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The Girl from Guernica
Inspired by Picasso’s great masterpiece, Guernica, New York Times bestselling author Karen Robards returns with a riveting story of intrigue, deception and bravery in the face of war…
On an April day in 1937, the sky opens and fire rains down upon the small Spanish town of Guernica. Seventeen-year-old Sibi and her family are caught up in the horror. Griff, an American military attaché, pulls Sibi from the wreckage, and it’s only the first time he saves her life in a span of hours. When Germany claims no involvement in the attack, insisting the Spanish Republic was responsible, Griff guides Sibi to lie to Nazi officials. If she or her sisters reveal that they saw planes bearing swastikas, the gestapo will silence them—by any means necessary.
As war begins to rage across Europe, Sibi joins the underground resistance, secretly exchanging information with Griff. But as the scope of Germany’s ambitions becomes clear, maintaining the facade of a Nazi-sympathizer becomes ever more difficult. And as Sibi is drawn deeper into a web of secrets, she must find a way to outwit an enemy that threatens to decimate her family once and for all.
Masterfully rendered and vividly capturing one of the most notorious episodes in history, The Girl from Guernica is an unforgettable testament to the bonds of family and the courage of women in wartime.
On an April day in 1937, the sky opens and fire rains down upon the small Spanish town of Guernica. Seventeen-year-old Sibi and her family are caught up in the horror. Griff, an American military attaché, pulls Sibi from the wreckage, and it’s only the first time he saves her life in a span of hours. When Germany claims no involvement in the attack, insisting the Spanish Republic was responsible, Griff guides Sibi to lie to Nazi officials. If she or her sisters reveal that they saw planes bearing swastikas, the gestapo will silence them—by any means necessary.
As war begins to rage across Europe, Sibi joins the underground resistance, secretly exchanging information with Griff. But as the scope of Germany’s ambitions becomes clear, maintaining the facade of a Nazi-sympathizer becomes ever more difficult. And as Sibi is drawn deeper into a web of secrets, she must find a way to outwit an enemy that threatens to decimate her family once and for all.
Masterfully rendered and vividly capturing one of the most notorious episodes in history, The Girl from Guernica is an unforgettable testament to the bonds of family and the courage of women in wartime.
463 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 6, 2022
469 people are currently reading
10669 people want to read
About the author
Karen Robards
135 books3,240 followersKaren Robards is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of more than fifty books and one novella. She has won multiple awards including six Affaire de Coeur Silver Pen Awards for favorite author.
Karen has been writing since she was very young, and was first published nationally in the December 1973 Reader's Digest. She sold her first romance novel, ISLAND FLAME, when she was 24. It was published by Leisure Books in 1981 and is still in print. After that, she dropped out of law school to pursue her writing career.
Karen was recently described by The Daily Mail as "one of the most reliable thriller....writers in the world."
Karen has been writing since she was very young, and was first published nationally in the December 1973 Reader's Digest. She sold her first romance novel, ISLAND FLAME, when she was 24. It was published by Leisure Books in 1981 and is still in print. After that, she dropped out of law school to pursue her writing career.
Karen was recently described by The Daily Mail as "one of the most reliable thriller....writers in the world."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 589 reviews
October 1, 2022
Oh my gosh. This book. This book had my attention fully rapt. When I was in high school and college, I was devoted to Spanish studies. I studied art and literature. As an art student, we had to choose an artist’s style to emulate in a self-portrait, and I chose Picasso. My painting left much to be desired, but my connection to the artist and his work never waned. One of my favorite more recent experiences was traveling to Barcelona and visiting the Picasso museum. I am familiar with Guernica, arguably his most famous work.
This book, The Girl from Guernica, was inspired by the painting and the true life events of April 1937 when the town of Guernica was bombed. The opening chapters of this story are so harrowing and completely gripping, I was up late reading out of concern for the characters. Sibi, 17 years old, and her three sisters and mother, are living in Guernica when the bombing happens. Rescued from the rubble of a bombing, where will the girls go and what will happen to them? The journey ahead was more intriguing than I could have imagined.
The Girl from Guernica is chock full of well-developed characters and a highly nuanced and complex plot. Well-paced, well-written to keep that pace flowing, inspiring, captivating, thrilling and chilling, this book is THAT good and is a must-read for all hist fic fans.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
This book, The Girl from Guernica, was inspired by the painting and the true life events of April 1937 when the town of Guernica was bombed. The opening chapters of this story are so harrowing and completely gripping, I was up late reading out of concern for the characters. Sibi, 17 years old, and her three sisters and mother, are living in Guernica when the bombing happens. Rescued from the rubble of a bombing, where will the girls go and what will happen to them? The journey ahead was more intriguing than I could have imagined.
The Girl from Guernica is chock full of well-developed characters and a highly nuanced and complex plot. Well-paced, well-written to keep that pace flowing, inspiring, captivating, thrilling and chilling, this book is THAT good and is a must-read for all hist fic fans.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
October 7, 2022
The Girl From Guernica by Karen Robards was a riveting historical fiction novel that was based on true events. Until reading The Girl From Guernica, I am embarrassed to say that I had no prior knowledge about the atrocities that occurred in Guernica. I have read so many books about World War II but there have been few if any books that have focused on Spain and this particular air attack. Nazi planes came in fast and furious one day in April of 1937 and shot down so many innocent, ordinary and defenseless people of Guernica. Those same planes, with their Nazi insignias, dropped countless bombs upon the Spanish city and pulverized its buildings. So many defenseless people were buried under the rubble. The Nazis officials denied all responsibility for this devastating attack and tried and pin it on the Spanish Republic. One young seventeen year old girl knew the truth. Would she be able to tell the world what really happened that nightmarish day?
Karen Robards expertly shifted the attention away from Spain to Nazi Germany. The Ministry of Propaganda continued to make sure that the world went on believing that the Nazis had nothing to do with Guernica. Nazi propaganda was amplified even more after Picasso’s painting of Guernica was presented to the world to see. At the same time, German scientists were working hard on the Nazi rocket program. Its location eventually shifted from Berlin to Peenemunde. She also included references to Nazi top secret operations including Eureka, where the Nazis were targeting the leaders of the United States, Britain and the Soviet Union. The Nazis had somehow learned that the leaders of these countries were scheduled to meet in person. One Nazi rocket, targeted on their meeting location, could eliminate the leaders of these three enemy countries and almost guaranteed a Nazi victory. Fortunately, the Allies learned about the Nazi’s intentions and made the necessary changes. She also included details about Operation Hydra, the allied attack on the research center at Peenemunde. Could Sibi’s acts of bravery and determination get these crucial pieces of information to Griff and the Allies to help them win the war and in the process save herself and her family?
