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Fables & Lies: A WWII Novel Based on a True Story
WWII Berlin. Freyja Bremer, a patriotic museum assistant, marries Kaspar Voigt, an ambitious SS scholar, to protect her father. Yet she is unaware her husband is instrumental in Himmler’s twisted quest for Aryan supremacy.
As she strives to safeguard the priceless Priam’s Treasure from air raids, Freyja falls in love with Darien Lessing, an archaeologist who exposes the moral decay beneath the Regime’s myths. Her awakening drives her into perilous resistance – aiding a Jewish doctor and his wife, Darien’s sister – while uncovering Kaspar’s role in the SS’s darkest programmes, which subvert history to justify invasion, abduction and murder.
As Berlin collapses into chaos and bloodshed, Freyja, caught between duty, deception and desire, must risk everything to preserve truth in a world built on lies.
A heartbreaking yet triumphant love story, Fables & Lies shines light on lesser-known aspects of the Nazi Regime. It gives voice to the complex moral struggles of German women, the forgotten resistance of Gentiles married to Jews, the dangers of contested history, the evils of Himmler’s racial studies programme and the unsung bravery of German museum curators who saved their nation’s treasures.
A must for readers who love emotional, thought-provoking WWII historical fiction, Fables & Lies explores the complexities of survival, resistance, impossible choices and moral conflict while featuring thwarted love, dark family secrets and a journey to enlightenment. Perfect for fans of Kelly Rimmer, Laura Morelli and Anthony Doer.
As she strives to safeguard the priceless Priam’s Treasure from air raids, Freyja falls in love with Darien Lessing, an archaeologist who exposes the moral decay beneath the Regime’s myths. Her awakening drives her into perilous resistance – aiding a Jewish doctor and his wife, Darien’s sister – while uncovering Kaspar’s role in the SS’s darkest programmes, which subvert history to justify invasion, abduction and murder.
As Berlin collapses into chaos and bloodshed, Freyja, caught between duty, deception and desire, must risk everything to preserve truth in a world built on lies.
A heartbreaking yet triumphant love story, Fables & Lies shines light on lesser-known aspects of the Nazi Regime. It gives voice to the complex moral struggles of German women, the forgotten resistance of Gentiles married to Jews, the dangers of contested history, the evils of Himmler’s racial studies programme and the unsung bravery of German museum curators who saved their nation’s treasures.
A must for readers who love emotional, thought-provoking WWII historical fiction, Fables & Lies explores the complexities of survival, resistance, impossible choices and moral conflict while featuring thwarted love, dark family secrets and a journey to enlightenment. Perfect for fans of Kelly Rimmer, Laura Morelli and Anthony Doer.
549 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 28, 2026
About the author
Elisabeth Storrs
5 books151 followersElisabeth Storrs has a great love for the history - both trivia and the serious stuff. She is the award-winning author of the A Tale of Ancient Rome saga which was endorsed by Ursula Le Guin, Kate Quinn and Ben Kane. Now she’s hurtled centuries forward with FABLES & LIES, a novel endorsed by Olivia Hawker, set in WW2 Germany about the Aryan myth, crazy Nazi archaeology, and a race to save Trojan Treasure during the fall of Berlin. She is the founder of the Historical Novel Society Australasia. In 2020, Elisabeth headed the team that introduced the $155,000 ARA Historical Novel Prize to the ANZ literary calendar. She lives in Sydney with her husband in a house surrounded by jacarandas. She is also a member of the History Girls.
The Wedding Shroud was endorsed by Ursula Le Guin and judged runner-up in the 2012 Sharp Writ Book Awards for general fiction. The Golden Dice, was judged runner-up in the 2013 Sharp Writ Book Awards, and was a first place category winner in the Chaucer Award as was the third volume, Call To Juno, which was an Editor's Choice in the Historical Novels Review and endorsed by Kate Quinn. It also was a first place category winner in the Chaucer Award in 2017.
The Wedding Shroud was endorsed by Ursula Le Guin and judged runner-up in the 2012 Sharp Writ Book Awards for general fiction. The Golden Dice, was judged runner-up in the 2013 Sharp Writ Book Awards, and was a first place category winner in the Chaucer Award as was the third volume, Call To Juno, which was an Editor's Choice in the Historical Novels Review and endorsed by Kate Quinn. It also was a first place category winner in the Chaucer Award in 2017.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
Thank you to Novel Tours for the ARC. This is my honest, voluntary review.
