By Melanie Dobson
Austria has lost itself to the annexation of Nazi Germany and the lives of its people are about to be changed forever. Max Dornbach has lived the life of privilege but the hate that has taken hold of his country shocks him. Never able to stand suffering Max offers what help he can to his friends who are Jewish, hiding their valuables on his family's summer estate. But Max's greatest desire is the help the young woman that he cares for and her family to escape from Austria. But already the grip of Hitler's regime has made leaving the country nearly impossible.
When the unthinkable happens Max must rely on the friendships that he formed as a child with those living near the family's estate in Hallstatt. Annika Knopf has always cared for Max and would do anything to aid him. But as the daughter of the estate's caretaker, she has little hope of him seeing her as anything but the little girl he met years ago. But when Max brings Luzia Weiss to hide her away from the Nazis Annika's heart is tried.
When Callie Randall comes across an old come of Bambi she is determined to see if she can find the original owner Annika Knopf to whom the book is inscribed with a loving message from her mother. But finding any information about Annika Knopf is almost impossible. But Callie's inquiries do get noticed by Dr. Josh Nemeth who is on his own search for Annika because of an uncle who was stationed in Austria's lake country in 1945.
When Callie and Josh's search turns up another name - Luzia Weiss, a name that has ties to someone dear in Callie's life, the search becomes even more important to Callie. Important enough that she is willing to leave her safe world behind.
Hidden Among the Stars is a moving and at time heart-wrenching read. It is a powerful message about standing up in the face of evil and doing your own small part to thwart its destructive force. This story is one that spans 80 years one that has a mystery at its heart and seven people are at the center of it.
For those who have read Catching the Wind, this book is equally well-written perhaps a bit more brutal as there are more scenes dealing with the Nazi aggression. I like the following quote that was in the book "Anyone who saves a life is as if he saved an entire world." I feel as if this quote from The Talmud sums up this book. When the world is falling down around you will you give your all to save another's life?
Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations except that I give my honest opinion ~ all opinions expressed are my own.
About the Book:
A gripping time-slip mystery about hidden treasure,
a castle, and ordinary people who
resisted evil in their own extraordinary way.
The year is 1938, and as Hitler’s troops sweep into Vienna, Austrian Max Dornbach promises to help his Jewish friends hide their most valuable possessions from the Nazis, smuggling them to his family’s summer estate near the picturesque village of Hallstatt. He enlists the help of Annika Knopf, his childhood friend and the caretaker’s daughter, who is eager to help the man she’s loved her entire life. But when Max also brings Luzia Weiss, a young Jewish woman, to hide at the castle, it complicates Annika’s feelings and puts their entire plan—even their very lives—in jeopardy. Especially when the Nazis come to scour the estate and find both Luzia and the treasure gone.
Eighty years later, Callie Randall is mostly content with her quiet life, running a bookstore with her sister and reaching out into the world through her blog. Then she finds a cryptic list in an old edition of Bambi that connects her to Annika’s story . . . and maybe to the long-buried story of a dear friend. As she digs into the past, Callie must risk venturing outside the safe world she’s built for a chance at answers, adventure, and maybe even new love.
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