Published - May, 2014, Tyndale House Publishers
Author - Cathy Gohlke
Title - Saving Amelie
Format - ebook, paper
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Beautiful Rachel Kramer travels with her father from New York to Germany at a time when most Americans are trying to get out of the country. In Berlin, she soon discovers that the eugenics research her father has done her entire life has far-reaching consequences. When a childhood friend asks Rachel's assistance in getting her deaf daughter out of Germany, Rachel reluctantly agrees. Until she witnesses something so terrifying that shakes her to her core and forces her to investigate her father's files. What she discovers in the files sends her on the run. Enlisting the help of American journalist, Jason Young, Rachel flees to a small village where the family she didn't know she had live peacefully. Yet even in the remote village, tensions run high. When additional refugees arrive, Rachel is forced into hiding. Will she ever be free?
This book was very gripping. I was transported to WWII Germany. Most of the books I've read about WWII are not set deep in Germany. This one was. But it was also fascinating to read about the resistance movement that seemed very similar to the US's Underground Railroad. Still the book was rich in historical detail and very well researched. For being a book of over 450 pages, I found it to be a very fast read.
At first, I really didn't like Rachel. But as I discovered that she was as much of a victim as Lea and Amelie, I came to like her. I loved Lea. I loved her heart. And little Amelie. She was the catalyst that changed the lives of all who knew her or came into contact with her. Amelie was by far my favorite character in the entire book. Then there's Jason. His struggle was different. He understood what was going on but the foreign press was censored and he couldn't actually report the specifics of what was truly happening in Germany. He also knew the risk he was taking in helping smuggle forged papers and Jewish refugees out of Germany.
This is a book I'd highly recommend to all who like WWII fiction.
I received the Kindle version of this book for free from Tyndale House via NetGalley for the purpose of reviewing. I also read it as part of the Tyndale Summer Reading Program. My thoughts and opinions are my own.
Recommended to fans of Brock & Bodie Thoene, Francine Rivers, WWII fiction, Sarah Sundin
Rating - 5 stars
Thank you, Dawn, for reading and reviewing "Saving Amelie!" I'm so glad the characters captured your heart. The children in stories always stay with me, too . . . Amelie, Heinrich . . . and I loved Lea's heart. She and Rachel were so different, and yet both so brave. God bless, and many thanks!
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