A Parachute in the Lime Tree

by Annemarie Neary

April 1941, neutral Ireland. Kitty awakes in remote Dunkerin to find a German parachute caught in one of the trees in her garden. When she discovers Oskar, injured and foraging for food, he becomes a rare and exciting secret. But Ireland during the Emergency is an uneasy place, and news of the parachute soon spreads.

Genres: Historical Fiction, World War II, War, Romance, Fiction, Wwii Fiction, Adult

240 pages, ebook

First published November 30, 2011

About the author

Annemarie’s novels, The Orphans and Siren, are published by Hutchinson (Penguin Random House UK). A Parachute in the Lime Tree was published by The History Press Ireland in 2012.

You can find Annemarie on her website http://www.annemarieneary.co.uk and she tweets at @AnnemarieNeary1

Annemarie's awards for short fiction include the Bryan MacMahon, Michael McLaverty, Columbia Journal, Posara and WOW!1 prizes. Her short stories have been published in many places in the UK, Ireland and the US.

She was educated at Trinity College and King’s Inns, Dublin and the Courtauld Institute, London. A former lawyer, she lives in London with her husband and sons.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Annemarie Neary's literary novel takes a pensive look at four young people's intertwined experiences in Ireland during the Emergency - the time during World War II when its government showed its independence by taking an official stance of neutrality.

The emphasis is on day-to-day life rather than political concerns, but readers will get a good sense of how the Irish reacted to the unease of their surroundings. The atmosphere, tense and lean, feels hauntingly real, and undercurrents of deep emotion run beneath the surface.

The most poignant stories belong to outsiders. Oskar, a Luftwaffe airman whose job it was to light the way for the bombers, takes a dangerous leap from his plane and parachutes into a tree in the Hennessys' garden in rural Dunkerin in southern Ireland. He hopes somehow to find the Jewish girl he once loved, his former next-door neighbor, Elsa, who had been brought over to Ireland via the Kindertransport. At seventeen, she was just barely eligible.

Elsa ends up first in Belfast and then in Dublin, where a friendly Jewish family takes her in. They all try to lie low, but her piano-playing talent attracts the attention of Charlie, a medical student. Elsa's story is the most deeply felt of all. Nobody ever gets trained in how a refugee should act, and with her parents' fate unknown in Amsterdam, she forgets sometimes to be grateful for her rescue.

Back in Dunkerin, Kitty Hennessy discovers Oskar's presence around her house and yard and decides to hide him. She seems superficial, at first. Kitty doesn't think of him as the enemy; rather, she sees him as her ticket away from her boring, sheltered existence.

The plot carefully winds through all of their experiences, past and present, as Kitty pursues Oskar, Oskar tries to trace Elsa, and Elsa and Charlie find their way to one another. Each sees the war from a different perspective, and none of them is neutral at all. There is a wonderful epilogue of sorts, set in 1999, which not only wraps up their tales but brings the entire novel into clearer focus.

With its thoughtful language and skillfully developed characterizations, A Parachute in the Lime Tree gets The History Press Ireland's fiction list off to a promising start. It was published in March at £12.99 or €13.50 (trade paperback, 239pp).

First published at Reading the Past.

[Alex Baugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is 1941 and after a visit home, Oskar , a young Luftwaffe airman, discovers that the girl he loves, Elsa Frankel, is living in Ireland. Her family is gone from the house next door to his parent's home, rounded up and taken away because they are Jews. Elsa was sent to Ireland on a Kindertransport in 1939 when she was 17.

Oskar decides to betray his country by parachuting into Ireland to find Elsa, loving her far more than he loves the German Reich. And the opportunity to do this daring jump finally comes his way in April 1941 when the Luftwaffe is sent to bomb Belfast. Without any idea of where he is or where to find Elsa in Ireland, Oskar makes his jump and lands in a lime tree in Kitty Hennessy's garden in Dunkerin.

But though she had actually spent time in Belfast, Elsa is now living with a kind Jewish family, the Abrahamsons, in Dublin. Elsa is never really able to feel at home in Ireland, despite the kindness she is shown. She is a gifted piano player who loves Chopin, and it is her talent that first attracts Charlie Byrne, a medical student, to her and who almost immediately falls in love with her.

