(*I received this book through Goodreads Giveaways in exchange for an honest review.)

The story features the life of Klare Kohler during World War 2 and afterwards. We get a glimpse into her life as the Nazi party rises to power and how she is treated during that time as a Jewish person living in Germany. Each chapter is a small fragment of her life, sometimes having time skips months or years apart, which was a bit of a struggle for me personally. I felt like I was getting just a peek and that at times one chapter felt a bit disconnected from the next.

Overall it was a well-written book speaking to the courage and tenacity of a family doing what they can, with the help of some friends, in order to survive one of the darker moments in history.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, especially that surrounding World War 2, or even biographical type novels as this book was based upon the author's real relative Klare Kohler. ( )

“When had the florid Christian neighbors pedaling their way to and from the shops lost their stolid place in the scenery and begun to etch menace into the landscape instead?” Jewish Klare ponders this thought as the First World War approaches, in Barbara Stark-Nemon’s Even in Darkness. Klare’s brother reminds her, “Jews cannot sit and wait. We have to fight harder and more bravely than anyone to prove ourselves.” It must have been a hard thought then and, for others, a hard thought now. But Klare is far more than just an obedient Jewish daughter. She longs to be a wife and mother, and more, to have something of her own to offer when proud successful brothers tell their tales.

This novel has an appealing short-story, long-story feel, told in chapters like steps in time, each tied to year, month and place, as they form a staircase to the future. Lives and deaths fill the space in between, and voices speak with a convincing cadence through natural and pleasing dialog.
Another war looms with ever-increasing terrors. A loving mother longs to protect her sons. A father presides over the death of hopes and dreams. Lands as different as England and Palestine offer different kinds of promise, while Klare, “A woman of valor,” learns that an ability to make everyone love her might still not save her family.

There are wonderful images which linger long after reading this tale—one-winged angels, supporting each other; Christ on the cross in a Catholic church; love in its many guises and kindnesses. Klare asks, “What does God mean by such agony?” But there’s beauty in the chapters and the moment, providing the sort of answers that words can’t tell, though the author tells them well. A long book, an absorbing, thought-provoking, and heart-rending read, and a beautiful tale of a wonderful life, well-lived.

Disclosure: I was given a copy by a publicist and I offer my honest review ( )

Slow to start, but takes off after about the first third to become a refreshingly different take on the familiar territory of World War II and the Holocaust. We meet the young German Jewish woman Kläre Ente just prior to World War I and follow her and her family through two wars, the postwar period, through the momentous fifties and sixties until her death in 1994. Kläre remains in Germany throughout her life, and her story if full of interesting details about survival as a Jew and the way Christians often helped. Through the eyes of Kläre, her son Werner, her friend Bernhardt Steinmann, and Ansel Beckman, the son of her Christian friend Amalie, we are shown the way children were spirited out of the country, see refugees settling in Palestine and the conflict arising from their seizure of the land, and experience the concentration camp Theresienstadt as well as Germany's postwar rebuilding.

The novel is engaging and interesting. It's based on the author's family stories, which makes it all the more moving. I recommend it, with the caveat that it is too ambitious for its length (310 pages). For this reason, we miss key scenes, especially in relation to the heroic Steinmann's life, and theology student Beckman's survival during his years as a soldier.

The highlights include the letters that Kläre exchanges with family members, which recall how precious and tenuous communication was during that period, sometimes hard to recall in our connected age.

Very enjoyable. ( )

I liked how intimate this book was. I don’t know if it was the writing style or just the circumstances of seeing the developing horror of the Holocaust and Nazi Germany through one family and individual. Yet, I felt immediately drawn to Klare and her survival story. I wanted to know how she fared almost from page one. I think some of it can be attributed to how the author presents the story and its emotions; it’s very immediate and engrossing.

Having the story cover decades, from the 1910’s all the way through to the latter half of the 20th century, gives the reader a real picture of the story of Nazism and how it reverberated for years. Seeing the beginning in WWI all the way through to the devastation of Europe post-WWII made this history buff happy. Seeing how all those events impacted one family was very interesting.

All the characters being based off the author’s real family was an interesting idea. It made everyone more real to me, knowing that most of the events portrayed actually happened. Once Klare and family got into the camp system, this became even more immediate and jarring, especially Klare’s experiences.

I loved the relationships in the book and the exploration of love in all its many forms. Husband/wife, between lovers, friendships, mother/daughter, siblings, and random people coming together to create a family. So many different links kept things fresh and interesting. I especially enjoyed Klare’s and Ansel’s relationship. They only had the barest connections but had such a soul deep relationship. Such a deep love that developed between two people sucked me in. It can’t really be defined by any descriptor that exists; it’s just Klare and Ansel.

My only hitch with the book was Klare’s overall characterization. There were times where she came off as far too perfect. She’s the perfect angel: taking care of everyone before herself, completely understanding, loyal to a fault, having a wellspring of strength so deep that nothing can shake it. I really wanted her to have more warts and faults than she did.

This book is a great examination of the start and rise of Nazi Germany, it’s powerful rule, and the backlash after it fell. It examined all of this through the intimate window of Klare and her family. The author does a great job in making everything come to life, both in the story and emotionally through the relationships. While sometimes characters come across as too perfect, that still doesn’t decrease my enjoyment. I’d recommend this book to lovers of the WWII genre; it will be one to savor. ( )