Madeleine Ker

Before reading this, I saw the number of positive reviews but didn't read any of them. I didn't read the summary either. I went in blind. I came out on the other end a true fanatic.

Usually WWII books focus on fighting the resistance and are one sided, but The Girls in the Attic really showed that the war was multi-dimensional. It showed not only what it took to survive, but how we might all be more alike (human) than we are different. I loved the characters and the way they interacted. Their show more fiery spirits really show the readers how the "other side" may have felt. The growth of the characters was outstanding.

I listened to the audiobook and was absolutely blown away. Using amazing accents for each character that were true to the natural way one might speak really brought this book to a new level.

This is definitely a historical fiction book I will recommend to anyone who enjoys this genre.

Thank you Brilliance Audio for allowing me to listen and give my honest opinion. show less

I very much enjoyed this historical fiction novel of how three very diverse sisters navigated the beginnings of WWII. Isobel, the oldest is a Hitler fan and fascist living the high life in Berlin. Chiarra, the middle sister is a young woman who has fallen in love with a distinguished older man who has vowed never to marry her, but she feels in her heart of hearts that she can change his mind. Felicity is the youngest of the three, naive to a fault who desires to enter a convent as a nun. As show more the war begins the sisters paths diverge and they all go their separate ways off to experience the war in their own personal ways with their own unique experiences and to grow with those experiences. I believe this is the first book of a series and the way the first story ended it is evident that there is much more that the sisters will experience. I enjoyed the book very much. I like the distinct different personalities of each sister and how they chose to tackle life's challenges in their own unique way. I would give this audio book five stars if it had been narrated by a real actor rather than AI which left vocal inflection often flat when it should not have been. Recommended for fans of Historical Fiction. I recommend the paper or e-book version or a remake of the audio version if available with a human narrator. 4.5 stars.
Many thanks to Net Galley and Brilliance Publishing | Brilliance Audio for a chance to listen/read and ARC audio version of this book. show less

This is part of the books I inherited from my grandmother after she died. As a teen she would lend me volumes of Harlequin novels--from the 70's/80's/90's--because they interested me. I'll admit something off the top, I loved this book. I mean I loved it with a pretty fierce passion. I must have read it at least a dozen times between the ages of 13 and 16. And that's even with the almost not quite forced consent love scene that nearly happens.

I think what grabbed me as a young teen was the show more fact that Sophie remade herself (or rather unmade what she had become for a role in a TV show) and hey it grabbed the attention of the guy she was pining for. At the time I read this originally that was my dream--to suddenly flourish and the guy I had been nursing a crush on to notice me and be like 'Where have you been?' and I'd laugh and say 'right under your nose' with a dramatic kiss. So yeah I may have projected just a little.

On a re-read as an adult (I haven't touched this book in gosh about 7 years? maybe more) I realized that they both need a LOT of serious therapy. I mean it. Sophie needs help because she let something get to her so badly that a year later she decides to get revenge on the man by getting him sexually frustrated. Kyle needs help because he then wants revenge for her revenge and all buts tells Sophie he's seducing her (younger) cousin. Meanwhile they're both so hung up on each other that they can't eat or sleep or even hold a conversation properly.

Still I admire Ker in her ability to still make me want to let them get together. They deserve each other, though I find it...unrealistic that Sophie would give up everything she worked for just because she suddenly has Kyle. I mean really? But that seems to be really popular in Harlequin novels of this era. show less

It's 1939, and the ocean liner SS Manhattan is carrying a diverse and crowded load of passengers from the increasingly threatening Nazi war machine. The narrative alternates among a number of passengers, including Jewish cousins Masha and Rachel Morgenstern, Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, the Kennedy family, philandering Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini, and teenage German Thomas König, as well as the sailors lurking beneath the Atlantic in German submarine U-113.

The author makes clear show more that this is strictly a work of fiction, though inspired by several real events. I found it difficult to put down, and it has also inspired me to read more about a number of the peripheral characters, especially Rosemary Kennedy, whose suffering is heart-wrenching. Highly recommended for summer/beach reading! show less