Sigmund Brouwer's "Saffire" - intrigue in the building of the Panama Canal

The digging of the Panama Canal is well underway when James Holt is called from his ranch to travel to the isthmus as a favor for an old friend. There he takes a mulatto girl under wing and helps search for her missing mother, little anticipating the tangle of politics and intrigue awaiting him in the newly-formed country.

As I wasn't sure what to expect at the beginning of this story, I continued to be surprised as it went along. It has a decidedly western flavor, as the narrator is a cowboy, yet it's set in the midst of the tropics and one of the greatest engineering feats of the time. Mystery and politics play a heavy role. I would describe it as a guy book.

With any newborn country--especially those in which other nations want a stake--the politics are complex, and clearly Panama was no exception. I wish I had known more about the historical figures involved and the political climate before diving into the book, as it would have made it a little easier to read. It wasn't really confusing--just complex.

I'll admit I enjoyed the parts with Saffire the best--not only is her plight more moving, but she's also a precocious, fun character. I wish she had featured more in the latter part of the story. I also rather enjoyed meeting the mysterious and historical Mr. Miskimon, who becomes more intriguing as the story goes on.

Thank you Blogging for Books for providing a free book to review. I was not required to make it positive, and all opinions are my own.

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Christian Fiction Favorites of 2014

So many wonderful books came out this year - I started compiling my list of favorites in April, but by the end of spring the list of favorites was practically already compiled, and then I had to go back through to make room for more and more later releases.

It was tough.

Picking an absolute favorite amongst a list of favorites would be a cruel and horrid task, since each of these books belongs here and each has their own special qualities, so I refuse to do so.  Thus their orders do not reflect rankings, but rather my whims of the moment (though they must have some semblance of order, I'll grant that). 

My ultimate love, historical fiction, in order of date of setting:

The Pursuit of Tamsen Littlejohn by Lori Benton (Waterbrook Press, April); Colonial

The Secret of Pembrooke Park by Julie Klassen (Bethany House, December); Regency

Full Steam Ahead by Karen Witemeyer (Bethany House, June); Antebellum 

A Beauty So Rare by Tamera Alexander (Bethany House, April); Civil War Reconstruction

Surprised by Love by Julie Lessman (Revell, October); Early 1900's

For Such a Time by Kate Breslin (Bethany House, April); WWII

In Perfect Time by Sarah Sundin (Revell, August); WWII


Out of the box:

While this is not a book I would read over and over with a shiver of warm fuzzies every time, Thief of Glory by Sigmund Brouwer (Waterbrook Press, August) is such a haunting and powerful tale so different from the books I generally read (and love), that I can't help but include it.  If professors are not afraid of the Christianity in the story, I could see this one used in college history and international studies courses. 


Next to historicals, I've come into a great appreciation for christian mystery/suspense, and once again Dani Pettrey's Alaskan Courage series makes the top:

Silenced by Dani Pettrey (Bethany House, May)


And a surprise in the contemporary romance department, a genre that generally sits a ways down the totem pole:

Meant to Be Mine by Becky Wade (Bethany House, May); Porter Family Novels, book 2


Since I get to make the rules, I've decided to highlight one time period that outdid itself this year, and most appropriately too given the 70th-year anniversary of D-Day: the WWII era. There were some spectacular novels this year, and while not all of these made my top ten, they all deserved and received 5 stars:

For Such a Time by Kate Breslin
Thief of Glory by Sigmund Brouwer
The Butterfly and the Violin by Kristy Cambron
Saving Amelie by Cathy Gohlke
In Perfect Time by Sarah Sundin


And although this book was not published in 2014, I just read it for the first time after picking it up at a garage sale this summer: Wonderland Creek by Lynn Austin (Bethany House, 2011). Depression era books tend to be depressing (who'd have thought?), but this one was so delightful and whimsical that I completely fell in love, pretty much from the first page. Anyone who loves to read should read this book, being about a fellow book lover who understands the desire to read anytime, anywhere, including through boring funerals . . . So it gets an honorable mention on my favorites of the year!