Karen Robards‘s research for this book was impeccable and her storytelling was masterful. With the help of strong and believable characters, Karen Robards brought this bit of history to life. The strong female protagonist, Sibi, and her savior and hero, Griff, captured my heart from the start. The Girl From Guernica was about family, trust, hope, loss, determination, courage, causing deceptions, bravery, patience, faith and love. It was one of the best books I have read this year. The Girl From Guernica was the second book I had read by Karen Robards. I had previously read The Black Swan of Paris and also enjoyed it very much. I look forward to reading more books by this author. I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to Mira Publishing for allowing me to read this advanced copy of The Girl From Guernica by Karen Robards through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Karen Robards expertly shifted the attention away from Spain to Nazi Germany. The Ministry of Propaganda continued to make sure that the world went on believing that the Nazis had nothing to do with Guernica. Nazi propaganda was amplified even more after Picasso’s painting of Guernica was presented to the world to see. At the same time, German scientists were working hard on the Nazi rocket program. Its location eventually shifted from Berlin to Peenemunde. She also included references to Nazi top secret operations including Eureka, where the Nazis were targeting the leaders of the United States, Britain and the Soviet Union. The Nazis had somehow learned that the leaders of these countries were scheduled to meet in person. One Nazi rocket, targeted on their meeting location, could eliminate the leaders of these three enemy countries and almost guaranteed a Nazi victory. Fortunately, the Allies learned about the Nazi’s intentions and made the necessary changes. She also included details about Operation Hydra, the allied attack on the research center at Peenemunde. Could Sibi’s acts of bravery and determination get these crucial pieces of information to Griff and the Allies to help them win the war and in the process save herself and her family?
Karen Robards‘s research for this book was impeccable and her storytelling was masterful. With the help of strong and believable characters, Karen Robards brought this bit of history to life. The strong female protagonist, Sibi, and her savior and hero, Griff, captured my heart from the start. The Girl From Guernica was about family, trust, hope, loss, determination, courage, causing deceptions, bravery, patience, faith and love. It was one of the best books I have read this year. The Girl From Guernica was the second book I had read by Karen Robards. I had previously read The Black Swan of Paris and also enjoyed it very much. I look forward to reading more books by this author. I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to Mira Publishing for allowing me to read this advanced copy of The Girl From Guernica by Karen Robards through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
November 19, 2022
This is a well-written, entertaining, informative, historical fiction novel which is set during the Spanish Civil War and WWII. It has a likable, intelligent, courageous, strong and capable female protagonist, a brave, kind and caring male protagonist, family tragedy, a touch of romance, resilience and hope. The author's note is interesting and truly appreciated. Ms. Robards never disappoints her readers! I listened to the audio version of the novel, and the narrator, Ms. Nancy Peterson, does an excellent job depicting the characters and their personalities.
August 26, 2022
In 1937, Pablo Picasso expressed his outrage against war with his enormous painting, Guernica, displayed at the Paris World’s Fair. In the many years since, it has become the 20th century’s most powerful statement against war. It’s classified as one of the ten most famous paintings in the world. In fact, author Karen Robards was so inspired by this piece of art that it lead to researching first person accounts from survivors of the unprovoked April 27, 1937 Nazi bombing of the small Basque town of Guernica and then writing this powerful book.
Like the painting, this novel is not something you can read with spatial detachment. The author’s words wrap around you and immerse you in the action much like the larger than life figures in the mural. Both challenge the notion of war as heroic. Robards explores the civil war in Spain between the Republican government and Franco’s fascist forces and highlights (like Picasso) the German air force’s bombing of the village of Guernica in northern Spain.
Finding parallels between what is now happening in Ukraine, Robards introduces us to 16 year old Sibil Helenger who lived through what Picasso captured and immortalized on canvas. It’s raw. It’s emotional. Readers will be swept up in Sibil’s first hand experience of what it was like to get caught up in the attack and will cheer alongside her in the aftermath. I didn’t know anything about this attack prior to reading this book. I now feel like I’ve lived through it with Sibil and experienced the rage that I’m sure prompted Picasso to take action.
I challenge you to read this novel that will make you uncomfortable and push you to do something. Anything. Why not reach out and use your resources in a positive way for Ukraine aid?
Did you read The Black Swan of Paris? Love a story inspired by true events? You won’t regret the imprint this book will leave on your heart and mind.
I was gifted this advance copy by Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
Like the painting, this novel is not something you can read with spatial detachment. The author’s words wrap around you and immerse you in the action much like the larger than life figures in the mural. Both challenge the notion of war as heroic. Robards explores the civil war in Spain between the Republican government and Franco’s fascist forces and highlights (like Picasso) the German air force’s bombing of the village of Guernica in northern Spain.
Finding parallels between what is now happening in Ukraine, Robards introduces us to 16 year old Sibil Helenger who lived through what Picasso captured and immortalized on canvas. It’s raw. It’s emotional. Readers will be swept up in Sibil’s first hand experience of what it was like to get caught up in the attack and will cheer alongside her in the aftermath. I didn’t know anything about this attack prior to reading this book. I now feel like I’ve lived through it with Sibil and experienced the rage that I’m sure prompted Picasso to take action.
I challenge you to read this novel that will make you uncomfortable and push you to do something. Anything. Why not reach out and use your resources in a positive way for Ukraine aid?
Did you read The Black Swan of Paris? Love a story inspired by true events? You won’t regret the imprint this book will leave on your heart and mind.
I was gifted this advance copy by Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
September 8, 2022
Check out all my reviews at: https://www.avonnalovesgenres.com
THE GIRL FROM GUERNICA by Karen Robards is an emotional and suspenseful historical fiction with romantic elements story from beginning to end. This standalone novel follows a young female protagonist and her family from the first unprovoked aerial bombing of civilians at Guernica which shocked the world in 1937 through the end of WWII.
Sibil “Sibi” Helenger, her mother and three younger sisters are in the Basque city of Guernica. They were taking care of their grandmother in her last days while their father, a German rocket scientist remained in Germany. With the Spanish Revolution raging around them, Sibi wants to return to Germany, but her mother wants to stay. On a normal day in April, Guernica was suddenly attacked from the air with bombs dropping and machine gun aerial strafing from German planes.
Griff, an American military attaché pulls Sibi and her youngest sister from the wreckage. As Sibi attempts to get a hold of her father, she learns that her knowledge that the planes were German and not Spanish revolutionaries, puts her and her sister’s lives all in danger from the Nazi regime. Their father finds them and takes them back to Germany, but Sibi is still in danger, not only as she lies for the Nazi’s, but also because she continues to give Griff secret information to use against them.
As the war rages on, Sibi, known as “The Girl from Guernica” is committed to outwitting the Nazi’s who threaten her family while she does as everything in her power to assist the allies in defeating them.
This is my favorite historical fiction book so far this year! It is riveting and I was unable to put it down. Ms. Robards does an amazing job of researching an often-forgotten war crime in the years leading up to WWII. Sibi’s resilience and strength while still being so young herself makes her an unforgettable character that I became invested with from page one. There are times when the story brought me to tears and others when I felt such happiness for Sibi, her family, and the mysterious Griff. All the characters and the historical references and locations are realistically written and believable.
I highly recommend this historical fiction read!
THE GIRL FROM GUERNICA by Karen Robards is an emotional and suspenseful historical fiction with romantic elements story from beginning to end. This standalone novel follows a young female protagonist and her family from the first unprovoked aerial bombing of civilians at Guernica which shocked the world in 1937 through the end of WWII.
Sibil “Sibi” Helenger, her mother and three younger sisters are in the Basque city of Guernica. They were taking care of their grandmother in her last days while their father, a German rocket scientist remained in Germany. With the Spanish Revolution raging around them, Sibi wants to return to Germany, but her mother wants to stay. On a normal day in April, Guernica was suddenly attacked from the air with bombs dropping and machine gun aerial strafing from German planes.
