33 Place Brugmann is a stunning debut novel that weaves together a poignant love story, a gripping mystery, and a deep philosophical exploration of identity and survival during wartime. Set in a Brussels apartment building on the eve of Nazi occupation, the book beautifully captures the complexities of life under threat, seen through the eyes of its diverse residents.

Charlotte Sauvin, the main protagonist, offers a compelling narrative, her observations of the people and events around her blending seamlessly with the historical context. The mystery surrounding the disappearance of the Raphaël family and their art collection adds intrigue, while the relationships between the building’s residents evolve in ways that reveal their hidden truths.

The novel’s pacing is a bit slower at times, but it’s balanced by rich character development and evocative prose that brings the setting and the era to life. The themes of love, sacrifice, and moral choices in the face of danger resonate strongly, making 33 Place Brugmann an unforgettable and thought-provoking read. A beautiful and engaging work that highlights the resilience of the human spirit amidst tragedy.

33 Place Brugmann is framed as a series of vignettes focusing on residents of one apartment building in Brussels (the address of course being the title of the book) in the lead up to and during the Nazi occupation of Belgium. It was interesting to focus the story like this because the reader gets to see how a collection of people who are in this together by circumstance navigate significant upheaval and trauma together.

The way this story was told worked very well to show the slow and insidious way antisemitism manifested itself amongst everyday people who then went on to collaborate with the Nazi government against their neighbors. Although on a more positive note, this story also depicts how people overcame their differences and suspicions and made the choice to do the right thing and not cooperate.

This book worked on a broader level to paint a picture of what life was like in Brussels during the occupation, including how Jewish people were smuggled to safety, and also brief chapters depicting characters who went on to actually serve in the military, however in terms of character development this book fell flat.

The romance between one of the women main characters and her husband who we never heard from was written like they just met each other and decided to get married with very little description of how well they even knew each other. There is a secondary romance plot within the book that was a lot more interesting, however that was combined with an espionage plot which I had a lot of trouble following. It was compelling that this book depicted the elaborate networks for survival and resistance which developed, but it was so vague about what was actually happening or who was on which side that I felt like this could have been explored in more depth.

This book is best for someone who is looking for a relatively superficial overview of what experiencing the Nazi occupation was like from a very specific viewpoint, however this is not ideal for anyone looking for historical fiction with deep character development. Worth noting that the book also incorporates two actual historical figures as either friends of people in the building or critical to the overall plot.

Many thanks to Grove Atlantic/Grove Press and to NetGalley for this ARC to review. This review is my honest opinion.

what an incredible but heartbreaking book. this book takes place before WWII and follows the residents of a building in Brussels through the war. It accounts the horrible things the people endured during this time. Its written from multiple POVs which was a little hard to keep up with at first but, once i got invested into these characters it really just sets the scene.

This is what my GR-friend David calls a 'bridge book', written for an American audience with the objective of educating them on a certain topic, in this case the Second World War in Belgium.

I requested an arc because I live in Brussels and like the neighborhood of Place Brugmann. The idea of taking an apartment block and telling a WWII story from the perspective of their inhabitants is quite promising, but I found the book very superficial, unengaging and uneven. And also just really strange.

What really put me off though was the racism against Flemish people...They are, without fail, portrayed as Nazi-sympathisers and collaborators. They are also smelly, have small eyes and a 'doughy Flemish nose' just to emphasize they are not only evil but also ugly, especially compared to the stylish French-speaking population. I am not Flemish and have little knowledge of the extremely complex topic of Flemish nationalism and its origins, but this was just so clearly unbalanced.

I DNF'd after 60%, so apologies if things improve in the last part.

I don't usually go for historical fiction with wartime settings, but this one was well worth the read.

Set in the lead up to and during the occupation of Belgium during WWII, it focuses on the lives of a single apartment building's tenants. I would say this is less about the atrocities committed during the time and more about the decisions and actions each character takes in response to the situation.

