The Roses Underneath

The Anna Klein Trilogy #1

by C.F. Yetmen

2015 Gold Medal for Historical Fiction, Independent Publisher IPPY Awards

2014 Finalist, Foreword Reviews’ INDIEFAB Book of the Year Awards

2014 Notable Indie Book, Shelf Unbound Writing Competition for Best Indie Book

It is August 1945 in Wiesbaden, Germany. With the country in ruins, Anna Klein, displaced and separated from her beloved husband, struggles to support herself and her six-year old daughter Amalia. Her job typing forms at the Collecting Point for the US Army’s Monuments Men is the only thing keeping her afloat. Charged with securing Nazi-looted art and rebuilding Germany’s monuments, the Americans are on the hunt for stolen treasures. But after the horrors of the war, Anna wants only to hide from the truth and rebuild a life with her family. When the easy-going American Captain Henry Cooper recruits her as his reluctant translator, the two of them stumble on a mysterious stash of art in a villa outside of town. Cooper’s penchant for breaking the rules capsizes Anna’s tenuous security and propels her into a search for elusive truth and justice in a world where everyone is hiding something.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Mystery, World War II, Amazon, Germany

419 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 20, 2014

About the author

C.F. YETMEN is author of the Anna Klein Trilogy: The Roses Underneath (2014), What is Forgiven (2017) and That Which Remains (2021). Her first two books have received the IPPY Award for historical fiction, and been named finalists for the INDIEFAB Book of the Year. The third will be published in May 2021.

An avowed history nerd and political junkie, she lives and works in Austin, Texas.

Reviews

[jv poore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having never known the horrors, it is impossible to imagine the seemingly insurmountable challenge of rebuilding life in war-ravaged Germany. That is, unless you’ve read The Roses Underneath. History books took a multi-layered, complicated, convoluted, deplorable conflict and turned it into a black and white “Germans are bad, Americans save them from themselves” issue. Ms. Yetmen sets the story straight in a remarkable account of one courageous woman who is forced to change her entire outlook from her single belief of living only to survive, to believing in something bigger; with a determination so strong that she would be willing to die for that cause.

This engrossing debut novel features Anna, a determined mother, begrudgingly separated from her husband to protect their young daughter. With only an elderly, ill family friend as support; Anna is forced to take a job with the Americans to provide scraps of food and maintain the tiny, cramped quarters the three females share. Her enlightening journey illustrates the divisions among Germans; for not everyone hailed Hitler.

People like her husband embraced the notion of Communism and thus became enemies of not only the Nazis, but also the Americans. The SchutzStaffel (SS), an elite force within the Nazi party that restricted membership to only “pure Aryan Germans” were perhaps the most dangerous and volatile among Hitler’s supporters. Anna and the quiet majority would shun these notions if only their lives, and more importantly, the lives of their families did not hinge on it. At the end of the war, families have been ripped apart and relocated and Reds, Nazi supporters and those vehemently opposed to the ludicrous ideals, are comingled. An attempt to establish trust with new people is futile; yet there are simply no other options.

While the dynamics among the people alone would make for a compelling story, Ms. Yetmen gives us so much more by highlighting the intrigue surrounding the overwhelming burden of returning amazing works of art, previously stolen by the Nazis, to rightful owners. Anna timidly becomes involved simply due to her knowledge and admiration of fine art, but is quickly immersed in the bitter battle among the Nazis desperately clinging to their pilfered spoils, the Americans that wish to return the art to proper owners and the few opportunists (Germans and Americans) that wish to procure a piece for individual gain.

Alone, but no longer frightened, Anna is determined to sort out the bad folks from the good; even as the mystery delves deeper and darker than just stolen art. Ms. Yetmen amazes in her ability to tell this heart-wrenching, yet inspiring story in a way that is immensely rewarding and satisfying to the reader. By injecting tiny bits of humour, hints of romance and reminders of the strength, courage and resolve we each are capable of; Ms. Yetmen delivers a tale that has absolutely everything this reader wants from a novel. Thank-you to my Goodreads friend Susan for this recommendation!