Meanwhile, Oskar, who was injured when his parachute lands in the lime tree, is discovered by Kitty while foraging for food in her kitchen. Kitty lives a lonely, dull life caring for her grieving mother and a Luftwaffe soldier in the kitchen offers just the excitement she has been longing for and, naturally, Kitty falls in love with Oskar, or perhaps, she really falls in love with the danger he represents.

So, Oskar loves Elsa. Kitty loves Oskar, Charlie loves Elsa, Elsa loves...Well, you will have to read the book to find the answer to that. But A Parachute in the Lime Tree is much much more than a nice love story with all kinds of twists and turns. It is also a story about young people caught up in a war they didn't want and the consequences of their choices made because of that war. For instance, Oskar is racked with guilt over his failure to do anything that might have helped Elsa and her family earlier in Germany. For herself, Elsa must live with never really knowing what happened to her parents after they were sent to Theresienstadt concentration camp.

In this debut novel, Annemarie Neary has written a wartime adventure/love story as poignant and exciting as any I have read so far. The focus of the novel alternates among the four main characters, revealing their thoughts and feelings in their individual past and present, and ultimately tying their stories together in a nice, but not very pat ending.

I have said before, there are not many WW2 stories set in Ireland. Partly because this was the time of The Emergency, when the Republic of Ireland was neutral in WW2 having declared itself to be in a state of emergency. Only Northern Ireland, which was not very prepared for war, participated as part of the United Kingdom. A Parachute in the Lime Tree, therefore, is a very nice addition to Irish novels set in WW2 and one I can highly recommend.

This book is recommended for readers 14+
This book was sent to me by the author

[Jaffareadstoo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautifully written novel explores the lives of four young people whose stories intertwine during WW2. Oskar is a Luftwaffe conscript who finds his role in the war abhorrent, and as the dreams of his first love, Elsa, overshadows his hope for the future, he makes a dramatic and startling decision. Left behind in Berlin, Elsa faces a bleak future until she is safety moved to Ireland as part of the Kindertransport, where the dream of playing music carries her through the uncertainty of not knowing whether her parents remain alive. In rural Ireland, Kitty finds Oskar trapped in his parachute in one of the lime trees in her garden, and from the beginning is determined to keep him her own special secret. Meanwhile, Charlie, a young medical student, becomes enamoured of Elsa when he hears her play beautiful music on her piano.
I was completely drawn into the story from the beginning, the characterisation is truly excellent and thanks to some skilful storytelling we get to know Oskar, Elsa, Kitty and Charlie very well. The story moves adeptly through their lives, intertwining where it can, but also focusing on their individual stories, which I found deeply moving. From the sleepiness of rural Ireland, to the horrors of Berlin, the story captures time and place perfectly, where the indecision of youth is combined with the uncertainty of living through the horror of war.

Without doubt, Annemarie Neary has a real talent for writing; her ability to weave together all the strands of the story is evident in her thoughtful narrative, and with meticulous care and attention she brings the story to a fitting and emotional conclusion, which saw me reaching for the tissue box.

I loved it.

[JJ Marsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lyrical, charming and unpredictable story of what happens at the edges of war. The ripple-effect of what happened in late 1930s Germany reaches as far as Amsterdam and Dunkerin.
German neighbours Oskar and Elsa might have been lovers, but she is Jewish. They are separated in the build-up to war.

Oskar cannot forget her and learns that after a stint in the Netherlands, Elsa was removed to Ireland. He decides to desert from the German army and find his love. One night after a bombing raid, he leaps from his aircraft, with no idea where he will land. He ends up in a lime tree.

Said lime tree is in Kitty’s garden. She’s desperate for excitement and a German soldier landing in the garden is just the thing to relieve the boredom. But as Kitty falls for the German, his focus is unwavering. He’s looking for Elsa.

Elsa’s story is touching and complex, a musical prodigy whose life is torn asunder by politics and prejudice. While her youthful love searches for her, she finds solace in Charlie. The course of love does not run smooth, but Neary avoids cliché and delivers a bittersweet tale against a backdrop of horrors.

My only reservation with this beautiful, richly detailed book was with the character of Kitty. Her naïveté seemed excessive and sometimes overdone to serve the plot. This discomfort aside, I found this a delight and an insight into how far the effects of conflict can reach.

