This book had so many anguishing moments that I not only was near tears, but I felt anger.
Austria was a country during the war that turned not only on the Jewish people, but their friends to get ahead.
The heartache Emily suffered and as the years went on knowing or not knowing for sure if your friends were safe or dead could make you feel guilty you survived or why didn’t you do more?

The author has written characters that are so believable that you feel your following their path of emotions. I felt attached to them as I turned the pages and that is what makes a great book!

I definitely would recommend this book to anyone!

I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

After the initial pages, I found myself not connecting with the story or characters, so I decided to pass on this book. Did not finish.

This book is set in WW II Vienna. Emma Huber and her friends, Leonie and Greta were leading a simple life - indifferent about the differences in their races and social status.

Leonie and Greta were relatively more well to do than Emma. During the pre-German occupation, a socialistic revolution in Austria was crushed in which Theo Berger, Emma's fiance was killed. As a result of this shock Emma had a miscarriage. And then came the Nazi occupation of Austria. This is when things start to fall apart

Leoni's parents who were jew decided to leave Vienna and Leoni and her Doctor husband refused to join them, but agreed to send their young daughter with them.

Greta's who was half jew, also decided to leave Austria along with her husband Otto and daughter Sophie. Otto was the editor and owner of a newspaper which was writing about anti-Nazi sentiments and encouraging the Austrians to fight against the occupation. But unfortunately Otto could not join his family and Greta and Sophie left without him.

When situation became too tense, Emma and her mother decided to give refuge to Leonie and her husband Dr Josef Salzmann. This is where we see the lives of all these characters taking a roller-coaster ride and provides a portrait of society at war with itself. We get to see the ugly side of humanity in this book, which is normally hideden behind the masks we wear.

While this is the first book which I have read in the Austrian setting, it reminded me of another book which I read little more than three years back - The Girl from Krakow

I am deeply touched by this book and thoroughly enjoyed reading this.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC.
This was my first and not my last novel by Irene Wittig.
It was a roller coaster ride of emotions. I fell in love with the characters. It was very hard to put the book down.
I learned quite a bit about Austria's role in World War II. I highly recommend this book.

A totally different fiction book on life both during WWII in Vienna following Emma’s life, with its joys and tragedies, along with those of her friends, as well as life after the war. Following the brutalities of the war, this captivating story continues on with the effects of the war on the characters as well as the well deserved outcome for Sophie's relatives. A must read if you're a historical fiction fan!

Set in WWII Vienna, All That Lingers brings to light yet another perspective of the perils of a world at war. Before WWII finds it way to beautiful Vienna, Emma and her friends celebrated life and were planning their futures. But as war and reality invades, things begin to fall apart, lives are lost and fear of what’s right and what’s wrong set in. As time passes, Emma questions her role in the war, did she do enough, what could she have done to protect her friends, to stop the evil. Survivors guilt and the pain of wonderful memories paralyze her until new people come into her life causing her reevaluate her post war choices.

I loved every page of this book. Some WWII paint very vivid, detailed portraits of a world at war...instantly creating emotion. Irene Wittig does that without those extremely detailed accounts. Her words are eloquent yet drip of emotion. You feel the sadness and the guilt. I was so invested in the character of Emma and loved watching her grow over the years. I’ve read stories that mention Austria and Vienna but never one that was set there so this was also a great history lesson for me as well. There are so many secrets and lies attached to war and this story shares just a few. I highly recommend reading the authors notes at the end just to give a better timeline of Austria’s involvement in the war.

Thank you to NetGalley and Irene for the chance to read this story. It’s one that will definitely stay with me for a

The book spans over more than four decades, 1934-1960. Austria, in 1934 was witnessing the rise of Nazism due to the growing influence of Hitler in neighbouring Germany. Anti-semitism was widespread. In 1938, after the Anschluss- the annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany without even a shot being fired, Jews fled the country.

The book follows the life of Emma and her friends in Vienna. Emma was at the brink of happiness in her life. She was looking forward to a future with Theo. Then the whole world was thrown into chaos and everything was snatched away from her. Emma spent the war years confined in her house along with her mother and friend Leonie. When she lost Leonie, it broke her. After the war, she gradually picked up the pieces of her life.
There are two other subplots of Friedrich, a poor nobleman from Germany and Sophie, Emma's best friend's daughter.

Most of my World War II fiction has been limited to Great Britain or Germany. So a story set in Austria was thought-provoking. It is slightly slow in the middle but picks up pace after the war ends. Another thing to reflect on is the effect of war on the privileged class. Did it have any effect on their lifestyle?
The character of Emma is well sketched out and is by far my favourite. She is a loyal and true friend who hides her friend Leonie, a Jew despite the constant threat of getting caught. I could feel her grief and misery. Friedrich is not bad at heart but due to his circumstances, he does what he deems right for his survival.
It is a touching story that would tug at your heartstrings.

Special thanks to Netgalley for providing a digital copy in exchange for an honest review

I'm not gonna lie, I wanted to DNF this at 30%. It just so happened that I didn't have another book to read while having a long wait at a boring family dinner, so the only thing I had to entertain myself was this book. I've never been so thankful for a boring family dinner, because this turned out to be pretty great.

I thought this was going to focus on the war and Emma hiding her Jewish friends. That's what the summary led me to believe. So I was confused when at the 30% mark, the war was over. I wasn't really invested in anything that happened after.