There is a bit of a love triangle, a bit of mystery, a bit of intrigue and some philosophy thrown in to the mix. My one downside is the shared dreams, which was confusing and unclear as to the point, as well as one voice from the dead, that felt like it shattered the overall tone somewhat. Otherwise, a very interesting character-driven read.

4 🌟 Read

Good Writing, Good Story, Moving, Tough Provoking, Immersing, Heavy.

Neighbors in the days before WW2 kicks off, you experience the changes they go through over the next few years of occupation.
Everyone dealing and understanding what's going on in different ways. The book is written from multiple points of view, see through the eyes of each tenant in the building.

This book is very slow paced but I felt it let me stop and feel the struggles of the characters.

Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC

This was a tricky one. The premise for Alice Austen's novel looked promising: a collection of characters living in an apartment block in Brussels during Nazi occupation. What I didn't expect is that the story would feel so fragmented and difficult to immerse myself in. The reason for this is not necessarily the many characters and their perspective, but more the lack of a strong story or thread that binds them together. Obviously this becomes better as the novel progresses, but readers will have to persist for almost half of the novel first.

I have no doubt that this will appeal to readers of historical fiction. After all it provides a variety of perspectives on the ongoing horrors of war. For me, the main problem was the way the characters' stories were presented. I caught myself finishing a page and not knowing what I read by the end of it. Often these were characters' thoughts in a stream of consciousness style or more philosophical ponderings. Even though I don't mind novels that employ this technique, it made me lose interest quickly.

If you're not into fast-paced or plot-driven novels or you're interested in the historical period this will be right up your alley.

Several people live at 33 Place Brugmann in Brussels in 1939. Amongst them are two related families. A bit later when the Nazis march in to occupy the city, their lives drastically change. Typical pre-war stressors suddenly fade as new, high-stakes stressors take over. Food rationing and affixing yellow stars to clothing replace insignificant activities. This is now about survival. Loyalties change and death looms. Tenants cope in their own ways and snippets of romance punctuate grim realities. Life stops yet it goes on. A Nazi moves into the building, causing even more tension and angst. People are forced to take sides, at least mentally, and war brings out the best and worst of humanity.

Dreamy stream of consciousness styled writing is not usually my wheelhouse but in this case, the author painted such vivid imagery and realistic characters which drew me in after a few tentative peeks. Beautiful prose felt like a beautiful yet heartbreaking landscape painting. It just...worked. The story is told from multiple perspectives in a layout which at first confused me but became more impactful as time went by. I really like the simplicity in the slice of life stories, yet appreciate hidden depths which revealed so much more. There are sweet moments, too, such as the butter incident.

If you seek something different from a World War II Historical Fiction, this may be it!

A beautiful story set in Nazi occupied Brussels, about a group of people living at 33 Place Brugmann. When Nazi occupation becomes a reality, the lives of the residents are changed when they must decide whether to take the easy road and submit to their new lives or risk everything to save one another.

I love historical fiction and enjoyed this novel, although it's story developed at a slower, more leisurely pace. Not a huge amount of action in this storyline. There were quite a few characters introduced early throughout the book that took some time to get my head around. I had to keep referencing the page at the front of the book which outlined who lived where and their familial connections. Having said that, the characters are unforgettably beautiful. I loved how each chapter was dedicated to a developing storyline from a particular character's point of view.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

Alice Austen’s 33 Place Brugmann tells a connected story of surviving—or not surviving—World War II and the Nazi occupation of Belgium. Two of the families that live in the apartment building are related but close quarters (and some nosy neighbors) mean that everyone knows at least a little bit of everyone’s business. Perhaps it’s the American in me but I found that I both longed for the closeness of the relationships that spring up in 33 Place Brugmann and relished my current privacy, since I don’t have neighbors who poke their heads out of their doors to see what I’m up to.

The various residents of 33 Place Brugmann take turns sharing their parts of the overall story. In 1939, the stakes are small: Which child is doing well in school and which is in disgrace? When will the construction in the Sauvin apartment be over? When will Colonel Warlemont figure out that the cakes Mademoiselle Hubert keeps bringing him are her best efforts at flirting? But there’s an undercurrent in the building. Everyone—especially the three First World War veterans—knows that war is coming. The Raphaël family have heard the anti-semitic rhetoric of the Nazis and are already making plans to bolt for a safe country as soon as possible. Masha, the Russian who fled the revolution and civil war years earlier, begins to look for a protector who might help her survive another war.