[Rhetta Akamatsu · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Roses Underneath is an excellent first novel that will hook you immediately and keep you hooked. It takes place in post-World War II Germany and tells the story of Anna Klein, who is trying to survive and protect her 6-year-old daughter while yearning to be reunited with her husband who remains in the Russian-occupied part of Germany while she and her daughter have escaped to the safer American-occupied section of the country. She gets a job as a translator and go-between for Captain Cooper, an architect who seeks for and secures stolen art treasures and attempts to preserve historic buildings with America's Monuments Men. Even as Anna begins to form an uneasy friendship with the Captain, strange and unsettling things begin to happen and Anna finds herself immersed in mystery.

You will care deeply about Anna and her daughter. You will also appreciate the rich historic detail and feeling of authenticity of this book and the skillful way in which Yetmen builds her mystery.

This book is highly recommended to anyone who loves historic novels or to anyone who just loves a really good book.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG! What an awesome book!

Full review on Fresh Fiction!

http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id...

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing & powerful story

Wow, what a powerful book, a powerful story. Intrigue, mystery, suspense, murder, corruption, mental health, the ravages and aftermath of war and family all combine in a fictional story of the work and people of The Monuments Men. Anna, the main protagonist of the story has fled with her daughter from newly Russian occupied territory formerly part of Germany. She has left behind her husband, a doctor. How will she and her daughter survive? The author has done an outstanding job of recreating the tensions, suspicions, cruelty, despair and daily hardships of post-war Germany in the immediate aftermath of WWII. Is any German safe to pursue a new life? How are they to survive and do they have a right to a life? Who can be trusted? Add to the story the brashness of Cooper, an American architect and now a member of the group attempting to undertake the monumental task of restoring the looted art of the Third Reich to its rightful owners and you have an amazing and powerful book that shows not only the tragedy of war itself but of the lives that it forever changed. Man’s inhumanity to man is evident throughout the story but it also left me with a feeling of hope that forgiveness is possible and that truth can pave the way for a better tomorrow. I found this book incredibly relevant to the troubled times in which we live; the future can only be better if we remember, acknowledge and, hopefully, learn from the past. I am looking forward to continuing Anna’s story in the second book in this trilogy.

