I received a complimentary ARC copy of this book from through NetGalley from Atria Books. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

4*
This book was definitely worth the read. It emotionally and realistically dove deep beyond most surface level WWII historical fiction books where the characters are Jewish. This book goes for your heart without holding back. It’s graphic, it’s deep, and at times absolutely heart-wrenching. However, it’s real! So real that this book is based on an actual event! The abandonment theme of the book will tear you apart! However, if you allow yourself to understand that the author is trying to unveil the other theme of the book, which is real love/sacrifice, then it can bring the reader back together full circle! This is a great book and brings a ton of emotions out of the reader. My only hold up would be that the book jumps around a bit and skips some things where a little more detail could’ve helped the reader with understanding and helped the book flow more fluidly. Of course, please understand that small detail should not keep you from reading the book as it was certainly a good read.

Thank you Atria Books and Armando Lucas Correa for the opportunity to read and review A Daughter’s Tale!

An increadibly moving historical novel detailing the journey of a German Jewish mother and her two daughters trying to survive the Natzis’s during WWII. It begins in Berlin and includes journeys to Cuba, France and New York. This is a story of enduring love, sacrifice and horror that requires true grit to survive. Even during the horrors of war when the worse of humanity is prevailing there are those angels that surface to make life bearable,. Sometimes at huge personal cost. I’ve read many stories of this era, but this was the first where the Church was recognized as acting as part of the resistance and aiding orphans. This was a well researched novel based and some actual events. This is a story that will stick with you for some time. Shalom Lina! Thank you Net Galley and Simon and Schuyler for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. I look forward to reading more by this author.

The author takes you into the tragic lives of Jews and other undesirables.. Two small children have their lives torn apart, not only by Germans but by the French. The French were feared more than the Germans by everyone. A well-written story, hard to put down.

I received an advance review copy of The Daughter's Tale by Armando Lucas Correa from Netgalley in return for an honest review.
The Daughter’s Tale is based on the events of the Nazi massacre of the French village Oradour-Sur-Glane in 1944.
The journey started in New York, April 2015. With a powerful opening, the book showed great promise. We meet Elise Duval, Ida Rosen and Ida’s daughter, Anna. Anna handed a box of letters to Elise and in an instant, the life she ran away from, was shoved in her face. From the shock, she suffered a near-fatal heart attack and was rushed to the hospital.
Now rewind to the period 1933 – 1939 in Berlin, and we enter a world of books. Amanda Sternberg, a bookshop owner, received the order to remove all the books which might be “offensive, unpatriotic, or not sufficiently German.” All their precious books were burned and destroyed on the bonfires. Shortly after this, Amanda’s husband, a cardiologist was arrested. He suffered an injury during the arrest and subsequently died of this injury. However, he put a plan in place for Amanda and the two daughters, Viera and Lina to be safe.
Amanda was torn as she had to put her daughters on a ship to Cuba and she had to go to friends in France. Her decision to only put Viera on the ship haunted her for the rest of her life. She wrote letters to Viera and with each returned, undelivered letter, Amanda would wonder where her daughter Viera was. The only important aspect for Amanda was to ensure that her daughters were safe and she would go to great measures to fulfill this quest.
The paragraph which spoke to me was where Dr. Sternberg spoke about the heart. “The heart can resist all kinds of physical trauma, but sadness can destroy it in a second.”
The fear and sadness which the people had to endure during that terrible period must have been immense, and this loss they suffered was all because of the lust of one man, and his twisted idea of having a “pure race.” These individuals suffered such trauma on a regular basis, that they ‘died’ more than once during that war. Blocking all these experiences from their memory was what made it possible for them to face another day. Brave souls!
This is a book of fighting and surviving for just one more day. One day at a time.

This historical fiction takes you on a journey as a broken hearted mother tries to save her two daughters. A story of strength and determination. It is beautifully written and I would definitely recommend for book clubs.