Whispers Between Truth and Survival
'Fables & Lies' unfolds through the eyes of Freyja Bremer, a woman navigating the suffocating tension of wartime Berlin, where every glance carries suspicion and every decision could mean survival or ruin. From the very first pages, the atmosphere presses in like a tightening grip, heavy with uncertainty and the constant threat of discovery.
Freyja’s perspective feels deeply personal and intimate, allowing the reader to experience the war not from the battlefield, but from within the fragile walls of daily life. The emotional weight of her choices lingers throughout the story, especially as truth and deception begin to blur into something far more dangerous. Trust becomes a fragile currency, and every interaction feels loaded with consequences.
What stands out most is the careful pacing of tension. The story builds layer by layer, weaving secrecy, fear, and resilience into a narrative that feels both historically grounded and emotionally compelling. Berlin itself becomes more than just a setting. It feels alive with danger, shadows, and whispered fears that echo through every chapter.
The structure allows Freyja’s inner world to shine, revealing the quiet strength needed to endure circumstances that constantly threaten to break her. Moments of vulnerability are balanced with determination, making her journey feel authentic and deeply human.
This story lingers in the mind long after the final page, not because of loud moments, but because of the quiet ones where survival depends on courage no one else can see.
Historical Fiction | Wartime Setting | Female POV | Berlin Setting | Secrets and Lies | Survival Under Pressure | Emotional Tension | Character Driven Story
Whispers Between Truth and Survival
'Fables & Lies' unfolds through the eyes of Freyja Bremer, a woman navigating the suffocating tension of wartime Berlin, where every glance carries suspicion and every decision could mean survival or ruin. From the very first pages, the atmosphere presses in like a tightening grip, heavy with uncertainty and the constant threat of discovery.
Freyja’s perspective feels deeply personal and intimate, allowing the reader to experience the war not from the battlefield, but from within the fragile walls of daily life. The emotional weight of her choices lingers throughout the story, especially as truth and deception begin to blur into something far more dangerous. Trust becomes a fragile currency, and every interaction feels loaded with consequences.
What stands out most is the careful pacing of tension. The story builds layer by layer, weaving secrecy, fear, and resilience into a narrative that feels both historically grounded and emotionally compelling. Berlin itself becomes more than just a setting. It feels alive with danger, shadows, and whispered fears that echo through every chapter.
The structure allows Freyja’s inner world to shine, revealing the quiet strength needed to endure circumstances that constantly threaten to break her. Moments of vulnerability are balanced with determination, making her journey feel authentic and deeply human.
This story lingers in the mind long after the final page, not because of loud moments, but because of the quiet ones where survival depends on courage no one else can see.
Historical Fiction | Wartime Setting | Female POV | Berlin Setting | Secrets and Lies | Survival Under Pressure | Emotional Tension | Character Driven Story
Review of advance copy received from Author
Elisabeth Storrs’s novel, Fables and Lies, masterfully traces the fate, during WWII, of the famous cache of Trojan golden objects called by Heinrich Schliemann “Priam’s Treasure.” She immerses us in the intriguing historical mystery: how did the priceless objects leave German control—where they were on display because in 1881 Schliemann sold them to the Berlin Royal Museums—and remain lost for years after the war?
Along the way of that overarching journey of discovery, Storrs draws us into the compelling arc of her main character, Freyja Bremer, an intelligent young woman whose naiveté and indoctrinated education have led her to accept much of what the Nazi regime told the German public, until circumstances and her heart edge her toward listening to whispers of doubts and, eventually, toward adopting highly dangerous views and choices. Freyja’s inner battles and outward crises form the engaging emotional drive of the novel. Storrs has built this character arc in a highly believable way and immersed the action in a precisely detailed setting and historical context that grips the reader. Freyja’s entanglement with one of the Nazi “researchers” for racial purity and his resulting atrocities allows Storrs to portray the depths of fascist evil in parallel to the uncovering of the fate of Schliemann’s famed treasure. Such vivid life-and-death stakes for both Freyja and the world drive a spell-binding plot.
Storrs’ novel launches at a time when, sadly, we most need such brilliant and subtle exposure of the impulses toward nationalism, racism and fascism that have increasingly returned in force in countries around the world, including the U.S. I wish there were no need to return to the atrocities and political manipulations of Nazi Germany, but a deeply felt understanding of that playbook, such as Freyja’s experiences give us, has become all too necessary for our collective well-being. And here it is, as an arresting, page-turning read.