Griff, an American military attaché pulls Sibi and her youngest sister from the wreckage. As Sibi attempts to get a hold of her father, she learns that her knowledge that the planes were German and not Spanish revolutionaries, puts her and her sister’s lives all in danger from the Nazi regime. Their father finds them and takes them back to Germany, but Sibi is still in danger, not only as she lies for the Nazi’s, but also because she continues to give Griff secret information to use against them.
As the war rages on, Sibi, known as “The Girl from Guernica” is committed to outwitting the Nazi’s who threaten her family while she does as everything in her power to assist the allies in defeating them.
This is my favorite historical fiction book so far this year! It is riveting and I was unable to put it down. Ms. Robards does an amazing job of researching an often-forgotten war crime in the years leading up to WWII. Sibi’s resilience and strength while still being so young herself makes her an unforgettable character that I became invested with from page one. There are times when the story brought me to tears and others when I felt such happiness for Sibi, her family, and the mysterious Griff. All the characters and the historical references and locations are realistically written and believable.
I highly recommend this historical fiction read!
June 16, 2023
The Girl from Guernica by Karen Robards is a wonderful PreWW2 into WE2 starting in Spain and ending in Germany. April 1937. Nazi planes came in and shot into Guerncina starting a great fire. . A mother killed, a sister gone, another sister severely burned, the youngest plagued with nightmares. They spend time in the hospital. Their father appears from Germany and takes the children home to Germany.
This is another WW2 book that covers a part of history I knew nothing about. Sad, riveting on the edge of my seat action, with a bit of romance. Gotta have that hero!
The best ending everrrrrrrrr!
This is another WW2 book that covers a part of history I knew nothing about. Sad, riveting on the edge of my seat action, with a bit of romance. Gotta have that hero!
The best ending everrrrrrrrr!
November 7, 2022
The good: storyline was good and the beginning especially had me not wanting to put it down. I wanted to know what happened throughout the book. The historical events in both Spain (Spanish Civil War and Germany's involvement) and Germany (the rocket program and its plots to assassinate world leaders) were something I knew nothing about and that greatly increased my interest in the story.
The bad: character development was really poor. We learned almost nothing about the anyone and with the complexities of the location and time period (Nazi Germany), not sharing anything about the angst the main character's father must've been feeling to 'have' to become a Nazi, for example, was a lost opportunity. It's assumed, and summed up with a single sentence at the end of the book. I learned nothing about him or any other characters other than the protagonist, Sibi.
The ugly: way too much of it read like a YA romance novel. Other main character, who we know nothing about, but almost always mentioned with a physical descriptor ("broad shouldered".) Even his name, "Griff", made me want to eye roll. Lastly, the cliched, implausible ending made me actually say out loud, "Oh, come on!, when I read it. It was unnecessary and would've been a better story without.
Enjoyable enough to warrant a 3, but not a "great" book.
The bad: character development was really poor. We learned almost nothing about the anyone and with the complexities of the location and time period (Nazi Germany), not sharing anything about the angst the main character's father must've been feeling to 'have' to become a Nazi, for example, was a lost opportunity. It's assumed, and summed up with a single sentence at the end of the book. I learned nothing about him or any other characters other than the protagonist, Sibi.
The ugly: way too much of it read like a YA romance novel. Other main character, who we know nothing about, but almost always mentioned with a physical descriptor ("broad shouldered".) Even his name, "Griff", made me want to eye roll. Lastly, the cliched, implausible ending made me actually say out loud, "Oh, come on!, when I read it. It was unnecessary and would've been a better story without.
Enjoyable enough to warrant a 3, but not a "great" book.
March 30, 2022
The Girl from Guernica is a riveting, high-stakes pager-turner that had my heart teetering in my throat and left tears in my eyes. Karen Robards gives us a meticulously researched story about the atrocities of the Guernica bombing that underscores the importance of reclaiming one’s power and the impact of one’s love for their family. I could not recommend this book more!
July 16, 2022
The Girl from Guernica by Karen Robards is an amazing WWII-era historical fiction that kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.
I loved Ms. Robards’ previous book, The Black Swan of Paris, so I was super excited to read her newest book. And boy did it not disappoint!!!
This book has it all: history, suspense, mystery, intrigue, espionage, romance, love, loss, family, and I just loved it.
Such a unique angle to include the historical events of the bombing and destruction of Guernica. I had never read anything about this. I just love it when I get to learn about true events while being entertained.
I loved the high-stakes and suspenseful feel of the narrative as Sibi is thrust into the deep, dark world of the Nazis in Germany as part of the underground resistance after losing some of her family during the 1937 bombing and aerial assault during the Spanish Civil War.
This quintessential story has Sibi questioning her life, her values, her morals, and where her loyalty lies. It focuses on what truly matters in life: family, love, country, loyalty, sacrifice, and what one’s mission and true calling can become in the face of danger, atrocities, and war.
I loved everything about it and cannot recommend it enough!
5/5 stars
Thank you EW and MIRA for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 9/6/22.
I loved Ms. Robards’ previous book, The Black Swan of Paris, so I was super excited to read her newest book. And boy did it not disappoint!!!
This book has it all: history, suspense, mystery, intrigue, espionage, romance, love, loss, family, and I just loved it.
Such a unique angle to include the historical events of the bombing and destruction of Guernica. I had never read anything about this. I just love it when I get to learn about true events while being entertained.
I loved the high-stakes and suspenseful feel of the narrative as Sibi is thrust into the deep, dark world of the Nazis in Germany as part of the underground resistance after losing some of her family during the 1937 bombing and aerial assault during the Spanish Civil War.
This quintessential story has Sibi questioning her life, her values, her morals, and where her loyalty lies. It focuses on what truly matters in life: family, love, country, loyalty, sacrifice, and what one’s mission and true calling can become in the face of danger, atrocities, and war.
I loved everything about it and cannot recommend it enough!
5/5 stars
Thank you EW and MIRA for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.
I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 9/6/22.
September 14, 2022
The Girl from Guernica is based on a true event, an aerial bombing of the Basque town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War. It was carried out at the behest of Francisco Franco's rebel Nationalist faction by its allies, the Nazi German Luftwaffe. The town was being used as a communications centre by Republican forces just behind the front line, and the raid was intended to destroy bridges and roads, so Franco could capture Bilbao, in northern Spain.
This book centers on Sibi, a sixteen year old girl whose mother is Basque and her father is German. Sibi and her three sisters live in Guernica with their mother who is estranged from their father. With the Spanish Revolution raging around them, Sibi wants to return to Germany, but her mother wants to stay. On that April day, Sibi's life changes forever. Her sister Luiza is gunned down in the streets, her mother dies in the bombing of the bakery and her sister Jo receives serious facial burns. Sibi is pulled from the wreckage of a bomb shelter by Griff, an American military attaché as well as her youngest sister, Margrit. Sibi knows it was German planes that bombed and strafed the streets, but Griff convinces her that she must lie to protect her family. The three girls are sent to their father in Germany, but their problems are not finished. Sibi must make decisions to save her family, while working with Griff and the resistance against the Nazis.
