Just finished “All the Light We Cannot See” and loved it. Can anyone recommend some good WWII era fiction?
Just finished “All the Light We Cannot See” and loved it. Can anyone recommend some good WWII era fiction?
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The Nightingale!
Oh god
Oh god that book
I know! I felt like I needed therapy after
Loved it!
Me too!
I am almost finished with The Nightingale. Rarely does a book bring me to tears but wow this book…it’s just such a powerful story. And to think that some of these things were really going on during that time period…
The nightingale, the book thief, the Paris apartment, the lilac girls
The Nightingale
The Prisoner of Night and Fog duology (these are EXCELLENT!)
Goodnight, Mister Tom
The Paris Apartment
those who save us, city of theives, the zoo keepers wife, anne frank diary(not fiction),the book thief
LILAC GIRLS & WOMEN OF THE CASTLE & I SHALL LIVE
Between Shades of Gray, Salt to the Sea, The Nightingale, The Winter Garden, Life After Life, Night, Unbroken, Sarah’s Key, Once We Were Brothers. It’s my favorite genre. 🙂
The Bronze Horseman trilogy
Andrew Gross The One Man, Jodi Picoult The Storyteller Ben Elton Two Brothers
Try Elie Wiesel Trilogy!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2728527-the-guernsey-literary-and-potato-peel-pie-society?ac=1&from_search=true read this one a few years back at my library’s book discussion.
Those who Save Us, Jenna Blum and Schindler’s List, all of Eli Wiesel’s
The Winds of War/War and Remembrance, by Herman Wouk. Haven’t read, but I have it on good authority they’re exceptional.
Call the Midwife it’s true but so good. There is a PBS series too
Guns of Navarone, Alistair MacLean
Anything by Elie Wiesal
Dirty Dozen for action
From here to eternity
Recently read a children’s chapter book called The War That Saved My Life. Wonderful book.
I’m not sure if it’s WWI or WWII but life after life by Kate Atkinson started me loving historical fiction.
It’s WWII. 🙂 So good.
There’s a sequel too. From her brothers point of view. Called God in Ruin
Prisoner of night and fog
The Nightingale. Those Who Saved Us. Sarahs Key
Zoo Keepers Wife
Mischling with red flower on the cover.
“Nightingale” a WWII story set in Paris.
A Woman in Berlin, by Anonymous
Not fiction but a memoir
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
Lilac Girls, The Orphan’s Tale, Zookeeper’s Wife are some recent ones.
The orphans tale.
Just finished this. Love it!!
The Nightengale
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
The nightingale
Diary of a young girl Anne frank are my 2 favorites
The Nightingale
The Nightingale, Kristin Hannah.
The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult
The Book Thief
The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
The Butterfly and The Violin by Kristy Cambron
A Sparrow in Terezin by Kristy Cambron
Letters From Home by Kristina McMorris
Take Me Home by Dorothy Garlock
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
My Mother’s Secret by J.L. Witterick
Chateau of Secrets by Melanie Dobson
Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
Schindler’s List by Thomas Keneally
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
The Bronze Horseman trilogy by Paullina Simons
…. to name a few. I really enjoy literature about the WWII period.
This is an excellent list!
Couldn’t have done better myself?
I’ve screenshot this list! Have you read Prisoner of Night and Fog and it’s sequel by Anne Blankman? They’re excellent books!
@Al no I haven’t! Thanks for the suggestions!
@Tiffany Welcome! It’s slightly different in that it follows a young girl who was in Hitler’s inner circle and the emotions she goes through when she realises what he’s becoming….I won’t spoil it but it’s a completely different POV than the usual books
King Rat, Thin Red Line, Slaughter House Five (sort of)
Anything by Allyson Richman. The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
was a good one too. Oh, The Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly is excellent!
The book thief by Michael Zuzak
Code name verity
The English Patient-
Sarah’s Key and The Story Teller by Picoult
Sarah’s Key
Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky.
QB VII by Leon Uris.