Storr has written an engaging and monumentally important novel for our time with the pairing of the mysterious fate of Priam’s Treasure with one woman’s journey as she overcomes the political manipulations of fascism and takes action.
Along the way of that overarching journey of discovery, Storrs draws us into the compelling arc of her main character, Freyja Bremer, an intelligent young woman whose naiveté and indoctrinated education have led her to accept much of what the Nazi regime told the German public, until circumstances and her heart edge her toward listening to whispers of doubts and, eventually, toward adopting highly dangerous views and choices. Freyja’s inner battles and outward crises form the engaging emotional drive of the novel. Storrs has built this character arc in a highly believable way and immersed the action in a precisely detailed setting and historical context that grips the reader. Freyja’s entanglement with one of the Nazi “researchers” for racial purity and his resulting atrocities allows Storrs to portray the depths of fascist evil in parallel to the uncovering of the fate of Schliemann’s famed treasure. Such vivid life-and-death stakes for both Freyja and the world drive a spell-binding plot.
Storrs’ novel launches at a time when, sadly, we most need such brilliant and subtle exposure of the impulses toward nationalism, racism and fascism that have increasingly returned in force in countries around the world, including the U.S. I wish there were no need to return to the atrocities and political manipulations of Nazi Germany, but a deeply felt understanding of that playbook, such as Freyja’s experiences give us, has become all too necessary for our collective well-being. And here it is, as an arresting, page-turning read.
Storr has written an engaging and monumentally important novel for our time with the pairing of the mysterious fate of Priam’s Treasure with one woman’s journey as she overcomes the political manipulations of fascism and takes action.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I requested the opportunity to read and advance copy of this historical love story through NovelTours and have to say that u didn’t have any idea how impactful it would be. This is a book that blows the star-rating system out of the sky.
I began this book over coffee this morning and have stayed up late into the night finishing it in one go. At 549 pages I wouldn’t normally finish it in a day, but I honestly couldn’t put it down. I missed lunch and didn’t eat until my husband drug my attention back to reality.
Fables and Lies is an incredibly immersive and provocative story centered on a woman’s experiences as a German museum assistant during WWII. Written from the viewpoint of a German woman in Berlin, it offered a different perspective than the historical fiction I usually read. It also follows the fate of the museum’s treasures, the history of which is mentioned as the inspiration for the story in the authors note.
The authors well-researched narrative really highlights the wide array of pressures, decisions, and fears that were weighing on average people at the time. At the same time it highlights the love, endurance and integrity of average people in extraordinary circumstances. This story doesn’t shy away from anything. It is at times tender and emotional, but at others it is gritty and violent. The author doesn’t shy away from the brutality of war, or even just the day to day brutality of abuse within families.
In as much as the story is horrendous and painful, it’s also full of characters who are inspirational in their own humanity. No tale from wartime Berlin could really have a happily ever after, but this one leaves you feeling hopeful for the survivors and thoughtful about the nature of culture, control, war, and personal integrity.
I began this book over coffee this morning and have stayed up late into the night finishing it in one go. At 549 pages I wouldn’t normally finish it in a day, but I honestly couldn’t put it down. I missed lunch and didn’t eat until my husband drug my attention back to reality.
Fables and Lies is an incredibly immersive and provocative story centered on a woman’s experiences as a German museum assistant during WWII. Written from the viewpoint of a German woman in Berlin, it offered a different perspective than the historical fiction I usually read. It also follows the fate of the museum’s treasures, the history of which is mentioned as the inspiration for the story in the authors note.
The authors well-researched narrative really highlights the wide array of pressures, decisions, and fears that were weighing on average people at the time. At the same time it highlights the love, endurance and integrity of average people in extraordinary circumstances. This story doesn’t shy away from anything. It is at times tender and emotional, but at others it is gritty and violent. The author doesn’t shy away from the brutality of war, or even just the day to day brutality of abuse within families.
In as much as the story is horrendous and painful, it’s also full of characters who are inspirational in their own humanity. No tale from wartime Berlin could really have a happily ever after, but this one leaves you feeling hopeful for the survivors and thoughtful about the nature of culture, control, war, and personal integrity.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Fables & Lies by Elisabeth Storrs is an extraordinary work of historical fiction that is immersive, emotionally powerful, and intellectually compelling. Blending meticulous research with gripping storytelling that delivers a deeply personal and transformative character journey.
