Strong story. Excellent depiction of typical German family during WW II. Thought the book was a slow start and the dialogue -- especially between Christine and Isaac -- was weak and lacking in real emotion. Didn't expect some of the twists and turns in the story.

I enjoyed the book, but found parts of it similar to other books of this genre. I suppose that any story of Nazi Germany contains looks into the cruelty that existed and how many normal people were just trying to survive and do the best they could. When Isaac was discovered in the attic and he and Christine were arrested, it was just a bit unrealistic how everything unfolded. I did like the ending of the book. It was a nice twist and I almost always love the happy ending.

A thoughtful story, with flesh and blood characters told from the perspective of a German family living and surviving in Nazi Germany. The oldest daughter, Christine, does what she can for her family to hold them together, but her heart rules her common sense. It is great love story that will remain with me for a long time. I highly recommend this book.

I liked this book. I liked all the description, especially of life before the war. It made the place and time come alive for me, and I still have vivid impressions from the book. One problem I did have, however, was the relationship between Isaac and Christine. It seemed like they were suddenly madly in love without really knowing each other. I also thought Isaac's survival was unrealistic. It felt like the author tricked the readers by building up Isaac's supposed death so much.