Amazing. Absolutely Amazing ~ For Such a Time by Kate Breslin ~ Review

Possibly my best discovery yet this year in a debut historical novel, “For Such a Time” is a moving work of fiction.

There is a romantic tension in this book that is so tightly woven throughout the story that I held my breath and only the pounding of my heart reminded me I was alive and reading. Stella is a captivating character coming into her own—a Jew living under the roof of a Nazi and he has no clue about her heritage.

The story strongly mirrors that of the Biblical story of Esther and I loved that about it. Set in a Nazi concentration camp, it’s heartbreaking to read what happens to the Jews and Stella’s striving to protect as many as she can, from the position she is in as a Nazi’s secretary.

It was the romance that grabbed me by the heartbeat and wouldn’t let go. I wouldn’t have expected the book to have such strong tension rife throughout the entire book, but it made for some pulsating moments. The book became near impossible to put down, and don’t plan on distractions during the last hundred pages of the book. I’ll warn you now: it’s impossible.

I would definitely highly recommend this title. A fabulous work of fiction with strong writing and even more captivating characters. I am incredibly impressed.

This review is my honest opinion. Thanks to the publishers for my copy to review.

            

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More about the novel...

In 1944, blonde and blue-eyed Jewess Hadassah Benjamin feels abandoned by God when she is saved

from a firing squad only to be handed over to a new enemy. Pressed into service by SS-Kommandant Colonel Aric von Schmidt at the transit camp of Theresienstadt in Czechoslovakia, she is able to hide behind the false identity of Stella Muller. However, in order to survive and maintain her cover as Aric's secretary, she is forced to stand by as her own people are sent to Auschwitz. Suspecting her employer is a man of hidden depths and sympathies, Stella cautiously appeals to him on behalf of those in the camp. Aric's compassion gives her hope, and she finds herself battling a growing attraction for this man she knows she should despise as an enemy. Stella pours herself into her efforts to keep even some of the camp's prisoners safe, but she risks the revelation of her true identity with every attempt. When her bravery brings her to the point of the ultimate sacrifice, she has only her faith to lean upon. Perhaps God has placed her there for such a time as this, but how can she save her people when she is unable to save herself?