Christian Fiction Devourers discussion

January's Group Buddy Read is Hidden Among the Stars by Melanie Dobson.

GR Summary:
The year is 1938, and as Hitler’s troops sweep into Vienna, Austrian Max Dornbach promises to help his Jewish friends hide their most valuable possessions from the Nazis, smuggling them to his family’s summer estate near the picturesque village of Hallstatt. He enlists the help of Annika Knopf, his childhood friend and the caretaker’s daughter, who is eager to help the man she’s loved her entire life. But when Max also brings Luzia Weiss, a young Jewish woman, to hide at the castle, it complicates Annika’s feelings and puts their entire plan―even their very lives―in jeopardy. Especially when the Nazis come to scour the estate and find both Luzia and the treasure gone.

Eighty years later, Callie Randall is mostly content with her quiet life, running a bookstore with her sister and reaching out into the world through her blog. Then she finds a cryptic list in an old edition of Bambi that connects her to Annika’s story . . . and maybe to the long-buried story of a dear friend. As she digs into the past, Callie must risk venturing outside the safe world she’s built for a chance at answers, adventure, and maybe even new love.

I hope to start this one tomorrow - I'm eager to dive into this story! :)

I love a good WWII story. Count me in!

I started today, the first 28 pages are good.

I'm in! Agree Andrea. Love a well done WWII novel.

I'm in for this one as well!

I have read this and it is very good!

Cannot put it down!! I have been reading it all day. So good!

This book sounds amazing! I just requested it and hope to get it before buddy read ends.

Just finished! Very much enjoyed it.

I am going to start this as soon as I can get a copy. It is my first buddy read in this group.

I should finish My Dearest Enemy today, and then I’ll be starting it.

Joanne wrote: "I am going to start this as soon as I can get a copy. It is my first buddy read in this group."

Welcome, Joanne! I hope you'll enjoy the book and discussion.

Books In Every Room wrote: "I should finish My Dearest Enemy today, and then I’ll be starting it."

Happy reading!

I finished it last night - heartbreaking and lovingly told story.

Loved it! Did not expect the twist, or twists however you see it.

I finished it. I thought it was a bit slow at the start, but it picked up as it went along.

I just started it the other day. I'm a slow reader. Anyone interested in having a discussion just a few chapters at a time? You can PM me.

Joanne wrote: "I just started it the other day. I'm a slow reader. Anyone interested in having a discussion just a few chapters at a time? You can PM me."

I messaged you.

Just finished. Loved it. Beautifully written!

When is there going to be a discussion about this book? I only see posts that say people read it and loved it or whatever. If anyone wants to discuss it in more depth, they can PM me. I'm on chapter 25. I've been waiting to see a discussion.

I finished it today. It took me a while to get into the story, but then I really enjoyed it.

I haven't seen anybody really posting any discussion. Beth said it would be okay if I posted some of my thoughts. Has anyone read the discussion questions at the back of the book?

Chapter 6
I like that part of this book is about a story lady because that is what I used to be. I like the references to children's books because I recognize almost every one of them. I want to see the Luftbaloon one. I'm intrigued about that. I feel like I could do without the ex-husband drama stuff. For me in some ways, it detracts from the story. The love triangle part in the 1938 portion of the story between Anoka, Luzi and Max is also a bit off putting. I would like it better if it were just about Luzi and Max. Maybe it will turn out to be that part of Callie's adventure in the future will be learning the identity of the woman cut out of the photo. Maybe that will turn out to be the ancestor she is looking for.

Chapter 11
I think Dr. Nemeth had some interesting facts in his lecture. I didn't know H.A Rey, the author of Curious George was a Jew that escaped the Nazis on a bicycle. I would be interested in authenticating that story. I don't like the way he wouldn't give that Bambi book back to Callie. I wouldn't be surprised if she has trouble getting it back. I wouldn't have let him borrow it if I were her.

Chapter 14
I think that Callie and the professor will wind up as a couple. The author is setting it up that way. The next prediction is that she winds up using her birthday gift to buy a plane ticket to go to Austria with him. If I fault the author, it is that she is a little too predictable here.