When the books jumps ahead a year or two, the small concerns are gone. The residents who remain fret about rationing and staying out of the way of the Nazis. They all know that people who stick their necks out are taken away to Gestapo headquarters and are never seen again. Hunger and fear have changed the mood in 33 Place Brugmann. On the one hand, there are residents who find ways to support the resistance by whisking downed Allied airmen out of the country, through France, to Spain. On the other, there are residents who are more likely to turn on each other to stay safe in the short run.

This book fooled me. Some of the chapters are narrated in a philosophical or even dreamy tone. Ludwig Wittgenstein (also a WWI veteran) and his Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus are referenced throughout. The musings about the nature of reality had me thinking that 33 Place Brugmann would be an equally meditative book. By the later third of the novel, however, the tone had almost entirely shifted over to a historical thriller with betrayals, daring escapes, and sacrifices. I’ll admit that I found this latter part of the novel much more interesting than the first half or so of the novel—though I did enjoy watching the villains develop over the course of the entire novel.

Readers looking for an original story about life during World War II will enjoy this one.

I found the set-up very interesting but the build-up to be slow and dragging. I wish the story had developed quicker, though I did find a lot of the characters compelling and it was an interesting lense with which to view World War II.

I have picked up this novel several times and I have struggled with the number of characters and their story lines. I was glad though that I pushed thru until the end. I have read many books during this time period but never any set in Brussels, Belgium during the German occupation. I loved getting this perspective of the war from all the tenants of the apartment building. Alice Austen gives us a peek at how these people endured during all the challenges brought on by the war. As a lover of historical fiction I enjoyed this perspective of ordinary people and their unfolding story as the war continued. An emotionally hard but important read.

This is a really good story, you would probably enjoy it if you like WW2 themed stories, though even without that it is a very good book. The residents of 33 Place Brugmann in Belgium, for the most part get along well, they all know one another though aren't especially close. The story takes place in 1939 and moves through the occupation of Belgium by the Nazis. The residents all have to deal with the change in their own way, some, like the reclusive Masha, end up involved with a fellow who is helping the resistance effort, Charlotte, is a color blind art student, she has to quit school and find work to support her and her father. The Raphaëls leave and are not heard from again. Colonel Warlemont is also a member of a resistance group, helping those in need to leave the city. The story is told through the POV of each person, it sometimes goes back in time to fill in certain information or jumps ahead, though it is easy to read. It does become sad as the war drags on each person faces hardship, and certain death when arrested by the Nazis and questioned, a scene describing an individual who was trying to escape the city and was in the Colonel;s apartment waiting to leave when someone who had seen him told the Nazis and they search the apartment, very tense. Overall a very good book and I would recommend. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Grove Press for the ARC.

I struggled a bit getting through 33 Place Bruggman. The writing style, while well done, was not a favorite of mine to read. More stream of consciousness type writing that often made me feel like we were just meandering through the plot with no real tangible actions taking place. I think in my head what I thought the book was going to be was something where the characters interacted with each other much more than than did, but with WW2 backdrop. This felt more like separate short stories that overlapped here and there. I did like the perspective of how the nazi invasion of Belgium impacted the day to day like of those living at 33 Place Bruggman. A very atmospheric historical fiction novel, perfect for those that enjoy the intricate thoughts of the characters as they move about their life.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read and review honestly an advanced copy.

I LOVED this book! These characters will stay with you long after you put this book down. It is heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time. This is beautifully written and I can't wait to read more from this author.

The residents of an apartment building in Brussels are living their ordinary lives when the Nazi invasion disrupts their routines. The author brings us into the lives of these diverse characters as we walk the halls, drop in on conversations, observe the comings and goings, listen at doors, and peek around corners. Is it possible to put the pieces together and really know what is going on in these characters’ lives and what motivates them? Some could be deceptive and engaging in questionable activities; some could be admirable and involved in heroic acts.

