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Books > Fiction > Genre fiction > War fiction > Second World War fiction
In 1942 Paris, gifted architect Lucien Bernard accepts a commission that will bring him a great deal of money - and maybe get him killed. But if he's clever enough, he'll avoid any trouble. All he has to do is design a secret hiding place for a wealthy Jewish man, a space so invisible that even the most determined German officer won't find it. He sorely needs the money, and outwitting the Nazis who have occupied his beloved city is a challenge he can't resist. But when one of his hiding spaces fails horribly, and the problem of where to hide a Jew becomes terribly personal, Lucien can no longer ignore what's at stake. The Paris Architect asks us to consider what we owe each other, and just how far we'll go to make things right. Written by an architect whose knowledge imbues every page, this story becomes more gripping with every soul hidden and every life saved.
The bestselling author of The Designer presents a sweeping story of blind faith, family allegiance and how love makes one man question everything he thought he knew. Max Wolff is a committed soldier of the Reich. So when he is sent home wounded, only to discover that his mother is sheltering two young Jewish women in their home, he is outraged. His mother's act of mercy is a gross betrayal of everything Max stands for. He has dedicated his life to Nazism, fighting to atone for the shame of his anti-Hitler father's imprisonment. It's his duty to turn the sisters over to the Gestapo. But he hesitates, and the longer Max fails to do his duty, the harder it becomes. When Allied bombers fill the skies of Germany, Max is forced to abandon all dogma and face the brutality of war in order to defend precious lives. But what will it cost him?
A PopSugar Best Book of the Year! Readers of Heather Morris's The Tattooist of Auschwitz and watchers of The Queen's Gambit won't want to miss this amazing debut set during World War II. A young Polish resistance worker, imprisoned in Auschwitz as a political prisoner, plays chess in exchange for her life, and in doing so fights to bring the man who destroyed her family to justice. Maria Florkowska is many things: daughter, avid chess player, and, as a member of the Polish underground resistance in Nazi-occupied Warsaw, a young woman brave beyond her years. Captured by the Gestapo, she is imprisoned in Auschwitz, but while her family is sent to their deaths, she is spared. Realizing her ability to play chess, the sadistic camp deputy, Karl Fritzsch, decides to use her as a chess opponent to entertain the camp guards. However, once he tires of exploiting her skills, he has every intention of killing her. Befriended by a Catholic priest, Maria attempts to overcome her grief, vows to avenge the murder of her family, and plays for her life. For four grueling years, her strategy is simple: Live. Fight. Survive. By cleverly provoking Fritzsch's volatile nature in front of his superiors, Maria intends to orchestrate his downfall. Only then will she have a chance to evade the fate awaiting her and see him punished for his wickedness. As she carries out her plan and the war nears its end, she challenges her former nemesis to one final game, certain to end in life or death, in failure or justice. If Maria can bear to face Fritzsch-and her past-one last time.
'Effortlessly enjoyable . . . an emotionally rewarding novel so succulent with detail that you can almost feel the Tripoli sand storms whipping across your face' Daily Mail The Fourth Shore: the sliver of fertile land along the Tripoli coast, the 'lost' territory Mussolini promised to reclaim for Italy. Which is how, in 1929, seventeen-year-old Liliana Cattaneo arrives there from Rome on a ship filled with eager colonists to join her brother and his new wife. Liliana is sure she was on the brink of a great adventure, but what awaits her is not the Mediterranean idyll of cocktail parties, smart dances, dashing officers and romantic intrigues she had imagined. Instead she finds a world of persecution, violence, repression, corruption and deceptions both great and small. A child of fascist Italy, blown about by the winds of fascism and Catholicism, Liliana becomes enmeshed in a dark liaison which has terrible consequences both for her and those she loves most. The Fourth Shore is the engrossing and intensely poignant story of Liliana's journey from Rome to Tripoli to a north London suburb where, as plain Lily Jones, she begins to uncover a secret she has buried so deeply that even she is far from certain what it is. Praise for Early One Morning by Virginia Baily: 'As gripping as any thriller...really, really good' Daily Mail 'A big, generous and absorbing piece of storytelling' Samantha Harvey, Guardian 'A real treat' Philip Hensher, Observer 'Wonderful' Tessa Hadley