Tell Me Who I Am by Julia Navarro.
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.
Sarah Waters Nightwatch
beneath the scarlet sky
Loved Sarah’s key by Tatiana de rosnay
Jane Thynne’s Clara Vine series, also The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, The Nightingale
The Nightingale!
Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life, and A God in Ruins. Neville Shute, A Town Called Alice. Elizabeth Jane Howard’s Cazalet books (not all about the war, but it’s certainly there).
I have a few for you Mary. Will you be at exercise on Friday. If so I’ll bring them.
Just started reading All the Light we Cannot See
THe Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie by Mary Ann Schaffer. Fabulous!
I loved it!
Winter in Madrid is around that time but set in Spain … I’ve just read a really good WW1 fiction – The Suicide Club which was fantastic … The Book Thief and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas are good although heartbreaking … I’ve head good things about The Nightingale and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society (I think I might be getting that wrong though)
I just finished tht book, All the Light, fantastic read.
The Book Thief, a couple of my ‘YA’ favourites, ‘The Cay’,’Summer of My German Soldier’, and ‘Timothy and the Cay’.
The Bernie Gunther series by Philip Kerr.
Some of my favourite books, these.
@Penny, good. I love the character development over the years. Bernie’s full of surprises and knows some interesting historical personages.
Penny Stephens, I’ve just started The Other Side of Silence. One of the many things that set Philip Kerr far above other writers is that he appeals to my intellectual side while creating a great and readable novel. In just a few pages, his literary allusions include art (M.C. Escher), cinema (Fritz Lang and Cornel Wilde), my favorite gin (Plymouth Navy Strength–116 proof), literature (Graham Greene’s The Quiet American), and, now, up to only page 55, numerous historical and geographical allusions. Better yet, one of the main characters is Somerset Maugham, whom I haven’t read since I was an undergraduate, back in the early 1970s (I’ve already ordered The Moon and Sixpence, mainly because I just saw the new Gauguin show at the Art Institute of Chicago.). Sorry. I got a little carried away there.
A while ago I read a book by Fanny Flagg about the the women’s Army Service patrol WASP they flew the transport planes to different locations for the men It was dangerous work and they were not commissioned or even recognized for their work until recently wish I could remember the name of the book it was wonderful
The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion is the name of the book! Loved it!
That was an interesting read, here it is:
THE NIGHTINGALE OMG READ THE NIGHTINGALE!!!!! I read All the Light We Cannot See then shortly after read The Nightingale and I SWEAR it’s better! All the Light We Cannot See is so amazing and incredibly well written, but The Nightingale just took my breath away.
Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. Fabulous!
The Nightinggale, Sarah’s Key was wonderful, also Sophie’s Choice
“The Lost Wife”-“The Kommandant’s Girl”- “Saving Amelie”-“Nightengale”
“Lisette’s List”-“Book Thief”-“The Lavender Garden”-“The Plum Tree”-
“Sarah’s Key”-“Alice Network” and my favorite, “The Girl You Left Behind”
I heard ‘Code Name Verity’ was good. It is also young adult in case you’re interested ?
I’ve got a signed copy from the author sitting on my shelf collecting dust. ?
Nightengale
The Orphans Tale by @Pam; anything by @Talia
Ruta Septys is a YA author who has written 2 excellent novels about WWII, “Between Shades of Grey” and “Salt to the Sea”. I’m a librarian and I have as many adults reading them as teens.
WWII fiction and historical fiction:
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave
The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
Atonement by Ian McEwan
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
The All Girls Filling Station Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg
The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer
Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris
When the Emperor was Devine and The Buddah in the Attic by Julie Otsuka
Angel’s in the Gloom by Anne Perry
All are WWII related novels ?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-That-Remains-Robin-Melhuish/dp/099772272X
Wow thanks everyone!! Looks like my tbr pile is about to have a growth spurt!
You will also like The Nightingale!
The Book Thief. The Lilac Girls.
At the Corner of Biter and Sweet