At the heart of the story is Freyja Bremer, a young German museum assistant whose gradual awakening from indoctrination is portrayed with nuance and authenticity. Her internal conflict that is shaped by fear, loyalty, and a growing moral awareness, anchors the novel emotionally, making her evolution both believable and deeply affecting.
Storrs does not shy away from the brutality of World War II or the insidious nature of fascism. Instead, she presents these realities with clarity and care, highlighting both the horrors of the regime and the quiet resilience, integrity, and courage of ordinary people. The parallel narrative of the missing treasure adds a layer of historical intrigue that enhances the tension and scope of the story.
Despite its weighty subject matter, the novel is remarkably compelling. I found it nearly impossible to stop and the narrator, Lucy Tregear, has a wonderful ability to convey subtle shifts in tone that add a compelling layer to the listening experience. Its pacing, depth, and emotional resonance makes it a profoundly reflective read.
This is more than historical fiction; it is a timely and thought-provoking exploration of truth, propaganda, and personal responsibility. This is a powerful, unforgettable novel.
Thank you Elisabeth Storrs, Bolinda Audio, and NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
At the heart of the story is Freyja Bremer, a young German museum assistant whose gradual awakening from indoctrination is portrayed with nuance and authenticity. Her internal conflict that is shaped by fear, loyalty, and a growing moral awareness, anchors the novel emotionally, making her evolution both believable and deeply affecting.
Storrs does not shy away from the brutality of World War II or the insidious nature of fascism. Instead, she presents these realities with clarity and care, highlighting both the horrors of the regime and the quiet resilience, integrity, and courage of ordinary people. The parallel narrative of the missing treasure adds a layer of historical intrigue that enhances the tension and scope of the story.
Despite its weighty subject matter, the novel is remarkably compelling. I found it nearly impossible to stop and the narrator, Lucy Tregear, has a wonderful ability to convey subtle shifts in tone that add a compelling layer to the listening experience. Its pacing, depth, and emotional resonance makes it a profoundly reflective read.
This is more than historical fiction; it is a timely and thought-provoking exploration of truth, propaganda, and personal responsibility. This is a powerful, unforgettable novel.
Thank you Elisabeth Storrs, Bolinda Audio, and NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 29, 2026
Most interesting to me about Elisabeth Storrs's “Fables & Lies,” about the German side of World War II, was its depiction of the last days or hours of the Reich, when even with the Russians within hours of the capital and pails of amputated limbs lining hospital corridors pungent with the “stench of greening flesh,” fervor for the cause remained high enough among the most fervent of Hitler's supporters that SS officers were hanging from lampposts soldiers seen as traitors and hanging about their necks signs reading, “ I am a coward; I die because I did not fight.’
Less interesting to me, though no doubt more engrossing to readers with a strong interest in antiquities, was the voluminous amount of detail – pages and pages of it – about the efforts of the protagonist and her colleagues at the museum where she works to preserve historical artifacts amid the chaos.
Still, overall a compelling read, Storr’s novel, and particularly relevant to our own times, when, with unnerving parallelism for me, the same sort of zeal on display in the book for the Reich is evident among the most diehard Trump supporters, even with his having incited a riot at the Capitol where a gallows was erected for the vice president and his wanting to prosecute ex-military officers for their legitimate and appropriate exhortation to active duty personnel not to obey illegal orders and his having threatened to annihilate a whole civilization.
Less interesting to me, though no doubt more engrossing to readers with a strong interest in antiquities, was the voluminous amount of detail – pages and pages of it – about the efforts of the protagonist and her colleagues at the museum where she works to preserve historical artifacts amid the chaos.
Still, overall a compelling read, Storr’s novel, and particularly relevant to our own times, when, with unnerving parallelism for me, the same sort of zeal on display in the book for the Reich is evident among the most diehard Trump supporters, even with his having incited a riot at the Capitol where a gallows was erected for the vice president and his wanting to prosecute ex-military officers for their legitimate and appropriate exhortation to active duty personnel not to obey illegal orders and his having threatened to annihilate a whole civilization.
May 8, 2026
Bookreview
Fables and Lies by @elisabethstorrsauthor
Deeply thanks you to @novel.tours for letting me be a part of this tour.
I have read many war romance to do with ww1 and ww2 in over the last 20 years of my life.
