For Such A Time ~ Book Review

For Such A Time, by Kate Breslin

For Such A Time has moved me like no other. A heart-wrenching, soul-pricking, life changing read.

This story showcases the cruelties of WWII and the Nazis brutality, hatred and lack of compassion toward the Jews. It also illustrates how faith, love, and perseverance can overcome hardships that seem insurmountable.

What I loved about this book:

*The story. It was inspired by Esther’s story in the Bible. Just as Esther was chosen to save her people, Hadassah must find the courage and faith to do the same. Her plight is a difficult one, and her journey became my own.

*The emotions. I felt a myriad of emotions. My jaw clenched in anger, my heart wrenched in agony, and I wept for the atrocities that were carried out. I smelled the fear, and felt the passions as well as punishments.

*The characters. They are all flawed, some more than others. I sympathized with Hadassah’s (Stella’s) conflicting feelings. Her responsibilities and struggles were nearly unbearable. Aric is even more complex and conflicting. I fell in love with Hadassah’s uncle, and the others she grew to love. And other characters put such a palpable distaste in my mouth I wanted to spew them out.

*The impact. This book transported me to a horrific place in history, where compassion, empathy and faith were difficult treasures to unearth. Kate Breslin, the author, has taken threads of differing textures: love/hate, empathy/cruelty, acceptance/denial, belief/doubt, and somehow woven them into a tapestry of beauty, love, and acceptance.

What I didn’t love about this book:

*Only that it ended. I’ll miss these characters and the journey we traveled together.

I don’t know how anyone could read this book without being forever changed. Though this story is fictional, there were over a million men, women, and children who experienced similar atrocities.

A book should make us FEEL—whether angry, proud, sad, disgusted, or happy—and this book succeeded.

First Lines: The stench was unmistakable. Seeping through the walls of the two-story chalet, turning pungent from the warmth of an oil furnace, the insidious odor drifted upstairs to where Stella lay asleep on a window seat.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a Review Copy. I was not required to write a positive review. The options I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255