The Last Year of the War - Susan Meissner

My Rating

★★★★★ - You have bewitched me, body and soul. (More Info)

About the Book

An American girl’s life changes forever when her German immigrant parents are interned in a WW2 Texas internment camp.

Elise Sontag is a typical Iowa fourteen-year-old but then her German immigrant 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 her very identity. At the camp she meets fellow internee Mariko Inoue, a Japanese-American teenager from Los Angeles, and their unlikely friendship, even after they are both repatriated, challenges Elise to hold on to the belief the life she knew before the war will again be hers. Here is a little-known WW2 story with great resonance for our own times which speaks to the notion of who we are when who we’ve always been is called into question. (From the author's website)

My Thoughts

I adore Susan Meissner! Ever since I read The Secrets of a Charmed Life, I knew her stories would be ones that would linger in my heart and soul. The beauty, the pain, the LIFE that flows from her words melt into your very being.

I can't imagine life being turned so topsy-turvy as what these families lived through. The strength that these people had is admirable, to say the least. I am honored to have been able to have my heart touched by these families, as represented in Meissner's story.

Throughout my life, I have had friends come and go, and that will continue, I know. But it is always so interesting to see the people God has brought into my life for specific seasons. He knew that I would need those specific friends for that specific time. This story speaks to so many aspects of life, friendship, and character. Do we know who we are? Who we want to be? Who is it that we want people to see in us?

Anyone who reads WWII stories really should read this book. A different perspective than the "norm". And your heart will never be the same.

I received a complimentary copy of The Last Year of the War from the publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

About the Author

Susan Meissner is the critically-acclaimed author of 20 novels. Her engaging stories feature memorable characters facing unique and complex circumstances, often against a backdrop of historical significance. A multi-award winning author, her books have earned starred reviews in both Publishers Weekly and BookList. She was born and raised in San Diego, California, but spent some of her adult life living in Minnesota as well as in England and Germany, before returning home to southern California in 2007. Susan attended Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. Prior to her writing career, she was a managing editor of a weekly newspaper in southwestern Minnesota. She enjoys teaching workshops on writing, spending time with her family, reading great books and traveling. Susan makes her home in the San Diego area with her husband Bob, a pastor and chaplain in the Air Force Reserves. They are the parents of four adult children.

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More Books by Susan Meissner on Bookworm Mama

Recommended Reading

My Favorite Things - Top Reads of 2015

The year 2015 has been one of adventure, challenges, growth and settling for my family. Throughout it all I have been so thankful for the chance to read so many wonderful books. Many of the stories I read, I needed at that specific time in my life. Therefore they touched my heart in a special way. Choosing my favorites was an almost impossible task! Yet here we are, with my top picks of the year. The common core in all of these books is that we all face challenges in our daily lives. But what we do with what we have been given can make all the difference. Whether we are fighting for survival during a war, defying all odds to find true love, risking everything to follow our heart or simply having the freedom to be who we were created to be, our Father is with us every step of the way. He is always watching over us, guiding us, protecting us. True, life does not always play out in the way that we hope or plan. But we must remember to trust that He knows what He is doing.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose - Romans 8:28 NIV

Stars Over Sunset Boulevard - Susan Meissner

To what lengths would you go to make your deepest desires come true? For Audrey Duvall and Violet Mayfield, the lines of reason are blurred. Will the bond of true friendship be enough to hold them together? 

A hat is found in a vintage boutique in Los Angeles 2012. It is unmistakably Scarlett's green curtain hat from Gone With the Wind. But how did it end up there? In 1938 Violet leaves home and travels to California and gets a job as a secretary at a movie studio. With high hopes of starting a new life she meets Audrey Duvall, a fellow secretary who was once rising star in Hollywood. As the filming for Gone With the Wind commences both Audrey and Violet find themselves in places they never thought imaginable. And when the infamous curtain hat goes missing, more than one person's future is at stake. Will Violet finally get the family that she dreamed about for so long? Will Audrey finally make her big break? And what will they sacrifice to see it all come to pass? Through the joys and the heartbreak, they are always there for each other. We know that love comes in many forms, and that ultimately, love conquerors all.

"You been brave so long, Miss Scarlett.
You jus' gotta go on bein' brave."

Secrets of a Charmed Life - Susan Meissner

As the Luftwaffe rains down terror on London, two sisters are separated and their lives changed forever.

**I have done my best to not share any spoilers. I have not shared more than you will find on the back of the cover.**

Isabel MacFarland has finally agreed to share her story and secrets that she has hidden for years. Isabel chose to pass her history to Kendra, an American student attending Oxford. Her story follows the lives of Emmy and Julia Downtree during World War II. With the war becoming more and more of a threat, the sisters are evacuated to the country along with the rest of London's children. Emmy's dreams of becoming a designer cloud her vision though. Julia, who is much younger than Emmy, needs her protection. At what cost will Emmy see her dreams become a reality?

I was extremely pleased with the incredible story Susan Meissner tells. I feel like I need a week to digest and process Secrets of a Charmed Life. I went through almost an entire bag of Starburts in one sitting when the book was getting really intense! This book was not published by a Christian publishing house, but the story is