I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

This is a fascinating story about 2 English sisters who are separated by WWII. One spends her time in England and France. The other marries a German and moves to his home in Berlin. At first, the letters they share are filled with details of their lives. As the war progresses, the letters become more impersonal and the bond between the sisters deteriorates.

All of this is uncovered in modern times when a young woman purchases an old typewriter, only to discover an unfinished manuscript inside the case.

The Words I Never Wrote is a fascinating read about two sisters during World War II. There is also a present day storyline, and the search for a lost manuscript. Historical fiction with a 1940's setting at its very best -- highly recommended!

I thought this book was great. The writing was well done and the store was profound. I enjoyed it. Thank you to netgalley for the arc.

Great historical fiction. I will watch for more by this author. Very interesting story. I would recommend this book to friends who enjoy historical fiction.

Earlier this year I was on a WW2 historical fiction kick but it dwindled over the last few months. Until I picked up this book. Jane Thynne's 'The Words I Never Wrote" is a spectacular novel. There is so much out there about WW2 but it's such a difficult and complex history to grasp. Thynne spent time explaining events, names, and other important details - which I loved because it meant more time reading and less time Googling topics/people I don't know.

The story is about two sisters on opposite sides of WW2. I have an older sister so I was able to really connect with the sisters. I found the storyline so interesting. Thynne does a wonderful job jumping between the two sisters and a woman in 2016 who is researching the two sisters' story. I loved that Thynne spent time in the years/months leading up to WW2 and finished with the war ending (and it's aftermath).

Of all the WW2 books I've read this year (maybe 15 books) this one is definitely in my top 3.

Two sisters, Irene and Cordelia, find themselves on different political sides of WWII. Irene, married to a high ranking Nazi official, resides in Berlin while Cordelia moves to Paris to work for a journalist reporting on the Nazi's. Throughout the book, the two sisters periodically communicate through letters.

It starts out with a modern day character, Juno, in a typewriter shop in 2016. She finds Cordelia's typewriter from when she was a journalist and purchases it because she also finds a copy of an unpublished novel Cordelia wrote in the typewriter case. Juno's POV does not pick up again until 59% (on a Kindle).

The first half of the book revolves around the evolving politics of the Nazi party as seen through the eyes of Irene who attends many parties and political events with her Nazi husband. She struggles to accept her role as a wife according to the National Socialist Guide and feels like she must yield in order to survive.
Meanwhile, her sister, Cordelia, reports on fashion in Paris while working for a journalist and questions her sisters political allegiance and ethical behavior. Will the two sisters be able to reconcile after the war, or will their political views keep them divided?

Historically : There are lot of prominent historical figures involved in the story such as Martha Dodd, Janet Flanner, Joseph Goebells, Reinhard Heydrich, Sylvia Beach, Arthur Koestler, and Kim Philby. There is dialogue regarding gender inequality; Cordelia has to first work as a secretary because women weren't seen to be fit as journalist working alongside men, while Irene had to follow the Nazi protocol for being a proper wife and running a household. Degenerate artists are also a considerable subject that are detailed through a character seen in the second half, Oskar Blum, a young artist who is a protege of Liebermann.

Rating explained: The scenes and descriptions are over-extensive and drawn out which made it feel longer than it had to be. It was slow in some places and a little under halfway through I started to feel eager for the story to climb. (It doesn't truly reach climax until around 80% on a Kindle.) I enjoyed that the focus was before the war and what led up to it (1936/1937) and then the end of the war (1945/46) rather than what happened during the war. The ending was great and I really enjoyed it. I also loved the political climate that the author creates, and consider the topic of political influence dividing family relevant today.
3.6 rounded up to 4.

(Trigger- rape scene)
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Ballantine for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own

The Words I Never Wrote is about two sisters Irene and Cordelia caught up in the politics of WWII, each doing what they can to fight against the atrocities of the war. As girls growing up in England, they were extremely close. Then, Irene marries a German man and moves to Berlin. Cordelia moves to Paris as an aspiring journalist, writing stories on current fashion. Irene discovers that her husband joined the Nazi Party before their marriage, and married life is nothing like she thought it would be. The sisters write frequent letters to each other until one day, Cordelia gives Irene an ultimatum. Cordelia assumes that she knows what Irene's choice means and doesn't discover Irene's true motives until the war has ended. During the war, Cordelia joins The Special Operations Executive, a spy network. Irene stays with her husband, but secretly works with the underground networks to help the Jewish people and later becomes a nurse. Neither sister is aware of what the other is doing.