Before I even finished this book, I was googling Guernica, and the Abraham Lincoln Brigade that went to Spain to support the government before it collapsed and fascism took over the country. Sibi's story was so realistic, I was choked up while reading much of it. This young girl experienced so much in her life and has so much pressure on her to save her sisters. Her courage, intelligence, resilience and loyalty often put her in danger, but also save her while she is working against the Nazis and sharing information with Griff. Griff is also a great character, doing what he needs to do for the war effort, but also protecting Sibi and her sister. There is a lot of chemistry between them, but they don't act on it, especially with the age difference, but also the danger. My heart broke constantly for Sibi and her two sisters, who were so relatable. I don't want to give away anymore of this story, so I will stop there. This is one of the best historical fiction books I have read this year, it is extremely well researched, sharing events that I knew nothing about previously. I did a read/listen of The Girl from Guernica and really enjoyed the narration by Nancy Peterson. She gave voice to all the characters despite their age or gender, adding accents as well. The audiobook brought the story to life for me and I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys that format.
I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy historical fiction in whichever format you prefer.
This book centers on Sibi, a sixteen year old girl whose mother is Basque and her father is German. Sibi and her three sisters live in Guernica with their mother who is estranged from their father. With the Spanish Revolution raging around them, Sibi wants to return to Germany, but her mother wants to stay. On that April day, Sibi's life changes forever. Her sister Luiza is gunned down in the streets, her mother dies in the bombing of the bakery and her sister Jo receives serious facial burns. Sibi is pulled from the wreckage of a bomb shelter by Griff, an American military attaché as well as her youngest sister, Margrit. Sibi knows it was German planes that bombed and strafed the streets, but Griff convinces her that she must lie to protect her family. The three girls are sent to their father in Germany, but their problems are not finished. Sibi must make decisions to save her family, while working with Griff and the resistance against the Nazis.
Before I even finished this book, I was googling Guernica, and the Abraham Lincoln Brigade that went to Spain to support the government before it collapsed and fascism took over the country. Sibi's story was so realistic, I was choked up while reading much of it. This young girl experienced so much in her life and has so much pressure on her to save her sisters. Her courage, intelligence, resilience and loyalty often put her in danger, but also save her while she is working against the Nazis and sharing information with Griff. Griff is also a great character, doing what he needs to do for the war effort, but also protecting Sibi and her sister. There is a lot of chemistry between them, but they don't act on it, especially with the age difference, but also the danger. My heart broke constantly for Sibi and her two sisters, who were so relatable. I don't want to give away anymore of this story, so I will stop there. This is one of the best historical fiction books I have read this year, it is extremely well researched, sharing events that I knew nothing about previously. I did a read/listen of The Girl from Guernica and really enjoyed the narration by Nancy Peterson. She gave voice to all the characters despite their age or gender, adding accents as well. The audiobook brought the story to life for me and I definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys that format.
I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy historical fiction in whichever format you prefer.
September 10, 2022
"Why did the worst things always seem to happen on perfectly ordinary days?”Sad to report that this book was just not for me. From the pacing to the lack of character development it failed to keep me engaged and while I love the ideas and time period set forth in the story, I couldn’t connect with it much at all.
In general it was difficult to get immersed in the book simply because I didn’t like the characters, sad as that is to say. Sibi as a heroine isn’t wholly believable and she doesn’t seem to change much throughout the book. Even at the beginning she came across as older so there wasn’t this transition from her being a teenager to an adult that should’ve helped to make her come across in a mature way or show growth. She also is distinctly modern in ways, being the “strong woman” archetype and other instances that make her not fit in with her time period, which distances her from the rest of what’s happening. Unfortunately, after the beginning events in Guernica, there’s not much in her life that really creates interest. I was hoping that her being a spy would fuel some suspenseful moments but most of it is isn’t substantial enough to stir real emotion or suspense until just at the end. For believability we’re given the excuse that her connections with her father and life circumstances allow her access to places others wouldn’t have but at the ages she is during the book, her knowledge of events doesn’t seem credible or her demeanor in situations accurate to the situation. Her inner monologue is different from the seeming detachment she is able to display outwardly, again because of her supposed maturity, and we are meant to buy that others (even Nazi officials) would deem her believable when she hasn’t had any training and is only given cursory instructions on how to carry out her spy duties. Over the course of the book, Sibi merely becomes a two dimensional character without much interesting about her to either make her likable or relatable.
Griff was even worse. For all that we’re meant to see him as this amazing man who rescued Sibi and has become such a part of her life, he’s barely even there. He appears not even a handful of times before near the end of the book. The most I came to know about him is he’s attractive, he frowns a lot and he wants to protect Sibi. He doesn’t ever develop much of his own personality. He ended up being the cardboard picture of a brooding male soldier with a heart of gold that could’ve come from the pages of any generic romance novel.
Speaking of romance, the romance in this book didn’t work for me. Honestly it didn’t even begin until the book was practically over and only then did it start because of a kiss out of desperation. I mean that was a pretty disappointing way to kickstart a romance. Fine if you want to have the “we’re about to be discovered” tension but don’t have the romance begin on the back of that, poor timing in my opinion. I get it war time sucks and things were different but the whole buildup behind these two getting together didn’t fuel any sense of connection between them at all beyond mere circumstance. For one their age gap is troubling, 9 years is a big difference and it is insinuated early on that Sibi has feelings for Griff when she’s still a teenager, his reciprocation was only mildly in question. Then there’s the fact that Griff barely appears in the book, understandable since he’s a spy, yet at the same time if we’re meant to believe a connection between the two and don’t get to ever see them interact the bond becomes intangible. Griff wasn’t even showing interest until Sibi brought it up so for him to switch to being an amorous lover like he felt that way all along with no explanation wasn’t a clean transition. Not to mention that after they finally do admit feelings he only seems to be interested in kissing her, not really a relationship. It felt as if the author tried to pack a books worth of romance into the last few chapters, managing to cheapen it in the process.
It’s a shame really because I loved Robard’s other historical novel, The Black Swan of Paris but this one did not pack the same emotional punch. It may have leaned heavier on the toll of war and brutality of civilian death in the beginning to pull you into the story but it’s characters were hollow and the overall narrative read as a historical recounting rather than a drama. I’m okay with books that want to take a slower pace and really develop the lives of their characters but I think this one took too long drawing out Sibi’s young life before creating any drama at about 75% in and by then I’m not as invested anymore. This book kind of dragged along until the last parts where it finally introduced some action and tension into the plot. At that point though it felt too late to try and develop what needed more attention earlier. It also seemed to rely too heavily on lucky coincidence to move along certain points in the plot. Sibi would just “happen” to be somewhere where Nazi officials were or “happen” to see important files so she didn’t do much actual spy work, she was only in the right place at the right time. To me this just seemed like lazy plot work. The rest of Sibi’s spy activity is told only through her second-hand narration of explaining what she has learned and sent as messages or told to Griff, which isn’t interesting since we don’t get to see it.
The two redeeming aspects of this book are the dog, Ruby, and Sibi’s relationship with her family. I think by the end I was more invested in the fate of that dog than anything else. And while I wasn’t always a fan of how she compromised what she knew to be right or took advantage of Griff’s kindness to help her family, Sibi’s unfailing loyalty to her siblings and even Father, who she wasn’t that close to in the beginning, was something worth liking. Her willingness to step into the mother role for her sisters while trying to maintain that sister bond was admirable. That family bond stayed true throughout the book and was the one enjoyable thread I felt the story stayed connected to from beginning to end.
Better character development and some pacing tweaks could’ve made this into a stellar book. Overall it was an easy read, just not an immersing one. This book really is for readers who like historical narratives that are a slow build with little tension in between.
– I received an e-copy of this book for free through NetGalley from Harlequin Trade Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. –
Review on my blog: Babbling Books Blog
January 19, 2023
Truly, an amazing book!