The 1938 portion of the story is more mysterious. It seems that Charlotte has some connection to Luzi because of the inscription in the balloon book. I am guessing that is her mother.

We now know that Annika got married. She could have married Max but that would make the book less romantic. We know that Max likes her and flirts with her calling her "kitten" but he's not in love with her. Would Luzi wind up in America studying music at Juilliard?

Chapter 23
Things are turning out as I expected with Callie joining Josh in Austria. It is not long I am sure before a romance starts between them. At this point I am trying to make other predictions. I thought Marta would wind up traveling as Luzi's daughter. Now it seems she may travel as Klara's daughter. That would keep Luzi from being with Max though so I think the first predictions may still turn out. Its sad the idea that Nazis killed children.

Another thing I predicted turned out to happen and that is that Annika married Hermann.

This book makes me think of my father and his flight from Hungary. I will never know how difficult that time was for him especially the loss of both his parents. I wonder if they feared. a discovery of their Jewish heiritage.

Question 1. Has literature changed my view of God? I would say yes. After I read Tich Nat Hanh's Peace is Every Step, I felt I had a clearer understanding of God. I felt closer to that view of Spirituality than Christianity.

Question 2. Handling the presence of evil.

Character tactics:
Joining them even to the point of divorcing wife. Max's father

Doing clandestine things to fight them: Max, Luzi, Annika, Hermann.

Running away to protect yourself: Sarah

I guess you would say I do the last thing. I don't stand up to it, I avoid it. Thinking about problems at the barn where I volunteer between me and other volunteers. Also about drinking, drugs and partying. Sometimes I go out and have a few drinks though. Usually I find the atmosphere bothers me. Also people who get too drawn in by politics, I avoid them instead of trying to understand them.

What did you all think about the question of God's presence when there is evil in the world or when bad things happen to good people? Do you think God is in control?

I think God is in control but I also believe he gives us free will. Unfortunately, that means people have messed up the planet he gave us by polluting it. Also, people have done a lot of evil things to each other. I do think God chooses to intervene at certain times but its a mystery to me why some times and not others. For example, God sometimes heals the sick and other times he doesn't.

When bad things happen, I think God is always present. He is there to work through those situations to help us get through them. For example, I think of the awful things that happened on September 11. God was there through the people who helped each other.

Right now, I'm almost finished the book. I for me, there are some very disturbing parts which were hard to get through. The way the book is written helps. The World War II time line is disturbing but the present day time line gives some relief. I found I could stop reading and feel restful only after reading a chapter with the present day time line.

Wow. I just finished this one, and I was blown away. Wonderful book!

WWII fiction is my favorite genre, and this book is one reason why. Such powerful emotions, wonderful storytelling, and terrible problems and trials for the good guys to hopefully overcome. Yet even when things went wrong, there was a beauty in the telling and in what we may learn from it to prevent other future disasters like Hitler's "Final Solution" from happening. It's crucial that we never forget these things that have happened before, or we'll be in jeopardy of repeating them.

Did anyone else cry buckets of tears during the climax and finale? Oh goodness, y'all, I was a mushy mess! Just the sort of surprise (and deeply emotional) ending I love.

I think I'll be purchasing a copy of this book for my keeper shelf (I had an electronic copy through NetGalley). Anyone else feel like they'll reread it eventually just to experience the emotions and characters and journey all over again?

Joanne, I LOVE your thoughts!

I'm with you, in that there were a few plot points that I totally called before they happened.

It did take me some time to figure out who was going to end up with who, and how it all would turn out.

I love your thoughts about free will as well. It seems if we have the freedom to choose to love Him or not, we must also have free will in all other areas, too. It's sometimes hard to comprehend it. I was actually just thinking how important stories like these are because it requires us to look at what happened as the events they are based on are farther and farther removed from most people.

Andrea, I can definitely see myself re-reading this at some point - I've also heard great things about the audio version, so maybe I'll give that a try.

