion Sheppard
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4。25。 Perfectly Ordinary People is about people who just want to live ordinary lives and others who were forced to act as if they were living ordinary lives in order to avoid persecution。 Ruth lived with her mother and interacted with her Irish side of the family and with her father， whose French lineage is not well known。 She sets off on an emotional journey to discover more about her paternal side of the family。 The story toggles back and forth between the present and WW II。 What she finds is 4。25。 Perfectly Ordinary People is about people who just want to live ordinary lives and others who were forced to act as if they were living ordinary lives in order to avoid persecution。 Ruth lived with her mother and interacted with her Irish side of the family and with her father， whose French lineage is not well known。 She sets off on an emotional journey to discover more about her paternal side of the family。 The story toggles back and forth between the present and WW II。 What she finds is heart wrenching and sad。 Jews and well as homosexuals bore the brunt of Nazi torture。 A family was displaced for many years。 Can a set of audiotapes from her paternal grandmother be the key to answering her questions？ This book provided a different perspective on WW II as seen through the ancestry of Ruth’s father’s family。 Very interesting story and characters。 。。。more
Adele Shea
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I can’t put into words the emotions this book made me feel throughout。 I’ve always been interested in the Second World War。 I’ve never once thought about how gay people where treated。 I’ve obviously taken it for granted that love is love。 Perfectly Ordinary People， broke my heart。 More books like this need to be written。 Another masterpiece by Nick。
Gerald
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Earned every star！The story woven so well and felt so tangible to me。 It made me think of how we choose to view others and tend to gloss over history that makes us uncomfortable。
Frank Parker
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It begins with a casually anti-Semitic remark during a family gathering at Christmas。 The grown up son and daughter of the man who makes the remark are horrified， not least because the son is in a relationship with a young Jewish woman。 The daughter， who is used to frequent contact with her Irish mother's extended family， wonders why she knows so little about her father's French parents。 All she knows is that they came to London as refugees immediately after the war when he was 5 years old。It's It begins with a casually anti-Semitic remark during a family gathering at Christmas。 The grown up son and daughter of the man who makes the remark are horrified， not least because the son is in a relationship with a young Jewish woman。 The daughter， who is used to frequent contact with her Irish mother's extended family， wonders why she knows so little about her father's French parents。 All she knows is that they came to London as refugees immediately after the war when he was 5 years old。It's the mid-1990s and it turns out that， ten years before， her paternal grandmother recoded an interview with a journalist from a French gay magazine。 In it she recorded the truth about her life in Alsace before the war， after the province's annexation by Germany， her escape， with a friend and a Jewish infant， to a hide-away in the Alps， culminating with the emotional reunion with her gay lover in post-war London。This is a monumental work which deals with the issue of prejudice and bigotry in modern Britain by describing how such attitudes morphed into the holocaust in which not only Jews， but many perfectly ordinary people who displayed 'difference'， including homosexuals， were brutally tortured and murdered by the Nazis。The novel alternates between the contents of the interview and the family's life in late 1990s London， contrasting the suffering and deprivations of the war years with the affluence of Britain， in common with all Western democracies， in the years preceding the banking crisis。It is an important and valuable reminder of the harm caused when perfectly ordinary people are forced to hide their true nature because of prejudice and a legal system that imprisons them for the simple act of consummating their love for someone of the same gender - a situation that existed in the UK until the late 1960s， and persists to this day in some parts of the world。The story told through the interview tapes is often harrowing。 The relationships between the daughter， her boyfriend， her brother and his fiancée， as well as her parents and the extended Irish family， are superbly portrayed。 This is especially so towards the end， when the father learns of his true identity。 The daughter mediates a series of moving reconciliations which bring the book to a satisfying conclusion。The whole book is genuinely difficult to put down。 Nick Alexander has produced， with this his seventeenth book， one that is probably the most important novel of the twenty first century。 Frequently moving， sometimes funny and always completely relatable， never marred by impossible plot twists， this is a book that deserves maximum exposure。 It is fiction， but events like those described did indeed happen in real life， a fact that cannot be repeated often enough。 。。。more
Mrs Nicole M Middleton
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wonderful book。 Don’t know what else to say。Deep， thought provoking， telling many tales of personal battles fought and won under terrible threats and troubles。 Intertwining tales of families and people trying to be ordinary，which is very hard， but achievable in the long run。
Annette Jordan
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Perfectly Ordinary People by Nick Alexander is a powerful story of family that moves between the second world war and the almost current day。 Ruth has grown up in a happy family， surrounded by uncles， aunts and cousins from her mother's side， not to mention tough matriarch Mavaughn， her Irish grandmother。 Her father's side of the family is more of a mystery however， he was born in France but moved to England as a child， and rarely speaks of his past or his family。 It is only when his mother， Rut Perfectly Ordinary People by Nick Alexander is a powerful story of family that moves between the second world war and the almost current day。 Ruth has grown up in a happy family， surrounded by uncles， aunts and cousins from her mother's side， not to mention tough matriarch Mavaughn， her Irish grandmother。 Her father's side of the family is more of a mystery however， he was born in France but moved to England as a child， and rarely speaks of his past or his family。 It is only when his mother， Ruth's Grandma Genny dies， that Ruth finds herself wishing that she knew more of the family history， and so she embarks on a quest to discover more about that side of the family。 The second story woven into the book is set in France， during the period of German occupation， and focuses on Genevieve and Pierre。 Using these characters the author explores the history of what happened to Gay people during the war， and it often makes for tough reading with brutal descriptions of torture， beatings and assault。 When Pierre is arrested Genevieve takes part in a daring subterfuge to rescue him and the pair flee the occupied zone。 We learn about their story in the form of an interview for a French magazine， recorded in the 1980s。 and it is the discovery of these recordings that gives Ruth the answers to questions about her paternal family。 While the connection between both storylines might seem too obvious， I really did not mind as I was engaged and enjoying both plots。 The humour and warmth of family so often described in Ruth's timeline was a much needed respite and a stark contrast to the harsher wartime story。 The characters are really believable and easy to relate to， even when they are not always likeable， they really are perfectly ordinary people， and all the more interesting for it。 I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher ， all opinions are my own。 。。。more
