Hidden Among the Stars

     BOOK REVIEW:   The year is 1938, and as Hitler's troops sweep into Vienna, Austrian Max Dornbach promises to help his Jewish friends hide their most valuable possessions from the Nazis, smuggling them to his family's summer estate near the picturesque village of Hallstatt. He enlists the help of Annika Knopf, his childhood friend and the caretaker's daughter, who is eager to help the man she's loved her entire life. But when Max also brings Luzia Weiss, a young Jewish woman, to hide at the castle, it complicates Annika's feelings and puts their entire plan---even their very lives---in jeopardy. Especially when the Nazis come to scour the estate and find both Luzia and the treasure gone.
      Eighty years later, Callie Randall is mostly content with her quiet life, running a bookstore with her sister and reaching out into the world through her blog. Then she finds a cryptic list in an old edition of Bambi that connects her to Annika's story---and possibly to the long-buried story of a dear friend. As she digs into the past, Callie must risk venturing outside the safe world she's built for a chance at answers, and maybe even new love.

     MY REVIEW:   Anymore, one must sort through the hundreds of books available to find one worth holding onto and passing around. This book is one of those rare few. A fiction novel, it explores life in Austria during Hitler's reign. Life changes in an instant, and Jews find themselves in a dangerous situation. Even the Gentile sympathizers are in danger, and no one can trust anyone. Greed runs rampant as homes are ransacked and possessions confiscated.
     This book is written in what I term "flashback form". The story of Annika is told through Callie's discovery of a book 80yrs later. Therefore, we read of both their lives, though predominately Annika's. It flips between the two in a manner quite easy to distinguish. Annika's tale is written in third person, and Callie's in first person. Callie's first person narrative felt a bit cliche at times, but not enough to spoil the book.
     While there is romance in this book, it is not the main stream as so many books are. It is understated, and while Callie's is unnecessary, Annika's is very relevant to the story. Without it many facets would be lost. I will say, however, that I was rather surprised at how it turned out. I can't explain more without giving anything away, but it was interesting to see how it all played out, or didn't.
     I really enjoyed this book. Another of Melanie Dobson's books I've read is Catching the Wind, which was just as good as this book, and written in the same manner---searching for a survivor of WWII.

 I received a copy of this book from TYNDALE PUBLISHERS and was not required to write a positive review.