[B Glass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine a place and time where cold rubble litters the summer postwar landscape and the survivors are living in poverty and fear. It is August 1945 in Wiesbaden, Germany. The American Monuments Men, having recovered artwork stolen by the Nazis, are cataloging the works at a Collecting Point warehouse so they can return these items to their owners. Surrounding this hive of activity is a city in ruins, where the war-weary populace has no work, damaged housing, and little food. Some were bystanders to Nazi atrocities, others were active participants. Now the new reality is setting in. The locals are suspicious of each other and the Americans – the “Amis”. After so many years of Nazi rhetoric, the Germans deem it impossible to believe that the Amis are collecting the art to return it rather than to steal it as spoils of war.
Enter the war-weary Anna Klein and her young daughter, Amalia. Refugees from a Russian-controlled part of Germany, they travel to Wiesbaden to stay with Anna’s Aunt Madeleine who is elderly and in poor health. These two women and child are the soul of C.F. Yetmen’s debut novel “The Roses Underneath”.
In a city where jobs are non-existent, Anna can speak English and type – both skills useful to the Amis. Anna works for Captain Cooper who is committed to preserving the artworks. “This is why we are here … This is what matters … This will heal us, I know it”, Captain Cooper tells the skeptical Anna.
Anna is a woman who believes her life has always been controlled by forces beyond her control. Instinct has told her that survival means she and Amalia will have to leave their home before the Russians assume control. In Anna’s mind, accepting communism is just trading one form of oppression for another. She has left her beloved husband, Thomas, behind. Anna had to choose, and she chooses freedom: “It was no longer enough for her to simply survive on someone else’s terms”.
“The Roses Underneath” is a nicely crafted fictional sequel to Robert Edsel’s non-fiction “The Monuments Men”. Both are first-rate mysteries that are solved by less-than-perfect individuals trying to fulfill a noble purpose. Anna’s story gives depth to the wartime and postwar experience: her relationship with Cooper reveals the tension between the defeated Germans and the victorious Americans, and how difficult the way forward will be.
C.F. Yetmen weaves the narrative around Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Snow Queen” – Amalia’s favorite book. Images of the shards of glass that pierce men’s hearts and make good people do evil things are scattered throughout the ruined landscape. In the fairy tale, it is the tears of the young girl that cause the beautiful roses to grow from the earth where all the dead people live. The roses tell the young girl that her friend is still alive and she must continue to look for him. In war there is evil, but there is also goodness and the promise of finding oneself in better times to come.
Anna’s Wiesbaden is filled with interesting characters – busybodies, hustlers, street urchins, and new friends who are emotional casualties of the war – Frieda Schilling and her brother Emil, and Oskar, the young boy. No less casualties are some American military personnel who try to enrich themselves off the impoverished Germans and the artwork. Anna learns that evil is not absolute or even recognizable: sometimes it is disguised as good. Anna’s husband Thomas is another ‘casualty’ – a good man who is mesmerized by the communist philosophy, no less than the Germans were by Hitler and Nazi propaganda. Just as the Nazis built Buchenwald in the beautiful valley where Goethe wrote his poetry, Dr. Thomas Klein cares for the wounded in the middle of an oppressive state.
It is too simplistic to describe “The Roses Underneath” as a narrative about a woman coming into her own. Self-realization isn’t something Anna could have envisioned. Anna merely wants the freedom to make a better life for herself and her daughter. When Anna reads “The Snow Queen” to Amalia, the story always ends the same way. Anna wonders how her story will end. As the novel progresses, the reader sees that Anna has moved from mere survival to a strength more clearly defined, and we applaud her success.

[Jani Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wiesbaden, Germany – 1945

The war is over. At least the fighting is. But for the average German, each day is a struggle to find food, water, shelter, and work in the ravaged cities. Anna Klein and her young daughter Amalia left the Russian-held sector and her husband for the safer American controlled part of the country. She works for the U.S. Army in a typing pool, scraping together rations to feed her daughter and the old family friend they are living with, keeping a secret from the military that could cost her her job, and possibly get her shipped back to where she came from. Anna prays to hear from her husband, and hopes he can find them, but each day with no news from him makes her wonder if she’ll ever see him again.

Anna works at the Collecting Point for the Army’s Monuments Men, the people who are trying to recover art and artifacts stolen by the Nazis. It’s a huge task, and soon it becomes known that Anna can speak English, so she is recruited as a translator by Captain Henry Cooper, an architect who just happens to be in the Army, but bucks the system every chance he gets. When Anna and Cooper accidentally discover a hidden cache of artwork in a local villa, Cooper’s habit of breaking the rules puts both of them in jeopardy. At the villa they also find a young boy living alone there, and they take him to one of the intake centers for displaced people.

There are too many events happening to both Anna and Cooper that have them convinced there is something very odd, and perhaps very dangerous brewing around their discovery. Anna will find that there are some people she can trust, and those who should be trustworthy are simply not who they appear to be. But others will discover the hidden strength in Anna in her resolve to not only protect her daughter, but to do the right thing – even if the truth about her secret is revealed.

Debut novels with this amount of intensity, character strength, not to mention the meticulous research that went into it, are rare. Readers will be hard pressed to put this book down once they reach a certain point. Anna grows throughout the story, leaving the scared young woman behind as she realizes that the only way for her people to move on is for them to face reality, learn to trust again, and take charge of their lives. Cooper is a likeable guy with the typical draftee’s attitude that the military takes rules and regulations way too seriously. The historical significance of the work being done by the Monuments Men is still surfacing today as more hidden stashes of amazing art are unearthed.

