The structure of this wartime novel is built around the personalities and foibles of an apartment house in Brussels. The characters include an older single woman who is an unrepentant busybody, members of a wealthy Jewish family, a wounded veteran of the Great War aand his colorblind artist daughter. Also included is an undocumented Jewish woman who is genius with a sewing needle.

The plot starts out strong, just prior to the Nazi invasion of Belgium, with several of the characters being brought into focus over a relatively few pages.. Unfortunately , the author does not spend much time with any one character and spreads them out geographically so that she has a difficult time creating a cohesive plot that fully gives each character their due. People meet, fall in love but the reader isn't fully aware of why this comes about. To put it bluntly , the plot would have been better had it been located entirely in Brussels with fewer main characters.

I liked the premise of this debut novel: the focus on an apartment building in Brussels on the eve of WWII creates an intriguing backdrop to a story involving a varied cast of characters. However, I found it a bit of a slog and it took me weeks to get through this book. Perhaps I may have not been in the right frame of mind at the time, it just seemed to take a long time before anything really happened. I did like many of the characters and enjoyed reading about their relationships with one another. There are a lot of them but I was able to keep them straight in my mind. This is a tumultuous period in history and that creates a lot of drama in this building. The book is beautifully written and I think that many readers will find it captures the spirit of the time—both the challenges that ordinary people faced and the ways they fought against their oppressors. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC and the opportunity to provide an honest review.

33 Place Brugmann was an interesting read. I was expecting more mystery and love story going solely on the description of the book, and was quite disappointed that the mystery and love story only revealed itself in the last few chapters of the book. However, on reflection, Charlotte had a love story of her own with art, photography, painting, architecture, nature, storytelling, and of course a love story with her father.

The entire book and all of the characters and their narratives read entirely as a philosophical and poetic form of writing which kept the book interesting and vivid enough to keep reading, but the total lack of mystery and thrill that is expected in this setting and time period counteracted what would have and could have been an extraordinary book.

For the plot of the book and the overall storyline, I wouldn’t give this book any stars for rating. The 3 star rating I have given is for the excellent writing style, captivating characters and narratives that were kept consistent throughout.

This is a gorgeously told story of art, family, and love in a time of great strife. It gives an intimate portrayal of the early days of Nazi occupation in Brussels through the lens of the residents of 33 Place Brugmann. With so many WWII historical fiction novels out there, it's difficult these days to find a new story. It can feel like the story has been told many times before. Alice Austen manages to add a new perspective, at least to me, of preserving art and keeping it from being stolen by the Nazis.

This is a fantastic novel, and I think even readers who aren't interested in historical fiction would enjoy this book.

33 Place Brugman is a compelling debut novel by Alice Austin. Set in Brussels, just before World War II, the plot centers around the lives of a diverse set of characters, all residing in the apartment building named in the title. There is a large cast of characters and the book features multiple points of view, each one offering their own unique perspective of the events and challenges of living on the brink of war. While this technique is a favorite of mine, some readers may find it difficult to juggle so many characters and also hard to connect to any one person in the book. The historical details are rich and provide a complex backdrop to the individual stories. Austen uses lyrical prose to explores themes of love, identity and resistance.

As suggested by the title, Alice Austen’s book centers on the residents of an apartment house, 33 Place Brugmann, Brussels, beginning in 1939 and onwards through the early 1940’s. Political dynamics in Europe were shifting dramatically and quickly as Nazi influence and local regulations on Jewish residents in Belgium and Brussels specifically increased.

To be honest, what I learned in US high school about Nazi repression and actions against the Jewish populace in Belgium was virtually nil, as was Nazi suppression of unapproved newspapers. So the book was an eye-opener in so many ways. I had never even heard of the VNV, the Flemish National Union, which supported the Nazis, and I’m pretty sure most readers had not either. That several characters were identified as Flemish and Flemish attitudes were addressed was illuminating.