I thought all of the characters showed a lot of strength, but for me, Annika was the hero. She was just so selfless and giving.

Wonderful thoughts, ladies! I also loved that aspect of Annika's character. Such an amazing heart she grew to have.

I just finished this last night! Really, its not the kind of book I would have chosen for myself. Even though it was handled well, the subject matter was a bit too disturbing for me. Also, the love triangle between Annika, Max and Luzi wasn't something I enjoyed. Plus, the romance between Josh and Callie. Not my type of thing and too predictable.

One thought though. When I read the part about Annika on the train, I started thinking about the concept of redemption. Annika seemed to have questioned her motives for saving Luzi at the start. Was it because she loved Max or because it was right? Do our motives matter?

Did Annika have to sacrifice herself to atone for her sin of looking at the personal things of Max's mother? She had unintentionally been part of exposing the Jewish background of Max's mother hand Max. Was that something she needed to atone for? I don't think she needed to sacrifice herself for that. To me, that was kind of creepy. At the end, she had a sense of peace though. I think the forgiveness of God is not earned. Its grace. I'm not sure where the book was going with that. What were your thoughts?

I liked the mentions of authors of children's classic books. That was great for me learning about the author of Bambi and Curious George! I never thought about Bambi as a social commentary. Probably I'll never look at it the same way again!

When I got to the end, nope I didn't cry! Didn't feel that connected to the characters. I'm glad I read the book because it gave me some things to think about.

I didn't feel that Annika had been trying to earn her way to Heaven. It was more a sacrificial love sort of thing, especially since she only chose that after remembering the verse about the greatest love being to give one's life for a friend.

Joanne, I'm sorry the relationships weren't very pleasant for you! That can make for sludge-like reading at times. I hope your next read will be a better one for your taste buds.

Mom and I were chatting about Curious George yesterday when we were at Half Price Books, and I told her what Hidden had said about the author and his wife escaping by bicycle. We're so curious (pun intended) to know if that was real!

I feel that Annika did what she did out of love and friendship for Luzi, not her love for Max. I'm not saying she didn't still love Max, but ultimately, in that moment, her thought was of saving Luzi and her unborn child. I personally didn't find it to be a love triangle because I don't think Max ever considered Annika in that way. He loved her, yes, but as a younger sister type of love. Annika's love transcended romantic love, which I think made her actions and motivations as pure as they could be. It didn't feel like atonement for me. It felt like a terrible consequence of a horrible situation that there was no winning scenario. I think Annika had the victory despite her death because she willingly gave her life for her friend.

Yes, I'm with Beth. Max never thought of Annika as a peer. She was a kid to him, a "kitten." When Annika learned that Max loved Luzi and was depending on her to help, she rose up and did so despite her illusions being struck down. She also believed Luzi was carrying Max's child, the fruit of love. I was so impressed by Annika becoming so determined to protect Luzi and her child even though for a while on that train she felt so afraid, rightly, and alone because she wasn't truly one of them either. You see, I think Annika always felt rather isolated, not fitting in anywhere. She didn't have a specific role; she was mainly the caretaker's daughter. She rather clung to her childhood too. I wasn't surprised or bothered by her crush on Max. Her dreams were unrealistic but typical for her age, personality, and situation. She knew two guys near her age, one of whom she didn't like too much and she did like the other one. I admired her a lot.

Beth wrote: "I think Annika had the victory despite her death because she willingly gave her life for her friend."

Yes! This is exactly how I felt when reading (and crying through) that climax and finale. Even death may be a victory, just like when Jesus conquered it for us. If we are dying to save someone else, that is a victory, because it showcases the greatest love.

I really liked how Annika's crush on Max was played out. It seemed so realistic. Like Rachel said, Max always saw her as a little sister, which is so common in real life when a younger person has a crush on a slightly-older one as they're growing up. Those crushes don't always turn out to be true love (for one or both of the people). It was interested to see Annika's crush morph into a greater responsibility and respect and even a sisterly love when she realized her dream of marrying Max was over.