This is the first time, I've read in a POV and perspective of how harrowingly sad and twisted , it was for a German Woman during that time. The inner turmoil and conflicts she was facing. The horrors she's heard, witness and had to endure which was completely heartbreaking and gut wrenching.
The person she had to marry to safe guard her father, and the beliefs he had and I tell you I adored her and her father's bond.
I think Darian is her safe harbour in this tumultuous times. But even then the losses she personally had to go through and obviously the lies she has been told all her lives. There were moments she didn't want to believe but the horrors and truths she knows in her heart literally did make her rethink everything she knows and she is courage and intelligent in knowing it's all wrong.
The only thing is knowing being in war you have so much heartache and no time to grieve. I can't forgive her mama or her sister.
This story of love, surviving and coming at the end of the war completely flawed, broken and changes. I did cry a lot and I did not get much sleep.
If you get a chance to read this book please do read the trigger warning for your mental peace of mind.
Fables and Lies by @elisabethstorrsauthor
Deeply thanks you to @novel.tours for letting me be a part of this tour.
I have read many war romance to do with ww1 and ww2 in over the last 20 years of my life.
This is the first time, I've read in a POV and perspective of how harrowingly sad and twisted , it was for a German Woman during that time. The inner turmoil and conflicts she was facing. The horrors she's heard, witness and had to endure which was completely heartbreaking and gut wrenching.
The person she had to marry to safe guard her father, and the beliefs he had and I tell you I adored her and her father's bond.
I think Darian is her safe harbour in this tumultuous times. But even then the losses she personally had to go through and obviously the lies she has been told all her lives. There were moments she didn't want to believe but the horrors and truths she knows in her heart literally did make her rethink everything she knows and she is courage and intelligent in knowing it's all wrong.
The only thing is knowing being in war you have so much heartache and no time to grieve. I can't forgive her mama or her sister.
This story of love, surviving and coming at the end of the war completely flawed, broken and changes. I did cry a lot and I did not get much sleep.
If you get a chance to read this book please do read the trigger warning for your mental peace of mind.
April 29, 2026
This book starts in August 1939 and covers the entire period of WW2 and the initial aftermath in war torn Germany.
Freyja Bremer is the FMC. She is a Museum Assistant helping to log all the priceless pieces/ historic treasures belonging to the state in the hope they can be saved. Freyja begins to date Kaspar Voigt, initially a charming SS Scholar, Freyja soon realises he’s not the nice charming man he appears. Unfortunately it’s too late and she is forced to marry him and play the dutiful wife. During her work with the museum however, Freyja falls in love with Darien Lessing, something her Husband can never find out otherwise he will stop at nothing to ensure Darien is killed.
This is a truly harrowing read at times. Freyja was resilient and courageous to the core as was her Father. I loved her secret relationship with Darien, they were truly devoted to each other, that love never dimmed despite the obstacles before them. The violence, depravity and sheer contempt shown towards Jews and women was truly upsetting. The scale of the devastation and destruction, the true struggle of trying to survive on bare rations without the most basic of everyday items was really sad and was well portrayed. If you enjoy history fiction, this is a must read. I found it fascinating and enlightening.
Freyja Bremer is the FMC. She is a Museum Assistant helping to log all the priceless pieces/ historic treasures belonging to the state in the hope they can be saved. Freyja begins to date Kaspar Voigt, initially a charming SS Scholar, Freyja soon realises he’s not the nice charming man he appears. Unfortunately it’s too late and she is forced to marry him and play the dutiful wife. During her work with the museum however, Freyja falls in love with Darien Lessing, something her Husband can never find out otherwise he will stop at nothing to ensure Darien is killed.
This is a truly harrowing read at times. Freyja was resilient and courageous to the core as was her Father. I loved her secret relationship with Darien, they were truly devoted to each other, that love never dimmed despite the obstacles before them. The violence, depravity and sheer contempt shown towards Jews and women was truly upsetting. The scale of the devastation and destruction, the true struggle of trying to survive on bare rations without the most basic of everyday items was really sad and was well portrayed. If you enjoy history fiction, this is a must read. I found it fascinating and enlightening.
April 30, 2026
Fables & Lies: A World War II Novel by Elisabeth Storrs and narrated by Lucy Tregear was a very strong historical fiction based in World War II, in Berlin, that got my attention from the very beginning, which is told from the eyes of Freyja Bremer who is a patriotic museum assistant, and marries Kaspar Voigt, who os an ambitious SS scholar, to protect her father. But, she is unaware how instrumental her husband is in Himmler's twisted quest for Aryan supremacy.
