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Review: "Broken Angels" by Gemma Liviero

There seems to be a plethora of this genre of fictional books being written lately but this one really stands out for its cast of characters. They are eclectic and would be enemies but they all come together in an unimaginable way. Willem is a German doctor who treats the Polish women in the ghetto for a myriad of female ailments. He meets Elsi who is a Jewis Polish girl, when she brings him her mother, who is suffering the effects of a botched abortion. He is also a doctor who performs unthinkable treatments on women at Auschwitz. Matilda is a young German girl of nine who is forced into a home for children by the Third Reich as they try to create the perfect race. Her family is poor and her mother signs the papers for food on the table. Their lives intersect and the story is heartbreaking but page turning!!!

The author did a wonderful job with her method of storytelling. Although is begins being told by Elsi’s son, when it goes back to the past, each character’s story is told in the first person. This brings each person’s tale to life, you feel like you are sitting in a room with them and hearing it. As with each one’s story, the characters are fully developed. Although there are numerous stories about this subject, this one has a different twist that is unexpected and moving.

I highly recommend this book. The story is fast paced and engrossing. You will not want to put it down. I don’t recommend this for younger readers as some of the subject matter is disturbing.

I requested and received this book for review from NetGalley.

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