2024 the best historical fiction books review

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France, 1942. “With tremendous effort, I forced myself to hold his gaze. My heart was thrashing inside my chest like a bird battering its wings. The room was suddenly devoid of air. Time itself stood still. They knew who I was. They knew what I’d done.” This heartbreaking World War Two page-turner tells the incredible true story of Dora Schaul, one of history’s most courageous women.

It was a misty Wednesday morning. Inside the Gestapo headquarters, you could cut the tension with a knife. There was a traitor in their midst: someone had leaked a list of the SS to the British press.

The head of the Gestapo called me into his office. Panelled oak walls, a grand piano in the corner, rugs lining the floor—the place where he ordered executions every day.

I sat at the desk, reaching for the typewriter and adjusting the paper. On the wall, the clock ticked loudly.

He stood over me; I could almost feel his breath on my neck. “I don’t know where the leak came from. Do you?” he asked.

I couldn’t stop my hands from trembling. I was sure he could hear the thrashing of my heart.

Because I wasn’t just a secretary: I was an undercover Jewish girl. The person who fetched them tea, typed their letters, and made them laugh was their enemy. And my day of reckoning had arrived…

Fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Alice Network, and The Lilac Girls will be utterly swept away by this emotional page-turner about the brave woman who risked her life every day by coming face-to-face with enemy—the monsters who killed her loved ones.

Readers love Ellie Midwood:

“AMAZING read! I loved this so much!… Sensational… One of the most inspiring love stories of all time… HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND. 100% 5 STARS!!” Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Oh, my heart!… Beautiful, chilling, terrifying, and hopeful… Midwood is a wonder with words––I am so in love… I cried, so have tissues at the ready!… I loved every second!” Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Soul-wrenching… I have been through boxes of Kleenex… Even writing this review, I have tears.” Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“I absolutely loved it!!!… Amazing. It was so beautifully written… Amazingly well done.” Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“One of the few books that have left me reeling for days. Talk about having a book hangover!… I smiled, I sighed with relief, I held my breath, I cried. This book gave me all the feels and chills. Hands down, a five-star must-read.” Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“I can officially report that my tear ducts have run completely and utterly dry… Shattered my heart.” Notablenoveles, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Wow! Just wow… Utterly heartbreaking… I’m speechless.” Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Phenomenal! Absolutely brilliant! This book requires a standing ovation for sure!… Crushingly heartbreaking yet beautiful.” Battle of the Books, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“I picked up this book this morning thinking I would read for half an hour before I dealt with life for the day. Next thing I know, it’s seven hours later, I’ve got tears streaming down my face and the book is finished.” Apageofwordsandwishes, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“I loved this book so much!! Both beautiful and heartbreaking… I was hooked.” Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bookouture (January 16, 2023)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 262 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1837900450
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1837900459
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.1 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.06 x 0.66 x 7.81 inches
Reviewer: Diann lee
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Well worth your time reading
Review: Spellbinding. Kept me eager for the next page. This must never happen again.

Reviewer: B & S VP
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Thanks for telling her true story!
Review: This was a good book! I find these accounts of valor, dedication, love, and personal bravery very interesting. I do like this author's style.

Reviewer: ShirlP
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: My next great read!
Review: Ohhh how I loved this book. I’ve read it three times. I love the plot and story line. If you like historical books buy this!

Reviewer: RC
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Good story
Review: While this was an intriguing storyline, it was rough in spots. Would have been better with editorial word smithing of word tense and proper adjectives. Smoothing of the visual descriptions being portrayed in the second half would have been a significant benefit.

Reviewer: Barbara Klumpyan
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: good author
Review: very good read.

Reviewer: Ronald Hanson
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: War and the horrors it brings with it
Review: The Undercover Secretary details the experiences of a Jewish woman, Dora, during World War II in Germany and France. The story details her experiences in different occupations, and the treatment she received because she was Jewish. There are some graphic descriptions of the horrors inflicted on those who were Jewish and/or partisans, as well as the feelings of hopelessness and of fearlessness experienced by Dora. The story is difficult to read in different places due to the activities that are described - but the realities of war are brought home, and they aren't pretty. I think this is a book that more people should read so they can understand the brutalities of war and what it was like to be a non-Aryan and persecuted, having their rights taken away and faced with living with little food, no security, and a future of being sent to labor camps or death camps.The one thing I had a difficult time with as far as the book was concerned was wondering where the secretary part of the title came into play, as over halfway through the book the woman Dora was still not in a secretarial position. Eventually, she did become a secretary, as a spy in the Nazi offices.

Reviewer: Amazon Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Well written
Review: Great read

Reviewer: Amazon Customer
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Heartbreaking unputdownable!
Review: Excellent read —her struggles to escape nazi and rare emotion draw you in!

Reviewer: macks
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Liked this book, well written.

Reviewer: Carolina
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Heartaking from the beginning.

Reviewer: Satyavani Harkara
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: The actual story of the protagonist working amidst gestapo and the ending was kind of abrupt …the incarceration period was prolonged and her joining the French resistance was weaved into the story in a way that she joined and was at once active , it could have been better built into the story .

Reviewer: Diogenes
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: “The blindfold was finally taken off my eyes. I rubbed them against the blinding light of the lamp—the only source of illumination in the dark, moldy cellar I’d been taken to. Slowly, feature by stern, unforgiving feature, a man’s face came into focus. Dark, unshaven, full of shadows and ruthlessness, he regarded me for a very long time while I sat, dizzy and disoriented, in the rickety chair across the table from him.‘How did you find us?’ he finally asked.”Thus begins Ellie Midwood’s ‘The Undercover Secretary’, and having gripped you with her opening word salvo, the author doesn’t let you go until the book’s final pages.Based on a true story – as many of Midwood’s historical novels are – this is another excellent World War II tale: well researched with credible characters, and artfully paced. Thrills and heartbreak, in short, and always with a David vs Goliath element. You are going to love Dora Schaul, the strong central protagonist. But no spoilers here: if in doubt, read the book blurb and it will give you a pretty good idea of what to expect.I have lost count of how many of the author’s works I have read, but I have yet to read one that disappoints. I especially turn to her whenever some overhyped modern literary fiction novel has left me feeling cheated.Highly recommended for lovers of ‘real’ stories based during WW2 – or indeed for anyone who enjoys a good, well-written historical piece.

Reviewer: 吉浦春樹
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: ただし、導入部が長くて、実際のUndercover Secretaryの部分が余りにあっけない終わり方であった。