[Sheila DeChantal · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1945 a war-torn Germany struggles to get a foot hold on some sort of stability. Anna Klein and her six-year-old daughter Amalia are among those struggling as well. Separated from her husband for their own safety, Anna finds herself working for the US Army's Monuments Men as they search for art and other stolen treasures. When it is discovered that Anna speaks English, she is recruited as a translator for American Captain Henry Cooper, a laid back man who likes opportunities to bend the rules. When a mysterious stash of art is found, secrets are created causing Anna to question where the truth really does lie and look closely at the secrets she herself keeps....

The Roses Underneath is one of those books that you want to read slowly and cherish as one would a favorite candy. Savoring each word as it dissolves into the next. Reading this book caused me to slow down and really take it all in, which is not always the case in my reading style. I often find myself reading fast paced books that flow with activity and crackle with adrenaline. I was pleased when I started this read and found that this was a book that I needed to take my time with.

I am careful when I choose to read a book that involves war. I tend to become so engrossed in the heaviness of the subject that I usually choose to pass on these books. Yet there was something that called to me about The Roses Underneath that caused me to take a chance on it and I am glad I did. Anna was a protagonist that I found myself hoping for things to turn out well.

I enjoyed this book, even if it did make me slow down and well... smell the roses. :)

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having watched the movie The Monument Men, I was fascinated enough by the subject to go on and do some research and reading on the recovery of looted art works and treasures, which was carried out in Germany after the end of WWII.
So, when this book was recommended to me by a Goodreads friend, I was immediately interested.
The story follows the fortunes of a young, displaced German woman......unable to be with her Husband, and struggling to care for her Daughter, she finds herself working with an American Army Captain, searching for, and cataloging recovered art and treasure, amidst the devastation and privations of post war Germany.
Not only does our heroine find herself caught up in an exciting mystery involving the discovery of a hidden cache of these valuables, alongside a boss who doesn't always play by the rules, she also becomes embroiled in a much darker plot, and struggles to know just who she can trust.
This was such a good book.....there are some great characters to become invested in, intrigues to puzzle over, and story lines which explore the frightening aftermath of war in a country which has been defeated, which give a lot of depth to the story. It was also very moving at times....all in all, a completely enjoyable read, well worth five stars.

[Martha Louise Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yetmen has a way with a pen. I was enthralled with this story -- so many of the images have stayed with me. can't wait for more from this exciting new author.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book of The Anna Klein Trilogy. I recently attended a talk by C.F Yetmen at a local library. I could have listened to her speak for hours about her research in writing these books. I found her writing to be captivating. She drew me into the story, and it's setting, with her brilliant descriptions of life in Wiesbaden, Germany in 1945.
My parents met (& then married) in Wiesbaden in 1950, while both were stationed with the U.S. Armed Forces. Their descriptions of life in Wiesbaden at this time are entirely in line with the author's descriptions of life and of the landscape, just after the war.
Ms. Yetman did an excellent job portraying the courage required by German citizens to come to terms with their actions/inactions during WWII, and put the pieces back together that would allow them to eek out a new life for themselves. At the same time she called to attention the incredible amount of priceless art that was stolen and scattered during the Holocaust. And, of the efforts of The Monuments Men to locate, protect, catalog, and when possible, return many of those pilfered treasures.

[Lyn Sweetapple · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good look at the inner workings of the Monuments Men.

[Emmers S · Rating 5 out of 5]

What’s not to love about this historical fiction mystery full of art! The main character’s names, Anna and Amalia, reference the amazing Princess Anna Amalia of Prussia. Wonderful composer (who also wrote a lovely lovely flute sonata, which we flutists adore). I’ll be reading book 2 for sure.

[Avi B · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Annette Summerfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Survival after the 2nd world War.

[Chestelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Until I read “The Roses Underneath”, I had never given much thought to how life must have been for the average citizen in the Allied-occupied countries after WWII. Anna Klein lived in Austria before the war, but Hitler conveniently redrew the boundary lines and her corner of Austria became part of Germany. After Germany was defeated and the Allies began to occupy the country, the city where Anna lived with her doctor husband, Tom and 5-year-old daughter Amalia was occupied by Russia. Tom was in charge of the hospital there and felt that he couldn’t leave, nor did he want to, but Anna was afraid that as Communism gained a stronger hold in the area, the time would come when they couldn’t get out, so she took Amalia and fled to Weisbaden where her deceased mother’s best friend, Madeleine, lived.