Now she strives to safeguard the priceless Priam's Treasure from air raids, Freyja falls in love with Darien Lessing, who is an archaeologist and he exposes the moral decay beneath the regime's myths. Now, her awakening drives her into perilous resistance, aiding a Jewish doctor and his wife, Darien's sister, while uncovering Kaspar's role in the SS's darkest programs, which subvert history to justify invasion, abduction and murder.
Berlin collapses into chaos and bloodshed, and Freyja, is caught between duty, deception and desire, she must risk everything to preserve truth in a world built on lies. WoW!!!!
This audiobook was 5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ and the narrator Elisabeth Storrs was 🌸 excellent!
Warning: Content warning: contains strong violence with strong and discriminatory language.
Big Thank you to NetGalley and Bolinda Audio for my audiobook.
Now she strives to safeguard the priceless Priam's Treasure from air raids, Freyja falls in love with Darien Lessing, who is an archaeologist and he exposes the moral decay beneath the regime's myths. Now, her awakening drives her into perilous resistance, aiding a Jewish doctor and his wife, Darien's sister, while uncovering Kaspar's role in the SS's darkest programs, which subvert history to justify invasion, abduction and murder.
Berlin collapses into chaos and bloodshed, and Freyja, is caught between duty, deception and desire, she must risk everything to preserve truth in a world built on lies. WoW!!!!
This audiobook was 5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ and the narrator Elisabeth Storrs was 🌸 excellent!
Warning: Content warning: contains strong violence with strong and discriminatory language.
Big Thank you to NetGalley and Bolinda Audio for my audiobook.
May 13, 2026
Elisabeth Storrs has indeed broken the mould by writing ‘from the other side’. Evocative, detailed and heart-rending as the heroine journeys through disillusion and danger in the Third Reich. We rarely get such a vivid a glimpse of the Second World War from an ordinary civilian on ‘the other side’. Even rarer from the point of view of a young girl having grown up considering the Third Reich as normal. Her gradual disillusionment is heartbreaking and helps us to understand the shattering effect of the destruction of personal lives and family dynamics, always supposing that family members survive.
Freyja does what many of us would do; she marries an attractive man, she continues to enjoy her work and later, she keeps her head down steering her way through the increasingly appalling environment. And we live every moment thanks to excellent research by the author.
This is a long read, sometimes a painful one, yet there is redemption and fortitude. Elisabeth Storrs’s sound writing takes us on a worthwhile and ultimately rewarding journey. Highly recommended.
Freyja does what many of us would do; she marries an attractive man, she continues to enjoy her work and later, she keeps her head down steering her way through the increasingly appalling environment. And we live every moment thanks to excellent research by the author.
This is a long read, sometimes a painful one, yet there is redemption and fortitude. Elisabeth Storrs’s sound writing takes us on a worthwhile and ultimately rewarding journey. Highly recommended.
May 17, 2026
'Fables and Lies' takes the reader into the Third Reich, beyond the cold bureaucratic machinery and into the human. Like 'The Book Thief', we are taken into a situation where people have been taught, cajoled, and coerced into thinking in a certain manner, but when confronted with the human stories, these official accounts don’t accord with their own greater moral compass. The dissonance is the subject matter of Fables and Lies.
Freya Bremer grew up in the shadow of WWI and the rise of the Third Reich. Why would she have questioned the official line? But when she simultaneously meets Kaspar Voigt and Darien Lessing, this official line starts to fray and be revealed as propaganda. What options does she then have? And which one will she take?
Storr’s novel is particularly well researched. I knew little of Priam’s treasures around which the story revolves. And yet all this information is leavened so lightly into the story. This is the stuff of great historical fiction. A highly recommended read.
Freya Bremer grew up in the shadow of WWI and the rise of the Third Reich. Why would she have questioned the official line? But when she simultaneously meets Kaspar Voigt and Darien Lessing, this official line starts to fray and be revealed as propaganda. What options does she then have? And which one will she take?
Storr’s novel is particularly well researched. I knew little of Priam’s treasures around which the story revolves. And yet all this information is leavened so lightly into the story. This is the stuff of great historical fiction. A highly recommended read.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This WWII set story powerfully captures the danger and uncertainty of living in Nazi ruled Germany.
