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thepagelady's review
4.0
Book Review…A Light Beyond the Trenches
by Alan Hlad
A Light Beyond the Trenches is about Anna Zeller who is a nurse at an overcrowded hospital in Oldenburg. With the devastation of the war essentials are rationed and hope is also in short supply. But when Dr. Stalling visits the hospital. In a long time Anna finally feels a spark of optimism as a German shepherd guides a blind soldier over a garden path. Anna convinces Dr. Stalling to allow her to work at his new guide dog training school.
Some of the dogs are also veterans of war. Like Nia with trench-damaged paws. So Anna takes Nia home, heals her and secretly trains her convinced Nia can still be the the perfect guide dog for the right person.
The war has taken so much from Max Benesch. His sight, his fiancée and his hopes of being a composer. The tide of anti-Semitism at home is rising and Max encounters it first-hand in one of the school’s trainers. As Anna discovers more about the conflict and Bruno’s role in it, she realizes how impossible it will be for any of them to escape the war unscathed.
Such a beautifully written story based on the true story of how the first guide dog school for blind soldiers was created. There's so much packed in here, history, suspense, action, love, loss and so much to learn about! You get to read about years during the war and a year after the war ended and I loved the different points of view from the officers and soldiers and the civilians. It gives the reader a unique perspective. The story was very realistic and the characters were wonderful and easy to connect with! Overall it was an emotional and gripping story! Thank you Kensington Books and Alan Hlad for sharing this fabulous story with me!
by Alan Hlad
A Light Beyond the Trenches is about Anna Zeller who is a nurse at an overcrowded hospital in Oldenburg. With the devastation of the war essentials are rationed and hope is also in short supply. But when Dr. Stalling visits the hospital. In a long time Anna finally feels a spark of optimism as a German shepherd guides a blind soldier over a garden path. Anna convinces Dr. Stalling to allow her to work at his new guide dog training school.
Some of the dogs are also veterans of war. Like Nia with trench-damaged paws. So Anna takes Nia home, heals her and secretly trains her convinced Nia can still be the the perfect guide dog for the right person.
The war has taken so much from Max Benesch. His sight, his fiancée and his hopes of being a composer. The tide of anti-Semitism at home is rising and Max encounters it first-hand in one of the school’s trainers. As Anna discovers more about the conflict and Bruno’s role in it, she realizes how impossible it will be for any of them to escape the war unscathed.
Such a beautifully written story based on the true story of how the first guide dog school for blind soldiers was created. There's so much packed in here, history, suspense, action, love, loss and so much to learn about! You get to read about years during the war and a year after the war ended and I loved the different points of view from the officers and soldiers and the civilians. It gives the reader a unique perspective. The story was very realistic and the characters were wonderful and easy to connect with! Overall it was an emotional and gripping story! Thank you Kensington Books and Alan Hlad for sharing this fabulous story with me!
suebrownreads's review
2.0
This could have been a great book. The story itself is interesting, but I am not a fan of the style of writing that is used.
I like a "show don't tell" style that assumes the reader to be of an intelligent nature. In this book, the author explains thoughts and feelings that would be completely obvious. I also did not like that everything the characters think is written in italics. It gets quite tiresome. All through the book, I felt the author was writing down to the reader.
I hope Mr. Hlad will take this review constructively as it is only meant to be helpful, and in future have more confidence in his readers.
I should also mention that I have never read a book with so many errors in it. I believe there were at least a half dozen errors of simple miswording. One miswording is insignificant, but several should be unacceptable from a book that is not self-published. No good editor should let this happen.
I like a "show don't tell" style that assumes the reader to be of an intelligent nature. In this book, the author explains thoughts and feelings that would be completely obvious. I also did not like that everything the characters think is written in italics. It gets quite tiresome. All through the book, I felt the author was writing down to the reader.
I hope Mr. Hlad will take this review constructively as it is only meant to be helpful, and in future have more confidence in his readers.
I should also mention that I have never read a book with so many errors in it. I believe there were at least a half dozen errors of simple miswording. One miswording is insignificant, but several should be unacceptable from a book that is not self-published. No good editor should let this happen.
emjen16's review
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
the_savannahhumphrey's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
katerister's review
5.0
4 1/2 stars, rounded up.
Quite a glorious book, I so enjoyed it. Though I read quite a bit of WWII fiction, it was refreshing to see a novel based on WWI, which I feel is often overlooked. I admit, I didn’t know much about The Great War prior to reading this novel - perhaps that is why I was so captivated. I also loved that lack of a dual timeline, which is so overdone these days. This novel is a straightforward, linear storyline - which I appreciated. Beyond shedding light on the forgotten, other world war, it also informed me on many topics I knew little to nothing about - chemical gas used in war, The Hague Convention, development of seeing eye dog training, etc.
Note: This book was much more of a romantic story than I expected, which some may not enjoy. I found the romance aspect to be very PG, soft and sweet - so I liked it.
I did find the story a bit predictable, thus my 1/2 star reduction. Otherwise, it was wonderful - highly recommend to those who enjoy WWII fiction but are looking for a fresh take on that general time period.
Quite a glorious book, I so enjoyed it. Though I read quite a bit of WWII fiction, it was refreshing to see a novel based on WWI, which I feel is often overlooked. I admit, I didn’t know much about The Great War prior to reading this novel - perhaps that is why I was so captivated. I also loved that lack of a dual timeline, which is so overdone these days. This novel is a straightforward, linear storyline - which I appreciated. Beyond shedding light on the forgotten, other world war, it also informed me on many topics I knew little to nothing about - chemical gas used in war, The Hague Convention, development of seeing eye dog training, etc.
Note: This book was much more of a romantic story than I expected, which some may not enjoy. I found the romance aspect to be very PG, soft and sweet - so I liked it.
I did find the story a bit predictable, thus my 1/2 star reduction. Otherwise, it was wonderful - highly recommend to those who enjoy WWII fiction but are looking for a fresh take on that general time period.
jessicafwoo94's review
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
sask_girl's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
kcherry's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
bleepnwabbit's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0