Favorite Quotes:Marta was Ingrid’s cousin. She was also the old man’s last helper. It was fair to say that it hadn’t gone well. It had ended with Marta refusing to ever darken Jürgen Anderson’s door, even if he died, and someone needed help moving his mouldering body …‘Even then – find somebody else,’That was our surname – before I changed it after the war. It means swallow, like the bird…. My father used to say that the two of us were like our namesake – you know that swallows seldom rest, they...

My first point for this review has to be about the change of title for this novel. Originally entitled 'The Flight of Swallows', the title brought out a feeling of a very emotive read. This was then changed to 'The German Girl', and I cannot think of a more bland title, especially when dealing with traumas around World War Two. It just doesn't do it for me.That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed this read and will definitely recommend it to others. It had great characters and a strong plot. The ti...

This book was simply amazing. It started out with Ingrid, a young woman, caring for her elderly grandfather, Jurgen–who also suffers from dementia. He’s rude, and difficult to care for–as he lost his last caretaker, Marta, due to his verbal abuse.In the beginning I felt so bad for Ingrid–this grandfather that she was caring for, who was just awful to her. And then we go back in time to Jurgen’s story…What follows is such a tremendously sad tale of twins Jurgen and Asta and how they were impacted...

How would you feel if you were stopped on your way home from school and told never to return to your home because someone had taken your parents and were out, at that very moment, hunting you down? Lily Graham expertly explores this possibility in her five-star historical fiction novel, ‘The Flight of Swallows,’ to be published January 12, 2021. Set in Hamburg in the eve of World War Two, this novel focuses on the power of family, the need for belonging and the lengths we will go for the ones we...

Escape from GermanyIn Sweden, Jurgen is an elderly man living alone . His granddaughter is helping him out. He is suffering from the early effects of Alzheimer's and dementia. He does not want help. He never talks about the war years, but he sometimes lapses into speaking German instead of Swedish. His granddaughter knows there is a story and after much prompting he finally tells her the story of what happened during those times and a huge secret he has kept from the family.Hamburg, Germany; at

Beaitiful storyCould not put this one down, it is a suberb story, that alot of research has gone into. Wish they all could have lived.

This is an emotional and heart wrenching world war II novel.This is my first historical novel by Lily Graham.We have twin sisters who are told not to return home. Their parents have been taken by the nazis. This is the start of the holocaust in Germany and ends in Berlin. The story flows really well. The setting is described really well. It was emotional to read about the living conditions and how hard the war was on some people.Highly recommend.

The German Girl is a heartbreaking story of teenager twins that will do anything for each other. Trine hardly knows her niece and nephew. When her niece shows up unexpectedly at her house, she will do anything for her. She is worried about her niece and trying to help her through her grief. Asta is struggling and needs to be convinced she wants to survive. Asta slowly develops a friendship with Oliver. Asta was a scared teenager that wouldn’t let anything stop her. I really enjoyed this story. T...

The German Girl is a heartbreaking and captivating story of the fates of a Jewish family living in war-torn Hamburg, Germany. It is a story about family, belonging and the lengths we will go to for the ones we love. It's 1933 and the Jews living in the city are becoming more and more concerned about Hitler’s intentions in the wake of laws being passed to curtail their freedom. His National Socialist Party was increasing power by the day. Fast forward to 1938 and it's the end of another school da...

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Lily Graham's latest heartbreaking novel THE GERMAN GIRL (previously title "The Flight of Swallows").Having thoroughly enjoyed Lily Graham's previous book "The Child of Auschwitz" I was both eager and excited to dive into this one. Graham has a an easy style to her writing that is both revealing and engaging yet without being bogged down in facts - though she does note certain historical events yet without leaving you drowning

THE GERMAN GIRLBY LILY GRAHAMA swallow will always find its way home if it can find its nest. This one is another favorite of 2020. It is about the Holocaust that begins in Hamburg, Germany and ends in Denmark. This one played out like a Shakespeare tragedy. At its heart it is about a brother and sister who grow up being really close and are forced to flee Germany and emigrate to their Aunt's in Denmark. The man that arranges for them to cross the border to flee Germany is swindled out of his mo...

First and foremost, thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Lily Graham for access to this chilling, heartbreaking WWII story. Please be sure to read the authors notes before you close the book and learn about the inspiration for this story.Before the Germans invaded, Juergen and Asta were typical kids...twins... in Hamburg. They were pranksters for sure but had bit ambitions. They were the children of a surgeon and nurse so life was good. Then, hitler rose to power and slowly their lives began t...

I was completely captivated by The German Girl and lost so much sleep because I couldn’t stop reading at night! This historical fiction novel was told in such a unique way and I especially loved reading from the children’s point of view. I tend to find some novels in this genre to be a tad bit dry or cumbersome at times, but not this one! It was informative, but told in an easy yet intriguing way. The author’s note at the end of the novel really struck an emotional chord with me and made me love...

I absolutely loved this book; it was beautifully written being heart-breaking and heart-warming in equal parts. Told from two time perspectives, we start the story in 1995 in Northern Sweden. Jurgen is an old man suffering from worsening dementia, and his granddaughter Ingrid visits him daily. When one day he calls her Asta, Ingrid realises that there are things about her grandfather’s past that he’s never spoken about. The story then moves on to Hamburg, Germany in 1933 where we meet Jurgen as