A crackling portrayal of everyday American heroines...A triumph. -- Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue A group of young women from Smith College risk their lives in France at the height of World War I in this sweeping novel based on a true story--a skillful blend of Call the Midwife and The Alice Network--from New York Times bestselling author Lauren Willig. A scholarship girl from Brooklyn, Kate Moran thought she found a place among Smith's Mayflower descendants, only to have her illusions dashed the summer after graduation. When charismatic alumna Betsy Rutherford delivers a rousing speech at the Smith College Club in April of 1917, looking for volunteers to help French civilians decimated by the German war machine, Kate is too busy earning her living to even think of taking up the call. But when her former best friend Emmeline Van Alden reaches out and begs her to take the place of a girl who had to drop out, Kate reluctantly agrees to join the new Smith College Relief Unit. Four months later, Kate and seventeen other Smithies, including two trailblazing female doctors, set sail for France. The volunteers are armed with money, supplies, and good intentions--all of which immediately go astray. The chateau that was to be their headquarters is a half-burnt ruin. The villagers they meet are in desperate straits: women and children huddling in damp cellars, their crops destroyed and their wells poisoned. Despite constant shelling from the Germans, French bureaucracy, and the threat of being ousted by the British army, the Smith volunteers bring welcome aid--and hope--to the region. But can they survive their own differences? As they cope with the hardships and terrors of the war, Kate and her colleagues find themselves navigating old rivalries and new betrayals which threaten the very existence of the Unit. With the Germans threatening to break through the lines, can the Smith Unit pull together and be truly a band of sisters?
Counter-intelligence agent Jacob Welker is on a special mission to find a group of scientists who could change the course of World War II in this smartly written historical espionage thriller. September 1939. Germany has declared war on Poland, and in German Pomerania, Professor Josef Brun is on the run from the SS, carrying secret documents that could change the course of the war. If he can make it to France or Britain. If he can survive . . . In America, counter-intelligence agent Captain Jacob Welker is handed a special assignment from President Roosevelt. Einstein believes the Nazis are aware of a new super weapon made possible by advances in atomic science, and only a small group of scientists can stop them winning the race to develop it. Enlisting the help of his British friends, Lord Geoffrey and Patricia Saboy, Welker must find the scientists and get them out of Germany from under the Nazi's noses. As a dangerous new world of physics gathers pace, can Welker prevent the war taking a catastrophic new turn?
A SUNDAY TIMES, NEW STATESMAN AND SPECTATOR BOOK OF THE YEAR 'Vivid, illuminating and unbearably tense ... A masterly meditation on trauma, on beauty, on the idea of home and the limits of love' Guardian Charlie's experiences at the Battle of Kohima and the months he spent lost in the remote jungles of Nagaland during the Second World War are now history. Home and settled on a farm in Norfolk and newly married to Claire, he is one of the lucky survivors. Starting a family and working the land seem the best things a man can be doing. But a chasm exists between them. Memories flood Charlie's mind; at night, on rain-slicked roads and misty mornings in the fields, the past can feel more real than the present. Though hidden even to himself, the darkest secrets of Charlie's adventures in the strange and shadowy ridges of the Nagaland mountains, his dream-like encounters with the mysterious and ancient tribesmen, leak and bleed through his consciousness. What should be said and what left unsaid? Is it possible to forge a new life in the wake of unfathomable horror? A beautifully conceived, deftly controlled and delicately wrought meditation on the isolating impact of war, the troubling legacies of colonialism and the inescapable reach of the past, Georgina Harding's haunting, lyrical novel questions the very nature of survival, and what it is that the living owe the dead.
HEROISM CAN BE FOUND IN THE QUIETEST PLACES - HOW LIBRARIANS DEFIED THE NAZIS THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND RICHARD & JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK 'A wonderful novel celebrating the power of books and libraries to change people's lives' JILL MANSELL 'Heart-breaking and heart-lifting and always enchanting' RUTH HOGAN 'An irresistible and utterly compelling novel that will appeal to bibliophiles and historical fiction fans alike' SUNDAY EXPRESS 'I devoured The Paris Library in one hungry gulp . . . charming and moving' TATIANA DE ROSNAY 'An irresistible, compelling read' FIONA DAVIS 'Paris and libraries. What's not to love?!' NATASHA LESTER 'Compelling' WOMAN & HOME 'Delightful, richly detailed' PUBLISHER'S WEEKLY PARIS, 1939 Odile Souchet is obsessed with books, and her new job at the American Library in Paris - with its thriving community of students, writers and book lovers - is a dream come true. When war is declared, the Library is determined to remain open. But then the Nazis invade Paris, and everything changes. In Occupied Paris, choices as black and white as the words on a page become a murky shade of grey - choices that will put many on the wrong side of history, and the consequences of which will echo for decades to come. MONTANA, 1983 Lily is a lonely teenager desperate to escape small-town Montana. She grows close to her neighbour Odile, discovering they share the same love of language, the same longings. But as Lily uncovers more about Odile's mysterious past, she discovers a dark secret, closely guarded and long hidden. Based on the true Second World War story of the heroic librarians at the American Library in Paris, this is an unforgettable novel of romance, friendship, family, and of heroism found in the quietest of places.