What are your favorites from 2014?

Sigmund Brouwer's "Thief of Glory" - a haunting tale

Focusing on the Pacific theater of WWII, Sigmund Brouwer tells the coming-of-age story of a boy whose life is forever tainted by war.  Ten-year-old Jeremiah Prin's life of privilege crashes to a halt the day the Japanese take over the Dutch East Indies.  With his father and older brothers taken away by the Japanese, Jeremiah becomes head of the family, taking care of his fragile mother and younger siblings as they are forced into an internment camp.  Amidst starvation, disease, and death, Jeremiah uses all his cunning to keep his family alive and together, but he cannot control their futures.  The war marks everyone, hardening some and breaking others.  But how hard can a child become before it hardens him forever?

 For the record, this book is the 2015 Christy Award winner of not just the Best Historical Romance, but also the Book of the Year. Believe me, it deserves it.

As in most instances when an author has a tangible connection to their story, this tale exudes passion.  Like Jeremiah's father, Brouwer's grandfather became one of over ten thousand of victims of the Burma railway, while the rest of the family was imprisoned in a Japanese internment camp.  Though the tales diverge from there, one can feel the author's heart for those who endured the atrocities. 

This book takes place in an interment camp - a place of abuse, death, and little hope.  To balance the moments of horror, there are moments of true inspiration - inspiration to be strong and fight, regardless of the consequences - not for personal gain or safety, but to protect those weaker than oneself.  To be able to stand on the judgement day, knowing one chose right.  Sophie Jansen is a brilliant example of this selflessness - would that we could all be like her!

Thief of Glory is a unique piece of christian historical fiction in more ways than one.  The majority of the story feels like it is being told from a ten-year-old boy's perspective, although we find out later it is an old man recounting his memories of the war.  Though there is a faint touch of romance, it is not remotely the focus of the story.  And unlike most christian fiction, it is not a feel-good book.  There are moments of humor, triumph, and inspiration, but this bittersweet novel is more haunting than uplifting, leaving the reader aching for the characters and the real people who endured such trials.

So be warned: if you're looking for a romance, a fluffy story to brighten your day, an escape from trials - don't read this book.  But if you want a book to challenge you, to paint you an unvarnished picture of what war can do, to warm you yet haunt you for days to come - then yes, absolutely read this book. 

Thank you  Blogging for Books for providing a free book for the purpose of review; I was not required to make it positive, and all opinions are my own.

Christian WWII Books and Authors

Having been on a bit of a WWII kick lately, I felt like compiling a selection of Christian WWII fiction.  Just so you know, there's a lot more out there than I thought!  I severely doubt this is a comprehensive list, but I have tried to be thorough as possible.

* indicates I have read it

Lynn Austin

A Woman's Place (2006)*
While We're Far Apart (2010)

Austin's works describe life on the Home Front for women, children, and men whose loved ones have joined the war.

Kate Breslin
For Such a Time (2014)*

A retelling of Esther, focusing on a Czechoslovakian transit camp

Sigmund Brouwer
Thief of Glory (2014)*
A gritty novel in the Pacific, in a Japanese internment camp


Kristy Cambron
Hidden Masterpiece
1. The Butterfly and the Violin (2014)*
2. A Sparrow in Terezin (2015)*

The present and the past intertwine in these books which take place both in WWII and the present.

Jack Cavanaugh
Songs in the Night
1. While Mortals Sleep (2001)
2. His Watchful Eye (2002)
3. Above All Earthly Powers (2004)

Eva Marie Everson
The One True Love of Alice-Ann (2017)*

Cathy Gohlke
Saving Amelie (2014)*
Secrets She Kept (2015)*
Until We Find Home (2018)*

Gohlke specializes in profound stories of Europe's role in the war--the beautiful, the ugly, the praiseworthy, the unspeakable--and wraps them in compelling narratives that shine God's truth from a dark place.