Over the years, I’ve read many historical novels, this one may be the best ever. It is full of drama, emotions, feelings, and action.
It has incredibly crafted characters that are very easy to relate to. Sibi and her sisters become part of the readers experience.
This is truly an outstanding book. One that gives me pleasure to tell you that I give it my highest recommendation!!!
Over the years, I’ve read many historical novels, this one may be the best ever. It is full of drama, emotions, feelings, and action.
It has incredibly crafted characters that are very easy to relate to. Sibi and her sisters become part of the readers experience.
This is truly an outstanding book. One that gives me pleasure to tell you that I give it my highest recommendation!!!
September 12, 2022
Set during the Spanish Civil War and WW11, The Girl From Guernica by Karen Robards is fast-paced, page-turning, riveting, and unputdownable.
Welcome to my stop on the Fall 2022 Harlequin Trade Publishing Blog Tour for Historical Fiction. Thank you #NetGalley @HTPBooks @HarlequinBooks @MiraEditors for a complimentary e ARC of #TheGirlFromGuernica by @TheKarenRobards upon my request. All opinions are my own.
This story is inspired by Picasso’s great masterpiece, Guernica.
In April of 1937, the small town of Guernica, Spain was bombed. Robards writes the imagined story of seventeen-year-old Sibi, her siblings, and her mother who lived there at the time. Grif, an American military attaché rescues Sibi from the rubble. Sibi knows aircraft and recognizes that it was the Germans who bombed their town. This knowledge puts her in danger as she and two surviving siblings make their way to Germany to live with their father. As WW11 rages, Sibi joins the resistance movement and works with Grif.
If you’re a fan of Kate Quinn’s work and appreciate a side of thriller with your historical fiction, you will love The Girl From Guernica. From surviving the bombing to living in Germany and working with the Resistance Movement to the heart-stopping conclusion, the writing of Karen Robards had me turning pages with bated breath from the first page.
Histic authors use different approaches when writing historical fiction stories. Some authors tell the stories of real people living through a historical event or time period, and others use a historical setting or event and imagined characters.
In this story, Robards uses a real event and time period and imagined characters. I read historical fiction to learn something, and I appreciate reading more about the Spanish Civil War, Picasso’s famous painting, and the endurance of one imagined family. One disheartening fact I learned (during a google search) is that the bombing of Guernica was the first incident of bombing civilians in an attempt to win a war (the current bombing of Ukraine’s civilian population comes to mind).
Some of you might remember that I love a story with a perfect character-driven and plot-driven balance. The Girl From Guernica is an excellent example.
This new-to-me author constructs an exciting story filled with vivid descriptive details and well-drawn main characters that we grow to love and admire. The story is compulsively readable and tension filled.
I love wonderful characters. Sibi is brave, independent, and responsible. Grif is protective, courageous, smart, respectful, and loyal. Together they make an incredible team in their espionage attempts. And, yes, there is a sweet romance brewing, but it doesn’t overwhelm the story.
“As the eldest, upon whose thin shoulders the cares of the family consistently fell, Sibi never had the luxury of being shy or frail.”
Important and thoughtful themes abound in this story and include loyalty, family relationships, truth, survival, trust, determination, bravery, hope, rescue, endurance, siblings, and deception.
This riveting story is already on my best-of-year list! You know that my 5 Star books must have that WOW factor! I’m enthusiastically recommending this amazing story for fans of histfic with a side of thriller, for readers who love page-turning narratives, for those who admire brave, inspiring, and independent female leads, and for book clubs, The Girl From Guernica is unputdownable and compulsively readable. I devoured it in one day.
(contains spoilers) Content Consideration: a town is bombed with many casualties, death of a parent and sibling, gun violence
For more reviews visit my blog at www.readingladies.com where this review was first published.
Welcome to my stop on the Fall 2022 Harlequin Trade Publishing Blog Tour for Historical Fiction. Thank you #NetGalley @HTPBooks @HarlequinBooks @MiraEditors for a complimentary e ARC of #TheGirlFromGuernica by @TheKarenRobards upon my request. All opinions are my own.
This story is inspired by Picasso’s great masterpiece, Guernica.
In April of 1937, the small town of Guernica, Spain was bombed. Robards writes the imagined story of seventeen-year-old Sibi, her siblings, and her mother who lived there at the time. Grif, an American military attaché rescues Sibi from the rubble. Sibi knows aircraft and recognizes that it was the Germans who bombed their town. This knowledge puts her in danger as she and two surviving siblings make their way to Germany to live with their father. As WW11 rages, Sibi joins the resistance movement and works with Grif.
If you’re a fan of Kate Quinn’s work and appreciate a side of thriller with your historical fiction, you will love The Girl From Guernica. From surviving the bombing to living in Germany and working with the Resistance Movement to the heart-stopping conclusion, the writing of Karen Robards had me turning pages with bated breath from the first page.
Histic authors use different approaches when writing historical fiction stories. Some authors tell the stories of real people living through a historical event or time period, and others use a historical setting or event and imagined characters.
In this story, Robards uses a real event and time period and imagined characters. I read historical fiction to learn something, and I appreciate reading more about the Spanish Civil War, Picasso’s famous painting, and the endurance of one imagined family. One disheartening fact I learned (during a google search) is that the bombing of Guernica was the first incident of bombing civilians in an attempt to win a war (the current bombing of Ukraine’s civilian population comes to mind).
Some of you might remember that I love a story with a perfect character-driven and plot-driven balance. The Girl From Guernica is an excellent example.
This new-to-me author constructs an exciting story filled with vivid descriptive details and well-drawn main characters that we grow to love and admire. The story is compulsively readable and tension filled.
I love wonderful characters. Sibi is brave, independent, and responsible. Grif is protective, courageous, smart, respectful, and loyal. Together they make an incredible team in their espionage attempts. And, yes, there is a sweet romance brewing, but it doesn’t overwhelm the story.
“As the eldest, upon whose thin shoulders the cares of the family consistently fell, Sibi never had the luxury of being shy or frail.”
Important and thoughtful themes abound in this story and include loyalty, family relationships, truth, survival, trust, determination, bravery, hope, rescue, endurance, siblings, and deception.
This riveting story is already on my best-of-year list! You know that my 5 Star books must have that WOW factor! I’m enthusiastically recommending this amazing story for fans of histfic with a side of thriller, for readers who love page-turning narratives, for those who admire brave, inspiring, and independent female leads, and for book clubs, The Girl From Guernica is unputdownable and compulsively readable. I devoured it in one day.
(contains spoilers) Content Consideration: a town is bombed with many casualties, death of a parent and sibling, gun violence
For more reviews visit my blog at www.readingladies.com where this review was first published.
October 6, 2022
Hands down ~ this story has been the most magical & miraculous historical romance this decade! A Jewel Bookshelf will be created just for super special books of this calibre! As of now ~ there'd be only this one on the shelf!
Sibi—Sibil Francesca Helinger— was only 16 turning 17 when she barely survived a massacre of Guernica. Her determination to be the voice for the innocent, which included her mother and sister Luiza, by identifying the murderous party, Germany, her own country, to the Times reporter was such a heroic act!
Sadly, once her father brought her and her two sisters, Jo and Margrit, back to Berlin, she was forced to lie or else all of her family would suffer. Yet, it was amazing how Sibi's boiling anger of her continuous role as The Girl from Guernica made her search for the way to find justice to her mother and Luiza! And she found it through Griff!
