Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read and review this ARC. Full review to be found on Goodreads and on my website.

A good historical fiction that my teen students would read. Engaging and accurate in history. I would rec this more to those who haven't read a lot of great historical fiction as the market is so saturated with many options now. Still, this is a good book in the genre.

With so many fiction novels surrounding the horrible events that took place in Europe during World War 1 and 2, The Daughter's Tale by Armando Lucas Correa really stands out. No matter how many historical fiction novels I read I am always shocked and saddened by the events that took place. Armando does a wonderful job with the past and present story telling. Wonderfully written. Such a captivating story.

I know I'm behind in reviewing this one. I actually did read it before it hit store shelves.... that being said, I quite enjoyed it.

I have read a number of reviews that didn't love the writing, but I found it moving and difficult - tears and astonishment and sadness.

A beautiful reflection on the lengths we go to save our children and the depth of consequences of choices we make. In its often stark or straightforward delivery, I believe it reflected anguish, fear, and even finality.

It is another WWII novel and isn't my favourite, but it was good - well worth the read even in its uncomplicated, un-
flowery presentation.

My thanks to the publisher for providing a complimentary copy of this title via NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own.

A deeply moving and tragic tale that reveals Germany's descent through the microcosm of one family's life-long experiences.

I loved this story. It was fast paced, with short chapters, so it was a quick read for me.

The story was mostly set during World War II. The beginning and the end were in 2015, which looked at the main character in her later life. The first chapter didn’t really make sense until about halfway through the book. There was so much that happened, so it was always exciting.

The concept of family was fluid in this story. Depending on the situation they had to call different people family. For example, parents had to give up their children to give them a better life, with the strong possibility of never seeing them again. This sometimes meant giving them to friends or even strangers, and hoping that they would be looked after. It was heartbreaking to see families being separated like that, but it was necessary for their survival.

This was a powerful story! I highly recommend it.

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A beautifully woven tale that tugged at my heart strings the whole way through. How does a mother choose to send both her children away and hope they survive?
It’s 1939 and the Nazi’s have burned Amanda’s beloved book shop and taken her husband to a concentration camp. He left instructions to send both girls on a boat to Cuba but Amanda is faced with an impossibly heart wrenching task. She felt she could only send the oldest as she could look after herself and fleas to the south of France with the youngest but this is only the beginning of the trials she is put through in order to stay alive.

The book shows the height of a mothers love and strength as she makes impossible decisions in order for her children to survive. A wonderful read that I would highly recommend to any WWII lovers out there.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the advance copy.

From the get go, this book was so emotionally gripping. I loved the flow, always having something a little different to keep my focus on. There were moments of jaw drop horror, and the next I knew, I was in tears. Such an incredible story! Very well written, I would definitely recommend to fans of WWII era fiction.

I loved the story. It captivated me from the start. You can't help but feel for the characters and it really makes you think of what you would in a situation like this. I think it would have been nice to know what also happened to the other daughter in Cuba. I felt it would've been nice to close the loop on that end.

Tale of survival during WWII

This is a very well researched and well written story of survival and its costs during WWII. Kudos to the translator, by the way. At this time, our attention is on the feats of bravery of the soldiers and resistance fighters -- Normandy and all that. However, we need to think about all the real people involved, the refugees (many of whom were turned away from US, Canada, UK, and, as I learned reading this book, Cuba). We need to think about the children, the displaced people, the survivors. This novel is well worth your time to read and to consider what happened to all the survivors and those who paid the price for their survival.

Reviewed on Amazon.com; will be posted after their process is completed.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster, Atria Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book will make you cry in despair for a mother trying to protect her daughters from the Nazi war machine. A mother who sends her 6 year old daughter away, all alone, to a brother in Cuba in order to protect her and give her a future. She can't bear to send her younger daughter, thinking that she would be safer remaining in her care. As war goes, families are ripped apart, separated and lost to one another as time goes on.
I loved the first 75% of this book, filled with hope, love and the fight to survive. The last 25% of this book feels very dark with a lack of any emotion from the characters. This last part of the book dropped my 5 star review to a 4 star.

I am giving this story 3.5 out of 5. It was based on a true story about 2 young sisters, separated by war. It is a beautiful and sad story of Jewish parents, trying to save their daughters from the Germans. One of the girls is sent to Cuba, the other stays with her mother. They flee to France, where eventually the Germans come to be. Again, the mother sends her youngest daughter away. To save her from the Nazi's. Many tried to help this family only to lose their own lives. It is about love, hope and freedom. And what parents will do in order to protect their children. No matter what the cost.

The Daughter's Tale is a story of a Jewish family living in Germany in 1939. Young, in love and beginning to start their family, Amanda and Julius try to ignore the war that is looming around them. Once two daughters are born the war becomes impossible to ignore when Julius is taken away from his family. Even away from his family Julius tries to make plans to save his family. Amanda risks everything for her children's lives. Amanda has a love for books and has only saved one from her beloved bookstore. On this pages she writes to her children to help them someday understand why she makes the decisions she does.

Lina is Amanda and Julius's youngest daughter. Lina lives many lives with many families as she tries to stay alive throughout the war. This is her story.

For years I have said that I don't like historical fiction. That I won't read historical fiction. I don't remember which book started it but I'm finding myself drawn to more historical fiction lately. I find it horrific to read some of these tales and imagine the reality of those times.

The Daughter's Tale can be ordered from Chapters with this link.

