by Monica Hesse
Book: Stand Alone
Publisher: Little Brown Books
Pub Date: April 5, 2016
Genre: Historical
Format: Print
Source: Borrowed
Amsterdam, 1943. Hanneke spends her days procuring and delivering sought-after black-market goods to paying customers, her nights hiding the true nature of her work from her concerned parents, and every waking moment mourning her boyfriend, who was killed on the Dutch front lines when the Germans invaded. She likes to think of her illegal work as a small act of rebellion.
On a routine delivery, a client asks Hanneke for help. Expecting to hear that Mrs. Janssen wants meat or kerosene, Hanneke is shocked by the older woman's frantic plea to find a person - a Jewish teenager Mrs. Janssen had been hiding, who has vanished without a trace from a secret room. Hanneke initially wants nothing to do with such dangerous work, but is ultimately drawn into a web of mysteries and stunning revelations that lead her into the heart of the resistance, open her eyes to the horrors of the Nazi war machine, and compel her to take desperate action.
Beautifully written, intricately plotted, and meticulously researched, Girl in the Blue Coat is an extraordinary, gripping novel from a bright new voice.
On a routine delivery, a client asks Hanneke for help. Expecting to hear that Mrs. Janssen wants meat or kerosene, Hanneke is shocked by the older woman's frantic plea to find a person - a Jewish teenager Mrs. Janssen had been hiding, who has vanished without a trace from a secret room. Hanneke initially wants nothing to do with such dangerous work, but is ultimately drawn into a web of mysteries and stunning revelations that lead her into the heart of the resistance, open her eyes to the horrors of the Nazi war machine, and compel her to take desperate action.
Beautifully written, intricately plotted, and meticulously researched, Girl in the Blue Coat is an extraordinary, gripping novel from a bright new voice.
My Review: I loved the sound of this and diving into something historical. The story line and research was indeed done well.
However, what made it hard to truly enjoy this book was the characters. Hanneke was the hardest one for me to like. She didn’t have much life in her, considering what she was doing, you’d think she would have more life in her. She was also quite annoying at times and that took away from scenes. Her parents I don’t feel had much life to them either.
The background and research of the time was done well, you could picture the scenes of a Hanneke and the soldiers, the streets, the way the town has changed since the war.
Overall, I liked the book, but it’s not something I’d pick up again.
My Rating:
✪✪