Bradley Raymond Mace
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Ruth has a relatively happy childhood with her brother but then one family Christmas things are thrown into the air and a family divide begins when her Father makes some antisemitic comments。 This opens a whole can of worms when Ruth realises that she really hardly knows anything about her grandparents on her fathers side。 Further investigations lead her to some tape recordings of an interview with her grandmother which tell a tragic story of love and torture under Nazi occupation。The story flit Ruth has a relatively happy childhood with her brother but then one family Christmas things are thrown into the air and a family divide begins when her Father makes some antisemitic comments。 This opens a whole can of worms when Ruth realises that she really hardly knows anything about her grandparents on her fathers side。 Further investigations lead her to some tape recordings of an interview with her grandmother which tell a tragic story of love and torture under Nazi occupation。The story flits from present day relationships within the family and between Ruth and her new boyfriend Dan to the recorded story during the second world war。 I read this book over three nights， not being able to keep away from knowing what happens next。。 I really have to say that Nick Alexander has done it again and never disappoints。 The characters were fantastically drafted and I was able to feel empathy with all of them。 Nick has obviously done his historical research。 Even though we know of these horrific war crimes the story is still shocking and definitely tugs at the heart strings。 We are rooting for Pierre and Genevieve all the way。 I don't want to say too much to give away the plot so I would HIGHLY recommend reading this for yourself。 I can't remember the last time I cried reading a book but luckily my kindle is water proof。 。Thank you Nick for what is another fantastic ride of emotions！ If anyone is pondering purchasing this book stop pondering right now and add to basket！！！！ 。。。more
Kath
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I do love a dual timeline book when done well。。。 as indeed it was with this book。 In the present， we follow Ruth who has a pretty large family， mostly on her mother's Irish side。 Her father's parents have both died and she is left wondering about the gap they could have filled in her ancestry。 Her father sadly is reluctant to talk about them so she has to let it go。 Until a friend of her paternal grandmother's gets in touch with her father and， as he is reluctant to call her back， Ruth takes up I do love a dual timeline book when done well。。。 as indeed it was with this book。 In the present， we follow Ruth who has a pretty large family， mostly on her mother's Irish side。 Her father's parents have both died and she is left wondering about the gap they could have filled in her ancestry。 Her father sadly is reluctant to talk about them so she has to let it go。 Until a friend of her paternal grandmother's gets in touch with her father and， as he is reluctant to call her back， Ruth takes up that particular mantle。。。 but whether she is prepared for what she finds is another question。。。And then， back in the past， in the war years， we follow best friends Pierre and Genevieve as they sacrifice everything to survive。 And that's all I'm saying as you really need to discover all the delights of this book as the author intends。 Suffice to say， I thought I knew a lot about the war but this side of things， well， I had an inkling but wasn't aware of the full details。 The author has obviously put in the hard yards with his research and， happily for me， left me with a list of "further reading"。 Which I will do。。。The story is a wonderful and harrowing one - the past timeline I mean。 Back in the present， life is a bit lighter and has some great funny moments， as well as a few cringes。 This means that however awful the war years， the book never became overwhelmingly depressing。 It's evident where the book is going， mostly but not all。 There are delights to be found all along the way as certain things become aha moments。 Although I guessed a few of the secrets， the fallout was always still an unknown all the way through。。。 And the ending when it came。。。 perfect。And the title is perfect too。 As the characters contained herein are just that。 And all so well described and all played their parts well。 This is always one of the author's strengths， as well as spinning a great yarn。 Couple those with the no nonsense attitude to waffle and padding - there is none - and you got a cracking read that I have no hesitation in recommending。My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book。 。。。more
Intriga WH
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Ruth is from a loving family， each side is very distinctive and one hold a mystery。 Her mother’s side is a large and outgoing Irish family。 Her father side is very mysterious with a French background。 Ruth starts to become curious about her father’s side of the family。 He isn’t giving her much information and she is frustrated by it。 She is now determined to discover her French roots。 What Ruth discovers are secrets that has been kept hidden from outsiders。 Her relatives that survived during the Ruth is from a loving family， each side is very distinctive and one hold a mystery。 Her mother’s side is a large and outgoing Irish family。 Her father side is very mysterious with a French background。 Ruth starts to become curious about her father’s side of the family。 He isn’t giving her much information and she is frustrated by it。 She is now determined to discover her French roots。 What Ruth discovers are secrets that has been kept hidden from outsiders。 Her relatives that survived during the Occupation in France during World War Two。 They survived by all means necessary and some of those options were not pretty。 Will Ruth’s discovery tear her family？An emotional charged story that is set during WWII。 Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC， I received an advance review copy for free， and I am leaving this review voluntarily。 。。。more
Emily Short
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A fantastic story focusing on WWII and the difficulties faced by those who were targeted for their sexual orientation。 The layout of the story focuses on Ruth who has uncovered some interviews and soon begins to uncover a lot of truths。 Its set between two time periods where we go between Ruth and her life and Genevieve and Pierre。I became attached to the characters and had to keep reading！
Dawn
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