Bryn Turnbull

This was a stunning and compelling read about the systematic looting of fine art by the Germans in World War II Paris. The story focuses on two sisters-in-law, still numb with grief in the loss of their brother/husband, who pull together to cleverly undermine the Germans' efforts. Sophie Brandt is a fine arts restorer working at the Jeu de Paume, formerly the museum of modern art and in wartime, the repository for cataloguing of German looted artworks. The rough handling of the paintings show more pillaged by soldiers calls for her expertise. Sophie's sister-in-law, Fabienne Brandt, is a fine arts painter. Together they mount an extraordinary effort to save the modern art which the Germans deem to be "Entartete Kunst" - "Degenerate Art".

With exquisite and painterly prose, author Bryn Turnbull has done a spectacular job of sharing the sights, sounds and smells of occupied Paris during the early 1940s. Her characters are richly developed and easily rooted for in their clever and brave efforts to salvage a tremendous part of the French culture. The research which Ms. Turnbull has done is nothing less than herculean. The details are fascinating and will linger with this reader for a long time to come. If you are a fan of well-written and well-researched historical fiction, then this is a book not to me missed.

I am grateful to MIRA (an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers) for having provided a complimentary e-copy of this book. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone.

ISBN: 9780369732712
Imprint: MIRA (an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers)
On Sale: May 30, 2023
Pages: 400 pages show less

Cover: Lovely. It’s so delicate.

The first episode #1 of my exciting new series called ‘Cleaning up my backlog’ features The Last Grand Duchess, a biography of the late Grand Duchess Olga Romanova.

Let me say right from the start that this book is amazing. Its main feature is the obvious amount of research Turnbull put into it, something I’m grateful for. It allowed me to learn more about the House of Romanov and the early ‘900–from an unique standpoint.

The timeline is not linear, show more which is something that tends to get on my nerves quite often; however, I don’t find it jarring here, probably because the epilogue is not a mystery to anyone. Rather, the slow spiraling of the events made me go all *wringing hands* while reading, searching for the exact moment the Imperial family’s demise became–inevitable? A given, known to everybody but them?

Or maybe they’ve been doomed from the start. The melancholia that surrounds the Romanov permeates every page, and it’s hard to imagine a different ending for them.

Turnbull’s writing skills are exquisite. Olga and her sisters, her brother, her parents and relatives, they all come alive through the pages, turning The Last Grand Duchess into an immersive read.

5 stars on GR. show less

“The Berlin Apartment” by Bryn Turnbull is an emotional and historically rich story set against the backdrop of the Berlin Wall's construction in 1961. The premise is gripping: young lovers, Lise Bauer and Uli Neumann, find themselves cruelly separated by the sudden division of their city, forcing them to navigate life on opposite sides of the Iron Curtain.

Turnbull does a good job of immersing readers in the tense atmosphere of Cold War Berlin. The historical details are well-researched, show more and the depiction of life in both East and West Berlin is engaging. Uli and his friends' struggle to reunite with Lise through dangerous and covert means had me turning the pages, eager to see if their love could survive the monumental challenges ahead.

However, while the plot had plenty of action and conflict, I found the characters lacking in depth. Lise, in particular, felt somewhat underdeveloped, and I often wanted to know more about her thoughts and emotions during such a tumultuous time. Her best friend, Inge, was a standout character, and I wished she had more of a presence throughout the story. Similarly, Uli’s character seemed to fade into the background after the first part of the book, only to reappear with confusing motivations in the final sections.

For readers who enjoy romance with a historical backdrop, this book will likely hit the mark. The romance is heartfelt, and the depiction of love struggling to endure in the face of political and physical barriers is powerful. However, if you’re looking for deep character exploration and a more nuanced portrayal of historical events, you may find “The Berlin Apartment” a bit predictable.

Overall, I enjoyed the book for its fast pace, historical setting, and emotional stakes, but it left me wanting more depth from the characters. show less

I have a soft spot for the Romanovs, so I had to pick up this book centered on the Grand Duchess Olga, the oldest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra. I appreciated the author largely sticking to the facts (the lives of this family are too well documented - too much invention is obvious) and instead applies creative license to Olga's relationships, particularly the romantic ones. This makes for a good read, albeit one that leads toward an inevitably tragic ending.