I love historical fiction and what a heartbreaker this was. I learned many things from this book and had the need to learn more after I finished. The horrors of this war affected so many and this story will stay with you long after you are finished. Amanda and Julius were characters that I connected with right away. I highly recommend this for your reading list! Thanks to Atria Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I just finished reading The Daughter's Tale. I am feeling incredibly overwhelmed, with tears streaming down my face. First, the terror of war, and then a lifetime of guilt for surviving. This book will stick with me for a long time.

It's 1933 when we come upon Julius and Amanda Sternberg. Before long there will be a 3rd Sternberg and then a 4th, as the couple become parents to two little girls. But times are starting to become threatening to the Jews....for the Sternbergs their family bookshop is burnt down. From that point forward, making their lives more difficult, daily. Then Julius is sent to a concentration camp, synagogues are set on fire. National Socialists are taking over, but where can Amanda and her children escape to? For that matter, where can any Jew escape to? Amanda sends her oldest daughter on a ship that will take her to Cuba, but her youngest child stays with her as they go to France. What will happen when Germany invades France, what will become of them?

As difficult as it is to read not only this story but the many stories of WWII and its savageness, it is important never to forget. It is important to remember how, even in times such as these, the human spirit takes over. Whether it be a mother's sacrifice, a stranger's sacrifice to save a life...whoever steps in to make that sacrifice! This story is poignant and deeply emotional. You read this book and think, "How would I handle the choice if I was in that situation? Would I be strong enough?" When not given a choice, deep down you know the answer.

This book offers raw emotions, guilt, betrayal and sacrifice...deeply moving, hauntingly so. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Daughter's Tale is typical of this genre WWII book; and while I enjoyed reading it, I found myself comparing it to other books I've read and my attention wandering, remembering The Alice Network and Lilac Girls. I wanted more of the girl's stories. This is me, not you. I think many will find a story of love, guilt, redemption and a meticulously researched true story.

Publisher Description
BERLIN, 1939. The dreams that Amanda Sternberg and her husband, Julius, had for their daughters are shattered when the Nazis descend on Berlin, burning down their beloved family bookshop and sending Julius to a concentration camp. Desperate to save her children, Amanda flees toward the south of France, where the widow of an old friend of her husband’s has agreed to take her in. Along the way, a refugee ship headed for Cuba offers another chance at escape and there, at the dock, Amanda is forced to make an impossible choice that will haunt her for the rest of her life. Once in Haute-Vienne, her brief respite is inter­rupted by the arrival of Nazi forces, and Amanda finds herself in a labor camp where she must once again make a heroic sacrifice.

NEW YORK, 2015. Eighty-year-old Elise Duval receives a call from a woman bearing messages from a time and country that she forced herself to forget. A French Catholic who arrived in New York after World War II, Elise is shocked to discover that the letters were from her mother, written in German during the war. Despite Elise’s best efforts to stave off her past, seven decades of secrets begin to unravel.

Based on true events, The Daughter’s Tale chronicles one of the most harrowing atrocities perpetrated by the Nazis during the war. Heart­breaking and immersive, it is a beautifully crafted family saga of love, survival, and redemption.

Unbelievable book, Thank you Armando Lucas Correa and Netgalley for this wonderful read. I highly recommend this book. The characters in this story were brought to life through the writing. I almost felt like I was there. This is one of the most moving, heartbreaking and real stories of WWII that I have read in a very long time.

I really enjoyed this book. I read so many books about World War 2, but no 2 are the same. They all give a different view of what the people went through.
The Daughters Tale is the story about a family of 4. When Julius was captured and sent to a Concentration camp, Amanda tried to find the best way to save her daughters. Julius had left word for her to send both of them to Cuba. Amanda did send the oldest daughter, Viera, but kept the youngest with her. She started sending letters to her daughter in Cuba only to have them returned. They were eventually captured and sent to a Concentration camp also. Amanda didn’t care about herself, but did everything possible to help her daughter escape. Elise escaped and survived the war. Seventy-five years later, Elise receives a phone call that the letters her Mother wrote to Viera have been located. This forces Elise to remember things she thought were left in the past.
I really enjoyed this book. I only gave it 4 stars because I anticipated hearing Amanda’s and Vieras story. I know it’s titled The Daughters Tale and it’s based off a true story, but I wanted more even though it was an excellent story.

