Sophie Scholl | Paige's Page

In 1942, Natalya volunteers as a nurse for the German Red Cross and witnesses WWII on the Russian Front. After her time volunteering, she moves back home to Munich where she joins the White Rose resistance group with her close friends. After the group is caught, Natalya must keep resisting but does not know who she can trust.

The inspiration for the novel is the White Rose resistance group. The main character, Natalya, does not join the White Rose organization until the very end of chapter three (or 20% on a Kindle). Admittedly, I was hoping for more from the first half of the novel which is mostly about her involvement in White Rose. It really moved slowly and was passive. (Her involvement in the White Rose ended about around halfway into the story; so about 20-50% is her direct involvement in the White Rose.) On the other hand, several of the characters circulating during this time were real members of the White Rose group. A tribute to the true members of the White Rose resistance group was requited through the characters Alex Schmorell, Hans Scholl, and Sophie Scholl.

Her journey after the resistance group was most interesting. This is the second half of the novel and was much more exciting. This includes court drama, a prison sentence, POW camp, and more that leads up to the end of the war.

The narrator, Natalya, was hard to connect with. I liked her, I just wanted more depth from her. When reading WWII fiction there is a level of emotion to be expected, but Natalya’s character did not evoke those feelings for me because her narration was often listless.

Because of the great last half, I enjoyed it.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. Opinions are my own.

More on this:

Hans and Sophie Scholl remain symbols of resistance
Read about the guillotine used for Hans and Sophie Scholl.