Tricia Goyer
WWII Liberators
From Dust and Ashes: A Story of Liberation (2003)
Night Song: A Story of Sacrifice (2004)
Dawn of a Thousand Nights: A Story of Honor (2005)
Arms of Deliverance: A Story of Promise (2006)

Love Finds You in Victory Heights, Washington (2010)

Songbird Under a German Moon (2010) (Post-WWII Germany)

The London Chronicles
1. A Secret Courage (2017)*
2. A Daring Escape (2018)

Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey 
The Swiss Courier (2009)*
Chasing Mona Lisa (2012)*

Swiss agents star in these two novels as they first smuggle an important scientist out of Germany and then race through France to rescue the Mona Lisa from German hands.  Suspense and adventure are the main focus, though there is still a touch of romance.

Tracy Groot
Flame of Resistance (2012)*

A tale of French resistance--and retelling of the story of Rahab--in the final weeks leading up to D-Day


Judith Pella
Daughters of Fortune
1. Written on the Wind (2001)
2. Somewhere a Song (2002)
3. Toward the Sunrise (2003)
4. Homeward my Heart (2004)

Cara Putman 
Stars in the Night (2010)*
Shadowed by Grace (2013)

Historical suspense, first on the Home Front in Hollywood and then in Italy. 


Sarah Sundin
Wings of Glory 
1. A Distant Melody (2010)*
2. A Memory Between Us (2010)*
3. Blue Skies Tomorrow (2011)*

Focusing on the Novak family of California, all three sons have joined the air force and battle the Germans over in Europe. 

Wings of the Nightingale
1. With Every Letter (2012)*
2. On Distant Shores (2013)*
3. In Perfect Time (2014)*
 

Just as the Civil War was the start of a new era for nurses - women as nurses in hospitals! - so WWII put them in a new place: on board aircraft for medical evacuations.  While injured men were being evacuated to hospitals and out of harm's way, nurses tended them to keep them alive on the flight to safety, sometimes hours away.  Sundin's series follows three different flight nurses and their experiences as some of the first women in the air - from the intense training, to the prejudice received, to their incredible mark on history. 


Waves of Freedom 
1. Through Waters Deep (2015)*
2. Anchor in the Storm (2016)*
3. When Tides Turn (2017)*

Sundin's next series follows the Avery family, with three naval officers from Boston fighting in the Atlantic during the early years of WWII, and the three women  - a shipyard worker, a pharmacist, and a WAVE (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) - with whom they fall in love. 

Sunrise at Normandy
1. The Sea Before Us (2018)*
2. The Sky Above Us (2019)
3. The Land Beneath Us (2020)

Three estranged brothers--in three different branches of the service--some together on the shores of Normandy.

Bodie and Brock Thoene
Zion Covenant
1. Vienna Prelude (1989)
2. Prague Counterpoint (1989)
3. Munich Signature (1990)
4. Jerusalem Interlude (1990)
5. Danzig Passage (1991)
6. Warsaw Requiem (1991)
7. London Refrain (2005)
8. Paris Encore (2005)
9. Dunkirk Crescendo (2005)

Liz Tolsma
Women of Courage
1. Snow on the Tulips (2013)*
2. Daisies are Forever (2014)*
3. Remember the Lilies (2015)

Dan Walsh
The Unfinished Gift (2009)
The Homecoming (2010)
The Discovery (2012)

The first two take place on the Home Front in WWII, while The Discovery is actually a contemporary novel about a young man finding his deceased grandfather's manuscript to a WWII love story, and what he learns through the tale. 

Susan May Warren
Sons of Thunder (2010)
Nightingale (2010)*

Nightingale looks into the American prisoner of war camps in the Midwest - where German soldiers were held right next door to many German immigrants and first generation Americans who still had strong ties to Germany. 

NOVELLA COLLECTIONS
Where Treetops Glisten (2014)* by Tricia Goyer, Cara Putman, and Sarah Sundin - a heartwarming, Christmas-themed collection set in WWII

What other Christian WWII novels do you recommend?