[Trudy Hodkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Annemarie Nearys WW2 literary novel is a beautifully written and accomplished book. The story takes the reader to WW2 through the eyes of Oskar a German Luftwaffe airman whose Jewish girlfriend was evacuated from Germany to Ireland to escape the war. Oskar becomes a deserter when he jumps out of a plane over Ireland in an attempt to find Elsa. Kitty an Irish girl finds Oskar and his parachute in her garden in Southern Ireland. The story unwinds as Kitty follows Oskar, Oskar searches for Elsa and Elsa tries to cope with life as an evacuee. I found Elsa’s journey the most interesting and heart wrenching as you realise Elsa was a young woman with huge musical talent but had to stifle her hobbies and passions when she was moved to Belfast as she was to be a quietly grateful evacuee. I believe Elsa’s character was the inspiration for the story, which makes it even more addictive as Nearys descriptions capture the events of that time in Ireland. Ultimately this is a beautiful love story. I laughed, I cried and I will be recommending it to all!

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘He’s got his heart set on something and he’ll not be blown off course.’

This is a beautifully written historical novel set primarily in Ireland at the time of World War II. It follows the lives of four main characters whose lives will intertwine and impact on each other in powerful ways.

Oskar and Elsa were next-door neighbours and sweethearts in Berlin before World War Two, but are now separated by war. Elsa, who is Jewish, escapes from Berlin and manages to reach neutral Ireland via the Kindertransport, separated from her dear parents who are left behind in Holland, and about whose dangerous situation she is so anxious. In April 1941, now a somewhat disillusioned member of the Luftwaffe and finding himself flying over Ireland, Oskar takes his chance and abandons the crew of his plane, deserting from the war in a desperate attempt to find his lost love, Elsa.

It is Kitty who one morning discovers the parachute caught up in one of the lime trees in the garden of her home in remote Dunkerin. Finding Oskar is a curious, exciting event in her humdrum life and will impact on her future. Elsewhere there is a Charlie, a young medical student who meets Elsa and falls in love with her.

This is a moving and emotional wartime read. The author transports us back to the past and draws us into the lives of these young people living and loving in such difficult times, experiencing such intense emotions. Through the skillful characterisation we get to know each of them as individuals and at the same time the author convincingly weaves together the four strands to her tale.

The writing is lyrical and beautiful. There is sadness, separation and anxiety, but also powerful love, belief and determination against the odds. Elsa is a talented pianist and her love of, and need for music keeps her going through hard, uncertain times. There is a beautiful, romantic passage when Charlie is observing Elsa play:

‘…once Elsa began to pick out he melody, the music took over. As he watched her play, he memorised the lie of her hair, the roll of her shoulders as she used her body to give power to the music. He knew that he would be able to mark this as the moment of his falling in love and he wanted to be able to remember every detail of it. He guessed that the feeling she put into the music signalled some other love that was lost now. He wondered if she would ever feel that way for him.’

I really liked how Annemarie Neary concluded the story; I personally love an ending that ties up loose ends and I thought it brought the novel as a whole to a fitting conclusion and touched my heart.

I also love how the book itself is designed, with the lovely pages subtly patterned with a black and white image of trees at the start of each section.

This is a very well-written work of historical fiction, powerfully evocative of place and time. I would certainly read more writing by this author.

[Meg - A Bookish Affair · Rating 4 out of 5]

All of Europe is in an uproar during World War II. Neutral Ireland is stuck in the middle. Somewhere in Ireland, Kitty looks out her window to see a parachute stuck in a tree outside of her house. What follows will change the her life as well as the lives of everyone else involved.

This is a great story for anyone who likes their historical fiction with a side of romance and a bit of mystery. There is the unrequited love and fascination between Kitty and Oskar. There is the true love between Elsa and Oskar. Then there is the love between Charlie and Elsa. Love entanglements are always a favorite of mine. It was so interesting to see how everything panned out for each of the characters. The endings are not necessarily all happy but you do get to know what happens to the characters in the end and I really like closure. A lot of times you don't get that, which always leaves me wondering about what happened to the characters in the end.

The historical detail and setting of the novel are great. Before this book, I didn't really understand what Ireland's position was during World War II. This book definitely gave me a lot of insight into that. Readers will also get to learn a little bit about the Kindertransport, which I thought was super interesting. Elsa ends up in Ireland because of the Kindertransport. I guess whenever I had thought about Kindertransport, I thought it was mostly for younger children but Elsa is 17. It was really interesting that older teens were evacuated as well; I never knew about that.

