Across the Winding River

I read this book in one day, and if it had taken longer, I wouldn't have finished. All the characters were cardboard. The good guys were perfect in all ways that matter, their few imperfections or insecurities only serving to make them quirky and supposedly relatable. The bad guys were irredeemable. The outcomes were predictable, and the emotion and tension weren't genuine. The three timelines all in first person were confusing because the characters' voices and personalities were largely indistinguishable. Beth, the main character of the modern-day storyline, at one point took a jab at romance and bonnet fiction that seemed unwarranted in a book by no means better than a mediocre romance. It was good enough to get me through a day that show more I was laid up with a migraine, but I was largely skimming by the end so I could finish and read something better. I will probably not read more by this author. show less

This story is founded historically off of events around the Western European front of World War II. It enticingly employs a technique called “triple narrative” in which the plot is told from three perspectives across varying timelines. Altogether, it mixes together several thematic tales – of love, of the horrors of war, of family, of Jewish and Christian identity, of women overcoming obstacles, and of the power of the individual in authoritarian regimes.

Runyan generally succeeds in this attempt – although she relies on a series of coincidences which seem improbable. It stretches the story’s credulity to think that these people would have stories set in California and Germany intertwine again and again over 60 years. That show more challenge is posited to the reader in the first three chapters as they open from varying points of view at varying points in time. Runyan mostly succeeds at that challenge, but there were a few times I thought, “Really? Still, this is a good story, so I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt and continue.”

The three points of view are Max (a 1940s Jewish-American medic/dentist), Joanna (a 1940s German aeronautical engineer), and Beth (a recently divorced American professor whose father is sick and mother just died in 2007). By the end, these three stories converge, diverge, and converge again and again, like a winding river. Although that winding river was crossed literally in the book, that river also represents the plot techniques and wide berth of themes that the author presents.

The plot tells of Jewish struggles with the Third Reich, of an assassination attempt on Hitler’s life (which is grounded in historical fact), of love overcoming religious, national, and language barriers, and of the courage required to resist the use of oppressive power. It reminded me of the rise of authoritarianism in the contemporary world and the courage required in our world to prevent another Third Reich from recurring.

This book will hit a wide variety of audiences well: those who like unique narrative techniques, fans of World War II history, those who like stories of women’s empowerment, saps (like me) who like good love-and-family stories, and those who wrestle with political issues that undergird our modern global era. I write this review on the day that this book was released. Due to the skillful intermingling of all of these issues, I suspect it will garner a wide audience. show less

Across the Winding River by Aimie K. Runyan is a rich historical novel. Dr. Beth Cohen regrets that she did not spend more time with her mother when she was dying, and she is not going to make that mistake with her father. His request to look at his old box of World War II mementoes provides Beth with insight into her father and has her on a quest. The story takes place from 1937 to 2007. It goes back in forth in time and switches point-of-view from Beth, Max (Beth’s father), and Johanna. Johanna lost touch with her sister after the war and she has wondered all these years what happened to her. Johanna would like to get answers for herself and for her children. We see how the war affected Max and Johanna plus we get answers on show more Beth’s hunt. It sounds confusing, but it is not. It is all beautifully woven together into one complete piece. I like how their stories connected. We get transported back to World War II where Max is serving as a medic and Johanna is an engineer who designs planes. Johanna has a brother in the SS and her sister marries a high-ranking SS officer. Johanna is against everything Hitler stands for and believes in, but she loves her job. We get a look at life inside Germany during the war. Across the Winding River is a well-written with a complex plot and developed characters. The story does play out in an expected manner and the pacing is slow in the beginning. It is a compelling story, though, that will soon capture and hold your interest. The last seventy-five percent is the best part of the book. The pace and tension ramp up. Everything begins coming together and you get that aha moment. Across the Winding River is a captivating story about hope, love, loss, and courage. show less

What can I say, I LOVE my WWII historical fiction and Aimie has written another one that knocks it out of the park. Dual storylines, war, and not giving up on a first love.