I so appreciated the chance to preview this book, however I did abandon it at about 50 pages. This was not due to the writing and I do not blame the author. I think I have just read too many books lately that have been set in the WWII era, pre-WWII era or have had a world war as the background. I simply did not wish to read it right now, but would like to return to it one day. I have given the book a star rating only because it is necessary to post my review. It is not based on my completion of the novel.

This book is one of my new favourite World War II, historical fictions. If you liked The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, you’re going to love this one. This book pulls you in, and I became so connected to these characters, and their stories. It keeps you wanting to know what happens next. A lot of it explores the theme of what would you do, and how far would you be willing to go for the people that you love. This book is based on true events. I love how Armando Lucas Correa was able to weave these character’s storylines with events that actually happened in history. Absolutely beautiful writing and storytelling. I highly recommend this book!! Thank you so much to Simon & Schuster Canada and Netgalley for giving me this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book sounded interesting and yes it was interesting but I did have problems getting into it as much as I hoping.

I like the authors writing style and I did find this book to be ok once I got into it but is it something I would read again? Most likely not.

I hate that I'm only giving this book 2 stars. I wanted to like it. Actually, I wanted to love it. Historical fiction is one of my favourite genres to read. Unfortunately, this book just didn't draw me in the way some other WWII - based books have.

This is the story of Amanda. Mother of Viera and Lina. Wife to Julius. Lover of books. Owner of a bookstore. And a German-Jew, living in Berlin during the rise of Hitler and his Nazi party. When Julius is taken away, Amanda realizes that the life she knew in Berlin is over. Prior to his death, Julius sends word to Amanda - an escape plan for their daughters - tickets and visas to emigrate to Cuba. Amanda is set to go to France.

Things don't go according to plan - Amanda ends up sending Viera to Cuba on her own, and taking Lina to France with her.

What follows is Amanda's heartache at sending off her older daughter across the ocean; while also trying to protect Lina from the German occupation of France.

This book takes us from Berlin to France, a labour camp, and an Abbey. I have to be honest - I felt a disconnect with all the characters and their storylines; first with Amanda, and then with Lina (Elise).

If you read the authors note at the end of the book, you'll know that the the Nazi's burning of an entire village to the ground prior to the Allies arrival in France was a real event. For something that was highlighted as a actual event, I almost wish that the story had been more about that. Or the fact that almost all the German-Jews who boarded the ship to cross the Atlantic to get to Cuba were turned back to Europe. That too would have been a stronger plot - and would have given us more details on Viera's fate.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada and Atria Books for an advanced copy in return for an honest review. I wish I liked this book more than I did.

It seems like there’s a ton of fiction and non-fiction WWII books lately. Not that I mind though, I strongly believe that it’s a part of history that we must never forget. The Daughter’s Tale is just one of many WWII books that were lined up waiting for me, and now that I am done, it is definitely worth the read. Thank you to NetGalley for recommending and supplying me with this book in exchange for an honest review.
Although this book is fiction, it is based on tragedies that actually occurred. I suggest you read the Author’s Notes and/or if you are unfamiliar with some of the stories to Google: “SS St Louis” the ship with more than 900 Jewish people which moved from port to port because no one wanted to take them in; and “Oradour-sur-Glane massacre” in which the habitants of a small village were massacred and the few that were able to escape found refuge in an abbey.
This is the story of Elise, a girl who was to board the SS St Louis and find safe passage in Cuba but a last moment decision by her mother changed her course. Elise’s story is not an easy one, and it’s one that I’ll never forget.
A must read. 4.5 stars.

The Daughter’s Tale by Armando Lucas Correa tells the story of a Jewish family during the Second World War. We follow the family as they are forced to leave Germany to France in their quest to survive the persecution of the Nazis, and their own people.

I’ve read quite a few novels set during this time period and with this similar storyline. Many times, reading the same story over and over can become tedious but this is something different. This topic, this story, can never be told too many times. It can never stop being told. I was happy to read a novel set in occupied France, as I've never actually read much in this setting. Of course you can read about what was going on, but I think Correa did a wonderful job showing what it would have been like in that country.

At times I found the narrative a bit difficult to follow, and it jumps between character points of view within the same paragraph. I’m not typically a fan of that style, but there were points in the novel where I found it worked. I think I would have preferred if the narrative had been a bit more limited, mostly between Amanda and Elise. While some historical points may have been missed, or descriptions of scenes, I feel it would have added to the confusion caused by the chaos. It would have also allowed me to become attached more to those characters, especially Elise. I found her voice got a bit lost, but then again, I think that was her character all along. She was shuffled around, lost, found, and her identity completely changed throughout the entire novel.

The descriptions of the people, and how they acted, I found very realistic. I haven’t read too much about the people of France during the Wars, so I was happy to learn a few new things. It was important to add how convinced they were that Germany would never invade, that some people were so detached from it all that they thought the war was fake. It’s also frightening that the mindset is still present in some people today, whether it’s about the holocaust or current wars.

Overall, this novel is a must read. It’s moving, and powerful. If you can get past the character switches, I can tell you that you will enjoy this book. Whether you enjoy historical fiction or not, it’s an important story people need to read. In a way, this isn’t really historical fiction. While Lina Sternberg in name was not a real person, her story represents someone who is, was, very real. So we can remember. So we can say “never again.”

I have this weird fascination with WWII Fiction. I did enjoy this book and it kept my attention until the end but I will always wonder about the girl who went to Cuba.