Walk in the front door, and there is the Everard family’s apartment; Mr. Everard is a notary. Head to the second floor, on the left is 2L, vacant after the death of widow Boudrot, and soon a Nazi sympathizer will move in; on the right the squawk of a saxophone comes from 2R where Dirk, the unlikeable schoolmate of Charlotte in 4L, lives alone after the death of his parents. Walk up another flight. In 3L is retired Colonel Warlemont of the Belgian Armed Forces, and in 3R is the busy-body Miss Hobart. Another flight up, Charlotte Sauvin is an art student living with her architect father in 4L. Across the hall in 4R are their friends, the Jewish Raphaël family – art dealer Leo, his wife Sophia, and children Julien and Esther, who will soon secretly escape to safety. In the fifth-floor former maid’s room is Masha, a seamstress and Charlotte’s mentor and confidante.

Each resident has their say in revolving chapters with Charlotte as the standout character and a central storyline. As we piece together relationships, actions, and conversations, we see betrayals and bravery; failures and victories; secrets revealed and sacrifices made in this original, engaging narrative of ordinary people living through difficult times.

Historical Novels Review, February 2025

This book is so beautiful.
Hard to read (I had to take many breaks to breathe because I felt so stressed and sad), but oh so beautiful.

I loved getting to know the inhabitants of 33 Place Brugmann, and I cared about them so strongly so quickly.

As a North American, most of what I've been taught about the Second World War was through the perspective of going away to fight and rarely have I ever read (or considered really, which is my fault) the perspective of an occupied city. I cannot comment on the accuracy, but I have no doubt the climate of distrust and fear and stress and uncertainty the author built must have been close to reality, if I compare it to current events and how they've affected society.

I highly highly recommend this book and I will be reading the author's future books as well.


Thank you NetGalley and Grove Atlantic | Grove Press for the opportunity to read this ARC. This book comes out on March 11th, 2025.

(An added bonus to this reading experience was the ability to visualize a lot of Belgium as I have visited most of the places / cities mentioned in recent years.)

This is a book about World War II told through the lens of the residents of 33 Place Brugmann in Brussels, Belgium. The chapters alternate between the residents of the apartment building. We learn about their relationships with each other, how they react to the Nazi occupation and war, and their loyalties during the war. I appreciated this format, which is different from many of the World War II novels I have read. Some of the characters feature more prominently than others, but they are all connected by virtue of living in the same building. We learn about them not only from their own chapters, but also from other character's tales.

33 Place Brugmann by Alice Austen is set during World War II in Belgium, a location I have not often explored in this particular genre of historical fiction. I was excited and very grateful to receive an ARC, as I loved the premise and setup of the story.

The novel offers a rotating cast of characters, all connected in some way to a single apartment building, the titular 33 Place Brugmann. This structure gives the book a rich sense of place, as the apartment complex becomes a microcosm of wartime Belgium, filled with a diverse range of characters from various backgrounds and generations. I thought Austen's prose was good, and I really enjoyed the diversity in the POV narration. The multiple narrators provide a broad spectrum of experiences, from those who are actively involved in the war effort to those trying to maintain a semblance of normalcy in an increasingly unstable world.

Unfortunately, I really struggled to connect with the characters. The novel never spent quite enough time on any single character arc, which made it difficult for me to fully invest in their individual journeys. I also grew really weary of the stream-of-consciousness narration; at first this gave their personalities some color, but I grew tired of reading non-sequitur thoughts and observations that really broke my immersion in the story.

In the end, the lack of a central story arc and the difficulty I had in connecting with the characters meant this book was not for me. However, I'd still recommend this to anyone who finds the premise interesting and enjoys/doesn't mind stream-of-consciousness narration; whether you love or hate the book, I think, will be a matter of personal taste.

I was unable to finish this book and thus will not be posting a full review. I found the formatting was not properly converted so I had no idea who was narrating nor the layout of the building, which seemed key components to the book. Things were out of order and difficult to read. Thanks for the opportunity.