Weisbaden was under American command and Anna was fortunate to get a job at the Collecting Point for the US Army’s Monuments Men in the typing pool. She was barely able, with the help of ration stamps and her meager salary to provide enough food for her, Amalia and Madeleine. Her goal was to keep her head down, make no waves, feed her family and wait for Tom to join them.

But along came Captain Cooper, an easy-going, somewhat maverick Army officer assigned to The Monuments Men group who, because of Anna’s demonstrated fluency in English, requested her services as a translator in his search for Germany’s monuments and stolen works of art.

Slowly, with the urging of Captain Cooper, Anna learned to lift her head, take some risks and observe and affect the world around her as they discovered a huge cache of artworks in the basement of an abandoned building. They sifted through intrigue and subterfuge, sometimes putting themselves in danger to get the purloined art back to the Collecting Point and eventually to their rightful owners and/or heirs.
This well-written debut novel by C. F. Yetmen has been a real eye-opener and I highly recommend it to lovers of historical fiction.(less)

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Roses Underneath by C.F. Yetman is an historical novel set in a time of war. But it's not about the war. It's about Anna and her daughter Amalia. The Roses Underneath is about survival. And hope … and love and fear and a time period that should not be forgotten.

From the opening paragraph of The Roses Underneath, you see and feel how desperate the conditions are for Anna. She eats a spoonful of lard for her breakfast and brushes her teeth with her finger. Anna does not make enough for child care, but she does find a spot where Amalia can sit and Anna can see her from her office window. She finally gets a job working for the Americans and is able to make enough money to buy bread for her and Amalia. She is making enough that she and Amalia can survive.

Because she can speak English, she is recruited to help the Americans find and catalog the stolen art. She begins working at the Collecting Point of the American Army's Monuments Men. As she begins to help find stolen art and to translate, she begins to trust the Army architect she is assigned to. But there are others she cannot trust. Her life is better, but it is also tenuous.


The Roses Underneath is not a book to read and forget. It will stay with you. It will touch you. You will see yourself in Anna. You will worry for Amalia. You will come to know the people in Anna's life. And you will be taken back to a time and a war that you've read about in history books. With The Roses Underneath, you can live that time through Anna.

I give The Roses Underneath a rating of Hel-of-a-Time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FTC Disclaimer: The Roses Underneath was sent to me by C.F. Yetman's publicist. I read the book because it was interesting. I kept reading it because it was captivating. I have a feeling that if you begin reading it, you, too, will keep reading.

[Leslie aka StoreyBook Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderfully told story of post WWII Germany. If you have recently seen (or read) The Book Thief and The Monuments Men - this is like a combination of the two. The story focuses on Anna, her daughter Amalia, Captain Cooper and Oskar, a displaced child that was found in a villa where artwork was discovered. There are many other characters that add to the story - both good and bad.

Definitely worth the read!

[Jen Shapiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initially, I gave this book 3 stars, but I have changed my rating to 4 stars. It was an interesting art history mystery, but what garnered the extra star was the time/place in which the story was set. There are probably thousands of books out there about WW2 itself, but very few that shed light on the post-war recovery in Germany. That, coupled with the Monuments Men storyline, turned a 3 star story into a 4 star book.

[Mikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this story with its twists. Do I smell a sequel? I wasn't read for Anna and Cooper to fade out.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had some trouble getting into the story,but the more I read of it ,I was able to finally start to like it,

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

In desperation to support her child and her aunt figure, Anna takes a job with the U.S. forces post WWII as a transcriber for a art reclamation and museum creation project they're establishing in her new city. Singled out thanks as a consequence surrounding her daughter, she ends up as a general translator for the man put in charge of the project. Discovering a hidden stash of artwork is only the first strange thing that will come her way as she gets entangled in the echoes of greed, desperation, and mental damage done by the war.

