The Bookseller of Dachau by Shari J. Ryan is an beautifully penned novel set in WW2 Germany and 2018.
In 2018 , Grace, an architect living in Boston, receives a letter informing her of an inheritance left to her in Dachau , Germany by her maternal grandmother Matilda whose existence she has been unaware of all her life. Grace travels to Dachau to find out more about her mother’s biological parents whom her mother had been searching for till her death a few years back.
Matilda‘s story takes us to World War II Germany where the atrocities of war and the Holocaust are wreaking havoc . 17 year old Matilda , a German schoolgirl, is in love with her friend Hans , a Jewish boy , who is she hides in her in her room to keep him from being taken away to the Nazi labor camps. They are eventually discovered by her father who deceives her and has Hans taken by the Nazis unbeknownst to anyone but Matilda that she is carrying his child. Their fate is slowly revealed to Grace through the letters and memories documented by Matilda and Hans during those years that have been carefully preserved by a family friend she meets and befriends while in Germany. While Matilda waits for news of Hans we are given a vivid picture what life was like for those living in the vicinity of the concentration camps - the confusion, the anguish and the sheer violence that these places and people were witness to.
“There is no other place in the world where one can stand before an eleventh-century abandoned palace cloaked by delicious sprigs of greenery while concurrently bearing witness to the ash-filled human remains funneling up into the crying sky.”
While unraveling her grandparents’ story Grace starts to take stock of her own life in Boston and in the process of discovering her family history is made to rethink her own priorities.
This engaging novel will break your heart and bring you to tears at times but will also make you believe in the enduring power and resilience that love instills in people even in their darkest days. As Hans tells Matilda when in hiding “Life is about lessons and what we can overcome.”
The author’s descriptions of the concentration camp and the surrounding towns and landmarks are vivid and will take you on a journey through history . I do feel, however, that Grace’s and her mother’s backstories needed to be delved into a bit deeper but ultimately the story does belong to Matilda and Hans and I could not put this book down until very end. Fans of WW2 historical fiction will definitely love this book!
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )

I found it slushy and sentimental. Felt more like an author cashing in on the holocaust than enlightening . ( )

When the Jews are rounded up and taken away, Matilda hides her childhood sweetheart Hans in an attic passageway. Months later, when Matilda's father betrays Hands to the Nazi's, Matilda is left pregnant. She leaves her family and travels to the town of Dachau, hoping to be near her love. In the present day, Grace is told that through DNA, she has been matched to a grandmother, who left her property in Dachau. Unhappy with her job and feeling adrift, Grace travels to Dachau determined to uncover her past.

The characters themselves were well developed but the story itself was slow moving. I could have done without Grace's point of view/timeline entirely. Grace's storyline felt very predictable and took away from Matilda's storyline. Overall, 3 out of 5 stars. ( )

The Bookseller of Dachau by Shari J. Ryan is one of the most interesting story I've read in the recent time.

The story is set between two different times and places completely opposite. I've always been a fan of historical fiction but the switch between the contemporary and history is written so well by the author that the transition is so smooth. I so want to visit the small town of Dachau at least once. I can only imagine how that town survived amidst that huge war and atrocities.

I liked both Matilda and Grace very much. They are very influencing characters with great determination, patience and love. The love between Hans and Matilda is so special. I was so anxious myself reading the letters from Matilda and was so eager to know what happened to Hans.

The title is so apt for this book. I personally loved the way the author built a love story amidst the war set up. A great read for any age group. ( )