Jeanie Dannheim
This intense symphonic masterpiece is one of the best historical fiction novels I have read this year, and it will stay with me long after the last page. The primary focus is on two couples, one married and one engaged, in WWII, 1944 Budapest. They are very well defined. The author invited this reader into their lives from the first page and kept me there until the very end. Eva is an excellent clarinetist and co-owner of a music shop with best friend and sister-in-law Zofia, a gifted pianist. They give lessons and sell many music-related items. Zofia is a Messianic Jew from Poland and married to Eva’s brother Erno. Eva is engaged to Patrik, a composer and director of the Budapest Youth Philharmonic. Erno follows in the footsteps of his father and grandfather in designing and creating clarinets, the best in Europe. Eva, Zofia, and Patrik see their circumstances and emotions through musical expressions or various musical pieces, either ones they play or for Patrik, those he composes. Eva sees him as her refrain, and he sees her as his muse. The majors and minors, volume and tone, reflects the swells and crashes and dips as they endure living in occupied Hungary. Zofia and Patrick are keeping secrets from Eva and Erno that can cost them and their parents their lives. The two young couples are forced into hiding, and they fear not only for their lives but the future of their parents. The horrors they learn about how Jewish people and those who help them are treated or tortured is devastating. This novel is not for the faint of heart, but the author is very sensitive with what she shares that regard. Eva, Patrik, Zofia, and Erno gain a depth to their faith they never thought possible as they pass through the fires of life on the run. Before they leave Budapest, Eva’s father asks her where her hope comes from, and she shares a beautiful recitation of the Lord that she fully believes, stemming from the days of her catechism studies. While the end isn’t entirely what I had hoped, it is overall satisfying and realistic. I highly recommend this novel of faith and endurance in some of the worst imaginable situations to those who appreciate Christian WWII novels set in Europe with engaging characters and an incredible plot. From a thankful heart: I received a copy of this novel from Celebrate Lit through NetGalley and this is my honest review.
Betti Mace
Growing up in a home full of instrumental and vocal music, this incredible story plucked all the right strings. I never played clarinet but I did study piano, organ, trombone and voice so I can certainly understand the refrain or melody within. There is always a tune in my mind. For Eva, Patrik and Zofia and many others, these rhythms were a permanent part of their beings. This was what brought them joy and also a sense of peace, even as the bombs fell around them. The music of hope could not be stifled. 1944 found Budapest caught between the advancing Russian front and the German stranglehold with air raids a regular occurrence. People were disappearing every day and trust was not given easily. Finally were any secrets safe - was there anyone who was uncorrupted? I found myself considering if I would lay my life on the line for a stranger, one who needed the protection that only I could give. Many stepped out and did what they could. Praying that we would all be found willing if the occasion arose for us to stand in the gap - prepared to give all for that stranger. This ARC was received through Gilead Publishing and NetGalley. The impressions and comments given are my own and were in no way solicited.
Lori P
The Refrain Within by Liz Tolsma is the third book in the Music of Hope series and definitely worth reading if you love historical romances set during the second World War. Eva Bognar along with her family and the man she is soon to marry, Patrik Kedves are trying to survive in Hungary while it is occupied by the Nazis. Her sister in-law goes missing and the man that she loves might be involved and all of their lives are soon threatened by secrets that he has been keeping from them. Trusting him is the only way for them all to get safely out of the country and hopefully survive the war. I really enjoyed this story and I'm looking forward to reading more wonderful books by this author in the future. I was given an ARC from the author/publisher. All conclusions are mine and mine alone.
