Midnight to Prague follows Natalia Fabor from after World War I, through World War II and after the war. We meet Natalia as a teenager taking the train to Prague with her mother where she discovers the real story of her father and meets characters that will impact her life later on. Her mother lives her own life traveling about and many times just leaves Natalia to find her own way. She meets a whole cast of colorful characters, marries, endures World War II without her husband, gets sent to a concentration camp and carves out a life for herself after the war. The novel was hard to follow as the story would shift to other characters along the way. The last half of the book was much easier to follow. I don’t think the author developed Natalia as a complex character – things just happened to her. The main story line was compelling but the pace at times was too slow with lots of detail that wasn’t needed. The novel would appeal to those interested in WWII historical fictions especially those interested in Czechoslovakia, Germany & Hungary. Thanks to NetGalley and Atlantic/Grove for the opportunity to read and give an honest review.

I liked this one but found it pretty slow and eventually had a hard time finishing it. I like her writing but the story didn't move along very quickly,

I thought this book had great potential, but the execution fell a bit short. However, if you aren't a reader bothered by a book that definitely needed an editor, than you will enjoy this, because the plot idea was good.

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
An interesting idea behind this story. The writing is good and the first few chapters really drew me in.
However, the swapping of characters was at times abrupt and difficult to follow.
On the whole, a good book.

I found this book on NetGalley and am grateful to have been approved a copy. I know that my review is quite late considering that the book was released in April, but then again, better late than never.

Starting with the title, the book intrigued me and I was curious to know what happens. The synopsis also added to growing interest I had in the book. Set in the times before, during and after the WWII, the story follows Natalia as she first travels with her mother to Prague and then later as she navigates life under the Nazi rule. The first half of the story focuses on her, her family and the people they meet on the way including Miklós. The second half of the story introduces us to Anna, the daughter of Magdalena Schaefferová, a doctor whom Natalia had very briefly met many years ago. As the story progresses, their stories intertwine and diverge based on the situations they end up in.

The historical aspect of the story is spot on and I enjoyed reading about how Europe changed. The author also touches upon the horrors during WWII, families being torn apart and the loss that people dealt with. This was quite sad but very well portrayed. At some points the story became confusing for me as it jumped from location to location and character to character.

Also, I read this in many reviews and I agree that it was odd how most of the dialogues were maintained in passive voice. Though it did not bother me as much, it was a new style of writing which I had not encountered much before. In retrospect, I feel that this worked for the way the book was written and still conveyed the points across. I was also not able to correlate the title of the book with the story completely as the focus was on the lives of the people and their experiences during the war. 

The characters went through a lot in this story dealing with love, loss, friendship, empathy and so many other things. The author does a good job in pulling the reader into the narrative. This book is a good read for the historical depictions with a focus on Eastern Europe and the enduring nature of the characters in the book!

I struggled with this book. The first two chapters were good, but then the author switched characters, completely throwing me. My interest waned after that and I Just lost interest in the story.

In all the books of this time genre I have obsessed over recently, this one in all honestly was not a favorite of mine. It has a lot going on which at times can be difficult to keep up with. There is nothing wrong with the writing or writing style, just came down to ease of reading and connection to the story.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

my netgalley arc broke, reached out and was unable to figure out the problem, very disappointed because i very much was looking forward to this.

This book follows Natalia Faber, between the 1920s-1940s. She is on a train to Prague with her mother when she finds out the truth about her father, meets Dr. Schaefferová, and this sets off a series of events that unfold in her life. Her mother has a life of her own and Natalia is left trying to figure out where she belongs. She eventually marries and settles down, but everything is turned upside down when war breaks out in Europe. She meets various people whom are within 5 degrees of separation, and she survives the war, despite having been sent to a concentration camp, and looks forward to moving on.

I appreciated the intent and the story behind this book but unfortunately found it difficult to follow. I felt that there were too many characters and locations so I kept losing track of who/where meant what to the protagonist. I enjoyed the love story between Natalia and Miklos, and the characters of Beatriz, Zita and Natalia's mother-in-law.

