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Books > Fiction > Genre fiction > War fiction > Second World War fiction
Set on an island in the South Pacific during the final days of World War II, when the tide has turned against Japan and the war has unmistakably become one of attrition, "The Breaking Jewel" offers a rare depiction of the Pacific War from the Japanese side and captures the essence of Japan's doomed imperial aims. The novel opens as a small force of Japanese soldiers prepares to defend a tiny and ultimately insignificant island from a full-scale assault by American forces. Its story centers on squad leader Nakamura, who resists the Americans to the end, as he and his comrades grapple with the idea of "gyokusai" (translated as "the breaking jewel" or the "pulverization of the gem"), the patriotic act of mass suicide in defense of the homeland. Well known for his antiestablishment and antiwar sentiments, Makuto Oda gradually and subtly develops a powerful critique of the war and the racialist imperial aims that proved Japan's undoing.
In the Full Light of the Sun follows the fortunes of three Berliners caught up in a devastating scandal of 1930s' Germany. It tells the story of Emmeline, a wayward, young art student; Julius, an anxious, middle-aged art expert; and a mysterious art dealer named Rachmann who are at the heart of Weimar Berlin at its hedonistic, politically turbulent apogee and are whipped up into excitement over the surprising discovery of thirty-two previously unknown paintings by Vincent van Gogh. Based on a true story, unfolding through the subsequent rise of Hitler and the Nazis, this gripping tale is about beauty and justice, and the truth that may be found when our most treasured beliefs are revealed as illusions. Brilliant on authenticity, vanity and self-delusion, it is a novel for our times.
German U-boats are getting through the defences. It's up to the Wrens to stop them.After her fiance died in the sinking of the Royal Oak, Mary finds herself stationed in Orkney, still battling her grief. With Iris and Sally by her side, she is gradually overcoming her loss and is surprised to be helped by the irascible Joe. Joe is a signalman aboard the Kelpie and his cheeky Morse code signals to Mary while she's on shift bring her cheer and exasperation in equal measure. With Christmas round the corner, Mary is opening herself back up to the festive spirit - and to love. But the Germans keep slipping through Scapa Flow's defences, somehow without triggering any of the Navy's alarms. Could someone on land be guiding them? If so, can Mary, Iris and Sally figure out who and stop them before more lives are lost? A wonderfully heartwarming and gripping saga, perfect for readers of Johanna Bell, Kate Thompson and Daisy Styles. Praise for A Wrens' Wartime Christmas 'This had me enthralled from the very start... Vicki knows how to tell a great story and I can't wait until the next book. I thoroughly recommend this!' Reader review 'Enjoyed this book - was a lovely, easy to read story with really good characters!' Reader review 'Another brilliant story from Vicki Beeby. I do so love reading this genre - you learn so much.' Reader review 'This book kept me awake at night because I couldn't put it down. It was exciting and heartwarming in equal measures... loved it.' Reader review 'Another fantastic book in the series. The girls are all so likeable... The story was easy to read and had plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader interested.' Reader review 'I loved the festive wartime vibes. Honestly had me smiling from ear to ear and this is another book I can add to the 'adored it' list.' Reader review 'Wow what another brilliant book in The Wren Series. If you love family saga set during the world wars, this is right up your street.' Reader review
Poland, 1941. After the Jews in their town are rounded up, Róza and her
five-year-old daughter, Shira, spend day and night hidden in a farmer's
barn.
************** THE EIGHTEENTH CLIFFEHAVEN NOVEL BY SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR ELLIE DEAN Peace has finally been declared in the Far East, but for those living at Beach View Boarding House, the news brings mixed emotions. Peggy Reilly is devastated that her husband Jim will not be coming home for Christmas. And Sarah and Jane, who have lived at Beach View throughout much of the conflict, dread what they will find when they go back to Singapore. Life in Cliffehaven is in a whirlwind of change as the men return from the war and Peggy's evacuee chicks begin to spread their wings and start new lives in different corners of the world. Peggy and Jim have longed to be together after so many years apart, but war has left them profoundly changed. Can they rekindle the loving, close relationship they'd shared before?
Fresh from their series on the American Civil War, bestselling authors Newt Gingrich and William R. Forstchen now launch a new epic adventure by applying their imaginations and knowledge to the "Date of Infamy"---the attack on Pearl Harbor. "Pearl Harbor" covers the full spectrum of character and events of that historic moment, from national leaders and admirals to the views of ordinary citizens caught in the chaos of war. From the chambers of the Emperor of Japan to the American White House, from the decks of aircraft carriers to the playing fields of the Japanese Naval Academy, this powerful story stretches from the nightmare slaughter of China in the 1930s to the lonely office of Commander James Watson, an American cryptographer, who suspects the impending catastrophic attack. It is a story of intrigue, double-dealing, the horrific brutality of war, and the desperate efforts by men of reason on both sides to prevent a titanic struggle that becomes inevitable. A compelling, meticulously researched saga, "Pearl Harbor" is also a novel of valor about those who took party in this cataclysmic moment in world history. It inaugurates a dramatic new Pacific War series that begins with the terrifying account of the day that started it all.