I liked the writing in the book. I wish that there would have been a little more background information on the characters so that we could understand the various motivations a little more. Neary does description really well though, which definitely pulled me right into the middle of the story.

Bottom line: Good, character-driven Historical Fiction!

[Liza Perrat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful love story that haunts you long after you’ve finished, A Parachute in the Lime Tree drew me in right from the start, with the mystery surrounding the disappearance of a Jewish family in Berlin in 1939 and the discovery of some of their belongings in the attic of the house next door.

Childhood sweethearts, Oskar and Elsa, are separated by war, and Elsa is eventually transported to Ireland with the Kindertransport. When Oskar, now a Luftwaffe airman disillusioned by the war, discovers the letters written to him by Elsa, but intercepted by his mother, he embarks on a reckless journey to find her.

Naïve Irish girl, Kitty, finds a parachute hanging from a lime tree in her garden and, shortly after, discovers Oskar, who has jumped from his plane during a bombing raid. Only too happy for a bit of excitement in her dull life, Kitty pursues Oskar, and falls in love. But Oskar is fuelled by a single goal: finding Elsa. Meanwhile, a young medical student, Charlie, falls in love with Elsa, who is trying piece her life back together.

We experience the heart-breaking lives, loves and and losses of Elsa, Charlie, Kitty and Oskar, the journey taking us from Normandy, to rural Dunkerin, to the Jewish quarter in Dublin, and finally to New York.
This beautifully-written story combines humour, suspense and poignancy, and brilliantly captures the historical period. The narrative shifts effortlessly from character to character, and I engaged so much with every one of them that I felt each character’s story could have continued on a little longer, rather than the quite long wrap-up at the end. Despite this very minor reservation, I found it a compelling read from the beginning right through to the deeply moving, surprise ending.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Annemarie Neary was born in Northern Ireland, educated at Trinity College, Dublin and now lives in London. A Parachute in the Lime Tree was published in 2012 by The History Press Ireland, and is her first novel.

During World War II, Ireland remained neutral and the war was referred to as the 'Emergency'. The story of A Parachute in the Lime Tree is set during the days after the blitz of Belfast. The four main characters of the story are: Oskar whose parachute becomes caught up in the lime tree; Kitty who discovers Oskar; there is Elsa who is Oskar's sweetheart and has fled to Ireland, and Charlie, a medical student.

Annemarie Neary's beautifully written novel brings each of these characters to life, their lives and their stories effortlessly interweave together and the novel gives a fascinating insight into life in Ireland during the war. Although primarily set in Ireland, the story really starts in Berlin where the reader is introduced to Oskar and his family, and where his love for Elsa is made plain.

Each character has their own unique voice, and their own opinions about the war. This adds much to the storyline, creating some interesting perspectives within the storyline and going some way to explain the character's behaviours.


In a nutshell, A Parachute In The Lime Tree is a very accomplished, very enjoyable and very perceptive debut novel. It is a story of hope and love and is neither predictable or formulaic, but is quite unique and may leave the reader with a lump

[Kathleen Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wartime love story that takes place mostly in Ireland at the beginning of WWII. A love affair that starts in Berlin between neighbors, Elsa and Oskar but war gets in the way and Oskar is conscripted into the Luftwaffe. Elsa eventually ends up separated from her parents and sent by Kindertransport and relocated to Ireland for her safekeeping. Oskar is disillusioned by the war and just wants to find Elsa after he finds out she is gone from her home.

Other characters include Kitty, a young Irish woman who lives with her mother but is looking for excitement in her life. She finds a parachute hanging from a lime tree and is not quite sure what to make of it but she does know that there is someone who was at one time attached to that parachute. Oskar has jumped out of the plane hoping to land in Ireland so he can continue to locate Elsa. Charlie is a a young medical student who meets Elsa and falls in love with her. As war continues around all four of these young people, they never know what may happen day to day.

A Parachute in the Lime Tree is a wonderful, poignant story, written in such a way that the reader can feel the emotions that abound between all the characters involved. A well researched tale of love, war, exile in uncertain times. I highly recommend it.

