Monday, March 11, 2019

Review: The Last Year of the War by Susan Meissner

Title: The Last Year of the War

Author: Susan Meissner
Series: Stand Alone
Genre: Historical
Published By: Berkley (March 19, 2019)
Source: ARC Provided by the Publisher (in exchange for an honest review.)
My Rating:  5 Solid Stars!!
Book Description:
Elise Sontag is a typical Iowa fourteen-year-old in 1943--aware of the war but distanced from its reach. Then her father, a legal U.S. resident for nearly two decades, is suddenly arrested on suspicion of being a Nazi sympathizer. The family is sent to an internment camp in Texas, where, behind the armed guards and barbed wire, Elise feels stripped of everything beloved and familiar, including her own identity.
The only thing that makes the camp bearable is meeting fellow internee Mariko Inoue, a Japanese-American teen from Los Angeles, whose friendship empowers Elise to believe the life she knew before the war will again be hers. Together in the desert wilderness, Elise and Mariko hold tight the dream of being young American women with a future beyond the fences. 






Absolutely breathtaking. Beautifully told and so heartbreaking lovely, The Last Year of the War is a book that will not only open your eyes but touch your soul.

Poignant, heart wrenching, and so very moving, it is a book that I am so very glad I took the time to read. 

Meissner has always impressed me with her beautifully written and thought out stories but she truly stunned with this The Last Year of the War.

I can't even begin to explain how touching this story was and how much it both moved and resonated with me. 

One I will soon not be forgetting and one I know I will be thinking on for days, weeks, maybe even months after. 





*All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced by the author or publisher. I was not compensated for this review.*
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24 comments:

  1. NickMarch 11, 2019 at 6:43 AM

    Do you think I'd like this, Ali? I've been really wanting to try more adult historical and this sounds fantastic! I love that it hit you in the heart so strongly!

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    1. KindlemomMarch 11, 2019 at 7:53 AM

      Yes! It isn't heavy on romance sadly but there is some romance in it for sure. It's just really good though. I love this era (reading about it) though so I might be biased but, this author is amazing. I've loved all her books I've read so far.

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  2. MellianeMarch 11, 2019 at 10:16 AM

    It's so great to have such an intense story!

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  3. Book SwoonMarch 11, 2019 at 11:41 AM

    Oh wow, this sounds so good and heart wrenching at the same time. I'm so glad this was such a fantastic read for you!!

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  4. NoelWritesMarch 11, 2019 at 1:22 PM

    I'm tearing up just at the synopsis!

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  5. AshMarch 11, 2019 at 1:44 PM

    I've been wanting to read this one, it looks absolutely amazing.

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    1. KindlemomMarch 11, 2019 at 4:30 PM

      I knew it was going to be good but even I was surprised at how good. ;)

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  6. The Reading FrenzyMarch 11, 2019 at 2:32 PM

    This just went on my wish list, my favorite time to read about and do you know that before I read Sandra Dallas' Tallgrass I did not know about the US internment camps. Never learned about them in school, don't live near where one was. Wow this country has done some evil things in the name of war. thanks Kindlemom fantastic review

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    1. KindlemomMarch 11, 2019 at 4:31 PM

      I knew about them but I didn't realize we had one where I live until reading another book. It really is amazing how much history is still covered up and that people don't know about anymore.

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  7. Mary KirklandMarch 11, 2019 at 2:42 PM

    Being hard to forget really says something about a book.

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  8. JaspritMarch 11, 2019 at 3:33 PM

    It's been a long time since I read a historical book, but I remember the impression it left with me too, so glad to see that you ended up loving this! Thanks for putting it on my radar! :)

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    1. KindlemomMarch 11, 2019 at 4:31 PM

      I love ones that have a truth in our own history and that really do stick with you and stand out.

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  9. Kimberly @ Caffeinated ReviewerMarch 11, 2019 at 7:43 PM

    I think I would love this Ali. It wasn't even on my radar. I am going to see if my library has it :)

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    1. KindlemomMarch 11, 2019 at 8:25 PM

      I hope it does because I really think you would as well. :D

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  10. Rachel @Waves of FictionMarch 11, 2019 at 9:49 PM

    The camps were a terrible chapter in US history. It's frightening that it happened not that long ago. Sounds like an intense read. I'm happy to hear you loved it. :)

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    1. KindlemomMarch 12, 2019 at 5:53 AM

      I couldn't agree more and yet, so many people have forgotten about them.

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  11. sherry fundinMarch 12, 2019 at 11:33 AM

    sounds intense and though i dont read a lot of historical fiction this one has caught my eye.
    sherry @ fundinmental

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    1. KindlemomMarch 12, 2019 at 11:45 AM

      I love this genre but I can see how it isn't for everyone but definitely, this is one you should try if you do like it now and then.

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  12. Anna (herding cats-burning soup)March 14, 2019 at 10:25 AM

    Always amazing when one hits you like that. Glad you had such a time with it!

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    1. KindlemomMarch 14, 2019 at 10:45 AM

      Thanks me too. I love being pleasantly surprised. ;)

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