Tricia Goyer tells the little-known, but true story of the orchestra started by prisoners in Hitler's Mauthausen death camp. This courageous orchestra played the American national anthem as Allied troops arrived to liberate the camps. Around the orchestra story, Tricia weaves the fictional stories of a beautiful member of the Austrian resistance, the American GI who loves her, and a young prisoner who fakes his way into the camp orchestra in a desperate attempt to stay alive.
Tricia Goyer is a busy mom of ten, grandmother of two, and wife to John. Somewhere around the hustle and bustle of family life, she manages to find the time to write fictional tales delighting and entertaining readers and non-fiction titles offering encouragement and hope. A bestselling author, Tricia has published thirty-three books to date and has written more than 500 articles. She is a two time Carol Award winner, as well as a Christy and ECPA Award Nominee. In 2010, she was selected as one of the Top 20 Moms to Follow on Twitter by SheKnows.com. Tricia is also on the blogging team at MomLifeToday.com, TheBetterMom.com and other homeschooling and Christian sites.In addition to her roles as mom, wife and author, Tricia volunteers around her community and mentors teen moms. She is the founder of Hope Pregnancy Ministries in Northwestern Montana, and she currently leads a Teen MOPS Group in Little Rock, AR. Learn more about Tricia at www.triciagoyer.com.
I love reading WWII fiction and have been a fan of the Thoenes's series for years. Tricia's account of what happened in Austria during that era and the atrocities of the concentration camps is compelling. I visited the Holocaust Museum in DC in 2003 and reading her novel was like going back for a visit to the rooms with the chilling history of death and torture. Though not grossly graphic, she gets the truth of the sadism and inhumane thinking of that era across without sounding preachy. Also, the plot kept my interest and the characters were well developed. I found it to be very true to life. She did a great job weaving a fictional tale around a true life account of someone else's suffering. I keep thinking about the story after I've read it and that is unusual for me. From Dust and Ashes (first in the series) also sticks with me, but Night Song surpasses even that wonderfully written story. I can't wait for her third book to come out.
A well researched WWII Novel by Tricia Goyer. It's a very moving and emotional story that covers the war years in and around Austria. The story centers around four different people. There are also other characters that add to the story and make it seem real. Evie is the daughter of the Austrian Ambassador to the United States. Nick is a student resident surgeon at a New York Hospital. Jakub is a young Jewish boy living in Czechoslovakia with his family at the start of the war. Otto is an Austrian SS Nazi soldier. The story begins in New York city just as the war in Europe is starting. It moves overseas to Austria and Czechoslovakia. The Author did a remarkable job of putting this story together and making it seem so real. I highly recommend it to all readers who love to read WWII fiction. I especially like to read these war stories because my Father was in the Royal Canadian Air Force and went overseas during WWII. My mom was left at home with two preschoolers and she worked at an ammunition factory in order to make a living for herself and the girls. These stories help me to realize the sacrifices my parents had to make because of the war. I downloaded a copy of Night Song from the Kindle Lending Library. A review was not requested. All opinions expressed are my own.
Surrounded by evil and weakened by starvation, Jakub finds himself playing his beloved violin in the prisoner-led orchestra of Mauthausen death camp. Evie, the daughter of an Austrian diplomat, realizes she can't just stand and joins the resistance while Nick, her American fiance, risks everything to be by her side.
I really lucked out when I stumbled upon Night Song at a thrift shop. A friend of mine read it just before I started in and she was hooked on it right from the beginning and gave it a glowing review. I agree with her - this is one of the best inspirational WWII-set books I've read in a long time. It's a compelling character-driven novel of bravery and sacrifice amidst the horrors of the Nazi regime. This haunting and beautifully written work of historical-fiction comes highly recommended!
I love music. And I'm oddly drawn to the WWII era, so as soon as I saw this book, I knew I wanted to read it. It stands alone from the previous book, but of course, I wanted to read that one first since it's technically Book 1.
Tricia does such a fabulous job of portraying the depth of the horror of the Holocaust while not dwelling in that darkness. Her research is impeccable and the stories feel so authentic because of it. Her world is so easy to slip into.