[Gillian Hamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a beautiful ending! *wipes away a tear* This was a super read, with evocative language and well-drawn characters that carried this intelligent story of love and loss during WWII. Have to admit I knew little about Irish history of this period, so found the whole transportation of Jewish people from Germany really informative. I found myself drawn to Oscar and Elsa more so than Kitty and Charles, although I'm not entirely sure why. I felt Kitty was a little blurred as a character, and I never felt a connection with Charles, whereas both German characters really lived and breathed the story. The tone and language reminded me of another of my favourite WWII novels, 22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson. There is something compelling yet almost innocent about the writing that seems to suit the chaos of the setting. Super stuff. If I had any negative points it would be that the stories ended too soon, I felt the characters had more to say and although the summary covered all important points, I was still left with a sense of their stories being incomplete somehow. Or maybe I was just sad to say goodbye!

[Conor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is a lovely book. It is both very well written and cleverly put together. Neary has a fantastic sense of time and place and captures the period brilliantly - no doubt partly a result of her extraordinary research (she interviewed a WWII Luftwaffe pilot!). But what I enjoyed most about this book and what really kept me turning the pages were its excellent characters. Oskar, Elsa and Kitty (whose lives we follow) are, each in their own very distinct way, wonderfully endearing and so imaginatively brought to life. Not to mention the many others that appear along the way - Aunt Effie sticks in the mind! The structure of the book, which seamlessly shifts perspective from character to character, allows us great intimacy with all three of them, enabling us to get right into each of their stories and totally wound up in their emotions. Perhaps too much so by the end! It is a deeply moving and very original ending to a book that I thoroughly recommend. Well worth a read.

[The Lit Bitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a gripping war time love story that demonstrates how war and time change people. What you once wanted at one point in your life, may not be what you want now.

I did love how the story and lives of the characters intertwined and came together in the end….very well done and moving. I also really enjoyed learning about Ireland’s involvement in the war. I don’t know much about Irish history, particularly the modern era but this book gave great background information for the reader.

Clearly the author has done her research and presented it in a way that is easy for the reader to understand and process. I really enjoyed her writing style once I got used to it. It was a little confusing at first with the way the characters were presented but by the second POV chapter I had everything worked out.

See my full review here

[Felicity Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever read a book where the emotions of the characters are so raw as to be tangible? Well, A Parachute In The Lime Tree is one such novel.

Beautifully penned and full of poignant moments. Though not a novel that gripped me right from the beginning, I did at first find the numerous change in narratives slightly disturbed the flow of the story but by the end I was so caught up in the hypnotic quality of Oskar and Elsa's stories that I found myself reluctant to put it down for even one moment.

A truly uplifting read, a story of lost love and redemption which spans countries and cultures, might I suggest you have a box of tissues on stand-by.

DISCLAIMER: Read and reviewed on behalf of the author I was merely asked for my honest opinion, no financial compensation was asked for nor given.

[Humphrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written book with unrequited love at its core. The story combines humour, poignancy and suspense and transports us back to wartime Germany and neutral Ireland. There are vivid snapshots of Dublin during the Emergency, including wonderful depictions of the eccentric Aunt Effie and of the genteel musical life of the city. In Berlin, the gradual exclusion of Elsa's Jewish family by neighbours and former colleagues and their desperate attempts to find refuge are heartbreaking. I did not know that some Kindertransport children ended up in Belfast, or that Belfast had been bombed during the Blitz, and found it interesting that two very different experiences of war could co-exist on the same island. The ending is a moving and very beautiful surprise.

[Krystyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty much a "typical" WWII era love story. I struggled somewhat to keep up with the characters (and names) throughout. Good thing it was a short book, although one more chapter would have been PERFECT!!!

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The characters in this were so very individual and fresh, the language was lovely, fellows described as 'a shower of octopuses' for example. The whole imbued with a sort of dreamy earthiness, and a more life real life ending.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check out my review here.

[Bee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another one that made me cry. Great book. Now I'm off to go jump off a roof.

[Reading Badger · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot of the book follows the life of 4 characters, Oskar, Elsa, Charlie, and Kitty, in Ireland during the Emergency.
The book is nicely contoured around all their experiences, from past and present. Kitty pursues Oskar, while Oskar tries to trace and find Elsa, while Elsa and Charlie put their lives together.
Each of them sees the war with different eyes, so the focus of the novel alternates among their four stories. Ultimately, Oskar, Elsa, Charlie and Kitty will meet in a nice ending.
It was such a surprise this book! I recommend it when you are in the mood for a good, but not stereotypical romance.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a beautifully written story.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Parachute in the Lime Tree is about four characters whose lives are deeply affected by WWII: Oskar, Elsa, Charlie, and Kitty. The war stifles love affairs, as any war does. Once again there is a couple who are separated because one is German, Oskar, and the other is Jewish, Elsa. Kitty finds Oskar, the man in a parachute in her lime tree, captivating, but his goal is to locate Elsa, who is in Ireland. He isn’t successful and lives his life without her. Charlie, a medical student, ends up marrying Elsa.