'While the average reader cannot pretend truly to understand the reality of those who suffered in concentration camps, Kertesz draws us one step closer' Observer Gyuri, a fourteen-year-old Hungarian Jew, gets the day off school to witness his father signing over the family timber business - his final act before being sent to a labour camp. Two months later, Gyuri finds himself assigned to a 'permanent workplace'. This is the start of his journey to Auschwitz. On his arrival Gyuri finds that he is unable to identify with other Jews, and is rejected by them. An outsider among his own people, his estrangement makes him a preternaturally acute observer, dogmatically insisting on making sense of the barbarity - and beauty - he witnesses.
OUT NOW: the second volume in the bestselling, exhilarating WWII treasure-hunt thriller series for fans of Dan Brown *** RATED 5 STARS BY REAL READERS *** November 1941. Germany is about to win the war. Only one thing still separates the Nazis from a certain victory: they must find the three remaining all-powerful swastikas and reunite them with a fourth that is safely hidden away in Himmler's mountain stronghold. Churchill has no choice but to mobilize his best man, double agent Tristan Marcas, and employ the most risky techniques to beat them to it. It all comes to a showdown at a ball in Venice...
The crescendo of war, a crushing blow, a path to redemption...Peacetime political machinations threaten Kelly Maguire's ambitions to be a Captain. But then war breaks out, and the world needs men who are willing to risk everything. As World War II explodes, and after a devastating loss in the Battle of Narvik, Maguire finds himself washed up at Dunkirk during the evacuation of 1940. Once more he must prove his worth. On the ocean, and the beaches, Kelly will fight for his country, and for the ones he loves. But, on the verge of true greatness after the Normandy landings, he is tasked with one final mission, one that could end his career... Back to Battle is an earth-shattering novel set at the heart of the bloodiest war ever fought.
And then came war . . . Today. Sera James spends most of her time arranging auctions for the art world's elite clientele. When her search to uncover an original portrait of an unknown Holocaust victim leads her to William Hanover III, they learn that this painting is much more than it seems. Vienna, 1942. Adele Von Bron has always known what was expected of her. As a prodigy of Vienna's vast musical heritage, this concert violinist intends to carry on her family's tradition and play with the Vienna Philharmonic. But when the Nazis learn that she helped smuggle Jews out of the city, Adele is taken from her promising future and thrust into the horrifying world of Auschwitz. The veil of innocence is lifted to expose a shuddering presence of evil, and Adele realizes that her God-given gift is her only advantage; she must play. Becoming a member of the Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz, she fights for survival. Adele's barbed-wire walls begin to kill her hope as the months drag into nearly two years in the camp. With surprising courage against the backdrop of murder and despair, Adele finally confronts a question that has been tugging at her heart: Even in the midst of evil, can she find hope in worshipping God with her gift? As Sera and William learn more about the subject of the mysterious portrait- Adele-they are reminded that whatever horrors one might face, God's faithfulness never falters.
Like Aladdin, but with post-traumatic stress, Charlie Echo is a story about wishes - the last wishes of a dying soldier in Normandy in 1944. Verbal wills of this sort are valid if there are two witnesses and the first men on the scene are radio operator Charlie Goodman and his assistant, Sid Saunders. Unfortunately, in the confusion of events that follow, Charlie fails to ascertain the full identity of the dying officer and is invalided back to Blighty plagued by trauma and remorse. Once he has been demobbed also, it falls to Saunders to break the impasse by getting his comrade to repair a radio telephone, just like the one they were using in France. What he doesn't anticipate is that working on the set will prompt Charlie to not only hear the mystery soldier's voice again, but to see him too. If not quite the genie in the lamp, it seems like there's a ghost in the machine and one that's been transported to his workshop in Leeds. Dismayed to discover that his wishes have not been carried out, the ghost goads Charlie into journeying through post-war Britain in order to fulfil his battlefield promise. Jolting between humour and pathos, it's a journey that transforms reclusive repair man into unlikely pantomime hero and propels Saunders off in pursuit to play his allotted role in the "show".