**AS SEEN ON BBC TWO's BETWEEN THE COVERS** Discover Joseph Heller's hilarious and tragic satire on military madness, and the tale of one man's efforts to survive it. It's the closing months of World War II and Yossarian has never been closer to death. Stationed in an American bomber squadron off the coast of Italy, each flight mission introduces him to thousands of people determined to kill him. But the enemy above is not Yossarian's problem - it is his own army intent on keeping him airborne, and the maddening 'Catch-22' that allows for no possibility of escape. 'The greatest satirical work in the English language' Observer
A daredevil British agent goes behind enemy lines in this WWII-era spy thriller from Pulitzer Prize-winning critic and bestselling novelist Stephen Hunter. Basil St. Florian is an accomplished agent in the British Army, completing dangerous missions across the globe. But going undercover in Nazi-occupied France during World War II might be his toughest assignment yet. He must search for a religious manuscript that doesn't officially exist, one that genius professor Alan Turing believes may crack a code that could prevent the deaths of millions and possibly even end the war. St. Florian isn't the classic British special agent with a stiff upper lip - he is a swashbuckling, whisky-drinking cynic and thrill-seeker who resents having to leave Vivien Leigh's bed to set out on his crucial mission. Despite these proclivities, Basil's superiors know he's the best man for the job, with enough charm and quick wit to make his foes lower their guards. Action-packed and bursting with intrigue (much of which has basis in fact), Basil's War is a classic espionage thriller. Reviews for Stephen Hunter: 'An outstanding WWII spy thriller' Nelson DeMille 'One of the best thriller novelists around' Washington Post 'The front rank of the thriller novelists' People
One of the Claridge's kitchen porters is found dead - strangled. He was a recent employee who claimed to be Romanian, but evidence suggests he may have been German. Detective Chief Inspector Coburg has to find out exactly who he was, and what he was doing at Claridge's under a false identity. Once he has established those facts, he might get an insight into why he was killed, and who by. Coburg's job is complicated by the fact that so many of the hotel's residents are exiled European royalty. King George of Greece is registered as 'Mr Brown' and even the Duke of Windsor is staying, though without Wallis Simpson. Clandestine affairs, furtive goings-on and conspiracies against the government: Coburg must tread very lightly indeed .
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Light We Lost comes a sweeping and achingly romantic story of the course of fate, the meaning of family and the power of love. . . Genoa, Italy, 1946. Vincenzo and Giovanna fall in love the moment they set eyes on each other. The son of a count and the daughter of a tailor, they belong to opposing worlds - but the undeniable spark between them quickly burns into a deep and passionate relationship, played out against their post-war city, and Vincenzo's family's beautiful vineyard. But when shifts in political power force them each to choose a side and commit what the other believes is a betrayal, the bright future they dreamed of together is shattered. New York, 2017. Cassandra and Luca are in love. Although neither quite fits with the other's family, Cass and Luca have always felt like a perfect match for each other. But when Luca, an artist, convinces his grandfather and Cass's grandmother to pose for a painting, past and present collide to reveal a secret that changes everything . . . *** 'A gorgeous, epic novel . . . Jill Santopolo writes heartbreak like no other' Emily Giffin, author of Meant to Be 'A shimmering love story for the ages. Stars in an Italian Sky is about the course of fate, the meaning of family and the power of love. Bellissima!' Adriana Trigiani, author of The Good Left Undone 'Woven together as intricately as the fine fabrics of the Genoese tailor shop where the star-crossed lovers meet . . . A poignant tale of love, loss, class, and fate, infused with the hopefulness of true love written in the stars' Kristin Harmel, author of The Book of Lost Names and The Winemaker's Wife 