A story to break your heart – if you read only one book this year, make it The Fortunate Ones. Germany, 1941. When Inge – all blonde curls and good manners – first locks eyes with Felix, she knows instinctively that he’s off limits. Her staunchly proper parents will never approve of a working-class Jewish boy for their precious only daughter. But that doesn’t make their first, shy kiss less … first, shy kiss less significant, or the moment they’re torn apart less shocking.
The next time they see each other, it will be across the packed courtyard of a Nazi concentration camp – Felix in the prisoners’ ranks and Inge on the arm of her new, Nazi husband.
Inge never knew that her father’s ‘party loyalty’ would extend to marrying her off to a cruel Nazi officer twice her age, who sees his new wife as just another thing to control. She has always been a good girl – a silent wife – but when Inge sees Felix that day – beaten, bloody and brave – she knows she can’t stay silent any longer.
She must save him, whatever the cost, whatever her husband or even her country might do to her later…
What readers are saying about The Fortunate Ones:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘What an amazing read, well written emotional and very compelling… I was totally absorbed in the story and I would love to give it 10 stars. One of my best reads this year. I can’t begin to say how much I loved this book, I couldn’t put it down, absolutely brilliant.’ Goodreads reviewer
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Heartbreaking… I cried many, many times…This story showed just how important hope can be…. The historical detail Hokin poured into this book through her research was simply phenomenal. The Fortunate Ones is a must-read.’ Goodreads reviewer
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘This was a wonderful story about romance, life, and survival. I could not put it down… heartbreaking.’ Crossroad Reviews
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘This story just swept me away… I was left speechless… just wow!!… I do recommend a box of tissues… This book will have you turning the pages.’ Red Headed Book Lady blog
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I stayed up all hours to finish this book. There were moments I could barely breathe. A fantastic and compelling read if you like suspense, WWII, and stories that aren’t always tied neatly with a bow.’ Goodreads reviewer
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Contained within a richly detailed narrative was a story that spoke of prevalence of the human spirit, both resilient and beatific, bowed but never broken by the unfathomable horrors of war. Captivating. Sobering. Unflinching. 5+ stars.’ Goodreads reviewer
⭐⭐⭐⭐‘The writing is deeply moving, so much detail is cleverly woven throughout to make this a vivid and entrancing read. Strong characters make this such a gripping read.’ NetGalley reviewer
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘What an extraordinary, engaging story. It moved me to undiscovered heights of understanding and compassion. A novel that will stay in my mind forever.’ Goodreads reviewermore
Inge grows up in a wealthy German family during World War II. She is to be married to a much older Nazi man to help her family politically and monetarily. On a whim she goes out with a friend on a night to jus have some fun right before her wedding. She meets Felix, a Jewish boy about her age and there is a physical attraction immediately. They kiss and then she sees her soon-to-be husband spying on her. This story is heartbreaking and tells of the horrors of the concentration camps and has an ending that will surprise you.
It’s one that is worth reading over and over again.
I was disappointed in the ending. I had looked to the ending to bring a closing to
the years of pain and suffering under German rule which did not happen. The two
main characters probably found peace in their own way but not together
Great book
It kept my attention throughout. I just wasn’t pleased with the ending.
If you like your historical fiction to be character-driven and gripping, to sweep you away to another time and place, and to really make you think about the world as it was (and is now for that matter), then don’t miss The Fortunate Ones by Catherine Hokin.
It’s told from the points of view of a young printer, Felix, who is imprisoned in a camp and forced to work on a team trying to forge foreign currency for the Reich, and Inge, wife of the cruel camp doctor. I was gripped from the first scenes and caught up in each character’s experience of war-torn Berlin but I particularly enjoyed that the story doesn’t end in 1945. Hokin explores the scars of the war and its aftermath, including Nazi criminals fleeing to Argentina and efforts to track them down and bring them to justice.