What I loved about this book was the exquisite writing, an almost-impressionist wartime portrait of wartime Brussels and how residents of the apartment house achieved daily errands such as buying bread with ration cards. What I felt was less than optimal was the lack of a cohesive story line, odd daydream and dream sequences by Charlotte and others, and the loose ends of the story at the book’s end.
I found the book interesting but not an easy flowing read, was tempted to abandon the effort a few times despite the author’s undoubted writing talent.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grove/Atlantic, Inc. for this advance reader’s copy, in exchange for an honest review. “33 Place Brugmann” is scheduled for publication on March 11, 2025.
And check out all of my reviews on my blog site, Raised on Reading (www.raisedonreading.com). New reviews are posted weekly.
The opening promo for Alice Austen’s debut novel “33 Place Brugmann” details that, “On the eve of the Nazi occupation, in the heart of Brussels, life for the residents of eight apartments at 33 Place Brugmann is about to change forever.”
Sounds intriguing, right?
It drew me in. And then almost immediately let me down.
I slugged through the first third of the novel and never got a sense of impending doom or life-altering events. Sure, there was an occasional mention of the Nazis plotting with Russia to divvy up Poland and such. But there was way too much time spent providing backstory on way too many characters.
More importantly, I never felt connected to any of them. And the novel is certainly not plot driven, because were it not for that opening promo I recalled reading, I would have had no idea what was going on.
I also felt there was a general lack of continuity to the writing. For example, one of the characters, Martin, asks Francois (another apparently main character) for a favor. Francois agrees to provide the favor. But we are never told what the favor is. Instead, the narrative transgresses into a lengthy discussion of Francois’s daughter, Charlotte. Huh?
In one scene, Mr. Raphael describes a particular book he and another character are discussing as “Unreadable.”
He could very well have been talking about “33 Place Brugmann.”
I hate to hang the DNF label on any book, but I just could not make it through this one. If you can, you’re a better person than I am.
One lonely star out of five for “33 Place Brugmann.”

This book was a tough one to rate. This story follows the longtime residents of an apartment building in Belgium. The story begins pre-occupation and references pre-war times as well, but spans well into WWII. The story is told through varying points of view with each chapter belonging to a different character. The unique perspectives of each resident really work well to show a rounded picture of how that time in history could have felt and how people might have behaved, or more realistically did behave. I’m always interested to read historical fiction that shows the lives of people who were just trying to live their lives and doing what they thought was right. I also appreciated how the author showed in real time the shifting views of Jewish people, particularly with comments made about things often attributed to the Jewish population. (Whether accurate or not.) The book at times felt a little choppy and there were aspects I feel could have been removed. And there are some interesting visions that happen and I don’t know if I understood those. I kind of felt like the ending was a little rushed and wished I could have seen a little more of the story, particularly for Charlotte and maybe even Dirk as he seemed to be on a new path.

Overall I say grab this book and give it a shot. This was an advanced copy from the NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my review. Having said that the kindle version was a hot mess formatting wise, but I would anticipate that would be fixed by publishing date.

Story starts out with the voice of young Charlotte who lives in a stately apartment building with her father, on a "place" or square in Brussels, Belgium, just before WWII.
I am immediately drawn in by her life and relationship with the Raphael kids, teenagers like herself, who live in the apt. opposite them. The story continues with the points of view of the other tenants of the building, and I was charmed.

33 Place Brugmann is a building that holds a community, not just residents during World War 2. Made up of exceptional characters that make living together joyous and painful. Alice Austen does an incredible job of drawing you into the plight of the Raphael’s, as they escape persecution. Macha, Charlotte, Francois and the Colonel, bravely trying to do their part to make the German occupation fall. No one can fully be trusted when half the house is spying, sand half the house is rebelling. The only thing that is certain is the Alice Austen has put together a group of characters that historically lived in most buildings throughout Europe during the Occupation. For or against, there was no middle ground.

33 Place Brugmann offers a new perspective than many books based on World War Two. The book describes the experiences of the inhabitants of 33 Place Brugmann as the war develops in the heart of Brussels.

There are many points of view within this story, which make it an interesting read. However, because there are so many, I did find it difficult to connect to the characters as well as I have done in previous similar novels.

It is well written and showcases the importance of resilience, hope and art.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was gripping and hard to put down. It didn't feel like everything else you see out there, it felt very fresh. I really enjoyed this book!

This book was a particularly creative way to write about the Nazi occupation in Brussels. The book demonstrates how residents of one building were each affected by the war and how their reactions impacted their friends and/or neighbors. At the beginnning of the book there is a page that tells you who lives in each apartment. Just one tip - if I was to read the book again I would have returned back to that page earlier on to get a better sense of the layout of the building and exactly where each resident was located - I think that would have helped me to visualize what they were seeing and hearing when looking out their doors or hearing footsteps, etc. Although it's not really necessary and I really did enjoy the book but I think it may have made it even more enjoyable.

