Cathy Gohlke is a writer who impresses me with passion for the pen and a storytelling gift that sets her apart from the best of the best.
If you love history you will certainly love Gohlke's story-telling as she takes us back in time and invites us to the present as she brings two stories together. Oh, the beauty this novel beholds is extraordinary.
This is a novel I journeyed through taking my time as I soaked up every morsel of this beautiful tale. I get so excited when I know Cathy has a new novel releasing. This is one to snatch up for a perfect end to your summer reading.
Secrets touch our lives and leave a void in us when we are searching for who we are. Sometimes the answers to why we do the things we do can be found in the history of our family, in the traits of others, in the stories that made them who they are. We study history, we track our family heritage, but how wonderful for us when those stories of truth are passed down to us.
Sometimes people are just not who we think they are. They have only shared a portion of their own story. Not to keep us in the dark, to hide a dark secret, but to protect us from a deep hurt that could cause us to carry a wound forever unless we are able to understand the depth of the truth.
This is Hannah in the present, searching for the truth that has been hidden in lies, she hops a plane to Germany in search of who her mother truly was she finds more than she could have ever imagined. She finds a legacy of love and honor, one that brings her to have a greater love for the mother she never really knew.
The story travels back from Hannah to her mother, Lieselotte, years earlier when Hitler was advancing in his own lies being told and bought. This is one of those stories that touches the heart, makes us ponder, and changes who we are.
This story even though it travels from past to present flows easily. I found myself mesmerized by Lieselotte's story and couldn't wait to get back to her. I loved the passion of Hannah and her fearlessness in finding the truth. I too love the faith that flows through these black and white words. Gohlke knows how to bring a story to life.
Her attention to detail is magnificent and gives the reader a front row seat as if they too were there with Lieselotte and Hannah. These are characters that leave their own legacy. I love when a writer does their job so very well that it's hard to walk away from that last page without still pondering.
This novel was a gift from Tyndale for sharing my review with you.
Cathy Gohlke is a two-time Christy Award-winning author. She and her husband divide their time between Northern Virginia and the Jersey Shore, enjoying time with their grown children and granddaughter. Visit her online at www.cathygohlke.com.