After the war, Cordelia works as a interpreter for interviews with the Germans convicted of war crimes. During her first interview, she walks in the room and discovers Irene. This is the first time the sisters have spoken since the war began. The rest of their time together is just as mysterious and emotionally charged as the time they spent apart.

Parts of the story occur in 2016, when Juno, a photographer, purchases an old typewriter that once belonged to Cordelia. In the typewriters case is a partial manuscript written by Cordelia. Juno develops an insatiable need to learn the rest of Cordelia and Irene's story. She travels to Berlin where she eventually discovers the secrets that the sisters carried with them until each of their passing.

There were some parts of Juno's story that didn't seem necessary and were drawn out, but I really enjoyed her enthusiasm for finding the missing story. Jane Thynne's attention to detail is extremely impressive and I really appreciated the descriptive nature of the book. It was easy to picture this story as a movie while I read it.

I highly recommend this book to all lovers of historical fiction.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was such a surprise. So much better than I anticipated.

Two sisters, Cordelia ( Dee) and Irene, one is living in Paris and one living in Berlin during WW2 and married to a German officer.

These sisters correspond through letters , until they abruptly stop.

I found the two points of view riveting. I couldn’t put this book down. How could Irene see what she sees and stay ?
I found her view extremely interesting. Sort of an insider view.
This book was such a wonderful read. Told from both points of view from their childhood, throughout the rise and fall of Germany and into present day.
I can not recommend this book enough. It’s a little slow going in the beginning , then it hits a point where you cannot put it down .
I wanted more !
Thank you to Netgalley, Random House-Ballantine and the author ( who I am now a huge fan of) for the advanced reading copy . My opinions are my own .

What a sweeping atmospheric tearjerker of a book! The story sweeps you along into the era of world war two with two sisters torn between the conflicts of the war. As you read about their lives and the atmosphere of war and what it caused in the world and these women's lives you feel right there along side them. You will cry and fall in love all at once with this beautifully written of war and it's devastation on country and family

The Words I Never Wrote wasn't the novel I was expecting—in fact, it turned out to be much better than that. Yes, it had the hunt for a lost manuscript that I'd anticipated, but it also had relationships between characters and ethical conundrums that took it beyond a simple "fun read."

As one other reviewer noted, The Words I Never Wrote continue to surprise until the very end. At points, I'd think I'd gotten the basic shape of the novel—then my assumptions would be overturned by something unexpected.

At the heart of the book lies the story of two sisters living through World War II. One finds herself in France, then Germany, beginning as a fashion reported and winding up as a translator for the occupying forces at the war's end. The other marries a wealthy German before the start of the war, renounces her British citizenship and moves to Germany, where her life increasingly becomes a round of one social event after another with the Nazi hierarchy, while her husband profits from the increasing German militarization.

Thyme gives us characters who are complex. Their choices are unexpected, but not illogical. She takes what could have been simple good sister-bad sister narrative and creates something much more engaging.

The Words I Never Wrote is a must read. It is a fantastic historical fiction novel that pulls you into the book. Well written and interesting characters.

Wow. I could not put THE WORDS I NEVER WROTE down. When I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. This was unlike any WWII novel I have ever read. The story of two sisters -- Irene and Cordelia -- separated by war and choices made was a powerful look at life during war and how those choices have long lasting impacts. Even when I was frustrated by the sisters, I felt so much for them.

Sometimes a book gives you an entirely new perspective on things. I loved the idea of sisters in two different worlds. I loved seeing things from inside Germany before, during, and after the war. I enjoyed Cordelia's involvement with the SOE. I loved her passion for her work, for the stories she wanted to tell. I loved her conviction. She sounded like someone I'd want to know.

