Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. (2019), 416 pages
Description
"1942. As war rips through the heart of Holland, childhood friends Josie van Rees and Eliese Linden partner with a few daring citizens to rescue Eliese's son and hundreds of other Jewish children who await deportation in a converted theater in Amsterdam. But amid their resistance work, Josie and Eliese's dangerous secrets could derail their friendship and their entire mission. When the enemy finds these women, only one will escape. Seventy-five years later, Ava Drake begins to suspect that her great-grandfather William Kingston was not the World War II hero he claimed to be. Her work as director of the prestigious Kingston Family Foundation leads her to Landon West's Ugandan coffee plantation, and Ava and Landon soon discover a connection between their families. As Landon's great-grandmother shares the broken pieces of her story, Ava must confront the greatest loss in her own life-and powerful members of the Kingston family who will do anything to keep the truth buried"--Provided by publisher.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Carolee888
Sometimes, very important things are left out of family history and history that children are taught and elders do not speak of. Ada Drake knew that her mother had many things that they did not speak of. She worked for the Kingston Family Foundation and her work took her to Uganda where she met
With a step back in time and place, the author takes to a small group of children who were playing together in Giethoorne, Holland in June 1933 . Samuel, Josie, Klaus and the new girl Eleise had no way of know how some them would be risking their lives to save Jewish children and that there would one they could not trust. This book is based on true events and is told through a Christian perspective rather than a Jewish one.
I have some qualms with this book. It was easy for me to follow the story in the past but when it went to the present day, I felt lost. Transition was lacking and at times, the author referred to she and I had to go back to my notes to find that she was referring to Ada Drake. Later on, the transitions improved. Parts of the story were not in the book, what did the Jewish people in
Amsterdam think and feel during the Nazi occupation. How much did they know before they boarded the trains for the camps, what happened to the characters while they were in the camps.
It reminded me of "To Kill A Mockingbird". Everything is told from the white perspective and ones who the most effective by the events are not given a real part to speak. In this book, a Jewish banker did something that would forever cost him shame and self hate, a woman who cared deeply for children but was not Jewish accompanied the children to camp. I think we need to know more about those two. In all, I learned from this book but wanted to know much more.
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Landon West. Thrown into a situation where she had to care for a very sick little girl, she undergoes a change for the better. With a step back in time and place, the author takes to a small group of children who were playing together in Giethoorne, Holland in June 1933 . Samuel, Josie, Klaus and the new girl Eleise had no way of know how some them would be risking their lives to save Jewish children and that there would one they could not trust. This book is based on true events and is told through a Christian perspective rather than a Jewish one.
I have some qualms with this book. It was easy for me to follow the story in the past but when it went to the present day, I felt lost. Transition was lacking and at times, the author referred to she and I had to go back to my notes to find that she was referring to Ada Drake. Later on, the transitions improved. Parts of the story were not in the book, what did the Jewish people in
Amsterdam think and feel during the Nazi occupation. How much did they know before they boarded the trains for the camps, what happened to the characters while they were in the camps.
It reminded me of "To Kill A Mockingbird". Everything is told from the white perspective and ones who the most effective by the events are not given a real part to speak. In this book, a Jewish banker did something that would forever cost him shame and self hate, a woman who cared deeply for children but was not Jewish accompanied the children to camp. I think we need to know more about those two. In all, I learned from this book but wanted to know much more.
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LibraryThing member mplantenga11
I didn't want to put this book down. I adored all of the characters and the way their stories were woven together was marvelously done. Little bits of information was given out at a time and there were some points when I thought I had figured out how they were connected, only to get the next bit of
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information that proved my theory wrong. I loved the conclusion of the story and how all of the pieces fit together in the end. This was an impulse grab at the library but I'm extremely glad that I found it. It's become one of my new favorites. Show Less
LibraryThing member debs4jc
I was enthralled by the stories from the past and the present that were woven together in this book.