There are a plethora of books set in and around the second world war. A good number of them, even when discussing the fallout, focus on what it was like to survive as a veteran or support to the allies or the prosecuted. A constant presence and I'd say secondary focus of "The Roses Underneath" takes on the challenge of discussing the much broader picture. Instead of continuing the idea of the silent enemy that was the citizens who clearly had to be complicit it challenges the reader to consider what it would have been like to have lived in Germany or a contended area at the time.

What would it have been like to constantly wonder how your borders were changing? One victory or defeat could instantly mean you went from being in a friendly to a hostile environment. Of course we'd like to believe in our own nobility. If you were a parent or breadwinner could you honestly say you would have had it in you to defy or resist an overwhelming tyrannical government?

What would it be like to live in the aftermath when you are seen as vile by most of your occupiers by default when you had no good options when it came to survival? Would you be able to trust those who treated you with constant suspicion? Wouldn't you doubt their claims of support when history shows 'winners' are inclined to looting? How much unrest about their motivations and your own future would you have when those invading under the pretense of assisting are actively rewriting how events in your home transpired?

What about your own losses? What about the transgressions they looked away from or that those they supported did that were just as destructive as what they were battling? Is it fair not to treat those who compelled to perform and in some cases programmed by a ruling force with compassion when they suffer the same traumas as any soldier? Is the entire concept of redemption just talk? What is it that even needs to be reformed?

This book could have easily been a domestic drama with a mystery at its corners sprinkled with art appreciation. Anna's struggle with impoverished circumstances, the separation from her husband, and the love of her family are threaded throughout this. I adored how complex the various types of relationships she develops and how deep established ones are were portrayed. This went far above and beyond to entangle what we'd call women's fiction, mystery, and historical fiction. I was absolutely impressed and am very happy I have the other two of the trilogy to continue on.

[D.L. Lewellyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, which I downloaded on an impulse Chirp deal, was the best surprise! I rarely read historical fiction (which I need to change). I stayed up all night listening.

I've always been fascinated by the Monuments Men and their work during the period of occupied forces in Germany. I've watched enough movies and documentaries about this art recovery effort to develop a deep appreciation of the horror of the thefts and how close we came to erasing our human story had the world's art never been recovered. It amazes me that art and culture were considered at all in the scope and context of the postwar devastation.

This book immersed me in this historical period through the eyes of a German woman making survival and life decisions amid the chaos. It is a rare treat to dive into an engaging mystery and experience the story as it unfolds as if I were the protagonist while also learning about history from a uniquely foreign perspective.

I have never had children, but I was a mother focused on protecting my precious daughter while I braved leaving behind a changed husband and a terrifying life that conditioned me to swallow my disgust for humanity’s cruelty and myself and to distrust everyone. I was the one learning to understand why I made decisions that tore apart my soul in order to survive. I learned how to stay strong and trust myself as my eyes were opened to new possibilities. I was a German citizen forced to endure a war that contradicted my principles and experienced what it was like to be a chastised citizen forced to live under allied occupation.

I experienced Anna’s unique story and valued its truth as I relished the excitement of uncovering a captivating mystery. Anna’s journey put me in the minds of both believers and nonbelievers experiencing life in the aftermath of an autocratic regime. I experienced accepting the kindness and admiration of the enemy, and what it was like to be surprised by my return admiration.

As a reader, my romance bug was satisfied. The secondary characters delighted me as much as Anna did. The emotions were real, and the relationships were vivid. And this was just the first installment in Anna’s journey... Awesome.

