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When Lisa London's neighbor Hilde mentioned how much she had enjoyed her Hitler Youth group, Lisa was intrigued. Not long after that, Lisa was helping her 100 year-old Granny pack up things and found a beautiful embroidered tablecloth that looked almost new.
“Granny, I’ve never seen you use this. Why not?”
Sadness engulfed her grandmother’s face. “My brother, Bud, told me he got it off a German family when he was in the war. Every time I used it, I pictured that poor German family with a bare table.”
Needless to say, it broke Lisa’s heart to see her grandmother so sad. When she mentioned it to her German neighbor, Hilde stopped her.
“Tell your grandmother her brother helped a German family. We were starving after the war. So people would trade their table linens for food. If the American soldiers had not ignored the non-fraternization rules, many of us would have starved.”
Not only did this make her grandmother feel much better, at that point, Lisa knew she had a novel that had to be written–a World War II novel written from the German civilian perspective.
Reviewed by Chris Fischer for Readers' Favorite
Wow....just, wow. That's exactly what I thought when I finished reading Darker the Night, the haunting and interesting story inspired by a true life story by author Lisa London. Follow protagonist Hedy as she matures from a child raised as part of Hitler's Youth Group to a young woman determined to serve the Nazi troops through her skills as a physical therapist, and then onto a time when her pride in her country is torn apart when the horrific actions of the Nazis are made public, and the aftermath of the horrors of World War II. Hedy's development as a person and the changes in her life as the war progresses, including the introduction of a charming American love interest, is a story that will keep readers turning the pages from the start all the way to the very end.
I very much enjoyed Darker the Night. Exploring a much studied time period from a viewpoint not often considered, this book, while a work of fiction, provides an incredibly realistic and interesting glimpse into the past. Author Lisa London has done a fantastic job in creating a character in Hedy that readers will connect with, relate to, and ultimately care about very much. If that isn't a hallmark of a great author, I'm not sure what is. I highly recommend Darker the Night to any reader who enjoys an excellent work of historical fiction. I look forward to reading more from the very talented author, Lisa London, as soon as I possible can. If it's anything like Darker the Night, it will absolutely be worth a read!
