Historical Fiction -- 4 stars
Audiobook Narration -- 5 stars
Book: Nineteen year old Max Wolff, a decorated soldier loyal to the Third Reich, is sent home to recuperate from a head wound only to find his mother is hiding two Jewish sisters in her attic. Intending to turn them in, he heads to the local Nazi headquarters, but hesitates when he thinks what they will do to his mother. Days pass while he contemplates his duty to the Reich vs. his love for his mother. As the German war effort begins to implode, Max's choice will put all four of them in jeopardy. ----- This is a novel that exposes Germany's last days under Hitler's Nazi party. It is an ugly, vindictive picture of suffering and death as the Allies close in, determined to force Germany's surrender as Germany fights to the end to enforce the Nazi's Final Solution. The facile way that the sisters become entwined in Max's life is an early weakness in the story, but the deficiency fades quickly as Mr. Gabriel weaves a powerful story of this fictional family's efforts to survive. Part history lesson, part love story, part family saga; this is an emotional tale of all those who pay the price of war.
Narration: Mary Jane Wells, a female reader with a straight forward style. She brings her characterizations to life without the false voices so many other female readers fall back on. Easy to enjoy; a complete success.
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