Tricia Goyer tells the little-known, but true story of the orchestra started by prisoners in Hitler’s Mauthausen death camp. This courageous orchestra played the American national anthem as Allied troops arrived to liberate the camps. Around the orchestra story, Tricia weaves the fictional stories of a beautiful member of the Austrian resistance, the American GI who loves her, and a young … prisoner who fakes his way into the camp orchestra in a desperate attempt to stay alive.
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A WWII novel
A well researched WWII Novel by Tricia Goyer. It’s a very moving and emotional story that covers the war years in and around Austria. The story centers around four different people. There are also other characters that add to the story and make it seem real.
Evie is the daughter of the Austrian Ambassador to the United States.
Nick is a student resident surgeon at a New York Hospital.
Jakub is a young Jewish boy living in Czechoslovakia with his family at the start of the war.
Otto is an Austrian SS Nazi soldier.
The story begins in New York city just as the war in Europe is starting. It moves overseas to Austria and Czechoslovakia. The Author did a remarkable job of putting this story together and making it seem so real. I highly recommend it to all readers who love to read WWII fiction.
I especially like to read these war stories because my Father was in the Royal Canadian Air Force and went overseas during WWII. My mom was left at home with two preschoolers and she worked at an ammunition factory in order to make a living for herself and the girls. These stories help me to realize the sacrifices my parents had to make because of the war.
I downloaded a copy of Night Song from the Kindle Lending Library. A review was not requested. All opinions expressed are my own.
Almost-engaged American Nick and Austrian Evie are separated when Evie’s family has to go back to Austria. Then Nick receives his draft notice and only hopes that he’ll find himself somewhere near Evie when he is sent overseas. Meanwhile, Jakub’s family is torn apart when German mistreatment of Jews in Czechoslovakia ramps up. Taken to a ghetto, then to a work camp, Jakub watches those he loves die or get shipped off somewhere worse. Goyer weaves a tale of survival and compassion as seemingly unrelated storylines join together for the final scenes.
This book was an interesting take on historical fiction set during the Holocaust. Only a little of the focus is on a Jewish family, though what Jakub, his brother, and his mother go through is bad enough. Evie provides a different point of view, and (along with Nick) there’s even a 4th perspective, that being of an SS soldier who’s certain there’s some kind of supernatural power involved in the Nazi party, and he wants some of it for himself. (This is not the first time I’ve read a book with a character like that in it.) The 4 stories mostly advance separately, with Nick’s and Evie’s being the most connected for obvious reasons. Overall, the individual stories were interesting in their own ways, though the SS soldier’s was the one where I most wished to know why I should care about what was going on with him.
It was fairly obvious throughout the book, and because of the series name, how the storylines would all come together. Most of it felt pretty natural, though Nick being there seemed the most randomly coincidental. The official synopsis focuses a lot on the prisoners’ orchestra at Mauthausen that played while fellow prisoners walked to and from their work for the day. It’s a little strange, because this doesn’t come into the story until pretty far into it. There’s a whole lot more to it than that, but the overall theme of music being important even during really tough times does come through. Depending on where you look, this book is first or second in a series focusing on camp liberations during WWII, most likely each a stand alone. As far as this book goes, I think many people who appreciate historical fiction centered around this time period, especially with a Christian angle, would enjoy this book.
I loved this book and am looking forward to reading the other two in the series, as well as the author’s other books. She writes beautifully and I love her characters.