The main protagonist, Freyja, has grown up and been educated to believe and trust the Nazi propaganda. However, she's an intelligent young woman. She has to battle with what she has been told and the way she feels. But her thoughts and the people she associates with could lead to dangerous consequences.
I was really immersed in the story and felt invested in Freyja's life. It's an emotional, painful and eye opening tale. I read a lot of WWII fiction and non fiction and really enjoyed the different perspective of a young German woman in the 1940s.
The main protagonist, Freyja, has grown up and been educated to believe and trust the Nazi propaganda. However, she's an intelligent young woman. She has to battle with what she has been told and the way she feels. But her thoughts and the people she associates with could lead to dangerous consequences.
I was really immersed in the story and felt invested in Freyja's life. It's an emotional, painful and eye opening tale. I read a lot of WWII fiction and non fiction and really enjoyed the different perspective of a young German woman in the 1940s.
Review of advance copy received from Author
With her new novel, Elisabeth Storrs moves from her familiar ground of long-ago Rome and Etruria, setting for her Tales of Ancient Rome trilogy, to WWII Germany — and her enthusiasm for the archaeology of the ancient world is carried forward here. Fables & Lies centers on a woman from an ordinary German family, Freyja Bremer, who takes part in efforts to save invaluable museum artifacts housed in Berlin, a plotline based on a true story. Even more gripping is the deep dive into Freyja’s viewpoint as she gradually penetrates the fog of propaganda instilled into Germans for years by the cruel Nazi regime and awakens to a new and courageous purpose, one that involves considerable risk.
Emotionally involving and morally complex, Fables & Lies doesn’t hold back on its realistic view of the period, including Freyja’s family members’ individual stances toward the Nazis. It also demonstrates how deeply the regime infiltrated the archaeological field in an attempt to distort the historical record toward their racial ideology. I haven’t read another WWII novel like it.
For more, see my interview with the author at Reading the Past.
Emotionally involving and morally complex, Fables & Lies doesn’t hold back on its realistic view of the period, including Freyja’s family members’ individual stances toward the Nazis. It also demonstrates how deeply the regime infiltrated the archaeological field in an attempt to distort the historical record toward their racial ideology. I haven’t read another WWII novel like it.
For more, see my interview with the author at Reading the Past.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I received a copy of this book in advance of Publication thanks to Novel Tours and the author. This is my honest review.
This book is set in WW2 it is a harrowing read at times and has multiple trigger warnings including: Violence, acts of war, bereavement, r*pe, still birth and miscarriage.
It is obvious that the author put a huge amount of research into the facts for this book, I learnt so much about what happened in WW2 that I was not aware of.
This book is emotional, it is not a sugar coated romance set during the war and some may find it a difficult read. However it covers in depth some of the lesser known aspects of the Nazi regime and I found it really interesting the story of how museum staff fought to protect treasure from the war.
It follows the story of Freyja who is a museum assistant who is forced to marry Kaspar, an SS officer to protect her father.
Freyja is not aware at first how dark Kaspar's role is as part of the evil racial studies programme. Freyja falls in love with Darien who is an archeologist who she meets at the museum, his sister is married to a Jewish Doctor and gradually Freyja becomes involved in the resistance.
The writing and detail is superb in this book, the horrors faced are so vividly described that you can almost visualise them and feel the terror.
The characters are also really well developed. I feel this book is going to stay with me for a long time.
This book is set in WW2 it is a harrowing read at times and has multiple trigger warnings including: Violence, acts of war, bereavement, r*pe, still birth and miscarriage.
It is obvious that the author put a huge amount of research into the facts for this book, I learnt so much about what happened in WW2 that I was not aware of.
This book is emotional, it is not a sugar coated romance set during the war and some may find it a difficult read. However it covers in depth some of the lesser known aspects of the Nazi regime and I found it really interesting the story of how museum staff fought to protect treasure from the war.
It follows the story of Freyja who is a museum assistant who is forced to marry Kaspar, an SS officer to protect her father.
Freyja is not aware at first how dark Kaspar's role is as part of the evil racial studies programme. Freyja falls in love with Darien who is an archeologist who she meets at the museum, his sister is married to a Jewish Doctor and gradually Freyja becomes involved in the resistance.
The writing and detail is superb in this book, the horrors faced are so vividly described that you can almost visualise them and feel the terror.
The characters are also really well developed. I feel this book is going to stay with me for a long time.
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