A Picture of Hope

Liz Tolsma

Oct 2021 · Barbour Publishing

About this ebook

A Photojournalist Risks Her Life to Save a Very Special Child 
 
Full of intrigue, adventure, and romance, this series celebrates the unsung heroes—the heroines of WWII. 
 
Journalist Nellie Wilkerson has spent the bulk of the war in London, photographing mothers standing in milk lines—and she’s bored. She jumps at the chance to go to France, where the Allied forces recently landed. There she enlists Jean-Paul Breslau of the French underground to take her to the frontlines. On the journey, they stumble upon a great tragedy, leaving a girl with special needs being orphaned. 
 
Can Nellie and Jean-Paul see the child to a safe haven while being pursued by the Nazis, who are pressed by the advancing Allies and determined to destroy all they can before they flee? 
 

Ratings and reviews

“By aiding a single individual, you have changed one world.” This intense, thought-provoking novel is written with excellence. It shows courage, faith, and a determination to make a difference the lives of others. It is one of the most impressive Christian historical fiction novels I have read in 2021. The author describes scenes so well, I felt as if I was there. Characters come to life through actions and conversations, full of wisdom worth pondering. Nellie still feels the effects of the horrors she saw as a child in Mississippi and is now a photojournalist from Chicago. She and other journalists are at a hotel in 1944 London, awaiting news of the Allied troops invading western Europe. Women still hope to get permission to go to Normandy, where their male counterparts were already working. Nellie found her own way to Omaha Beach. She helped with the wounded and grieved for the many dead. Circumstances brought her and Jean-Paul, a member of the French resistance, together, and he was to help her return to England. They somehow got behind enemy lines where they found a giggly four-year-old girl hiding in bushes. She had Down Syndrome, reminding Nellie of Velma, a precious girl back home that Nellie had cared for. They went to the nearby village to find the family of the child, and saw a church burning while Germans guarded it. The three found a place to hide overnight and, the next day, learned what happened. The child, named Claire, is the only survivor of her family and her village. If caught, those with disabilities would meet with the same fate as Jews. They were told of a convent where nuns hid and cared for children with Down Syndrome. Jean-Paul and Nellie seek the best way to get Claire to the convent through occupied France. Nellie took pictures everywhere they went, wanting desperately to return to England and send developed photos and stories to her editor. She wants to show the world the truth and so more men go fight for freedom. Part of her is willing to leave Claire in the loving care of the nuns. Part of her does not want to ever leave the precious girl as she had Velma. I loved the experiences Nellie and Claire had at the convent, especially with Sister Maria-Theresa. Only a heart as scarred as that of the elderly nun could minister to the wounds Nellie still carried, the same way that the scarred hands of the Savior had tended to Sister Maria-Theresa. Her faith and prayers showed Nellie a new level of living. At times I was angry with Nellie for the chances she took that could have compromised the nuns and children. Through Maria-Theresa and others, we are pointed gently, lovingly, to the Lord, demonstrating how we can get through some of the most terrible events imaginable. It struck me how devastating and terrifying the people in the occupied countries lived for so long. Even so, the author shared events with sensitivity, sparing the reader from the full impact. There are valuable lessons throughout. I appreciated the author’s notes, including actual events, people, and the real photo that led to A Picture of Hope. I highly recommend this novel to those who appreciate beautifully written Christian historical fiction that demonstrate a life of faith and hope in WWII Europe. From a thankful heart: I received a copy of this novel from Celebrate Lit and NetGalley, and this is my honest review.

No matter what comes into our lives, God uses it in the best way for us. His ways and His plan are perfect. 1944 The job of a war correspondent was a dangerous one - one that Nellie Wilkerson was anxious to be part of. However, managing to get to the place of involvement took all the courage and compassion that she could find amid the brokenness of war. She learned that even if she helped only one person, she had changed one world. With all the death and destruction around her, was this a lesson that was worth learning? Could she bring hope to one or more? Jean-Paul had been part of the resistance since the beginning of the war, sometimes wondering if he was making any difference at all. Managing to survive unimaginable conditions, how can he have the strength and fortitude to give hope to others? The author takes us into the world of those that the invading army would consider less than perfect - a place where evil is heaped on evil. How much difference could possibly be made by several people with totally different goals in life? Will they be open to the mighty plans God has for them? This ARC was received through Barbour Publishing and NetGalley. These impressions and comments are my own and were in no way solicited.

About the author

Liz Tolsma is the author of several WWII novels, romantic suspense novels, prairie romance novellas, and an Amish romance. She is a popular speaker and an editor and resides next to a Wisconsin farm field with her husband and their youngest daughter. Her son is a US Marine, and her oldest daughter is a college student. Liz enjoys reading, walking, working in her large perennial garden, kayaking, and camping. Please visit her website at www.liztolsma.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter (@LizTolsma), Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest. She is also the host of the Christian Historical Fiction Talk podcast.