Griff, Sibi's hero who saved her from being buried alive in Guernica, came to check up on her in Berlin. What a beginning of their legendary partnership! As an Officer in the OSS, the Office of Strategic Services, Griff was definitely reluctant at first but Sibi was determined to act and to pass along information! My heart was pounding the next six years in Berlin! No one could underestimate the gestapo agents or the SS! But Griff was great at his job and Sibi was brilliant and a natural!
What betrayed them was something so simple & unexpected! A carrier pigeon! From this point onward, I practically stopped breathing!
Confession: This is a terrible review. Wishing I could have done a better job.
Sharing a romantic scene:
Sibi—Sibil Francesca Helinger— was only 16 turning 17 when she barely survived a massacre of Guernica. Her determination to be the voice for the innocent, which included her mother and sister Luiza, by identifying the murderous party, Germany, her own country, to the Times reporter was such a heroic act!
Sadly, once her father brought her and her two sisters, Jo and Margrit, back to Berlin, she was forced to lie or else all of her family would suffer. Yet, it was amazing how Sibi's boiling anger of her continuous role as The Girl from Guernica made her search for the way to find justice to her mother and Luiza! And she found it through Griff!
Griff, Sibi's hero who saved her from being buried alive in Guernica, came to check up on her in Berlin. What a beginning of their legendary partnership! As an Officer in the OSS, the Office of Strategic Services, Griff was definitely reluctant at first but Sibi was determined to act and to pass along information! My heart was pounding the next six years in Berlin! No one could underestimate the gestapo agents or the SS! But Griff was great at his job and Sibi was brilliant and a natural!
What betrayed them was something so simple & unexpected! A carrier pigeon! From this point onward, I practically stopped breathing!
Confession: This is a terrible review. Wishing I could have done a better job.
Sharing a romantic scene:
The sun was just sinking below the waves and the sky was wreathed in rainbow colors, and the sea was as blue as she'd ever seen it, and the light spilling over the beach where they stood was indescribably beautiful.
Wonder: that, she decided, was the best way to describe what she felt as she looked up at this man she knew so well but not in this new amazing context. Wonder, because it seemed like maybe dreams did sometimes come true and miracles did sometimes happen and that happiness was possible even in the midst of all the horrors of war. She might not quite trust in all that but she did trust him. Standing there in his arms with her arms looped around his neck . . .
September 29, 2022
AUDIO. I might have only given the book 4 stars if I had read instead of listening but the narration of the audio version kicked it up to 5. A very intense opening in Guernica leads to a riveting story. Despite all the WWII fiction and non-fiction I've read, I knew very little about the German rocket program and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
October 1, 2022
One minute sixteen-year-old Sibi was contemplating being asked out for the first time by a boy she liked, the next minute she looks up at the sky and sees a plane dropping three bombs over a nearby plaza. Then another plane. And another. And more bombs. What of her mother? What of her sisters? Sibi has taken shelter, but even that gets hit by the bombs. It takes a while, but she is eventually rescued into a world that is on fire, Filled with sheer terror. All Sibi could see is devastation.
It is a similar devastation that I felt as I was reading this utterly impactful book by Karen Robards. If I didn't have tears streaming from my eyes, I sat with a huge lump in my throat. The tense darkness that Sibi found herself in, while being trapped and even afterward, felt utterly real, especially as she was desperate for news of her family. While this was a sad and emotional read, there was a sliver of hope that was shining through.
Karen Robards has delivered this compassionate and addictive story with pure poetic style. The way she forms each word, each sentence, each paragraph, is nothing less that sheer beauty. Anyone that picks up this book will be truly drawn in. The stories are pivotal, and are based on true historical events. In fact, one of Picasso's famous paintings is name "Guernica". No doubt that painting has that same level of power, of connectiveness to tragedies of so long ago.
Many thanks to MIRA and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
It is a similar devastation that I felt as I was reading this utterly impactful book by Karen Robards. If I didn't have tears streaming from my eyes, I sat with a huge lump in my throat. The tense darkness that Sibi found herself in, while being trapped and even afterward, felt utterly real, especially as she was desperate for news of her family. While this was a sad and emotional read, there was a sliver of hope that was shining through.
Karen Robards has delivered this compassionate and addictive story with pure poetic style. The way she forms each word, each sentence, each paragraph, is nothing less that sheer beauty. Anyone that picks up this book will be truly drawn in. The stories are pivotal, and are based on true historical events. In fact, one of Picasso's famous paintings is name "Guernica". No doubt that painting has that same level of power, of connectiveness to tragedies of so long ago.
Many thanks to MIRA and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
February 9, 2023
Guernica, a town in Spain was bombed in 1937, killing people and destroying much of the town.
Sibi and two sister survived. Her mother and another sister did not. Sibi joins the resistance and helps in the war effort. Many events planned by the Nazi's, were found out and stopped with the
informants Sibi knew.
Just before the war ended Sibi and her two sister and their father were sent to America, they knew too much and would be safe there.
A thrilling read to the end.
Sibi and two sister survived. Her mother and another sister did not. Sibi joins the resistance and helps in the war effort. Many events planned by the Nazi's, were found out and stopped with the
informants Sibi knew.
Just before the war ended Sibi and her two sister and their father were sent to America, they knew too much and would be safe there.
A thrilling read to the end.
June 18, 2022
I received my copy free through Goodreads Giveaways.
I sat down and read this in one sitting, staying up way too late. This comes out next month for the public. Good summer read.
I sat down and read this in one sitting, staying up way too late. This comes out next month for the public. Good summer read.
October 2, 2022
I loved this book!! I remember learning about the bombing of Guernica during Spanish class in high school and examining Picasso’s painting. In college, I had the opportunity to travel to Spain to see the painting in person and was taken aback. Seeing this book on the shelf I knew I had to read it. I constantly felt like I was on the edge of my seat and at times was afraid to turn the page. It was truly heartbreaking at points. I thought the way the book was broken up flowed perfectly. I would highly recommended to anyone with an interest in WWII.
September 7, 2022
Sibi, her sisters and her mother have been in Guernica, Spain visiting family for quite a while. Sibi has been wanting to return to Germany because a civil war is raging around them. Her mother refuses. She is happy back home. This decision changes all of their lives.
Sibi is a young lady which stole my heart. After the tragedy at Guernica, she had to step up and be everything to her sisters. Then there is Griff! He actually saved Sibi in Guernica from a collapsed building. So, you can guess these two have a past and a future!
I love the history in this book. I had never heard about the attack on Guernica. I certainly didn’t know that the Germans did it! So, this book really had me researching! And if y’all follow this blog you know that I love a book that has me looking stuff up!
Now, that being said…I did feel this book was too long. This novel could’ve been shortened by maybe 50 pages. And the first half of the book was more captivating than the second half. And that could be because I was more fascinated with the Guernica section. This novel does have a little bit of everything…romance, war, espionage. I mean, what’s not to like!
Need a new take on a WWII novel…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
Sibi is a young lady which stole my heart. After the tragedy at Guernica, she had to step up and be everything to her sisters. Then there is Griff! He actually saved Sibi in Guernica from a collapsed building. So, you can guess these two have a past and a future!
I love the history in this book. I had never heard about the attack on Guernica. I certainly didn’t know that the Germans did it! So, this book really had me researching! And if y’all follow this blog you know that I love a book that has me looking stuff up!
