Liz Tolsma
Have you ever gone to the library with no clue of what you were planning on checking out? I've done that a lot. Most recently, last weekend. My daughter and I started off in the children's area. While she was searching through each and every aisle to find just the right books, I decided to do a quick search on the online catalog. I've been obsessed with all things World War II historical fiction, so I used that as my search phrase. Not much came up, but I did see a few books written by Liz Tolsma that were available. I'd never heard of her, but I knew I liked the topic, so I decided to give it a try.
"When you are young and invincible, you don't think about things like dying. But then comes a point in your life when this world fades and you have to face it. For years, I've thought of nothing but the present. Nothing but wht I can see and touch and taste."
So, what did I think?
2 out of 5 Stars
This is the story of a young Jewish Christian, Anna and her grandmother. The rest of her family has all received their orders to report to the Nazi camps, and Anna is left to care for her grandmother as best she can. Horst Engel, German officer ends up moving into the apartment downstairs from them. He hears Anna playing the violin, which is forbidden, as musical instruments have been confiscated. However, her music grips his heart and makes him think of his mother. The core of the story truly relovles around the heart of Hauptmann Engel's heart. His inner struggle with with doing what he is supposed to do, and doing what is right, it what leads him to being a German officer who is hiding his Jewish neighbors from the other German's. The story is also about Anna's struggle with the loss of music, which she feels is the lost of her hope and soul. This is also a Christian novel, with several references throughout about trusting God through all, and keeping faith in Him.
I was not super impressed with this book. Most of the World War II stories I've read have just ripped a hole in my heart. They have felt so real and just beyond any tragedy I can begin to fathom. This story talked about all of those same events, but without as much feeling in my opinion. I felt like this story touched on the surface of what was going on, but really didn't feel as evil as it truly was. It was a little sugar coated, or PG, perhaps. I also didn't find the storyline to be super believable. Touching, yes. Realistic...I'm having a harder time with that. Because there are so many other incredible historical fiction books on this topic, I think I would personally choose a different author, rather than reading another WWII story by Liz Tosma.
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