I really wanted to get into this book but it was pretty drawn out. It was also hard for me to switch between 3 time periods. I did like the main character, Charlotte. She had incredible strength.
Charlotte and Jack find themselves pursuing the truth about a case that involves a man accused of World War II era war crimes. In their quest for the truth they develop a relationship. Charlotte is hesitant to her feelings for Jack because she was hurt by his brother, Brian. They find the evidence they're looking for but time has run out. ( )

Charlotte Gold y Jack Harrington, dos abogados ferozmente independentes, se enamoran lentamente mientras trabajan para defender al hermano de un héroe del Holocausto contra las acusaciones de crímenes de guerra de la era de la Segunda Guerra Mundial. El acusado, el rico financiero Roger Dykmans, misteriosamente se niega a ayudar en su propia defensa, y solo revela que la prueba de su inocencia se encuentra dentro de un intrincado reloj visto por última vez en la Alemania nazi. A medida que la narración se traslada de Filadelfia a Alemania, Polonia e Italia, se nos dan vislumbres de las vidas que el reloj de aniversario ha tocado durante el siglo pasado y aprendemos sobre la historia de amor que convirtió a un hermano en un traidor.

Titolo originale: The things we cherished, secondo me più appropriato

Charlotte Gold,
avvocato difensore di Filadelfia, vede il suo passato piombarle addosso nella persone dell'ex-fidanzato Brian, che le offre un incarico prestigioso in Europa, dove è avvenuto il loro primo incontro.
Senza abbandonare il suo cliente, che a fronte del suo accordo con Brian affida alla penalista più abile sulla piazza, Charlotte balza su un aereo per Berlino, dove troverà ad attenderla Jack, fratello di Brian.
Lo scopo della loro collaborazione è la difesa di Roger Dyckmann, uomo d'affari newyorkese e cliente dello studio di Brian, accusato di crimini nazisti ai danni del fratello.
Tra Berlino e Breslavia passando per Salisburgo e un convento sul Lago di Como, si intrecciano storie presenti e passate, sullo sfondo della seconda guerra mondiale e dell'ascesa del nazifascismo, con protagonisti due rarissimi esemplari identici di 'orologio 400 giorni' scaturiti dall'ingegno di un contadino ebreo e dal suo amore per la moglie adorata. ( )

Thoroughly enjoyed it, the best novel I've read in a while. Couldn't put it down, all the elements in a story I like, it's the second book by Pam Jenoff that I've read and I think I'm going to go straight onto another of her books next. A little slow to get going but once into it, hooked! ( )

This is another work where I’m not 100% sure whether I liked the dual storyline or not. Individually, I liked each one to a degree. It was interesting to see the footwork behind building a legal case as well as the journey of the clock throughout history and its importance to the developing events of the early 20th century.

Yet, I felt that the historical story lost a bit when balanced against the continuous nature of the modern tale. We’re constantly exposed to Charlotte and her journey towards truth in her trial saga; the historical story is broken up into four distinct timeframes with different families. They are all connected by subtle connections and the clock, but I think the characters as people got lost since we didn’t have that long to go get to know them. Not nearly as long as Charlotte and the brothers.

I also have mixed feelings on Charlotte. I cared enough about her to be invested in her emotional journey and to see how her relationship triangle would end up. But at times I felt like she was too perfect: pretty, good at her job, dedicated to the downtrodden, and drawing men like flies. She had a slight whiff of the “Mary Sue” about her that set my teeth on edge.

Having so many historical time periods was a bit of a detract, but I do have to say that I enjoyed exploring the journey of this inanimate object and seeing how many lives it touched/impacted. Through that vehicle, the reader gets a window into the rise of the Nazi state and how it impacted these various families. We get to see the early stages of that rise: pre-WWI, the interwar years, during WWII, and the aftermath in Soviet occupied Poland. Learning the different fates both touched and saddened me.

While I enjoyed this in-depth exploration of the Nazi years through a unique vehicle, overall this book still rates as a 3 for me. The dual storylines read a bit skewed since so many historical timeframes are explored. In the modern tale, the main lead sometimes comes off as too perfect, making me hate her as much as I’m rooting for her. So a good tale but not my favorite by this author. ( )