This book, by Lizzie Page, was a random choice last time I stocked my Kindle up. It's the story of a young Austrian girl (Natalie) coming to England in the late 1930s working as a nanny to a 6 year old boy. The boy's parents are odd and a bit unsettling, but she very quickly builds a wonderful relationship with the little boy. The best parts of the book are those describing their times together.
I don't know what I expected but I never quite got into it. I thought Natalie was a bit 'wet' - but she was only 16 at the start of the book - and didn't realise what danger her family back in Vienna was in. I know - hindsight is a wonderful thing, and I'm sure there were many who underestimated the brutality of the Nazis.
The pace of the story seemed very slow until quite near the end when it seemed to speed up and the Epilogue jumped several decades to tie up loose ends.
I found parts of it quite upsetting and even had a nightmare about it one night.
I was slightly irritated at speech mannerisms which wouldn't have been used back in the 1930s ("I didn't even know if it was a thing" was one.)
I'm glad I persevered and I wouldn't want to put anyone off reading it, but I'm starting something light and frothy as an antidote as it's left me feeling quite low.
I don't know what I expected but I never quite got into it. I thought Natalie was a bit 'wet' - but she was only 16 at the start of the book - and didn't realise what danger her family back in Vienna was in. I know - hindsight is a wonderful thing, and I'm sure there were many who underestimated the brutality of the Nazis.
The pace of the story seemed very slow until quite near the end when it seemed to speed up and the Epilogue jumped several decades to tie up loose ends.
I found parts of it quite upsetting and even had a nightmare about it one night.
I was slightly irritated at speech mannerisms which wouldn't have been used back in the 1930s ("I didn't even know if it was a thing" was one.)
I'm glad I persevered and I wouldn't want to put anyone off reading it, but I'm starting something light and frothy as an antidote as it's left me feeling quite low.
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