Books that take place during WWII are some of my absolute favorites to read. May we never forget the horrific atrocities committed by Hitler and the German Nazi's. My heart breaks into a million pieces with every new story read but I find them so important to read. I just can't not read them. Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an advance copy of The Daughter's Tale. This story and these characters will stick with me for a long time.
This is definitely going to be one of my top contenders for favorite Historical Fiction read of this year.

I received a complimentary e-book copy of this book from Simon & Schuster through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Armando Lucas Correa, Simon & Shuster, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

OMG! This book was amazing!! This is the second novel by Armando Lucas Correa that I have read! The first was THE GERMAN GIRL which I recommend reading before this novel. I truly started this book late yesterday and could not put it down even though we had family plans today. I just HAD to know how this book ended and read it from the moment that we got home until NOW!

The characters were FULLY developed and detailed, the plot was incredible as it was based on a true-life story, and the writing is fabulous. I could FEEL the characters, the locations, and all five senses involved in the story.

Thank you, Armando Lucas Correa, for ANOTHER fabulous book! Please continue writing your stories - I cannot wait for your next novel.

HIGHLY recommend, but read THE GERMAN GIRL first!!

Thankyou Netgally for this awesome read. These people in the book will stay with me for a long time. A very moving ,heartbreaking book on WWII , Europe, Nazis, I really enjoy these type books and this book I enjoyed as well.

Wonderful book .. I loved the book and felt it was heartbreakingly beautiful. The plot and characters will stay with me for a long time
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

Truly one of the most moving and heart breaking books of WWII genre. It was so good I couldn't put it down. The massacre of the French village of Oradour-sur-Glane toward the end of the war by SS troops is included as is the fate of the ocean liner St. Louis. Beautifully written and memorable characters. Definitely a 5 star read for me.

World War II Europe, Nazis, and a young couple and their two daughters, Viera and Lina, and their book store: The Garden of Letters, makes for a riveting journey from southern France to Cuba , and New York City. I found myself reading and rereading my bookmarked passages in order to assure myself of what was really happening, All based on historical events, and well documented, this novel still leaves me in a quandry over the course of events that took place during this epic war. I’ve read many novels set in this time period; this one will be haunting me for a long time! Told from the perspective of an old woman confronting her memories masked by seventy years; this is the story of a mother’s love, redemption, and the human need for confession.

This was the first book I have read by this author..who I understand is from Cuba. He has written a very interesting book about the Holocaust. He introduces us to characters that we grow to understand and even root for their survival. At times I did find this book a little slow ... but maybe that is because of the fact that I was wanting to get to the answer the author sets up at the beginning of the book. I do recommend this book for anyone who wants to read more about that horrific time in history....

The Daughter’s Tale follows a family’s story around the time of Nazi occupation in Western Europe. The history behind the novel, like many other WWII novels, sets up for a tale of humanity, love, and sacrifice in some of the most horrifying circumstances.

As much as I wanted to enjoy the book, I found it difficult to follow at times. I loved how women played a central role in all generations, but because there were a lot of “she’s” in descriptions and dialogue, I would have to reread passages at times, and not necessarily end up understanding who said what.

The plot also relies heavily on an understanding of Nazi occupation in Europe- readers who aren’t very familiar with the history might have to look up some things as I did.

Overall, it was a story with heart. I read it the whole way through, and I won’t read something if I don’t like it. However, I do think that some readers might find this book requires more effort than it’s worth.

A heartbreaking account of one family's struggle during WWII that's based on a true story. A Jewish family tries to save their two daughters from Hitler's troops and certain death. I cried when I finished the book.