I was blown away by this story and the heartfelt way in which it was told. It’s about so much more than the war, reading it, you unwind a conspiracy where the conspirators took advantage of the chaos of the time to frame an innocent man and steal his fortune. It is a particularly sad story because it is told by the daughter of the framed man who at the time was only a child and had to see her family fall from opulence to ruin as a result of this plot. Her father had thoroughly documented his account of what happened giving the author a first-hand account to share to clear his name.

Reluctant Courage: A Family’s Fight for Survival in Nazi Occupied Oslo by Rica Newbery It is 1942 in Oslo, two years into the German occupation of World War II. Maria and her three daughters are used to coping with the hardships of war, but when Maria’s husband leaves her for another woman and a German officer is billeted to their home, their troubles are only just beginning. Maria and her daughters must stop fighting with each other and find a way to survive through grief, dread and fear.