Max, a newly graduated dentist, finally gets his parents blessing to enlist into the war. He is sent over seas and soon in the midst of sewing and fixing soldiers back up. Although he is not on the front line, he is seeing everyday what that is doing to his fellow soldiers. Maybe he should become a surgeon when he gets back home, no dental work needed in the field. One night, he finds a woman trespassing near their base. He knows she is German and at first thinks she's a spy but gut tells him to just hear her out.

Beth doesn't have many months left with her show more nonagenarian father and she hopes to make the best of it. She often has regret that she should have done more for her mother, cancer had taken her. In a facility, Max is slowly living out his day and feel this time is coming, he asks Beth to bring in a box of his things he has to get some things in order. Beth takes a quick peak as she is assembling the items into a more sturdy, secure box and sees an old photograph of his father from the war, standing next to a beautiful pregnant woman. But it is not her mother. This would have been before her. She will have to ask him.

Max gets pulled into helping this woman, and her badly wounded friend. He needs to be stitched up, and cleaned up more proper than what the two ladies did and they need to get him out of the direct element. Max isn't sure what prompts him, but he helps them knowing if he is caught he will be seen as a traitor. As the days continue on, and this man starts to appear to heal, Max is worried about realizing he is going to miss these people he has helped, particularly the woman from the first night.

Beth asks her father about the photograph, but he is not yet ready to tell that story, but he does have one favor to ask. He wants Beth to see if she can find this woman. He has been searching for decades with no luck and this is one of his last wishes. What happened to her and the baby. Can Beth race against the clock her father has left and find the answers he has wanted for decades, and will this change things about what Beth knew about her father? show less

Across the Winding River

A brilliantly plotted and delightfully written family drama about strength, secrets and sacrifice

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

SUMMARY
Beth Cohen wants to make the most of the time she has left with her elderly father, Max. He asks his daughter is to go through the long forgotten box of memorabilia from his days as a medic on the Western front. Among the war times souvenirs, Beth finds a surprising photograph of her father with an adoring beautiful stranger. It’s a picture worth a thousand questions and a journey into the past.

When Max Blumenthal meets Margarethe, the German wife of a Nazi officer his world shifts. Margarethe is actually a member of the resistance and their meeting in 1944 in Hürtgen show more Forest, Germany put them both at risk. After only one meeting, Max is willing to sacrifice everything to be with Margarethe. He even secures travel papers for her, allowing her to seek amnesty and safety at a border crossing.

Johanna Schiller is an aeronautical engineer and works for the German aerospace center designing faster, safer and more agile planes. She is one of only two women test pilots at the center. In order to keep her job Johanna must prove her heritage in order to receive her honorary Aryan status. But politics were changing and for Johanna building deadlier planes to protect German was one thing. Creating them to serve Hitler was quite another,

REVIEW
Across the Winding River is a sterling family drama that flows between WWII and the present time. It is a brilliantly plotted and delightfully woven story told through three narratives. While a slightly challenging read, the intersecting narratives makes the story of war, love, courage and sacrifice powerful.

My favorite part of the book is authors Aimie Runyan’s portrayal of three women of substance. I was particularly enamored with Johanna in 1944 and her ceiling-shattering career. Beth and Margarethe‘s characters also showed strength, fortitude and intelligence. This portrayal of strong women is exactly what is needed in literature today to serve as role models and counter the stereotypical victim role for women.

One of the most intriguing aspects of Across the Winding River was that it was inspired by a true story. Runyan’s Author’s Notes provides a wealth of information about the basis for story and about Johanna’s character. I am extremely appreciative when a historical fiction author takes the time to distinguish between the facts and fiction in the story.

Runyan does a fabulous job writing to celebrate history’s unsung heroines. She is the author of four previous historical novels including Daughters of the Night Sky, Girls on the Line, Promised to the Crown, and Duty to the Crown.

Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Publisher Lake Union
Published August 1, 2020
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

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Heartwarming

An easy read with enough twists to be interesting. The ending is tear worthy. I did have a hard time keeping up with the dates though.

When Beth Cohen finds a photo of her elderly father with an unknown woman, a mystery begins. Beth knows her time is limited with her father and that he wants her to help find out what happened to this woman of his past.
I recommend this book for anyone that enjoys historical fiction, multiple time lines, war genre and memorable characters.