I feel that this book would be appreciated by someone who is more familiar with Czechoslovakia, Germany & Hungary, or someone who is particularly interested in the WWII era, because they would be able to understand and appreciate the references to those locations better.

Thank you to Harper Collins and Netgalley for the eGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

*This book has been kindly given to me pre-publication via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*
Midnight Train to Prague by Carol Windley is a post-Bolshevik Revolution and after World War One novel following the life of Natalia Faber. After discovering that the man who died on a train was her father, her life becomes unintentionally twined with the doctor on the train who attempted to save her father. The book follows Natalia from this event onwards, dealing with family illness, romance and, later, the horrors of the Second World War. Reading through the lens of Natalia, the themes of loss, love and family drive the story forward.
This book was, sadly, one of the most difficult to read books of this year, mainly because of how dry and slow the narrative is. When it comes to the central events of the novel, the author seems to underplay them, briefly mentioning them but then going into detail on the smallest of matters that prove to be unimportant to the overall plot.
To add to this, her writing style can often lead to confusion, as I often found myself having to re-read paragraphs and re-calibrate myself. From a reader’s perspective, I would argue the book needed a bit more of a purpose and more fore-thought in the plot to move the story from beginning to end, because instead it felt jittery and not thought through.
In terms of the characters, the protagonist projects herself as boring and hollow, with her presence bearing no real purpose other than to be the central thread that ties the story together. Having this important of a role in a story as the protagonist, I would have liked Natalia to have had more flavour. Instead, side characters like her mother Beatriz and friend Zita seem to take the limelight more, even though their stories eb and flow. These characters, along with Rozalia, while somewhat annoying, dominated the story much more than the protagonist did. I think I would’ve preferred if there were less characters surrounding Natalia and more emphasis on shaping who Natalia was and what her purpose in the novel was.
As another thing to quickly mention, I thought some of the descriptions of the time period felt very out of touch with the reality, as the characters were eating well-cooked meals and living a relatively happy life, and then are suddenly catapulted into the realities of war. The problem I found was that the extent of World War Two only seemed to reach them in 1942, adding to the carelessness of the writing. As a history student, I would place these novels in the category of ‘Historical Fiction Novels Who Miss the Mark’, alongside The Tattooist of Auschwitz and The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas.
Finally, the ending of the book felt slightly rushed and pressed for time, and ended on a rather unremarkable note, not even focusing on the protagonist, merely adding to the idea that Natalia was a jumping board for other characters to outshine her.
Overall, this book was rather unremarkable and not one I would recommend to many. The lack of overall theme and the little to no driving force in the novel, as well as unlikable characters and a protagonist who didn’t feel like a protagonist, made for a disappointing experience. I expected a lot more from this novel.

So in general WW11 era historical fiction is probably one of my favorite historical timeframes. I have read many, and I have generally loved them. I expected to love this one also, given the subject matter and era, but I did find myself struggling a bit with this one. While the story generally seems to center on either Natalia Faber or Anna Shefferova, there is a lot of bouncing around, and I feel like some major events for the characters are glossed over and summarized later. This style didn’t allow me as a reader to really become involved with what is happening to the characters, and at times had the effect of confusion. I rounded this book up from a 2.5 to a 3 mostly because I hate to tear a writer to shreds in reviews. Perhaps this story may have been better served by expanding the story, and giving more details on our main characters. Some of the best fiction obviously brings the reader into the life of the character and makes us care about that character. In this regard this missed that mark. The writing isn’t poor quality and the story does have some notable moments, but they are not enough to compensate for the lack of development and scattered storyline. Overall, story lacks structure and vital character development, and because of this I can’t recommend it as a shining example of the genre. Thank you to Netgalley for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I could not finish this book, unfortunately. I didn’t get too far in. The writing was very disjointed, the story was all over the place, and the details in each chapter were tedious. I would not recommend this book.