[Joe Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whether you love mysteries, history, or stories of strong women, you will be spellbound by Canan Yetmen’s beautifully written The Roses Underneath.
Yetmen combines a thrilling mystery plot with the story of Anna, a single mother surviving precariously in the American occupied town of Wiesbaden just after the end of World War II. Working for Captain Cooper, Anna gets drawn into his quest to pursue men trying to profit from a hidden stash of paintings he and Anna had discovered in a basement.
Life in Germany after 1945 is chaotic. Homeless children roam the streets; ration cards provide at most minimal sustenance. No one is who he or she pretends to be. Former Nazis try to find a footing by creating new identities for themselves. Young soldiers, unable to adjust, are traumatized by the violence they have witnessed. Women fight for survival for themselves and their children. The Americans walk through this misery for the most part self-assured and oblivious. There are no simple solutions, only a fundamental uncertainty of whom to trust and how to move forward in this new world.
Questions of German guilt are never far away. In contrast to his MP colleagues, who feel superior to the Germans, Captain Cooper believes that “what happened here can happen anywhere.” On the German side, Anna feels responsible for the unimaginable crimes the Nazis committed in her country’s name. Although never a Nazi herself, she had not stood up against them, for fear of leaving her little daughter all alone in the world. “Yes, my hands are dirty,” she admits. “You know how I know? Because I am still here.”
This is history—and mystery--in all its fearful complexity, told from a visceral personal perspective in a book you won’t be able to put down. Gabrielle Robinson, Author

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe more like a 3.5, rounded down for being overly long in trying to convey its message. Anna, the main character, is the most dreary and depressed protagonist since Eeyore! Not to mention inconsistent! For example, she is extremely reluctant to leave her 6 year-old daughter in a home with strangers (Frieda & Emil) but thinks it is okay to leave her alone on a city street-side bench in the hot sun all day! As the book slowly develops, so does Anna, in that she eventually becomes more believable and almost human-seeming! The orphan boy, Oskar, posed a puzzling quandary. His history was pivotal to the plot, but in an oblique way. His future was eventually resolved in a rather awkward and improbable manner.
I got exasperated with the German attitude towards Americans. Maybe that's just my own outdated attitude showing, but even in the book, the Americans were shown to be, as all people are: some good, some bad, and some in between. That time frame--mid-July 1945 to early Fall of the same year-- was a period of chaos following a horrific world-wide conflict. Many people were bitter, on both sides. I thought too much time was spent on the first half of the story, setting up Anna's back ground. When the narrative finally began to move, a lot of vitality was missing.
Also, I am intrigued by the whole aspect of unearthing (literally!) the stolen treasures of Europe and the monumental task of attempting to restore them to their rightful owners. This book promised to be about that, and it was, but only in a peripheral way.
Here was a book which was readable, but not enjoyable. Still, I must give it credit for being a clean read, in both scenes and language.

[Christina J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was just okay. Part of the problem is that there are far too many spelling, grammatical and punctuation errors, as well as missing words and extra words. Very distracting! There were inconsistencies with Anna, the main character. She left her uoung child, Amalia, sit on a hot bench outside of the building Anna worked in and was worried about her well being, AND the child had a heat stroke; then Anna left her with strangers, who she was pensive about and THEN she decided Amalia was ready to walk home from the day care HERSELF with a key around her neck. What?! And Amalia was also left with s sickly "aunt."

Anna was worried about losing her job, but then would leave early, leave without permission, not go back. In real life it doesn't work that way. She seemed to stick her nose into issues that further got her in trouble. Captain Cooper was an odd character and an inconsistent entity who was more like a caricature than a strong ally of Anna's. I swear he had ADHD.

I thought the story would be more about the art found that was hidden by the Nazis, but that was dealt with sort of as a side dish to all the protagonists, which it turned out there were actually too many.

The little boy, Oskar, was far too young to be in the position the author put him in. And one minute he was a child of a Nazi upbringing, the next he was a loving child. Which was it?

The writing was satisfactory, but wouldn't win any awards. Or maybe it did. I don't know!