The past story involved childhood friends from Holland who get swept up in the events of the second world war. Eliese is a Jew who must make incredible sacrifices to save her son. She is helped by
In the present Ava is a troubled young woman who becomes interested in the past of her wealthy adopted family. She feels driven to uncover past secrets that may tell her more about her own origins - but her family members are bent on stopping her at every turn. Along the way she meets some unlikely allies, and her journey may include finding love and a renewed faith.
I couldn't put this book down as I was reading it, it was compelling and full of suspense as well as history. I would highly recommend it to fans of Christian historical fiction.
The past story involved childhood friends from Holland who get swept up in the events of the second world war. Eliese is a Jew who must make incredible sacrifices to save her son. She is helped by
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her friend Josie, who becomes involved with the underground network that is saving Jewish children. But they must be on their guard, there are other childhood friends who may betray them.In the present Ava is a troubled young woman who becomes interested in the past of her wealthy adopted family. She feels driven to uncover past secrets that may tell her more about her own origins - but her family members are bent on stopping her at every turn. Along the way she meets some unlikely allies, and her journey may include finding love and a renewed faith.
I couldn't put this book down as I was reading it, it was compelling and full of suspense as well as history. I would highly recommend it to fans of Christian historical fiction.
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LibraryThing member khoyt
Melanie Dobson always manages to make me ponder God at work. In "Memories of Glass" she tells the story of the people of Amsterdam and the German occupation during WWII. Most novels I have read about this time period occur in Germany, France, and Poland. This book expanded my view about the
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Holocaust and reminded me the war was in Europe, not just those few countries. Here, as in other countries, God raised up good people to oppose the evil of the Nazi machine. You could see God working throughout, bringing threads together to accomplish His purposes. Although it was explicitly unsaid in the book, we are reminded that one does not know when our final breath will be breathed, so one must make peace with God now before it happens. Well done, Melanie! Show Less
LibraryThing member vintagebeckie
Memories of Glass was inspired by the heroics of the Dutch resistance in WWII. Because of their sacrifice, many Jewish children were saved from the Nazi death camps. The story is told from three points of view — Eliese, a young, privileged Jewish woman put in an impossible situation, Josie, a
The rich historical detail of Memories of Glass shows diligent research on the part of Dobson. She injects historical figures into the narrative, while also using inspiration of real figures to create her fictional characters. The contrast between those who are working for good and those who are working for evil is chilling. There really is no fence-sitting in the stories — all make their choices. The complex construction of the story and the vividly-drawn characters make this an unputdownable book. There were many anonymous heroes during WWII, and Memories of Glass pays homage to them. While we may never know their names, their actions count towards eternity.
My book club chose Memories of Glass, and I cannot wait to discuss it with them. I anticipate a great conversation about the historical detail, the choices characters made, and the implications in our own lives. If you can, I recommend you read it with a friend or two — you are going to want to talk about this book!
Very Highly Recommended.
Audience: adults.
(I purchased this book from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
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young Dutch woman who could not stand by and let children perish, and Ava, a young American woman who wants desperately to find her place in a family, but won’t compromise the faith shared by her mother. All three must make choices that will impact not just their own futures. I found each of their stories compelling. Ordinary women who have to face extraordinary circumstances. Each of their stories are intertwined and develop a complete whole.The rich historical detail of Memories of Glass shows diligent research on the part of Dobson. She injects historical figures into the narrative, while also using inspiration of real figures to create her fictional characters. The contrast between those who are working for good and those who are working for evil is chilling. There really is no fence-sitting in the stories — all make their choices. The complex construction of the story and the vividly-drawn characters make this an unputdownable book. There were many anonymous heroes during WWII, and Memories of Glass pays homage to them. While we may never know their names, their actions count towards eternity.
My book club chose Memories of Glass, and I cannot wait to discuss it with them. I anticipate a great conversation about the historical detail, the choices characters made, and the implications in our own lives. If you can, I recommend you read it with a friend or two — you are going to want to talk about this book!
Very Highly Recommended.
Audience: adults.
(I purchased this book from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
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Language
Original language
English
ISBN
1496434188 / 9781496434180