Nazi occupation in Norway was not a battlefront but a minefield for producing the coveted blonde-haired, blue-eyed progeny. They set up maternity homes for the young women who had, mostly, been coerced and impregnated by so called, "patriotic" Germans, willing to do the job for their Fuhrer. So saying there are a couple of delivery scenes where the author used her mid-wifery knowledge and experience to describe them rather authentically.
Norwegians did not stand idly by, by this take takeover of their country. No, they fought back with organized resistance being flies in the ointment, so to speak, in the Germans' operations by creating a variety of hindrances thrown their way. As this work of historical fiction unfolds, some of those ways become apparent.
Rumi Orlstad was the Resistance Girl to be reckoned with. Her anger at her fiance Magnus' death fueled her part in the efforts. Her father, Peder, who owned and operated fishing trawlers, along with Rubio, Rumi's foster brother, and with other fistherman of Bergen and surrounding areas, did their collective bit for the Shetland Bus network; a relay of boats doing heroic resistance work.
Jensen Parkes aka Jens was a key man for the resistance operatives and became friends with Rumi and family. Margit was everyone's comfort person, knowledgeable and hospitable, and like a mother to Rumi.
I don't want to say too much more here for fear of spoiling this story but I am excited about it and want to say I really, really enjoyed this story, learning about the struggles of those courageous Norwegians. We often hear of, see or read about the actual battles of WWII, and conditions of the soldiers in the trenches and all they endured, and of the horrendous Holocaust but not much about the other facets of the war, and Hitler's big plan for a Master race. This book gives an excellent portrayal of the fallout of his policies and the emissaries who carried out his evil plans.
It is not all tense and serious as there were times of fun and of learning some Norwegian culture. Of course there is the touch of romance to top it all off. I believe no reader will be disapppointed with this story. I certainly wasn't.
For your further information, if you enjoy this book, the author has other works of similar looking caliber of historical fiction under her belt, which you may wish to take a look at. I plan on it.
~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~
February 2022
Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary review copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.
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