Fascinating and well written story. Hard to put down once you get into it. Especially intriguing was the depiction of how wealthy Germans were able to ignore the truth of what was happening. Hitler's regime was so good at masking the dark underside by glitzing up the visible. The bond of the sisters, Irene and Cordelia, even across the miles that separated them is so evident. Mixed in were the beautiful descriptions of the fashion, the high class dinners and balls, and the world of journalism. I loved this book and and will read Jane Thynne again for sure.

I didn't want this book to end. I really enjoyed this historical fiction book about two sisters. Set during WW2 one sister marries a German Irene and the other works as a journalist, Cordelia. They stop communicating during the war as Cordelia can't see how Irene can stand to tolerate Germany's treatment of its citizens.

I enjoyed the present day parts of the book when the photographer finds the typewriter in the shop and wants to find out more about the sisters.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in return of my honest review. Please read this if you too are in want of a page-turning read!

In “The Words I Never Wrote” by Jane Thynne, I found another great read by this author. I love her books and this one is another good one.

In present day, Juno Lambert buys a 1931 Underwood typewriter that had been used by a celebrated journalist during the time of the war and after. The story revolves around Cordelia Capel and her sister Irene. In the middle a930’s Cordelia gets a job at a newspaper in Paris while her sister married a German industrialist and Nazi sympathizer. Irene stubbornly resists the idea that her husband is a Nazi, but that he is just making sure his company thrives. Through letters, Cordelia discovers that her beloved sister is keeping her in the dark about the reality of the Nazi regime. Irene will not admit what her life is truly like and Cordelia decides to write the truth in a novel.

Juno finds a copy of the novel in the typewriter case and decides to discover what secret let to the sisters’ separation and what happened during the time of war, espionage, and love in Nazi Berlin. We see it all in this novel. As usual Ms. Thynne brings things to light that some may have wished to keep in the dark.

Jane Thynne is one of my favorite authors.This book is one of her best.There are stories set around WWII and then there are stories set around WWII written by Jane Thynne.
It is a story of two sisters Irene and Cordelia.Irene gets married to a German Industrialist who is high up in Hitlers top circle.Cordelia becomes a fashion journalist in Paris.This is one of my favorite parts of Thynne’s books.The descriptions of the fashions of that time.Very descriptive.
The war changes the relationship between the two sisters.
This is a dual story line but it does not detract from the story.
Thankyou Net galley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine Books for this ARC

I think I have found another favorite author!! Last night I finished The Words I Never Wrote by Jane Thynne. What a wonderful book! After you have read as many historical fiction books based during WWII ,as I have, you don't think you can be surprised. You have a feeling how the story will be told, but this one surprised me, all the way until the end. It is a story of family, sacrifices, pain, heartbreak, redemption, and that doesn't even cover half the book. The story starts in present day New York and ends in present day Berlin, but the roads that are traveled in between are immense and spellbinding. I found myself crying and smiling over Cordelia and Irene's story, and I have no doubt that you will too!

I received this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC of this book. Its my first book from them and I was excited to get started However I had just read the Resistance Women and was afraid I was going to get tired of WW II stories -- there are so many out there and many are very good.
New York, present day: On a whim, photographer Juno Lambert buys the 1931 Underwood typewriter that once belonged to celebrated journalist Cordelia Capel. Within its case she discovers an unpublished novel, igniting a transatlantic journey to fill the gaps in the story of Cordelia and her sister’s loving yet tempestuous relationship.
The first half of the book was a little slow, and since Cordelia was the celebrated journalist I was waiting to find out more about her. But you don't until the second half. It seemed to me, the major character was Irene, who I loved, and enjoyed watching her determine her place before and during WW II. It was interesting that as the older sister, Irene was always trying to determine what Cordelia would do, and that guided many of her decisions. By the end of the book I really wished we would have learned more about Cordelias life and how Irene supported herself as well. Those would be my only criticisms. I ended up enjoying this book immensely and thing you would find much to discuss in a book club setting.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was a historical fiction set in WWII told in dual timeline sand dual locations. This novel really made me think about the choices we make and the ripples they cause. It shows that some choices are not always black and white. I kept waiting until the very end for Irene to be praised, honored, lauded for her choice to hide Oskar but she never was. Chapter 23 was a very off transition for me...I read it three times to try to figure out who was Margo a character randomly introduced. Great novel and would read more by this author.