When Cora provides a safe haven for Jewish refugee
children, she discovers that opening her doors means risking everything,
including her heart.
In 1939 Georgia, far removed from the war brewing overseas, Cora Cain's world
feels small--and shrinking. There, she runs The Brunswick, her family's
once-grand hotel, which is now struggling as the town's general store. When
Thomas Watkins arrives seeking work and solace after his mother's death, a
connection sparks between them. Through Thomas, Cora glimpses a life beyond
obligation and her war hero father's unpredictable moods.
But everything changes when Cora is asked to turn The Brunswick into a sanctuary
for Jewish children fleeing persecution in Germany. As Cora and Thomas prepare
for the children's arrival, they struggle to confront their pasts--and the
prejudice of their neighbors--as their fragile hope is put to the test.
Meanwhile, in Vienna, ten-year-old Charlotte is offered refuge in America. But
even with the horrors she sees around her, she wonders how her parents could
possibly send her away. As war's shadow begins to reach small-town Georgia,
each person must face what love demands and decide what to hold on to and what
to let go.
My Thoughts:
This story takes place during World War 2 and is unique because we get a lot of the story told at a hotel in Georgia, of all places. We also get a little girl's viewpoint of the war on the other side of the world. Charlotte is a Jewish little girl living in Vienna when the hatred and war strip her family of the life they once knew.
In Georgia, Cora Cain is trying to pay down her father's debts after their once upon a time grand hotel started to fail after the Great Depression. She now runs a grocery store out of it by herself, until Thomas Watkins steps into her life.
This was an interesting story as Cora will be receiving about fifty Jewish children to keep safe in Georgia at her hotel. This is based on true events and some I had never heard of, but I am glad to learn of them. There is a lot of other things going on too as just because the war started, finances, health, and family issues continue. Cora has her hands full as she begins to develop some rather scary health issues. Issues that Thomas is too familiar with. Not only that, but the prejudice against American Germans is strong and affects this little makeshift family.
This story shows us that we are all affected by other people's decisions the world over, eventually.
I was provided a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review, and all views and opinions are my own.
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