What a lovely intergenerational story around World War II in Hungary set in Hungary and Czechoslovakia. I sometimes felt overwhelmed trying to keep up with all the characters coming and going, but overall, this was a story about Natalia Faber, from the time she is living with her over-the-top mother Beatriz up to her middle-age self and how life has changed her.. This is a story about love, loss, the ugliness of war, hope, disappointment, friendship, starting over, and basically life in general for all those souls who have lived through or died during WWII.

There was something special about Carol Windley's prose; it felt like I was cozy in my bed and she was reading to me. Subdued, simple, yet gripping, emotional, making readers feel like they are being narrated an old story. I particularly enjoyed the old folks tales like the salt girl.

I am giving this book a 5-star because I enjoyed the story, the characters which all had depth, the historical context which was well placed, and I appreciated all the historical information I learned throughout my read, and of course the meaning of the title,

I recommend this book to anyone looking for an emotional and quiet read of two families destined to be in each other's lives.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

received a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review
This was just another typical WWII novel. it didn't feel like anything special

What a fantastic story and plot. Tightly twisted yet so poignant. What a tremendous setting and characters that are well written and thoroughly fleshed out. Highly recommended

I had a hard time with this book. There are a lot of characters to follow and not enough story. I couldn't connect with anyone or what was happening to them and while I got more interested as I read, the passive narration kept me at a distance the whole time.

Thank you NetGalley, Grove Atlantic and the author for an advanced copy to review.

As a lover of historical fiction I was excited to receive an e-ARC of Midnight Train to Prague. Unfortunately, I could not get into this book! I was confused at many points of time with the countless characters and time jumps.

Thank you to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for the opportunity to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book took me forever to finish because I just couldn’t follow all the characters and total lack of plot. Yes, there is a train to Prague and then World War II and then it’s ten years later. And the story just rambles about and jumps through time with no real focus or clear path. This was really close to a DNF but I’m stubborn and pushed through hoping it would all come together.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Carol Windley's Midnight Train to Prague was definitely not what I expected. I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing. The novel, set in Europe, takes readers from 1927 through World War II and its aftermath.

Let's start with what I liked about the novel. First off, I thought it was an interesting look at how Nazi Germany affected the surrounding countries and those who chose to stay instead of fleeing. I also liked that the characters' lives were intertwined after a chance encounter on a train from Berlin to Prague in 1927.

However, I didn't immediately understand that the minor event on the train was going to tie these characters together eventually. The first part of the book focuses on Natalia and her mother Beatriz, along with Miklos and his on-again/off-again girlfriend Zita. We get to know these characters very closely, but then part two comes along, and we're reading about someone named Anna. Who is Anna??? Eventually, the author draws the people from part one to the family in part two, but I didn't really feel that the ties were that strong.

Perhaps that's because I wasn't fond of the author's writing style. There isn't much action. It's very "tell, tell, tell" instead of "show, show, show". And time passes rather quickly and without much notice in the author's world. I got confused as to whether something was a flashback or happening now or how so-and-so knew this other person because apparently they had met but the author didn't think I needed to know that until later.

And back to that event on the train. When this book was pitched to me, it sounded like the train event was monumental. Like it was going to change who Natalia was for the future. And while the train event could be deemed kind of tragic or upsetting for her, it didn't really have anything to do with her future choices. Maybe it affected her mother more? I don't want to give too much away.

If anything, this book would be good for a book club discussion. I think the books that people didn't like that much always had better discussions than the books we did like.

Midnight Train to Prague is published by HarperCollins and is on bookstore shelves today. I received a free e-ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

I want to thank Net Galley for this copy but I have to say I could not finish this. I agree with some of the other reviews posted. I enjoyed the first chapter of Natalia and her single mom Beatriz and their travels. By the second chapter the story goes to a character Miklos and Zita driving in car to a train disaster. However you don't get background on these characters till later on in the chapter. Then all these other characters are thrown in. Did not care for the running together writing style. Did not wow me and I'm a fan of this genre.