Each character has a different point of view regarding the war. Even though Ireland took a neutral stance in the war, Oskar, Elsa, Charlie, and Kitty did not think neutrality. The opinions and feelings of the characters are learned by sharing in their daily lives. A Parachute in the Lime Tree is a perfect and entertaining way to learn the history of WWII, with the emphasis in Ireland.

I experienced a difficult time reading the first few chapters, although the separations aren’t labeled as chapters. It took time to become comfortable because the narratives kept changing, followed by numerous alternating characters. I viewed it as a good challenge to sort through as I continued reading. By the end of the book I had mastered Annemarie Neary’s writing style.

The ending is unpredictable, which I appreciate the most. The descriptions are vivid and I pictured each historical setting as I read A Parachute in the Lime Tree. Annemarie Neary integrates love, suspense, and humor in her well researched novel.

As an aspiring writer, I am going to reread A Parachute in the Lime Tree by Annemarie Neary, because her style was unique and at times a challenge. I know I can benefit from reading different writing styles.

Readers of all ages who want to learn the history of WWII will enjoy this historical novel.

[Carrie Kitzmiller · Rating 4 out of 5]

The novel follows the stories of four people throughout the war. Kitty is an Irish young woman who is trying to take care of her mother after her father’s death. She is frustrated with being forced to leave Dublin for the country, and yearns for something exciting to happen – leading to her having a pretty atypical reaction to discovering a Nazi in her kitchen. Elsa is Jewish, and was able to escape Germany to Ireland – but is without her family in a strange land. Oskar, who believes he is in love with Elsa, becomes disenchanted with the Luftwaffe and parachutes out of his bomber as it flies over Ireland, hoping to find Elsa. Charlie is a young Irish medical student who becomes attracted to Elsa after seeing her play the piano at a musical competition.

The lives of these people become entwined with one another as they do their best to survive the war. I liked Elsa’s story best, but was fully engaged in each person’s point of view. Neary is a wonderful writer. She writes simply, yet beautifully, and gives the reader a vivid picture of Ireland during the war.

[Sophie Gonzales · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Parachute in the Lime Tree is a wonderfully crafted story involving culture, history, and romance; set around events that happened in Ireland during World War Two.

I found the novel to be an interesting read, not only from a fictional standpoint but also from a historical one. Prior to reading it I didn't know anything about Ireland during the 2nd world war, so learning about the country's uncertainty during the period in question was eye-opening. I also enjoyed the alternative takes on German perspectives.

The historical events in A Parachute in the Lime Tree are brought to life through a cast of fictional characters; each with a unique and well-developed story. I loved finding the book neatly divided into equal sections – such as three chapters for Oskar, three for Kitty, three more for the setting of Dublin, and so forth – making it easy to keep up with the many lives and locations moving forward.

If you enjoy historical fiction, interesting characters, and carefully weaved plots that keep you guessing, I highly recommend A Parachute in the Lime Tree.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed for www.compassbookratings.com

Overall Review:
Set during World War II, A Parachute in the Lime Tree illustrates how war can define a generation. Author Annemarie Neary introduces readers to four young adults whose heart-wrenching experiences mingle and intertwine. I was especially drawn to the tale of piano prodigy Elsa. The plot moves nicely and I loved learning more about Ireland's stance during the war. Neary excels at conveying each character's hopes and dreams -- as well as their desperation at a world turned upside down. A lovely and satisfying ending makes A Parachute in the Lime Tree a novel I will never forget.

For full content analysis, check out www.compassbookratings.com

[Niamh Gallen · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK this SUCH a great novel. I couldn't stop the tears at the end I'm telling you. It really was the saddest thing I have read in a long time.

A must read for anyone who appreciates a great love story - I was utterly engaged throughout

[Sherree Gaskell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this War time love story with its descriptions of Ireland. The complex feelings between the young characters totally grabbed me, and with such force that I found it hard to finally finish the book and leave them behind.

[Pamela Fleck · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was greatly disappointed with this week. I thought it lacked some character development and the end drags.