Another highlight is the quality of the writing here. Hokin’s scenes are rich and vivid. Some of Felix’s experiences, being transported across country and making a break for freedom, will stay with me for a long time. So don’t miss it! The Fortunate Ones is a great read.
Never forget
3.5
The author is extremely good at writing and made this story seem very real. I just had a hard time getting into this one. Would be interested in checking out more of her work.
Very good.
Even though the subject matter was dark I “enjoyed” this book. As books about the holocaust go this one presented a different aspects of one of history’s most tragic events. What gave the survivors hope and a drive to survive? What happens when the innocent wake up to what is happening around them? I would recommend this book.
wonderful story
It was a great WWII book which are some of my favorites
Great read, couldnt put it down!
Excellent story and fast read. Now we need a sequel to see what happens with Max and Wolf.
I loved it.
I learned a lot about that horrible time in the world’s history.
The backdrop is Germany in WWII and the horrors inflicted on the Jews. Felix and his Hannah (Inge) and their love affair spanning years. Ending is not what I expected but that is good. I could not put the book down. The evils of Hitler’s Nazi Germany was horrific. This author developed the characters beautifully and with depth that made them seem real. Her descriptions of the countryside were well developed. I would heartily recommend this book
I enjoyed this book. Anything that has to do with the 2nd World War fascinates me. My grandfather fought against Germany so this gives me some insight at what the soldier’s might have gone through. I’m amazed that he lived through it and later told me some of them. Of course they changed with each telling. He told me what life was like on a ship and I’ll never forget that story for it the way he told it made me giggle. God had a reason for him to survive.
This is a new to me author. I liked her immediately because this story just swept me away. This I believe is a story that will leave you thinking about it long after it’s done. It sure did me. In fact, I was left speechless at the atrocities that were done to the Jews. .
I felt Felix’s pain and I really really wanted to hug him as he turned out to be my hero.
Here’s a man who’s faced many challenges and lived to tell about them. Some I’m sure weren’t easy. In fact, I know they weren’t. I just can’t imagine what it’s like to lose your whole family all at once just wow!! Such cruelty from the Nazi’s and years later the Nazi’s ( any who are still alive) are facing all those charges. I’d think just living with what they’ve done is punishment enough. It’s them who had to live with it the rest of their lives.
Karma may not come when you want it to but justice will prevail.
There are some places in the story that will make you cry and some that will make you rejoice depending where you are in the book. I do recommend a box of tissues or whatever you have handy at the time.
This book will have you turning the pages to see what happens to Felix and his family and friends go through the trials of their lives.
My thanks to Netgalley. NO compensations were received and all opinions are my own.
I just finished The Fortunate Ones by Catherine Hokin, and I feel drained. Hokin takes the reader from 1941 Berlin through the 1950s Berlin, Buenos Aires, and Bariloche. Told by new narrators, Felix, a Mischling, who meets Inge (Hannah) soon to be a married woman to a much older man at a chance meeting in a nightclub to a chance meeting in a cafè in 1950’s Berlin.
Hokin has created an epic story that shows the unfairness of war and hope that those affected by war can recover. Throughout their journeys, I felt like I was in the rooms of the characters and living their stories. I was surprised at the ending but think it is very realistic. I can tell that the author did a lot of research into wartime Berlin, life in a concentration camp, Nazi’s who ran to South America and created lives.
4.5 stars
My thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.. I look forward to reading future books by Catherine Hokin.
A stunning look at the impossible losses suffered by the German people during WWII, this book contains points of view that one usually does not see beyond history books. I found the character of Felix to be especially interesting because he personified several known groups (mixed blood, Jewish, had an exceptional talent, was relentless in trying to find justice, etc.) He was complex yet easy to understand. I also thought Inge was interesting because she represented the people who were “safe” but still felt like there was no escape. There was a lot to unpack in this book and the author did a fantastic job with the story. I highly recommend it. For a full review, please visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of the book.