Daises are Forever by Liz Tolsma - REVIEWED

About the Novel:

Gisela must hold on to hope and love despite all odds in the midst of a war-torn country.

Gisela Cramer is an American living in eastern Germany with her cousin Ella Reinhardt. When the Red Army invades, they must leave their home to escape to safety in Berlin.

However, Ella is a nurse and refuses to leave, sending her young daughters with Gisela. During their journey, Gisela meets Mitch Edwards, an escaped British POW. She pretends she is his wife in order to preserve his safety among other Germans, especially one wounded German soldier, Kurt, who has suspicions about Mitch's identity. Kurt also has feelings for Gisela and tries to uncover the truth about her "marriage."

Their journey to Gisela's mother in Berlin is riddled with tragedy and hardship, but they strive to keep Ella's daughters safe so they can reunite with their mother. During the journey Gisela and Mitch begin to develop feelings for one another beyond friendship. They reach Berlin, but their struggles are far from over. Gisela and Mitch must learn to live for the day and find hope in the darkest of circumstances.

In this moving, historically accurate portrayal of WWII Germany, the characters learn that, even with destruction all around them, some things last forever.

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My Thoughts:

“All around, women and children screamed.  They melded with the screams of her aunt and cousins.  Screams of the present , screams of the past.”  (p 36)

Gisela Cramer, escaping East Prussia as the Nazis invade.  One of thousands, probably millions of refugees fleeing before the invasion.  Mitch Edwards…fleeing a POW camp with his lifetime buddy, Xavier…desperate to survive, speaking whatever bits of language they can remember to disguise their British accents.  These lives collide in a living steam of bodies fleeing for their lives.  Daisies are Forever chronicles this journey.

This is a very well-written, accurate depiction of Europe as the Nazi party invaded.  The brutality of this time of survival, of fleeing, of desperation and heartache was real.  The relationships forged during this time were also real.  The hunger, the filth, the death….all of it real.  All of it realistically depicted in this beautiful story of hope, of faith, of God’s faithfulness.

If you love novels set in the 1940’s, WWII era, Daisies are Forever in a novel not to be missed.  This will touch your heart.  Break your heart.  Give you hope.  It is a beautiful tribute to the heroes of our past, and should give strength to future generations.

About the Author:

New York Times best-selling author Liz Tolsma is the author of Daisies are Forever, Snow on the Tulips, and the contributing author of A Log Cabin Christmas. When not busy putting words to paper, Liz enjoys reading, walking, working in her large perennial garden, kayaking, and camping. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and children, all adopted internationally.