The Daughter's Tale

A Daughter’s Tale is Correa’s second book of historical fiction, following the publication of The German Girl in 2016. In ‘A Letter to the Reader’ penned by the author he explains the story was inspired by a conversation with a holocaust survivor, and his desire to tell another forgotten story of WWII.

Despite the troubling unrest in the streets of Berlin, and then the forced purge and closure of her bookstore, Amanda and her cardiologist husband Julius, naively believe their family, which includes young daughters Viera and Lina, will come to no harm from their German compatriots. It’s not until Julius is forcibly dragged from his office to serve the Führer in 1939, that Amanda finally realises the danger she and her girls are show more in, and when the pogrom begins, she is forced to flee. One of Julius’s last acts was to secure passage for their daughters on a refugee ship destined for Cuba, but unable to abandon both her children to an unknown fate thousands of miles away from her, Amanda sends only Viera to her brother’s adopted homeland. With three year old Lina in tow, Amanda makes her way to a friend’s home in southern France, hoping to escape the persecution she and her daughter face as German Jews.

Correa’s tale is one of courage, hope, desperation, and tragedy, as Amanda and Lina fight to survive among those that hunt, and fear, them. I appreciated the way in which he shows how Amanda struggles with each decision she makes, never certain if her choices will save, or condemn them. A brief period of respite with her friend Claire and her daughter, Danielle, renews Amanda’s optimism for the future, and she writes loving letters to Viera on the few pages she rescued from her favourite book, a botanical encyclopaedia, hoping they will find her in safe in Cuba. But their situation worsens when France surrenders to the Nazi’s, and Amanda grows ever more determined that Lina will have a future, and eventually reunite with her sister, no matter the cost to herself.

The strength of A Daughter’s Tale is in the characterisation, Amanda and Lina in particular are fully realised and sympathetically rendered. I was especially affected by the guilt Amanda felt, and the sacrifices she made.

Where it suffered, I felt, was in the pacing. Though I liked the way in which the story was introduced, and ended with Elise in 2015, I think the tale in Germany perhaps began too early. Only a fraction of the story, barely a few pages in fact, actually features the horrific event in 1944, where the villagers of Oradour-Sur-Glane in the south of France, were brutally massacred by soldiers, though the tragedy becomes a pivotal moment for Lina. Such a heinous act is difficult to convey, and while I think Correa gave it the gravitas it deserved, I’m not sure the brevity had the impact within the story that the author hoped for.

A Daughter’s Tale is a moving novel, also exploring larger themes such as identity, home, family and faith, it’s impossible to be unaffected by the experiences portrayed by Correa. show less

I know we are barely into 2019 but I have a feeling this could end up being my favorite historical fiction read of the year. This book gripped me pretty darn near close to the start and didn't let up until the last page. I highly recommend this one even if you feel like you have read one too many WW2 historical fiction books. It's worth reading.

Eighty year old Elise Duvall has been living in New York for the past seven decades when she receives quite a shock. A woman has contacted her and wants to deliver letters written to Elise by her mother during World War 2. Time has a way of helping you forget your past but now all of it will come back to the surface for Elise along with so much she never even knew about.

I like when historical show more fiction books are able to teach me something. In this case there were two things I didn't know about prior to reading. One was the tragic massacre of a village in France in 1944. Another thing that was part of the plot was the ship that left Germany with refugees bound for Cuba. The way both were weaved into the plot made for a compelling story and I am thankful the author chose to include them as it made me interested in looking up more information about both after I was done reading.

Most people liked The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah and I think if you enjoyed that one you should definitely check this one out. While I thought that book was well-written it took me until almost the end before I felt a strong emotional connection to the characters. With this one it was so easy to immediately feel for the character of Amanda and your heart breaks with the choices she and other characters had to make not knowing how history would play out. One of the themes of the book is what you would be willing to do for someone you love and the different scenarios that played out have left me thinking about them still even though I finished the book days ago. I love when stories just stay with you in your head and that's why this was just a really good reading experience.

