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Loading... To Die Beautiful: A Novelby Buzzy Jackson
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. 19 year old Hannie shy is quiet and studious. When the Nazi's occupy the Netherlands, she watches the world explode around her. Determined to do something, she joins the resistance movement. After one dangerous mission, the Nazi's begin calling her "The Girl with the Red Hair" and start hunting her. This was wonderfully written story, and a great tribute to a heroine of WWII. The characters were well developed, multi-dimensional, and realistic. The plot moved quickly. Highly recommended! no reviews | add a review
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"A gripping and timely debut novel by award-winning nonfiction writer Buzzy Jackson based on a true story of the life of the heroic Hannie Schaft: a young Dutch woman who joined the Resistance in Holland during World War II and became one of the Nazis' most lethal adversaries. Hannie Schaft, a young woman living in Nazi-occupied Holland, never intended to be a fighter. Her dream was to finish law school in Amsterdam and join the League of Nations. But when Hannie's two Jewish best friends are in danger, and she crosses paths with Resistance recruiters while doing volunteer work with refugees, she realizes she cannot deny the urgent cause at hand and the changes happening around her. Driven by outrage and a fierce protectiveness for her friends, Hannie quickly becomes a valued member of the Resistance movement. As the simmering menace of Nazi-occupied Holland reaches a boiling point, Hannie becomes ever more daring, assassinating powerful Nazis point blank, blowing up munitions factories, and constantly improvising with last-minute Resistance orders, even getting Hitler's notice who dubs her "the Girl with Red Hair." She also falls deeply in love with a dashing fellow resister at a tremendous cost and finds a chosen family with the other women in the resistance. And while humanity falls apart around her, Hannie's greatest weapon is her determination not to become a monster herself: blijf altijd menselijk. Stay human. A mantra that is sorely tested as the war nears its bitter end... To Die Beautiful, taken from a quote of Hannie's, is an unputdownable novel about love (for one's friends, family, and country) and loyalty, but with the emotional resonance of meticulously researched, lived history"-- No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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Such an eerily beautiful piece, a poignant reminder of the effects of war on not just society but the lives of those who had to endure such atrocities, and find a way to survive even when all hope seemed lost.
I found myself immersed in the pages, back in the 1940’s, seeing and feeling everything the author described. Feeling the pressure as more and more restrictions were placed upon the people, like a frog placed in water that is slowly boiling, not realizing the imminent danger until it’s too late – the despair and heartbreak of that moment. Hope waning like the last sliver of the moon as darkness takes over.
I sincerely hope that Buzzy Jackson writes more historical fiction, she does a great job of weaving in the facts of her research, and bringing to life all the characters as if they are right there with you. ( )