David is deported in a cattle truck. His only hope is the secret document he has entrusted to his sister Hannelore and thirteen year old daughter Clara. Can they reach safety or will the Nazis find them?
A Light to Guide Us Home is an historical novel set during WW2. It is the third book in a series but works as a stand alone novel. I have previosuly reviewed the first book in the series, The Watchmaker’s Daughter.
Clara is just 13 but has been given a hugely important task to complete. The danger and tension is present from the start as David is hauled away to a camp. All his hope for a better future and a chance of survival is in the successful transport of a document to Allied hands. Meanwhile he has given the other half of the document to his sister in the hope that at leats one of them can get to safety.
The book is written from various points of view which allows us to better understand the characters, their feelings and actions. The author has clearly researched the era and geography of the locations so her descriptions bring the events to life.
The youth of Clara adds an extra dimension to the tension and my maternal instincts kicked in as I worried for her situation. Intense drama, fear and danger radiate through the book but this is balanced by the hope of a better future and the simple acts of humanity that make a differnce during the darkest days.
A Light to Guide Us Home is an emotional and intense read about hope and danger in war-torn Europe.
A Light to Guide Us Home: An utterly heartbreaking and powerful WW2 historical novel (The Resistance Girl Book 3) by Dianne Haley
‘Please, you must get Clara out of France!’ cried the woman, her voice breaking in desperation. ‘She’s only thirteen and her parents have been taken to a death camp. Can you save her before it is too late?’
1943, Nazi-occupied France:ValérieHallez clings to the hope that she will soon reunite with her beloved fiancé, Philippe, fighting the Nazis in Italy. Until that day comes, she risks her life helping Jewish children flee across the border with the resistance, but each tear-stained face breaks her heart a little more.
So, when she learns of little lost Clara, an orphan whose family has been torn apart by the German occupation, and is asked to rescue her, she jumps at the chance to save another innocent life. But she isn’t the only one searching for the young girl…
Because brave Clara is carrying a crucial Nazi document. And the secrets it holds could change the course of the war forever.
Frantically trying to stay one step ahead of the Gestapo, Valérie traces Clara to an isolated children’s home– but she is too late. German soldiers have already raided the building.
Her relief when she hears that Clara escaped is short lived, as there’s not a whisper of her whereabouts. And just when she’s about to start on her search, devastating news reaches her about Philippe.
Shattered by the thought that Philippe may never come home, Valérie tries to pull the pieces of her broken heart back together. She knows there’s a little girl lost out there who needs her. So, she must make the hardest choice of all. Even if she can’t save her dearest love, can she save poor Clara – and help her end this terrible war?
A totally unputdownable and heart-wrenching wartime story about love, bravery and sacrifice. Perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Nightingale and The Alice Network.
A Light to Guide Us Home can be read as a standalone.
Originally from the north of Scotland, Dianne now lives with her husband in Edinburgh and has two grown-up children. After a thirty-year business career in London and Edinburgh when Dianne wrote between projects, she is now writing full-time.
Dianne and her family have been visiting the area round Lake Geneva since 1992 and love the Alps in all seasons. The inspiration for her series set in WW2 Switzerland came from a drive through Geneva’s old town on a rainy October evening, the cobbled lanes a perfect setting for secrets and hiding places.