But then I read a couple chapters further, and I realized that while I wasn't invested in the story yet, I was invested in Emma. So I kept reading. Before I knew it, I was invested in the story and I wanted to know how it all ended for everyone. A lot of characters died, which makes sense considering what this book is about. But the way some of these people died, the betrayals that occurred, were absolutely heartbreaking. I'm not gonna sit here and say it's one of my favorite WWII books, because it's not, and that's not the only thing this book is about anyway. But this was a pleasant historical fiction novel that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys the genre

All That Lingers is a powerful tale of three friends, two Jewish and one not whose friendship starts in pre-WWII Vienna. The author, Irene Wittig, follows their disparate paths in life as they attempt to escape the Nazis who soon forcefully occupy Austria. The characters and plot are compelling as the non-Jewish friend stays in Austria, and the other two escape to England and the US to avoid the death camps. All that Lingers is an excellent way to learn, in particular, about the role Austria played in the war and her relationship to Nazi Germany. Wittig is forthright about the recondite way that, even until now, Austrians have made excuses for their participation in the War. Her ability to write frankly about this situation and about the people who died and survived in this grisly war is admirable. I recommend this book in particular for younger (teenage) readers who can learn about WWII through the fiction of friendship, escape, and love.

This novel is hauntingly beautiful. How can one call a novel about WWII beautiful in any way? It is beautiful due to the writing that draws the reader in and captures the friendship of three (3) young women who met in school at the age of 6 when a teacher had them line up in alphabetical order, Grünbaum, Hellmann, Huber and it seemed so simple to say, "Friends forever."

The novel begins in Vienna in 1934, and continues to 1961 in New York. In 1934, Greta Grünbaum is now married and we meet her as Greta Bruckner, wife of newspaper journalist Otto. Léonie is now married and we meet her as Léonie Salzmann, wife of physician Josef. Emma Huber is engaged to the love of her life, Theo Berger, Socialist and activist. What could possibly interrupt their lives or even their friendship? It is a saga written of the prelude of WWII, through the darkest days of WWII in Vienna, to the aftermath. There are times of pure joy, times of celebration, times of the deepest despair, times almost unspeakable to live through let alone to remember. It is a novel of friendship and love, betrayal and deceit, secrets and lies, and most of all human resilience with the portrayal of emotions ranging the full spectrum as in life from gut-wrenching to heart-warming.

I have read many novels in the historical setting of WWII but I have never read the perspective of the war from Vienna nor did I have any educational background which made this a more enlightening read. But reading this saga of historical fiction provides more than any history class would reveal as it shares the different aspects of humanity from those who are motivated by power and greed to those that are motivated by caring and service to others. Through the friendship of three (3) women we become personally invested in their survival.

It was a mesmerizing reading experience due to the detail of the author's compelling writing. As politics are revealed, sides chosen, it becomes provocative and thought-provoking to wonder the choices one's family might have made, to wonder what your personal choices might have been. Regardless, it illuminates a difficult time in World history that one can only hope will never be repeated. It is a story I will remember. It is a story I will encourage others to read.

My sincere thanks to Irene Wittig, and BooksGoSocial for my complimentary digital copy of this title, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

#AllThatLingers #NetGalley

This was ok...I might be tired out on all the WWII fiction I have been reading, but I just couldn't connect with the characters and I was skimming by the end. However, it may be me, so I would recommend giving it a chance for yourself!!

ALL THAT LINGERS by IRENE WITTIG is a heart wrenching story of what Austrians, particularly those who lived in Vienna, went through during and after the second world war.
The story revolves around Emma, Léonie and Greta, three young women who met their first day at school and have been friends ever since, and their families. The author gives us a real understanding of the characters' emotions as they undergo terrible hardship and loss. Experiencing the hatred that is unleashed, especially towards the Jews, affects Emma in particular and she puts herself in danger by looking after her Jewish friends. We see the depression and hopelessness of people who feel their country has betrayed them. There are also those who collaborate with the enemy, and, even in families, there are some who cannot be trusted.
I like to see how the characters who are still alive after the war slowly start to live and love again with hope for the future.
I recommend the novel as an excellent read.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from BooksGoSocial. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

Loved, loved this achingly beautiful book! My emotions are in a puddle. Mainly set in Austria, specifically Vienna, this WWII to the 1960s takes us through all sorts of twists and bends, joys and heartaches, pain and anguish. I love Vienna, her history and culture, food, beauty and art. But as the author says, in the fifty years following WWII, Austria remained silent. I love that the author captured this perspective so wonderfully. The descriptions are gorgeous...and I don't mean just scenically but the psychological insights are outstanding (the before, then and after; evil begets evil...). The tragedies are many but there is always hope.

Not only do we learn about the various characters' lives but historical information which doesn't feel like addons but is seamlessly blended into the story (such as Nazis banning art and entertainment, Kristallnacht, confiscations). The poignant rolled carpet story is seared into my memory.

The various characters are fascinating, all with secrets and history. Some are engaging, others less so, and I really cared about the outcomes. The three main characters are Emma, Sophie and Friedrich and some secondary characters include Leonie, Greta, Marion and Hannah. We learn about their relationships, connections and lives as they navigate WWII and the effects on future generations. I appreciate that war details are not glossed over as they are important to know. Emma had been accustomed to ease but during and after the war she experiences tragedy which changes her. Sophie travels to Vienna from America to look for answers to her compelling family's history. And what she finds is much more than she had expected. Like Austria, Friedrich stands back in the sidelines. Love the way the pieces fit together. That ending!

All Historical Fiction fans ought to bury themselves in this unputdownable book. It is THAT good.

My sincere thank you to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this remarkable book. I enjoyed it thoroughly.