A moving and powerful novel of love, secrets and redemption in a country torn apart by war. For readers of Kate Furnivall and Dinah Jefferies. It's 1941 and Kate is living in Rangoon, Burma, a world away from her traditional English upbringing. When she meets Edwin, a young teacher from London, she senses that he too is looking for a place to call home, and soon a friendship develops between them. As their bond grows, Kate begins to learn of the secrets in Edwin's past and the tragic events that brought them both to Burma. But war is coming and, when the Japanese forces invade, Kate and Edwin are forced to flee, along with thousands of others. They begin a perilous journey to India but soon become separated. As Kate continues on alone, she can't get this troubled young man out of her head. With the fallout of war all around them, in a place far from home, will Kate and Edwin survive their journey and find the new beginning they both seek? 'A sweeping historical fiction masterpiece' My Weekly 'Evocative and atmospheric. Blench captures the wild and perilous journeys made by so many at the arrival of the war' Wilbur Smith The Long Journey Home is a Wilbur Smith adventure writing prize winner. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Readers are loving The Long Journey Home: 'Wow . . . The characters are beautifully alive, the locations so craftily described that I felt like I was there . . . a magnificent, well-researched novel.' Netgalley reviewer 'Written with compassion and thought . . . you really feel the emotions of the characters.' Netgalley reviewer 'The ending is delightful yet sad but at the same time life affirming. A soaring saga that will touch the reader and leave footprints on your heart.' Netgalley reviewer 'Well written with great detail . . . What a great writer Cecily Blench is.' Netgalley reviewer 'A real page turner from the very beginning . . . Cecily Blench is an excellent writer.' Netgalley reviewer 'Rich in emotion and description this book is just amazing . . . highly recommended.' Netgalley reviewer
A new and terrifying enemy rears its head at last...With the end of the Second World War in sight, the Allies begin to divide up the spoils and it proves to be a dangerous game. The British have become aware that, contrary to prior agreements, the Soviet Union is intent on controlling Austria once the war ends. Major Edgar is tasked with the job of establishing an espionage unit in Vienna to monitor the situation. He sends in two agents - Rolf Eder and Katharina Hoch - to track down Austria's most respected politician and bring him over to the British cause. But the feared Soviet spy Viktor Krasotkin is already in the war-torn city, embarking on exactly the same mission. A taut, tense masterclass in espionage fiction, perfect for fans of John le Carre, Len Deighton and Jack Higgins.
The spirit of aloha is found in Hawaii's fresh ocean air, the flowers, the trade winds . . . the natural beauty that smooth the struggles of daily life. In 1922 Honolulu, unhappy in the adoptive family that's raised her, Dolores begins to search for that spirit early on-and she begins by running away at sixteen to live with her newlywed friend Maria. Trying to find her own love, Dolores marries a young Portuguese man named Manolo His large family embraces her, but when his drinking leads to physical abuse, only his relative Alberto comes to her rescue-and sparks a passion within Dolores that she hasn't known before. Staunch Catholics can't divorce, however; so, after the Pearl Harbor attack, Dolores flees with her two daughters to California, only to be followed by both Manolo and Alberto. In California, Manolo's drinking problems continue-and Alberto's begin. Outraged that yet another man in her life is turning to the bottle for answers, Dolores starts to doubt her feelings for Alberto. Is he only going to disappoint her, as Manolo has? Or is Alberto the embodiment of the aloha spirit she's been seeking?
From the bestselling author of The Open Door comes a moving and uplifting story about a generation of young people living through World War II September, 1939. In the sleepy village of Roehampton, Annie Webster has finally found comfort for herself and her close-knit family, far from the poverty and hardships of their childhood in Bermondsey. Then, an announcement shatters their newfound peace. England is at war . . . As her brothers enlist for duty, Annie sacrifices her glamorous job in London for the urgent work of the WAAF, where women of all backgrounds pull together tirelessly for the war effort. Brave, resourceful and determined to do her bit for her country, Annie's intelligence and warmth singles her out for a daring new role . . . But as Annie quickly catches the eye of a dashing officer, will she ever find peace in her heart? And will Annie and her loved ones survive Britain's darkest hour? 'A heartwarming and uplifting tale' Daily Express PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED AS WINGS OF THE MORNING
From USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Robson-author of Moonlight Over Paris and Somewhere in France-comes a lush historical novel that tells the fascinating story of Ruby Sutton, an ambitious American journalist who moves to London in 1940 to report on the Second World War, and to start a new life an ocean away from her past. In the summer of 1940, ambitious young American journalist Ruby Sutton gets her big break: the chance to report on the European war as a staff writer for Picture Weekly newsmagazine in London. She jumps at the chance, for it's an opportunity not only to prove herself, but also to start fresh in a city and country that know nothing of her humble origins. But life in besieged Britain tests Ruby in ways she never imagined. Although most of Ruby's new colleagues welcome her, a few resent her presence, not only as an American but also as a woman. She is just beginning to find her feet, to feel at home in a country that is so familiar yet so foreign, when the bombs begin to fall. As the nightly horror of the Blitz stretches unbroken into weeks and months, Ruby must set aside her determination to remain an objective observer. When she loses everything but her life, and must depend upon the kindness of strangers, she learns for the first time the depth and measure of true friendship-and what it is to love a man who is burdened by secrets that aren't his to share. Goodnight from London, inspired in part by the wartime experiences of the author's own grandmother, is a captivating, heartfelt, and historically immersive story that readers are sure to embrace.
Primo Levi was one of the most astonishing voices to emerge from the twentieth century: a man who survived one of the ugliest times in history, yet who was able to describe his own Auschwitz experience with an unaffected tenderness. Levi was a master storyteller but he did not write fairytales. These stories are an elegy to the human figures who stood out against the tragic background of Auschwitz, 'the ones in whom I had recognized the will and capacity to react, and hence a rudiment of virtue'. Each centres on an individual who - whether it be through a juggling trick, a slice of apple or a letter - discovers one of the 'bizarre, marginal moments of reprieve'.
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