Across the Winding River by Aimie K. Runyan book review. Thank you so much to Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for the free review copy! This is a beautiful story about love and courage.
Review…
Across the Winding River is a multi POV/timeline WWII Historical Fiction that takes us from San Diego to Germany. It follows Beth in present day, trying to learn more about her father, Max, in the few months they have left together. Max is finally ready to share the secrets he has held onto since the war. We’re also introduced to Johanna, a German woman trapped in a regime she wants no part in.
What worked for me: I loved the story, the characters, and the setting. I enjoyed all of the POVs equally, which is rare! I always appreciate WWII stories that have perspectives from both Germans and non-Germans. Across the Winding River is heartbreaking, but beautiful and redemptive.
What didn’t work for me: Parts of the story were a bit rushed or a little too convenient. It didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment though. Reading the author’s note at the end also made me appreciate those parts of the story more.
I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to reading more of this author’s books. I’d recommend reading this as a hardcopy as there are multiple timelines that skip around a bit and I would’ve preferred to easily turn back to reference where in the story we were at.
The details…
Rating: 4.25 Stars
ISBN: 9781542004756
Get the hardcopy at: Bookshop.org or Amazon or Book Depository
Get the audiobook from: Audible or Libro.fm (use my code lfm122316 to get your first audiobook free from Libro.fm!)
Publication date: August 18, 2020
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Summary from the publisher…
A woman unlocks the mystery of her father’s wartime past in a moving novel about secrets, sacrifice, and the power of love by the bestselling author of Daughters of the Night Sky.
Beth Cohen wants to make the most of the months she has left with her elderly father, Max. His only request of his daughter is to go through the long-forgotten box of memorabilia from his days as a medic on the western front. Then, among his wartime souvenirs, Beth finds a photograph of her father with an adoring and beautiful stranger—a photograph worth a thousand questions.
It was 1944 when Max was drawn into the underground resistance by the fearless German wife of a Nazi officer. Together, she and Max were willing to risk everything for what they believed was right. Ahead of them lay a dangerous romance, a dream of escape, and a destiny over which neither had control.
But Max isn’t alone in his haunting remembrances of war. In a nearby private care home is a fragile German-born woman with her own past to share. Only when the two women meet does Beth realize how much more to her father there is to know, all the ways in which his heart still breaks, and the closure he needs to heal it.
Across the Winding River by Aimie K. Runyan book review.