[Michael B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had my doubts about this book as I was reading it. The characters were not well developed and the only thing maintaining our interest is the historical placement: a devastated Germany following WWII where the occupying allied nations decide how to carve up and "democratize" the bombed out ruins they created. Our protagonist has taken her daughter and left soon to be Russian occupied territory in favor of the American occupied territory. She left behind her husband is a doctor was devoted to his medical practice. Our protagonist has accepted a position working with the "monuments men" in cataloging "lost" art confiscated during the war. She encounters a conspiracy among some who wish to enrich themselves by exploiting the post-war chaos as one might expect in such circumstances and the novel takes on a sort of crime/thriller/whodunit/mystery trajectory from that point on. Our protagonist is asked to "make choices" as to which side she is on: to be a good or bad German or to decide which of the allies might offer her the best chance for a positive future. Good questions that might have been better managed by an actual German writer. In this case, however, the ending is so neat and pro-American I had to cringe a little. I had my doubts to begin with but by the end I was certain I will not be reading the rest of this series.

[Debra Schoenberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel was an expected pleasure to read. The book centers around Anna Klein, a mother with a five year old daughter who has fled the Russian held sector of Austria/Germany where her husband, a country doctor and communist, has decided to remain. Fleeing to American controlled Weisbaden to find find her mother’s best friend, Anna struggles with extreme poverty and lack of food .

She finds a job working for the Monuments Men, men of different artistic disciplines who were drafted from the US to recover art treasures stolen by the Nazis. Because of her ability to speak English as well as her background in art, she is hired as a translator for Captain Cooper, an architect drafted into the army to assist in the recovery of the artwork.

Although this is a piece of historical fiction with a gripping storyline, we also become privy to the private sentiments of extreme guilt felt by some the German civilians, even non-Nazi supporters, who saw or didn’t quite understand what was happening during the ethnic cleansing. Anna’s need to expunge her past and redeem herself became a very meaningful part of this story.

Despite the serious nature of the topic, I found myself flying through the pages. An intelligent and absorbing storyline.

[Anne-Marie Webster · Rating 4 out of 5]

The wages of war: poverty; displacement; confusion; depression; the loss of home, loved ones and sense of identity and purpose. As Anna struggles to provide for herself and her daughter we witness both the best and the worse of humanity during times of war and its aftermath. We see self sacrifice vs. greed and self promotion; hope vs. despair; trust vs. cynicism; loyalty vs. betrayal. One is left wondering why mankind has not learned that war, power, control and wealth are fleeting. A novel to make you seriously value your freedom and the commonality of all races. I found this novel to be informative with regard to the confiscation of, and greed for art that was so prevalent in the Communist regime. I can't imagine placing a higher value on paintings than human life. My only objection to this novel was the inappropriate use of the Lord's name. Whether or not it reflects the probable language of the military, I find it objectionable and feel that the story could have been just as powerful without blasphemy.

[Charlene · Rating 2 out of 5]

In Wiesbaden, Germany at the end of World War II, Anna is struggling to keep a roof over her head for her and her daughter, Amalia. Despite her distrust of the occupying Americans, she takes a job as a translator at the US Army's Monuments Men facility, which is tasked with finding and recording Nazi-looted art which has been hidden around the countryside. When she and her boss, Captain Cooper, find a stash of valuable paintings at an abandoned villa, events are set in motion that remind Anna that no one is who they say they are, and danger can lurk in the most unexpected places. I liked learning more about the work of the Monuments Men and the challenges they faced from the hostile local citizens. At first, I was annoyed by Anna's detached demeanor in her point of view, but then I realized that someone in her position at that point in time would certainly feel downtrodden and hopeless. I never got the meaning of the title or what it referred to. (2.5 stars)

[Heather Kidd · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating time period to read about. This book had moments of brilliance and then lots of mediocre. I couldn’t understand why Anna would throw her lot in so wholeheartedly with Captain Cooper when she was so distrustful of everyone else. He did absolutely nothing to win her trust, in fact rather the opposite, so that was one part that did not jive for me. Otherwise it was a neat little mystery that frankly wasn’t executed very well. I spent most my time scratching my head trying to understand what was going on… but not in a good way. Lots of grammatical errors in the ebook. Still the writing was charming and the setting was well done. And I did like the character of Anna and the portrayal of what women were facing in the aftermath of the war and rebuilding.