Now, that being said…I did feel this book was too long. This novel could’ve been shortened by maybe 50 pages. And the first half of the book was more captivating than the second half. And that could be because I was more fascinated with the Guernica section. This novel does have a little bit of everything…romance, war, espionage. I mean, what’s not to like!
Need a new take on a WWII novel…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
October 24, 2022
It took me a lot to get into this book and several times I thought of adding it to my DNF pile. Had it not been my monthly book club read I certainly would have. I found the extensive bombing scenes, details of burning buildings, aircraft descriptions and later lab and launch information added nothing to the story. I usually enjoy these details ( Jodi Picolet, Stephen King and Kristen Hannah do it well) but felt they were more inserted than used to evolve the story. While I understand the author was trying to intertwine the facts of this event with the fictionalized story I felt it just added text book like information I had to slug through.
While I found some parts interesting and I liked the Griff character as well as the sisters, other characters I thought would become part of the story and seemed intriguing were just left hanging completely. ( Griff’s team in Guernica and Sister Beatrice )
The final straw was amid all these over the top details, you would find a completely unrealistic scene that seemed slapped in to advance the story. I found myself shaking my head and saying “ Really! Come on ..No way!” Overall this book just wasn’t for me.
While I found some parts interesting and I liked the Griff character as well as the sisters, other characters I thought would become part of the story and seemed intriguing were just left hanging completely. ( Griff’s team in Guernica and Sister Beatrice )
The final straw was amid all these over the top details, you would find a completely unrealistic scene that seemed slapped in to advance the story. I found myself shaking my head and saying “ Really! Come on ..No way!” Overall this book just wasn’t for me.
November 6, 2022
I was glad to know more about this event in history. I think I would have enjoyed the book more from a historical perspective if they had stayed in Spain, but I recognize the story arc would have changed.
I also liked the story arc. It was an interesting set of circumstances and an interesting set of twists in the story.
However the character development was completely lacking. The immature dialogue distracted from the story. It would have been a much more powerful story stronger dialogue between the characters. I completely agree with my friend Shaun's review that the book deserved better editing.
I also was very disappointed in the ending. Having the mother's locket protect her from death by bullet was completely unreasonable. It was also a missed opportunity to remind the reader of the harsh realities of the war. It was rare to have people like this survive. We need to be reminded that war isn't where happy endings occur.
I also liked the story arc. It was an interesting set of circumstances and an interesting set of twists in the story.
However the character development was completely lacking. The immature dialogue distracted from the story. It would have been a much more powerful story stronger dialogue between the characters. I completely agree with my friend Shaun's review that the book deserved better editing.
I also was very disappointed in the ending. Having the mother's locket protect her from death by bullet was completely unreasonable. It was also a missed opportunity to remind the reader of the harsh realities of the war. It was rare to have people like this survive. We need to be reminded that war isn't where happy endings occur.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 15, 2022
All I can say is this book is going to be so underrated. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and it was interesting to look up and hear about a historical fiction book about a place in Spain called Guernica since I wasn't as familiar with it. Here's the true backstory behind it which the author did a great job describing it in a way to start this book and this rare unknown tragic even pre-WWII. As a story, I loved it and the journey of Sibi and her wanting to be a part of the resistance pre-and during WWII to help her rescuer from the rubble at Guernica, James Griffin or as he's called, Griff. Soon they form a friendship of course all the while Sibi is forced to lie about the events of what really happened at Guernica and that it was the Nazi's that did the shooting. And there's more to the story which is one of courage, faith, loyalty and many other things. This is one I'd highly and truly recommend for sure and a must read. So go read this and Sibi's journey and life in post and during WWII. It's worth it.
HERE'S A FEW THINGS I FOUND ON THE EVENTS OF GUERNICA AND EVEN SOME FIRSTHAND ACCOUNTS IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THIS EVEN IF YOU HAVEN'T HEARD OF IT BEFORE THIS LIKE ME:
"On April 26, 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, the Nazis tested their new air force on the Basque town of Guernica in northern Spain. One-third of Guernica's 5,000 inhabitants were killed or wounded. Pablo Picasso exposed the horror of the bombing in his famous anti-war painting called Guernica....
And here's a it more on this:
"It was market day in Guernica when the church bells of Santa Maria sounded the alarm that afternoon in 1937. People from the surrounding hillsides crowded the town square. "Every Monday was a fair in Guernica," says José Monasterio, eyewitness to the bombing. "They attacked when there were a lot of people there. And they knew when their bombing would kill the most. When there are more people, more people would die."
For over three hours, twenty-five or more of Germany's best-equipped bombers, accompanied by at least twenty more Messerschmitt and Fiat Fighters, dumped one hundred thousand pounds of high-explosive and incendiary bombs on the village, slowly and systematically pounding it to rubble.
"We were hiding in the shelters and praying. I only thought of running away, I was so scared. I didn't think about my parents, mother, house, nothing. Just escape. Because during those three and one half hours, I thought I was going to die." (eyewitness Luis Aurtenetxea)
Those trying to escape were cut down by the strafing machine guns of fighter planes. "They kept just going back and forth, sometimes in a long line, sometimes in close formation. It was as if they were practicing new moves. They must have fired thousands of bullets." (eyewitness Juan Guezureya) The fires that engulfed the city burned for three days. Seventy percent of the town was destroyed. Sixteen hundred civilians - one third of the population - were killed or wounded.
News of the bombing spread like wildfire. The Nationalists immediately denied any involvement, as did the Germans. But few were fooled by Franco's protestations of innocence. In the face of international outrage at the carnage, Von Richthofen claimed publicly that the target was a bridge over the Mundaca River on the edge of town, chosen in order to cut off the fleeing Republican troops. But although the Condor Legion was made up of the best airmen and planes of Hitler's developing war machine, not a single hit was scored on the presumed target, nor on the railway station, nor on the small-arms factory nearby.
Guernica is the cultural capital of the Basque people, seat of their centuries-old independence and democratic ideals. It has no strategic value as a military target. Yet some time later, a secret report to Berlin was uncovered in which Von Richthofen stated, "...the concentrated attack on Guernica was the greatest success," making the dubious intent of the mission clear: the all-out air attack had been ordered on Franco's behalf to break the spirited Basque resistance to Nationalist forces. Guernica had served as the testing ground for a new Nazi military tactic - blanket-bombing a civilian population to demoralize the enemy. It was wanton, man-made holocaust."
August 22, 2022
This book was fantastic. I generally think of Karen Robards as a romance writer, not typically a historical fiction author (I do not know the breadth of Robards's works, though), but this book blew my expectations out of the water. Focusing on Spain in 1937, Robards's story delves into the bombing of Guernica, which was supposed to align Spain with either the Axis or Allies, but ended up keeping Spain neutral. The story follows Sibi, and her family as they are caught in the bombing of Guernica. When Sibi becomes trapped under a building, she is saved by American military attache, Griff. Through Griff's help, Sibi is alive and able to help her family who survived the bombing. When Sibi's father, a Nazi scientist, hears what happened in Spain, he comes to bring his daughters home to Germany. While in Germany, Sibi teams up with Griff to help bring down the Nazi powers by spying on her father.
The book tells a powerful story of how even the weak can stand up against the strong, and what the love of family can do to bring down an empire. The book was a great read, very intense, good pacing, and excellent story telling. I would read another historical fiction from Karen Robards again, and I will be adding this to my list of reads for book clubs and history fans.