This one had a slower start for me than the previous one. It was harder to see what the goal of the characters (save one) was and how the stories would intertwine. I kept waiting and waiting to figure out what exactly we were building toward. But the end of the book pulled things together beautifully.
And she got me! I teared up like three times. I was fine until one certain bit and then after that she got me twice more in the last few pages. So very well done. I look forward to the next one, but will likely take some space to get through a few other reads before diving back into WWII.
Content: no swearing, a clean, sweet romance, and some war violence. It's a WWII book that deals with the concentration camps, the injustice, the fear, the control, and even a little of the occult in this one. The book deals with heavy things like loss and grief, not understanding why, not knowing if you'll live or die day by day, and feeling completely helpless to do anything to make things right. But it's well worth the read. I'd probably recommend for 16/17+
This was a great read and I'm looking forward to reading more by this author. Historical fiction is my favorite genre and I prefer well-researched novels with a personal touch to them. I'd rather not waste my time with historical romances. This novel had a romance but it was not the main point of the book and that was perfect for me. The ending was somewhat syrupy but the rest of the story made up for it many times over.
Having read Tricia Goyer's first book, I thought I was in for a treat with this one. And indeed, the beginning of the book started out fantastic. I really, really liked the sound of the story from reading it's description: Young musician encounters hope and light in a concentration camp as he takes part in the camp orchestra (based on historical fact). I think this story would have been awesome if handled better. Just as in her first book, after a tight beginning the story starts to crumble. The characters get wooden, the plot takes fantastic turns, the drama turns melodramatic, the romance turns cheesy. The ending especially felt rushed, cheesy, and unrealistic. I've thought about reading the other two books in this series but am now not so sure. I think Tricia Goyer could become a really good author...she's not quite there yet.
This book is simply amazing. I haven't read it recently, but it's a book that I go back to read again and again and again. It is so beautifully crafted and so moving, and the entire thing is heart-wrenchingly beautiful. Goyer has a talent, and it's one of the best talents to have -- the ability to fictionalize a true story to continue and tell it true to what it is. For any fans of WWII books, as I am, this comes highly recommended.
Very well written novel. I discovered that some Jewish musicians used their love of music to help them survive their horrific experiences in the concentration camps.
The first book I read in this series was “From Dust and Ashes” and I really connected with it and rated it a 5-star read. For much of “Dust & Ashes” the story and the characters revolve around St. Georgen and it was easy to become invested in the developing story. In the last third of the book, as the characters move in different directions, I remained enchanted with the story and characters, because the plot and characters were crafted so well.
In “Night Song,” the separate stories championed by Evie, Nick, Jakub, and Otto were not presented as I anticipated. Evie and Nick are introduced first, their setting is New York where they are living and working. Then before we settle in with this newly minted couple, the setting quickly moves to Austria and Czechoslovakia. Here, the plot jumps around between four central characters. Three of these characters stories had compelling plots, so each time there was a plot switch to a different character, I had to leave the character I was invested in and re-engage with the “latest up-to-bat character. I liked Evie & Nick’s plot as well as Jakub’s plot and would have rated this book a 5-star read if it had focused on either Evie & Nicks story or Jakub’s story and made the other characters secondary, peripheral characters.
For me, even given the above challenges I’ve mentioned concerning the book, I have to stress that Goyer really knows how to highlight some heart-crushing realities from World War II. This highlighting reality is seen as Evie moved from being a “respected member of the elite” to being in the resistance. Evie moves away from a romantic view of life to a clear-eyed understanding of the times. Powerful writing.
Evie and Jakub both experience loss: the loss of true identity, the loss of home, even the loss of food, clothing, and the ability to come and go at will. Jakub and his brother, like so many other Jewish children went from a world of love and nurture to the real-world nightmare of degradation and horror in a prison camp. Every time the book rounded back to Jakub in the prison camp it was hard to read and tears would flow. Jakub was such a dear. I loved how the mature musician recognized Jakub’s ability, correctly identified a workaround to his resistance and fear about performing music, which effectively “turns on” his natural ability. Such tragic irony between the beautiful music the prison orchestra played and the life they were forced to live.
This is now the second book in the Liberator series I’ve finished reading, both books have been gripping. I’m currently reading “Dawn of a Thousand Nights,” another book in Goyer’s series, and so far, it also is an impressive read.