'A spellbinding, deeply compassionate story centered around the fraught legacy of a pair of young lovers. Sensual, heartfelt, and incredibly moving, Santopolo's latest will bring you to tears' Fiona Davis, author of The Magnolia Palace 'I was swept away by Stars in an Italian Sky, Jill Santopolo's charming novel of love, both lost and found' Lisa Scottoline, author of Loyalty 'Filled with pathos, longing and romance, this book is a love letter to the human heart, and a testimony to the timelessness of true and lasting love' Allison Pataki, author of The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post 'A warm, poignant story of enduring love and loss, spanning generations and set against the background of post WWII Italy' Rhys Bowen, author of The Tuscan Child and The Venice Sketchbook 'Powerful, emotional, and steeped in beauty and romance, Stars in an Italian Sky is a breathtaking tale of star-crossed lovers that stretches across generations. A sweeping story brimming with passion' Ann Mah, author of The Lost Vintage and Jacqueline in Paris
When there's so much to be afraid of, can May help bring festive cheer to the Ops Room?After failing to help evacuee siblings whom she witnesses being separated, May wishes she'd had the confidence to speak up. When Jess suggests a pantomime to boost morale on the station, May is desperate to help - but is held back by her own insecurities. With her low self-esteem also affecting her relationship with Squadron Leader Peter Travis, May is fed up with being her own worst enemy and decides to take charge of her destiny. But the past she ran from, plus a crisis with one of the evacuees, throw May into the midst of a drama that will test all of her newfound confidence. May, Jess and Evie must work together once again to help each other through the challenges of war and of their own hearts. This heartwarming WAAF saga is perfect for fans of Daisy Styles, Kate Thompson and Rosie Clarke. Praise for Vicki Beeby'A fabulous tale of courage, comradeship and romance.' Glynis Peters, author of The Secret Orphan 'A lovely book. Vicki Beeby is a saga author to watch.' Margaret Dickinson, Sunday Times Top Ten bestselling author 'Entertaining from beginning to end. I can't recommend it highly enough.' Gemma Jackson, bestselling author of the Ivy Rose series 'This is a wonderful story of hope, love and friendship during the Second World War.' Reader review 'Another wonderful book in this series, characters that come alive, and a storyline I enjoy following from book to book. Saga lovers this is a series for you.' Reader review 'This was the most charming, evocative and beautiful book. The friendship between May, Jess and Evie, the ops rooms girls, is joyously written and their characters lovingly drawn and expanded. This is a many layered book, it will leave you wanting more!' Reader review
WHAT IF HITLER HAD SURVIVED? In the gripping new spy thriller from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Hitler's Secret, a Cambridge spy must find the truth behind Hitler's death. But exactly who is the man in the bunker? 'MASTER OF THE WARTIME SPY THRILLER' - FINANCIAL TIMES ________________ Germany, late summer 1945 - The war is over but the country is in ruins. Millions of refugees and holocaust survivors strive to rebuild their lives in displaced persons camps. Millions of German soldiers and SS men are held captive in primitive conditions in open-air detention centres. Everywhere, civilians are desperate for food and shelter. No one admits to having voted Nazi, yet many are unrepentant. Adolf Hitler is said to have killed himself in his Berlin bunker. But no body was found - and many people believe he is alive. Newspapers are full of stories reporting sightings and theories. Even Stalin, whose own troops captured the bunker, has told President Truman he believes the former Fuhrer is not dead. Day by day, American and British intelligence officers subject senior members of the Nazi regime to gruelling interrogation in their quest for their truth. Enter Tom Wilde - the Cambridge professor and spy sent in to find out the truth... Dramatic, intelligent, and brilliantly compelling, THE MAN IN THE BUNKER is Rory's best WWII thriller yet - perfect for readers of Robert Harris, C J Sansom and Joseph Kanon.
