This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Abingdon Press (April 2010)
by
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Robert Elmer is a former pastor, reporter and as copywriter who now writes from he home he shares with his wife Ronda in northern Idaho. He is the author of over fifty books, including eight contemporary novels for the adult Christian audience and several series for younger readers. Combined, his books have sold more than half a million copies worldwide. Like his popular “Young Underground” youth series, Wildflowers of Terezin was inspired by stories Robert heard from his Denmark-born parents and family. When he’s not sailing or enjoying the outdoors, Robert often travels the country speaking to school and writers groups.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
When nurse Hanne Abrahamsen impulsively shields Steffen Petersen from a nosy Gestapo agent, she’s convinced the Lutheran pastor is involved in the Danish Underground. Nothing could be further from the truth.
But truth is hard to come by in the fall of 1943, when Copenhagen is placed under Martial Law and Denmark’s Jews—including Hanne—suddenly face deportation to the Nazi prison camp at Terezin, Czechoslovakia. Days darken and danger mounts. Steffen’s faith deepens as he takes greater risks to protect Hanne. But are either of them willing to pay the ultimate price for their love?
To read the first chapter of Wildflowers of Terezin, go HERE.
MY REVIEW:
Wildflowers of Terezin is one of those books that serves to remind us of how quickly our safe and secure world can be turned upside down. Although Denmark was occupied by the Germans in late 1943 and under martial law, life seemed to go on as usual for many of the citizens. Of course there were food shortages and a curfew but for many it was a temporary inconvenience until the Germans left. Steffen, a Lutheran pastor was one of those who made it a point not to rock the boat – that is until he got caught up in the middle of a street fight and met Hanne, a Jewish nurse in the hospital where his injuries were treated. As their friendship grew, Steffen and Hanne found themselves actively working with the underground resistance to secretly transport Jews to Sweden before the Germans could transport them to prison camps.
Wildflowers of Terezin is also a reminder of how easy it is to accept what we are told without question because we do not really want to know the truth that might force us out of our apathy. Steffen and Hanne’s story should serve as a wake up call to be more aware of the world around us and to listen to God’s direction for our lives.
This story is filled with drama, action, and emotion. An unlikely love story develops in the midst of extenuating circumstances. Although fictional, many of the events and places described can be historically documented. Fans of Bodie Thoene’s Zion Covenant and Zion Chronicles series would probably enjoy Wildflowers of Terezin.