Almost-engaged American Nick and Austrian Evie are separated when Evie's family has to go back to Austria. Then Nick receives his draft notice and only hopes that he'll find himself somewhere near Evie when he is sent overseas. Meanwhile, Jakub's family is torn apart when German mistreatment of Jews in Czechoslovakia ramps up. Taken to a ghetto, then to a work camp, Jakub watches those he loves die or get shipped off somewhere worse. Goyer weaves a tale of survival and compassion as seemingly unrelated storylines join together for the final scenes.
This book was an interesting take on historical fiction set during the Holocaust. Only a little of the focus is on a Jewish family, though what Jakub, his brother, and his mother go through is bad enough. Evie provides a different point of view, and (along with Nick) there's even a 4th perspective, that being of an SS soldier who's certain there's some kind of supernatural power involved in the Nazi party, and he wants some of it for himself. (This is not the first time I've read a book with a character like that in it.) The 4 stories mostly advance separately, with Nick's and Evie's being the most connected for obvious reasons. Overall, the individual stories were interesting in their own ways, though the SS soldier's was the one where I most wished to know why I should care about what was going on with him.
It was fairly obvious throughout the book, and because of the series name, how the storylines would all come together. Most of it felt pretty natural, though Nick being there seemed the most randomly coincidental. The official synopsis focuses a lot on the prisoners' orchestra at Mauthausen that played while fellow prisoners walked to and from their work for the day. It's a little strange, because this doesn't come into the story until pretty far into it. There's a whole lot more to it than that, but the overall theme of music being important even during really tough times does come through. Depending on where you look, this book is first or second in a series focusing on camp liberations during WWII, most likely each a stand alone. As far as this book goes, I think many people who appreciate historical fiction centered around this time period, especially with a Christian angle, would enjoy this book.
If you enjoy WWII stories you are in for a treat with this novel. The author takes her readers into Austria during the war.
Evie is living in America with her family when they are required to move back home to Austria leaving her fiancé, Nick, behind to go to medical school. They are separated by distance but their love helps them hope for a future together.
Jakub and Daniel are Jewish brothers who have a great talent for playing the violin. Daniel is exceptional with his performing in front of a crowd whereas Jakub is terrified to do so. Both boys end up in a concentration camp together. Their suffering is beyond what any human should have to endure.
The story progresses at a nice steady pace and the characters are realistic. There is a lot of history about the orchestra in Mauthausen concentration camp that I found quite interesting. I was also intrigued by some of the information about the Resistance. I never really thought about what they did and how involved and dangerous it was.
The ending of the book seemed a bit rushed but overall this was a very good read. I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys WWII history. I can't wait to start the next book in the series.
I don’t normally write reviews, so I’ll make this quick and spoiler free. The story, was wonderful. It’s swaps between the 4 different stories quite a bit, in the middle of chapters even. Which at times made it a little choppy to read. But like I’ve said, the story is great. I wouldn’t say extraordinary—it’s simply a very typical heartwarming/heart wrenching WWII story.
The main reason I’m not giving it 5 stars, is on account of number of typos. Mistakes happen, I understand that aspect, but the novel I read was a 2019 edition and the typos were VERY obvious. To name a few, things like a space where a letter in the middle of a word should be. A ‘he’ instead of a ‘she,’ a period in place of the letter ‘i’ in the word ‘stride’ which looked like ‘str.de’
It was just very unprofessional, and one would think an author such as Tricia Goyer who has written countless novels would take a little more care to edit/have her books edited properly.
All in all though, the characters are wonderfully done and you can’t help falling in love with them. If you’re a fan of WWII historical fiction like me, you’ll really enjoy this novel.
Tricia Goyer's WWII series is deeply moving. Stories of the German invasion and torture of thousands of people is not what I would have expected to be very interesting or uplifting but she has brought the true stories and happenings into a new light...the Light of Forgiveness, Sacrifice, Hope and Redemption. These are the stories that are interesting and uplifting. These are the stories that need to be told and read. If you are looking for slapstick humor and gushy romance, it isn't here. These are the stories you won't soon forget.