"Tremendous and enjoyable" - La Libre Belgique "A great success" - La Croix April, 1940. Louise Belmont runs, naked, down the boulevard du Montparnasse. To understand the tragic scene she has just experienced, she will have to plunge into the madness of the 'Phoney War', when the whole of France, seized by the panic of a new World War, descends into chaos. Alongside bistro-owner Monsieur Jules, new recruit Gabriel and small-time crook Raoul, Louise navigates this period of enormous upheaval and extraordinary twists of fate, for as the Nazi's advance, the threat of German occupation will uncover long-buried secrets and make strange bedfellows. With his characteristic wit and verve, Pierre Lemaitre chronicles the greatness and decline of a people crushed by circumstance. In Mirror of Our Sorrows, the final novel in the Paris between-the-wars trilogy, is an incandescent tale that is both burlesque and tragic. Translated from the French by Frank Wynne
FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR, KATIE FLYNN 'Ellie's a true Flynn heroine with her compassion and bravery. A fine Mother's Day gift for fans' Peterborough Evening Telegraph 'Packed with romance and poignancy' Woman 'Romantic and poignant... Fans of historical fiction will love the details and warmth of Katie Flynn's wartime tale' Woman's Own ________________________________________ Liverpool, 1940: There comes a moment in every child's life when they must learn to stand on their own two feet. For fifteen-year-old Ellie Lancton, that time has come all too soon. The death of her mother and the increase in air raids leaves Ellie alone and in grave danger. It's not long before she is forced to leave her beloved Liverpool behind and cross the Mersey to seek refuge in the countryside. But as the war takes comforts away, so too does it bring new opportunities; for work, new friendships, and perhaps a little love... It will take all of Ellie's courage to find her way without her mother's guidance. But if Ellie can soldier on with grace and dignity, there might just be light at the end of the tunnel.
THE INSPIRATION FOR THE OSCAR-NOMINATED MOTION PICTURE 'JOJO RABBIT' NOMINATED FOR 6 ACADEMY AWARDS INCLUDING BEST PICTURE AND BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY This extraordinary novel is seen through the eyes of Johannes, an avid member of the Hitler Youth in the 1940s. After he is severely injured in a raid, he discovers his parents are hiding a Jewish girl called Elsa behind a false wall in their large house in Vienna. His initial horror turns to interest, then love and obsession. After the disappearance of his parents, Johannes finds he is the only one aware of Elsa's existence in the house, the only one responsible for her survival. Both manipulating and manipulated, Johannes dreads the end of the war: with it will come the prospect of losing Elsa and their relationship, which ranges through passion and obsession, dependence and indifference, love and hate. This gripping, masterful work examines truth and lies at both political and personal levels, laying bare the darkest corners of the human soul.
Will the coming war divide them . . . ? For as long as she can remember Peggy O'Shea has been expected to work at the family dairy, look after her younger siblings, and eventually marry cow-keeper Martin Gallagher. And that's the way it has predictably gone, apart from one glorious summer when, at the age of eight, she meets handsome Anthony Giardano. But there's bad blood between the Irish O'Sheas and the Italian Giardanos, so perhaps for the sake of both of their families, it's a good thing when Anthony suddenly disappears. Ten years later at the start of the war, Peggy bumps into Anthony again. But as they begin to rekindle their friendship, Italy joins forces with Germany and Liverpool turns on its Italian residents overnight, making any relationship between Peggy and Anthony impossible . . . A gritty World War Two historical saga from Elizabeth Morton the acclaimed author of Angel of Liverpool.
Author shortlisted for the Romantic Novelist Association's 'The Romantic Saga Award 2023' for A Mother's War North Yorkshire, September 1940. It's a year since war was first announced and the dangers are becoming all too real for Rosina Calvert-Lazenby and her courageous daughters. When Raven Hall is requisitioned by the army, Rosina must do all she can to protect her family home from the rowdy troops. After Rosina's burgeoning relationship with young sergeant Harry is interrupted as he's posted abroad, the arrival of an older officer who takes a keen interest in her could also spell trouble... Meanwhile, Rosina's fearless second daughter, twenty-year-old Evelyn Calvert-Lazenby, decides to join the Auxiliary Fire Service. Determined to help with the Blitz effort in London, she faces extreme danger. Two kind professional firemen, the Bailey brothers, take her under their wing to help protect and guide her. But with the bombings getting worse, there can be no guarantees... Who will be safe? How can Rosina protect all those she loves? And is love still possible with such high stakes? Praise for Mollie Walton: 'A Journey. Compelling. Addictive' Val Wood 'Beautiful and poignant' Tania Crosse 'Feisty female characters, an atmospheric setting ... A phenomenal read' Cathy Bramley 'Great characters who will stay with me for a long time' Beth Miller 'Evocative, dramatic and hugely compelling. I loved it' Miranda Dickinson |
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