A solid debut!

I am not one who usually enjoys a book with multiple POVs as it leaves me with a small space to grow attached to and empathize with every character thrown my way. But this book may be an exception. I loved how natural each character’s connection was to the other—very raw, very human. It made me grow fond of that little apartment building with its members, having to hope for the best for them once the Nazi occupation struck.

Austen was able to start with each small detail that builds up to reveal a bigger picture. Like how the story begins with Charlotte describing the familiar features of their quaint home, then proceeding to the dawn of World War II. It gave way to a very steady progression throughout the story, which kept me intrigued and captivated the whole time.

Despite being a historical fiction and somewhat a literary fiction, I sense the high stakes, keeping me on the edge of my seat as I swipe each page. I adore each character, and I was afraid of what would happen to them, as well as what they would do. The characters are so interwoven that one character’s decision could highly affect the fate of another.

The writing is just so atmospheric, which I love. There were sentences that confused me a bit, but I believe it adds to the charm anyway.
As someone who loves art and history, I adore this book and will continue to think about it for the time being.

I want to thank NetGalley and Grove Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

33 Place Brugmann is a captivating book based on the residents of an apartment building in Brussels right before and during World War II. Austen is a beautiful writer who is able to capture the unique voices of each character very convincingly. The different perspectives were woven together in an organic yet unpredictable way. I found this book riveting and it has been a while since a novel drew me in this quickly. I was immediately swept up in the worries and choices that had to be made by the residents during a period of extreme turmoil and distrust of each other. It is a thought-provoking story that left a strong impression on me. Despite the serious topic, there are many moments of joy and beauty and I flew through the book fairly quickly as I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Press for an advance copy.

This book offers a thought-provoking exploration of World War II through the eyes of the long-time residents of an apartment building in Belgium. It begins before the war, capturing the growing menace of Naziism and the looming threat of invasion. The narrative delves into the hardships of rationing and loss, as well as the courageous acts—both small and significant—that individuals undertake in resistance. The diverse viewpoints provide a rich tapestry of life, from children growing up within a close-knit community of neighbors to adults engaged in discussions about philosophy, design, art, and the essence of beauty. The story reveals that not everything is black and white; there are countless shades of gray. I thoroughly enjoyed the different perspectives and the exploration of family and love in such a complex context.

Reminiscent of *The Diary of Anne Frank*, *33 Place Brugman* recounts the lives of families residing in an apartment building before and during the German occupation. It vividly portrays their daily struggles for survival amid the harsh realities of war. The narrative brings to light the resilience and determination of those facing the relentless challenges of their times, offering a poignant look at their endurance and courage.

Easy read and loving characters though the storylines were sometimes hard to follow

This was a thought provoking premise to view and experience WWII through the POV of the long time residents of an apartment building in Belgium. Starting pre-war with the signs of the spread of Naziism in neighboring countries and the possible invasion, the difficulties of navigating the rations and losses, and to those who chose to do small but important things to fight back, while some gave all. The different viewpoints offer a glimpse of life with children who grew up with an extended family of neighbors, to now being of age to decide their futures, to the adults that discuss philosophies, design, and color, art and beauty, and the importance of recognizing and preserving them. Not all is color, as there are infinite shades of gray. Very much enjoyed the POV of the different residents and redefining what is family and love.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC edition. A couple of glitches with the kindle version (page and paragraph breaks)

I had a bit of a tough time getting through this one. I can imagine that it's a bit tough to convey things in a historical fiction genre. As the author, you have probably immersed yourself in research and if you forget that the audience might need more guidance to make connections, you can easily lose them. I am of that group. I felt like there was a lot I was supposed to infer, as if I were reading something in code and me without my secret squirrel decoder ring at the ready. That's a lot of words for I just feel I missed so much on this and it made me frustrated.

Austen expertly manages a diverse cast of characters, each with their own distinct viewpoints and motivations. The story is skillfully crafted, leading you to the final destination with precision.

Thank you to Grove Atlantic for the ARC.

While Historic Fiction. Is my genre of choice, 33 Place Brugmann, was a challenge for me. The story is set In an apartment building at the address of the title in. Belgium. Each chapter is about one of the residents in the building during the beginning of the Nazi invasion, each with a different perspective.
I find the concept a good one, it just didn’t work for me. I read this book just in case I could catch something that I missed the first time.
Thank you for the chance to read and review this book