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Unkempt Secrets from The War
Living in London, England during the wake of World War II, Nel Rosenberg, a German girl, finds herself facing great opposition, especially after falling for William Beckham who is neither of her class nor race. As war continues to break out across Europe and William heads off to war, rumours of espionage put Nel's future entirely on the line. While working for a London hospital, Nel collects war stories from the soldiers, stories that trace back to her late father's involvement in the first World War. During her time at hospital, Nel encounters an American writer by the name of Mr. Blackwell who asks if she would be willing to write for a column for the New York Register on the Secrets from the War. As she takes to Journalism in a male dominant field, Nel begins to discover family secrets of her own that put her life and her love for William Beckham all at stake. With the height of the war spreading throughout Europe, will Nel be able to forgive those whose secrets try to destroy her in the end?
416 pages, Paperback
Published January 24, 2017
2 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Malech
4 books22 followersStoryteller at all hours. Copywriter in Advertising by day, Author of Historical Fiction by night.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 22, 2023
This book was so good, although at times it was a little sad when certain things happened that i wasn’t expecting. I thought I knew how this book was going to go, but I certainly didn’t know. Do your self a favor and go read this book.
July 6, 2017
Jennifer Malech has given us a delightful window into the stratified class system of British society. It is a world that will soon disappear in the conflagration of another war.
Nel Rosenberg spent the first twelve years of her life in Salzburg, Austria prior to her family moving to Sherburne, England. When her parents are killed in a tragic car accident she and her two sisters are sent to live in an orphanage in London. Helpless and penniless, Nel is determined to make a life for herself and her sisters. This is the story of Nel’s pursuit of a better life, it is also a story about the devastating consequences of World War II.
Ms. Malech manages to tackle a plethora of subjects in this historical novel. The bigotry inherent in the upper echelons of society, and what ends people will go to preserve a way of life that is doomed. Nel is a writer, she writes about the world around her. It is her hobby, her way of dealing with the inequities and injustices that she sees. She’s a feisty heroine, who seems to conform to the rules, but at heart, she is a rebel who believes a person should be judged for their talents and what they achieve and not the accident of birth.
Her writing talent will lead her on a journey that will take her from the bombings of London to New York, where she will use that talent to enlist America’s support in the war. She will fall in love and lose love, and in the end, through terrible disappointments and loss, she will realize her dreams.
The author has managed to breathe life and color into history, bring her characters to life, provide a compelling mystery, and keep the reader turning pages.
Nel Rosenberg spent the first twelve years of her life in Salzburg, Austria prior to her family moving to Sherburne, England. When her parents are killed in a tragic car accident she and her two sisters are sent to live in an orphanage in London. Helpless and penniless, Nel is determined to make a life for herself and her sisters. This is the story of Nel’s pursuit of a better life, it is also a story about the devastating consequences of World War II.
Ms. Malech manages to tackle a plethora of subjects in this historical novel. The bigotry inherent in the upper echelons of society, and what ends people will go to preserve a way of life that is doomed. Nel is a writer, she writes about the world around her. It is her hobby, her way of dealing with the inequities and injustices that she sees. She’s a feisty heroine, who seems to conform to the rules, but at heart, she is a rebel who believes a person should be judged for their talents and what they achieve and not the accident of birth.
Her writing talent will lead her on a journey that will take her from the bombings of London to New York, where she will use that talent to enlist America’s support in the war. She will fall in love and lose love, and in the end, through terrible disappointments and loss, she will realize her dreams.
The author has managed to breathe life and color into history, bring her characters to life, provide a compelling mystery, and keep the reader turning pages.
September 29, 2017
When I was contacted by the author to review her book, I assumed that she had made a typo in the title. The adjective “unkempt” doesn’t feel or sound right. I even used the Thesaurus to see if I was mistaken, but putting in similar words was just as disturbing. It nagged me, but oh well.
So I began reading. The story starts in 1934 with the three orphaned Rosenberg girls being forced from the family home in Sherborne to an orphanage in London. Originally from Austria, the girls had no family to take them in.
Life in the orphanage isn’t great, but at least Nel gets to go to school. She doesn’t see her sisters much, and they live on different floors (or maybe different buildings, I was never sure)., but she looks forward to visit with them.
One day Nel meets William Beckham, a young man to whom she is strongly attracted, and he to her. And that’s where the author lost me….around Page 66. It wasn’t the story line, but the use of language that forced me to quit reading. The prose sound as if this should be set in the late 1800s, not in the 1930s.
I really, really wanted to read this book. The synopsis makes it sound like just the book for me:
“Living in London, England during the wake of World War II, (shouldn’t it be WWI?) Nel Rosenberg, a German girl, finds herself facing great opposition, especially after falling for William Beckham who is neither of her class nor race. As war continues to break out across Europe and William heads off to war, rumours of espionage put Nel's future entirely on the line. While working for a London hospital, Nel collects war stories from the soldiers, stories that trace back to her late father's involvement in the first World War. During her time at hospital, Nel encounters an American writer by the name of Mr. Blackwell who asks if she would be willing to write for a column for the New York Register on the Secrets from the War. As she takes to Journalism in a male dominant field, Nel begins to discover family secrets of her own that put her life and her love for William Beckham all at stake. With the height of the war spreading throughout Europe, will Nel be able to forgive those whose secrets try to destroy her in the end?”
But as I said, the language caused me to put it down. Unkempt Secrets From the War gets 1 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.
So I began reading. The story starts in 1934 with the three orphaned Rosenberg girls being forced from the family home in Sherborne to an orphanage in London. Originally from Austria, the girls had no family to take them in.
Life in the orphanage isn’t great, but at least Nel gets to go to school. She doesn’t see her sisters much, and they live on different floors (or maybe different buildings, I was never sure)., but she looks forward to visit with them.
One day Nel meets William Beckham, a young man to whom she is strongly attracted, and he to her. And that’s where the author lost me….around Page 66. It wasn’t the story line, but the use of language that forced me to quit reading. The prose sound as if this should be set in the late 1800s, not in the 1930s.
I really, really wanted to read this book. The synopsis makes it sound like just the book for me:
“Living in London, England during the wake of World War II, (shouldn’t it be WWI?) Nel Rosenberg, a German girl, finds herself facing great opposition, especially after falling for William Beckham who is neither of her class nor race. As war continues to break out across Europe and William heads off to war, rumours of espionage put Nel's future entirely on the line. While working for a London hospital, Nel collects war stories from the soldiers, stories that trace back to her late father's involvement in the first World War. During her time at hospital, Nel encounters an American writer by the name of Mr. Blackwell who asks if she would be willing to write for a column for the New York Register on the Secrets from the War. As she takes to Journalism in a male dominant field, Nel begins to discover family secrets of her own that put her life and her love for William Beckham all at stake. With the height of the war spreading throughout Europe, will Nel be able to forgive those whose secrets try to destroy her in the end?”
But as I said, the language caused me to put it down. Unkempt Secrets From the War gets 1 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.
January 4, 2018
Will distance between Nel and William become a foe of their love? Jennifer Malech’s exceptional writing style makes you forget these characters are fictional. You can’t help but feel like you have become a bystander in this story with the perfect balance of detail and dialogue to transport you into this world. As a reader who has lived a thousand lives this has been one of my favorite lives to live.
March 29, 2017
A great read
A story of love, family, betrayal and forgiveness in a time of war, through the eyes of a German girl in England.
A story of love, family, betrayal and forgiveness in a time of war, through the eyes of a German girl in England.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews