Details:
Title: The Girl in the Blue Coat
Author: Monica Hesse
Publisher: Little Brown Books
ISBN 13: 978-0316260633
Synopsis:
Amsterdam, 1943.
Hanneke spends her days procuring and delivering sought-after black market goods to paying customers, her nights hiding the true nature of her work from her concerned parents, and every waking moment mourning her boyfriend, who was killed on the Dutch front lines when the Germans invaded. She likes to think of her illegal work as a small act of rebellion.
On a routine delivery, a client asks Hanneke for help. Expecting to hear that Mrs. Janssen wants meat or kerosene, Hanneke is shocked by the older woman's frantic plea to find a person-a Jewish teenager Mrs. Janssen had been hiding, who has vanished without a trace from a secret room. Hanneke initially wants nothing to do with such dangerous work, but is ultimately drawn into a web of mysteries and stunning revelations that lead her into the heart of the resistance, open her eyes to the horrors of the Nazi war machine, and compel her to take desperate action.
Hanneke spends her days procuring and delivering sought-after black market goods to paying customers, her nights hiding the true nature of her work from her concerned parents, and every waking moment mourning her boyfriend, who was killed on the Dutch front lines when the Germans invaded. She likes to think of her illegal work as a small act of rebellion.
On a routine delivery, a client asks Hanneke for help. Expecting to hear that Mrs. Janssen wants meat or kerosene, Hanneke is shocked by the older woman's frantic plea to find a person-a Jewish teenager Mrs. Janssen had been hiding, who has vanished without a trace from a secret room. Hanneke initially wants nothing to do with such dangerous work, but is ultimately drawn into a web of mysteries and stunning revelations that lead her into the heart of the resistance, open her eyes to the horrors of the Nazi war machine, and compel her to take desperate action.
Review:
I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected to considering historical fiction is a little out of my comfort zone. But that combined with the mystery element allowed me to lose myself in it. I liked Hanneke as a character, I thought her motivations and thought processes were honest and clear. The slow reveal about Bas was really good and her own feelings about the whole thing. The supporting characters were unique and I especially loved Ollie.
I have to admit the resolution to the mystery felt a little convoluted but it didn't stop me enjoying the story overall.
I listed to this on audiobook and thought the narration was spot on.
I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected to considering historical fiction is a little out of my comfort zone. But that combined with the mystery element allowed me to lose myself in it. I liked Hanneke as a character, I thought her motivations and thought processes were honest and clear. The slow reveal about Bas was really good and her own feelings about the whole thing. The supporting characters were unique and I especially loved Ollie.
I have to admit the resolution to the mystery felt a little convoluted but it didn't stop me enjoying the story overall.
I listed to this on audiobook and thought the narration was spot on.
I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars.
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