This book is the second book I have read in the Liberator Series by Tricia Goyer in the last couple of days. Tricia does an outstanding job of describing the horrors faced by the people in Concentration Camps who were placed in the camps not because of crimes they had committed but because they had Jewish blood or had assisted people with Jewish blood.
I encourage readers of this review to read this book to learn about this part of the story of World War II.
I've read many WWII-era novels, but it's been a while since I've read one in the Christian-fiction genre. The overall story and characters were solid and well-written. There was a nice pace to the story and the switch between characters and locations was easy to follow and built in a sense of urgency to the story. Despite being Christian fiction it is not preachy--which can happen a lot in this genre--but the mentions of Christianity do feel forced at times, and one convert feels totally unnecessary. Overall, it was a good read.
Life got in the way of writing a review promptly after finishing. Due to that fact, I have forgotten most of the specific things that I remember about this book. I know that I enjoyed the book although I do remember starting to notice something that became glaringly obvious in the next Goyer book that I read. (I will mention that in that review.) This book is average and deals well with a much-written about time period. This book survived round two of the purge from my personal collection.
This is a long book, but it flows pretty well most of the time. The liberation scene is beautiful and bittersweet at the same time. I enjoyed this novel, but I didn’t find myself reluctant to even put it down like some I’ve read. Jakob is the character I enjoyed most because of the way he changed in the midst of what he had to endure. He thought he was timid, but when tested to the limit he found great courage.
I thoroughly enjoyed this gripping read following three characters throughout World War II--a Jewish boy who is imprisoned in the concentration camp, a girl who is a member of the Resistance, and her American fiance who goes to find her. I especially enjoyed all the musical references and getting a glimpse behind the curtain of the Mauthausen orchestra.
A beautiful, heart-wrenching, and deeply emotive story!
5/5 stars I read this entire book in two days. A great insight to all the aspects of this war: on the battle lines, behind the battle lines, in the ghettos, in the camps and even a few clues into the symbolism of Nazi propaganda such as the swastika and other emblems. One of the best books of this nature I have read in over a year. Highly recommend.
One of those books you hate to put down and can't wait to pick back up!
A mixture of WWII historical fiction and Holocaust memoir, this book was engrossing from the beginning. The characters are so well developed that you can't wait to find out what happens and root for them all along. Told from different viewpoints, it still flows beautifully. Truly a wonderful story.
Of course this novel was intense given it is set during WWII. This page turner had me thinking about the story when I was away from it. The haunting and sad details of this war caused me to question why I keep going back to these historical novels, but when I concluded I knew my answer: it's because good winning over evil is important. I hope you can find a copy to read. It's a powerful story.
What a fine historical novel of WWII, weaving the stories of the orchestra of prisoners at Mauthausen concentration camp, a young woman who becomes part of the Resistance, and her American fiance who is an army surgeon. There are so many telling details about what the Jewish people had to endure, and was inspired by veterans of the 11th Armored Division and their stories.
So enjoyed the three stories woven into one special story during a horrible period of time. It was just the right amount of characters, setting and suspense that I could not stop reading. I know a book is good when I start trying to tell my husband the storyline. This is a compassionate read about real people during the Holocaust.
This is such a wonderfully written book about a time that never should have happened. Ms. Goyer has written a story that takes the reader into World War II just as if you were really there watching it all unfold before your eyes. I thank you, Ms. Goyer, for all the research that went into you being able to bring Night Song to the world.
This 2nd book pulled on my heartstrings even more than the 1st. I couldn't help but cry many times along the way. The author did a great job weaving the 4 characters stories together. I want to give it 4½ stars because I wish there had been more given in Otto's story. I was happy with everything else & look forward to reading the next book in this series.
WWII is full of heart-wrenching and heart-warming stories. I enjoy WWII history generally, and this novel, based on a true story, skillfully depicted both. I definitely recommend it, and Tricia has additional novels based on WWII events that look to be worth checking out as well.
A well-edited, well-written true story told in a difficult-to-put-down way. Great characters, good dialogue, and a fascinating story of a very sad time in history. Beautiful, clean romance, too.
This is a precious story of love and friendship. It is one that I recommend to people of all ages. This is a great story for the time which we now live in.