The book tells a powerful story of how even the weak can stand up against the strong, and what the love of family can do to bring down an empire. The book was a great read, very intense, good pacing, and excellent story telling. I would read another historical fiction from Karen Robards again, and I will be adding this to my list of reads for book clubs and history fans.
September 5, 2022
I have loved this story! A story about a spy, about a family and also love. A family, half Basque through the mother and half German through the father. Though I am not keen on romance, it worked here very well while not being the main topic of the novel!
What I really enjoyed in the novel is the author's masterful way of making the reader feel like living first hand through Guernica as though he/she was there . Very powerful writing style with ongoing tension up to the end. Very emotional indeed because of its realistic description, but impossible to put the book down! Sibi, one of the four daughters will become a spy out of revenge while assisting her scientific father back in Germany.....
I also found the characters believable and I definitely got attached to the family and their little dog.
Even though the novel is not always easy to read emotionally, it remains a beautiful story. Highly recommended!
I received a complimentary ARC of this novel from NetGalley and I am leaving voluntarily an honest review.
What I really enjoyed in the novel is the author's masterful way of making the reader feel like living first hand through Guernica as though he/she was there . Very powerful writing style with ongoing tension up to the end. Very emotional indeed because of its realistic description, but impossible to put the book down! Sibi, one of the four daughters will become a spy out of revenge while assisting her scientific father back in Germany.....
I also found the characters believable and I definitely got attached to the family and their little dog.
Even though the novel is not always easy to read emotionally, it remains a beautiful story. Highly recommended!
I received a complimentary ARC of this novel from NetGalley and I am leaving voluntarily an honest review.
October 30, 2022
I love historical fiction but this one seemed more of a combination of YA, romance, and very hard to believe actions by the main characters. The part about Guernica was my favorite because I studied it in college and saw it in Madrid. I even have a copy of it that I bought there that is hanging in my office.
However, Sibi's actions including her spy activities and her ability to access the critical information seemed doubtful. The author did hit all the "right" buttons besides the obvious anti-Nazi but also touched on bullying of her sister, the German use of institutions to sterilize or eliminate "damaged" people, and the killing of Jews and homosexuals in the death camps.
The last part of the book seemed like an Indiana Jones movie.
I finished this book because it is one of my favorite book club's selection for November.
I am happy that most people liked this booked much more than I did.
However, Sibi's actions including her spy activities and her ability to access the critical information seemed doubtful. The author did hit all the "right" buttons besides the obvious anti-Nazi but also touched on bullying of her sister, the German use of institutions to sterilize or eliminate "damaged" people, and the killing of Jews and homosexuals in the death camps.
The last part of the book seemed like an Indiana Jones movie.
I finished this book because it is one of my favorite book club's selection for November.
I am happy that most people liked this booked much more than I did.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 9, 2022
This was a great story that I was eager to return to as things got more intense. Some of the twist and turns really push the limits of believability even in YAish story, but I found I didn't mind too much.
The writing, though. I honestly wondered more than once if somehow my Kindle had gotten an unedited version. No debut author would get away with this. Only someone who churns out a book a year or more to a genre-driven fan base. It's a shame because it's a good story and the storytelling itself was solid, but there were so many sentences that stopped me in my tracks. That didn't need to happen. Everyone deserves an editor that cares about a great final product!
The writing, though. I honestly wondered more than once if somehow my Kindle had gotten an unedited version. No debut author would get away with this. Only someone who churns out a book a year or more to a genre-driven fan base. It's a shame because it's a good story and the storytelling itself was solid, but there were so many sentences that stopped me in my tracks. That didn't need to happen. Everyone deserves an editor that cares about a great final product!
July 6, 2022
This story is set in WWII. It is the story of a young girl who becomes a spy. She is part of the underground passing messages to a US Soldier who rescued her and her sisters when their town was bombed. Sibi has put her and her families lives on the line if she is caught but her hatred for the Germans bombing her town compels her to act. I couldn’t put this book down. I was rooting for Sibi, her family and the soldier who rescued them from the rubble of their town. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.
September 1, 2022
What a riveting, detailed story of a young girl who due to a family tragedy grows up to become a WWII spy.
After the tragic event, Sibi returns to Germany and must try her best to fight the Nazi propaganda and Nazi regime as a whole to keep her family safe.
Really enjoyed this book, and found myself rooting for Sibi and her American rescuer throughout.
After the tragic event, Sibi returns to Germany and must try her best to fight the Nazi propaganda and Nazi regime as a whole to keep her family safe.
Really enjoyed this book, and found myself rooting for Sibi and her American rescuer throughout.
February 14, 2023
If you like your history well-researched and authentic, if you like your romance wholesome, yet deeply intense, if you like your suspense ratcheted up to screaming level, THIS is your book! it was certainly mine, as I love all those things and it definitely delivers in all aspects!
I originally picked it up because of "Guernica" in the title. There have been a couple of good books having to do with the Spanish Civil War, but I have never read an account of what happened during the infamous attack that provided the subject for Picasso's masterwork. So I was intrigued going in, but I had NO idea what a harrowing ride I was in for! To sustain such tension for over 460 of closely-typed pages, mostly narrative, is a feat of excellent writing that is seldom seen. This book should be required reading for Creative Writing classes...it's that impressive.
While this story is right up my alley, I can see that it will not appeal to all readers. The very things that I love about it will, no doubt, elicit a different response from others. For instance, there are depictions of strong men all the way through, who choose to do their duty (a loaded word, right there) while working to protect, first strangers, and then cherished loved ones. There are strong, resourceful women portrayed as well, who are equal partners with the men, but who perform their deeds with such evident femininity, that it reflects the social attitudes of the time period perfectly. How refreshing to read a modern novel that adheres to the cultural environment of the era it represents!
I also appreciated watching the gradual, but genuine mellowing of Professor Helinger develop. His transformation was subtle but completely believable. Just one example of the rich characters the author created and enhanced.
This is not a perfect book, but its flaws are so minimal that they disappear beneath the overall power of the tale. The last 60 pages took my breath away!
I originally picked it up because of "Guernica" in the title. There have been a couple of good books having to do with the Spanish Civil War, but I have never read an account of what happened during the infamous attack that provided the subject for Picasso's masterwork. So I was intrigued going in, but I had NO idea what a harrowing ride I was in for! To sustain such tension for over 460 of closely-typed pages, mostly narrative, is a feat of excellent writing that is seldom seen. This book should be required reading for Creative Writing classes...it's that impressive.
While this story is right up my alley, I can see that it will not appeal to all readers. The very things that I love about it will, no doubt, elicit a different response from others. For instance, there are depictions of strong men all the way through, who choose to do their duty (a loaded word, right there) while working to protect, first strangers, and then cherished loved ones. There are strong, resourceful women portrayed as well, who are equal partners with the men, but who perform their deeds with such evident femininity, that it reflects the social attitudes of the time period perfectly. How refreshing to read a modern novel that adheres to the cultural environment of the era it represents!
I also appreciated watching the gradual, but genuine mellowing of Professor Helinger develop. His transformation was subtle but completely believable. Just one example of the rich characters the author created and enhanced.
This is not a perfect book, but its flaws are so minimal that they disappear beneath the overall power of the tale. The last 60 pages took my breath away!
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