this was superb. totally and utterly absorbing in the best of ways but also the worst.
it had me thinking from the off. how did everyone feel on the eve of Nazi occupation. anyone, how did anyone feel with the mounting news and then suddenly realising what was going to happen. and then as we know, families would just disappear. did they really question it. and would you? how scary it must be to also know your morals will be tested. because to keep your family safe,yourself safe what would you do.
i have such interest in thie time. and i love learning as much as i can. and this book had such a deep and personal storyline. it is relevant to anyone. because it really does make you think of those at that time. and also what would we all do? and what did our ancestors have to do?

this book is about an apartment building and the resident in it during Brussels during WW11. it has multiple Pov which i found a perfect way to show how people even within living distance of eachother can both think and experience different things. how then you feel towards others you see every day. and also of course how if you are one of the families targeted at that time how that mus have been. what did neighbors think when families just werent there the next minute?
i was more invested in some of the stories. but that didnt take away from my interest and readability of all the characters involved in this book.
i feel bad saying i loved this book considering the content. but i honestly did love it. it was done so well. and such a new take for me on this topic.

This is a difficult book to review. It’s very slow, with a cast of thousands at the beginning, or so it feels, Keeping track of all the characters is a challenge.
Parts of it are exceptionally good and well written, but sometimes the narrative slows down so much it’s a struggle to keep reading. The stream of consciousness writing is a particular dislike of mine in a novel, it felt like the story was becoming lost in the meandering of the author’s mind.
This was a DNF for me, unfortunately. I will not post this review to media outlets as I did not finish the book.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

What a wonderful and heartbreaking book!

Seeing life in Brussels before World War II and during it through the eyes of the residents of the apartment building was harrowing, tense and memorable. So many different people and so many different views on survival, honor and goodness. There are a lot of POVs, but they never felt overwhelming or mixed up. Some fates made me very sad, some almost hopeful.

My only critique is that (1) the book is a bit slow-paced for my taste and (2) I wanted more from the ending (but I do understand that in a time of war happy endings are not promised).

Thank you NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for this ARC.

I really enjoyed this well-written and poignant story. Focussing on the inhabitants of one apartment block during the Second World War in Brussels, we see how their lives are all changed immeasurably in different ways. If was really interesting to have the perspective of Belgians and the hardships they faced, which is not often featured in settings for stories about the War. I thought the novel wove the different stories together very effectively and depicted how individuals responded in distinct ways to the challenges and horrors of war. Well written and and engaging in moving between different characters.

33 Place Brugmann follows the stories of the various residents of an apartment building in Brussels during WWII. I loved the little details and overlapping stories, and I feel the tension got really intense especially closer to the end. It’s definitely heartwrenching to see how each person reacts in the face of war, genocide, and acts of terror throughout the Nazi occupation. I was most invested in the stories of Charlotte, her father, Julien, and the General.

There is a large cast of characters and the POVs change at each chapter, so it was hard to keep track of who was who at the beginning. I also felt like the book got slow during the middle, and it felt like characters were mostly explaining their thoughts about world events going on around them. Some POVs weren’t as interesting as others, and I wanted to get back to the characters I did enjoy. I also had some mixed feelings on the ending, but overall it was an entertaining read.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for this ARC!

I enjoyed reading an ARC copy of 33 Place Brugmann, Alice Austen’s debut novel, which will be published by Grove Atlantic in early March 2025.

Told through the voices of the residents of a large apartment building on Place Brugmann in Brussels, the story unfolds beginning in the days immediately preceding the Nazi occupation of Belgium in WWII and continuing until early 1943. While the multiple points of view can feel a bit confusing in the beginning, it really sorts itself out quickly as the reader gets to know the residents and how they interact with each other. (There is also a character listing at the beginning of the book, which I found helpful.)

The story is well-written and told from a unique perspective (the collection of residents in one building). I found it compelling and rather gritty; perhaps a more realistic portrayal of life under Nazi occupation than you get in many WWII historical fiction novels. The characters are well-drawn and intriguing; certainly a group you care about.

I look forward to future offerings from Alice Austen.

Note: The Kindle version of this ARC edition had some serious formatting issues that made reading a bit . . . challenging . . . from a visual perspective. I imagine this will be sorted when the book is published in March.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on March 11, 2025.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4

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.