I won a free advance copy of this book in a giveaway but was under no obligation to post a review. All views expressed are my honest opinion. show less

I’ve read quite a few books set during World War II and always seem to come across a piece of history that I didn’t know much about. With this novel it was a mix of events I was aware of and some events that I had heard of only in the vaguest sense.

The story centers around a young mother and her two daughters and begins at the start of World War II. The mother, Amanda Sternberg, was to place her two daughters alone on a ship bound for Cuba, then she was to go to the home of a family friend in France to wait out the war until the family could be re-united. Shockingly, Amanda decides to send the older daughter alone at the last moment.

I was a bit surprised that readers were not privy to the older daughter’s journey. Instead, the show more author focused on Amanda and the younger daughter named Lina or Elise. The story begins and ends in 2015, but delves back into the past to chronicle the events that occurred during the war.

Most notable was the horrific act the Nazis carried out on the small small French village of Oradour-sur-Glane. From here on, the story centers around young Lina/Elise and what ends up happening to her.

I think avid historical fiction or World War II enthusiasts will not find this book holds anything new, but others who aren’t as well read in these areas will be captivated by the story. I felt that most of it revolved around the plight of the displaced children and from reading the book, it had me wondering just how many people survived the war with no family and possibly not even knowing who they really were or even who their parents had been.

Many thanks to Net-Galley and Atria Books for allowing me to read an advance copy of offer an honest review. show less

A well-written tale, casting insight into the plight of German Jews seeking refuge in France during World War 2 and the devastating outcome for many of them. for me this was reminiscent of his previous book The German Girl.

Digital audiobook narrated by Cassandra Campbell

A Jewish couple in 1939 Berlin fall prey to Hitler’s plans. Their bookstore is closed and he is sent to a concentration camp. Amanda flees to the south of France, where an old friend agrees to take her and her daughters in. But before long she is faced with a horrific decision.

In 2015 New York City, eighty-year-old Elise receives a message from a past she has tried to forget. Having arrived in New York as a French Catholic shortly after WW2, she is shocked to discover that the letters, written in German, are from her mother.

Based on a true story, this is a heart-wrenching and interesting story of survival and courage in the face of oppression and terror. But I think I am over the WW2 show more storyline. Correa does a fine job of crafting the tale, but I’ve read similar stories before, and it felt predictable. I did appreciate the focus on the local priest, and how he tried to help the resistance and save the oppressed. As well, as the story of children sent away from their families to with little or no hope of future contact.

Cassandra Campbell is one of my favorite audiobook narrators. She does a marvelous job of voicing this novel. She has a lot of characters to interpret, and she is up to the task. show less

A read that will pull you in and not let go, the ultimate sacrifice of a mother when she gives life to her daughters twice, and knowing that she will most likely never see them again.
Knowing that a lot that is presented in this book is sadly true, and hoping while I was reading that history would change, but as you will see no.
What begins with an old woman receiving letters, and then we are given the background from whence they came, but then end with the recipient.
A book that does become a compelling page turner, and is filled with people that gave all they had for their fellow man, selfless acts of love, but also a read that we hope will never be repeated by mankind.

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Atria show more Books, and was not required to give a positive review. show less

I read The German Girl around 2 years ago and it was such a fabulous book that I was thrilled to learn that the author would release a new book with links to the first book. The Daughter's Tale is a good novel, just not as engrossing as the first novel. For some reason didn't I feel that this book had the same interesting story as with the German Girl. It is a good book and yes I would recommend it. However, the historical aspect of the story in the German Girl was much more interesting. And I think it's because it felt like nothing I had read before. Also, the choice Amanda has to make in this book (can't write about it since I would spoil the book) would have been more interesting if one had gotten the full story. I was disappointed show more that there was not a POV from Cuba. I think that would have made the book so much more interesting to read.

The Daughter's Tale is for me a so-so book, perhaps my expectations were just too high after The German Girl. However, I still recommend reading it!

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review! show less