And I also liked how, when Max finally found out that Annika had sacrificed herself for Luzi and the baby, that he changed the way he thought of his old friend. Now she wasn't a kitten to him, but she'd finally grown up in his eyes with that sacrificial choice.

Andrea wrote: "I really liked how Annika's crush on Max was played out. It seemed so realistic. Like Rachel said, Max always saw her as a little sister, which is so common in real life when a younger person has a..."

Yes, Andrea, Max's response. And he didn't run up to Luzi and demand an explanation either. He sent her a violin out of respect and left her alone to grow in the life she now had.

Rachel, that part in the epilogue where Max sees Luzi but doesn't run up to her was pretty neat. I also liked it that he respected her and let her live her life.

I think that even though you might not have called it a "love triangle" because Max didn't really love Annika, it was a situation which was really unfair to Annika. I went back and looked it up just so I could make a quote for you:

Annika dug her hands into her coat pockets "I'm glad you're
here"
"It's only for a day."
"Still, I'm glad."
He lifted her right hand from the warmth of her coat pocket
and pressed his lips against it. "Don't let one of Htler's men
steal your heart, Annika."

I think that since he didn't love her, he was being a tease! It would have been natural for Annika to think he cared for her after that! That's one of the reasons why I didn't like their relationship.

Here are a couple of other things:

This book shows us that people don't necessarily wind up marrying their first love. With both Luzi and Callie, there was some sadness that they couldn't be with the person they thought they would be with. Yet they did find someone who was right for them in the end. That aspect of the book was comforting to me. It gave a sense of realism to the book and hope for people who got out of bad relationships.

Luzi wound up keeping the baby which was a result of rape. That child wound up growing into a wonderful person. It made me ponder the idea of abortion after rape. Made me wish there could be a way to have those women keep the baby to term even if it meant giving them up.

Joanne wrote: "Rachel, that part in the epilogue where Max sees Luzi but doesn't run up to her was pretty neat. I also liked it that he respected her and let her live her life.

I think that even though you might..."

I can understand how you could interpret it that way. I didn't see it that way for a couple reasons. I just don't think kissing someone's hand back then was as much of a sign of romantic interest as it is today. It was more of a respectful and affectionate greeting. And warning her off of falling in love with a German should have enlightened her that he wasn't imagining a life with her in love with him. 🙂

In any case, I love books like this that promote a lot of thought and can have multiple meanings.

But, yes, the idea that your first "love" isn't always the best one is pretty honest and true to life.

I don't think Max saw anything he did as teasing, but rather as how an older brother or cousin would treat her. I don't think it ever entered his mind that she would think of him that way. Just my opinion. :)

I definitely agree with you guys about the "first love" idea. Definitely realistic and true to life.

I absolutely bawled when I realised what Annika was doing to save Luzi and the baby. And yes, I think in that moment, she was doing it for Luzi's sake, and wasn't really thinking about Max. She had wanted to hate Luzi because Max loved her instead of Annika, but she grew to love Luzi because Luzi herself was such a good person. That sacrifice of her crush, of her hate, and ultimately of her life, definitely gave Annika the victory as y'all have said! Greater love has no one than that! ♥
I hadn't thought of the theme of 'first loves' when I read this book, but I agree . . . that was definitely there . . . the first one you fall in love with, or grow to love, isn't always the best one. Sometimes it is (like with my inlaws who were high school sweethearts) . . . and sometimes, like with myself and my husband, it's definitely not the first love that's the best love.
I really, REALLY enjoyed this book, and can definitely see myself reading it again at some point. ☺

Wonderful thoughts, Kate. I love how you were able to relate the first loves to your family. That's neat!

Beth wrote: "I don't think Max saw anything he did as teasing, but rather as how an older brother or cousin would treat her. I don't think it ever entered his mind that she would think of him that way. Just my ..."Haha! It just goes to show you how different gestures can be interpreted! When he kissed her hand, I thought it was as if he was saying "don't fall in love with the Nazis. Save yourself for me!" Maybe you are right though. It may not have been meant that way.