Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Book Review: The Keeper of Secrets

When I saw this book the list of books available to review for TLC book tours, I was immediately drawn to it by it's title and the fact that it's set during WWII.  For those who know my reading preferences well, you know how much of a sucker I am for the WWII genre.  I don't think I will ever get sick of reading books set during that time.  The Keeper of Secrets by Julie Thomas covers a span of years, from pre-WWII times to present day times.  It tells the story of a Jewish family from Berlin.  This family was particularly musical and had a prized collection of violins.  However, these prized violins were taken by the Nazi's when they rounded up the family to take them to a concentration camp.  The family assumed they were lost forever, along with many other possessions and their way of life.

Flash forward to present-day times, and the great-grandson, Daniel, is taking violin lessons.  Daniel clearly has inherited the musical abilities of his great grandfather, and is destined for great things.  He meets a maestro who learns more about Daniel's family, and the prized violins that were lost during the Nazi round up, and the maestro makes it his mission to track down the violins, as difficult as it may be.

I really loved this story.  As a lover of music, I also enjoyed the musical aspect of the story.  The author did a great job moving back and forth through different time periods and different sets of characters without confusing the reader.  There were of course sad parts as the family spent time in the concentration camp, Dachau.  I had visited Dachau on a trip to Germany in 2004 so reading about the horrors of life in that concentration camp brought back the memories of touring it and the awful feeling I had when I was there. 

If you enjoy WWII genre books, I recommend this one! 

Is there a particular genre that you are drawn to?  Do you play any musical instruments?  I play the piano and played the trumpet in high school.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from TLC Book Tours. I was not compensated for this review, and the opinions are my own.    
at

14 comments:

  1. Kelly (She Wears a Red Sox Cap)June 12, 2013 at 4:33 AM

    I will go to Dachau this summer when I am in Germany... and I also like WWII books, so I may check this one out... unless maybe it will be worse to read before visiting? I'll probably do it anyway. I am also drawn to this time period. Somehow it seems to make the setting for very very good books, despite being so horrible of a time.

    ReplyDelete
  2. MarlysJune 12, 2013 at 8:26 AM

    I agree that books from that era are very addicting! It is so hard to imagine how insane the world became during that regine, and how people suffered so greatly! This book sounds very interesting!

    ReplyDelete
  3. NoraJune 12, 2013 at 8:28 AM

    I don't know that I knew you played trumpet! I used to play flute and piano; I'm pretty sure if I sat down to play either one today I wouldn't be so great at it.

    This book sounds intriguing! Anything WWII is hauntingly beautiful to me and I do enjoy reading them, despite the heavy subject matter.

    ReplyDelete
  4. JeanieJune 12, 2013 at 12:59 PM

    Thanks for the review. I think you and I enjoy many of the same types of books. This resonates with my interest in WWII, the camps, the music, the stories. It's definitely on my list!

    ReplyDelete
  5. AmberJune 12, 2013 at 12:59 PM

    I do enjoy books from the WWII era so I will have to check this one out. After reading four books last month I am in a bit of a funk this month. Need to get back to reading!

    ReplyDelete
  6. The Many Thoughts of a ReaderJune 12, 2013 at 1:44 PM

    I of course will need to read this. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  7. AlliJune 12, 2013 at 1:59 PM

    I didn't know that you'd visited Dachau. Unfortunately, my connection to it is that my great grandparents dies there. My parents visited last year and I'm sure that I will someday. That being said, historical fiction is my absolute favorite genre, but I can go either way with WWII era stuff; sometimes I'm mentally prepared for it and love it and other times it hits too close to home with my family history.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Julie ThomasJune 12, 2013 at 2:11 PM

    Thanks for the lovely review, Lisa, have posted a link to it on the Facebook Fan page for the book.
    https://www.facebook.com/julie.thomas.9843499?ref=tn_tnmn#!/julie.thomas.writer
    Cheers
    Julie

    ReplyDelete
  9. ShoshanahJune 12, 2013 at 7:39 PM

    I really loved this book too, even though I don't consider myself musical. I did actually play the flute in middle school but was pretty awful. Actually the the point where in 8th grade, I repeated 7th grade band. But I had fun with it, and that's really what mattered.

    ReplyDelete
  10. AbbyJune 12, 2013 at 10:20 PM

    This sounds really interesting! I am definitely intrigued by the WWI and II era. Especially since our lives have become more active in the military.

    Last weekend while we were on base at Starbucks, this old man started talking to Ryan, asking him about what he does in the Air Force. The man started telling him stories about his role in WWII as an Engineer in the navy and how his job was to construct runways at the last minute - during extremely unsafe conditions. It was so unreal the way they operated in those times. There were very few "safety regulations" or "mandates" -- they did what they had to do. The men would leave for war, and their loved ones stayed and wondered where, if, and when they'd return. Just such a different lifetime.

    Listening to this man talk to Ryan made my heart pine, his laugh and way of telling stories reminded me of our Grandpa SO MUCH it was crazy!

    ReplyDelete
  11. StephanyJune 13, 2013 at 8:28 AM

    I love reading about the WWII era, but those books can be really tough to get through because of the subject matter. This sounds like an intriguing read - a really different take on these types of books!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Jolene - EverydayFoodieJune 14, 2013 at 12:09 AM

    If I read fiction, which is rarely, I'd say I'm drawn to Dystopian novels, or novels like The Da Vinci code (not sure what genre that would fall in to).

    I don't play an instrument, but I sure wish I did! I'd love to learn piano!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Heather J @ TLC Book ToursJune 15, 2013 at 2:59 PM

    I can't imagine visiting a concentration camp, though I would certainly do it if given the opportunity. I'm sure I'd keep those images in my head forever.

    Thanks for being a part of this tour!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Kyria @ Travel SpotJune 16, 2013 at 11:04 PM

    That looks like a good one. I also like WWII books, even though they are sometimes so heart wrenching. I really enjoyed Those Who Save Us as well.

    I used to play the clarinet and the trombone. However, I haven't picked either up in YEARS!

    ReplyDelete