ENEMIES OF THE HEART by REBECCA DEAN

ENEMIES OF THE HEART

BY REBECCA DEAN

THE BLURB:-

Berlin 1909, cousins Zelda and Vicky are about to meet the Remer brothers- an evening that will change their lives forever...

Vicky Hudson is only seventeen when she marries Berthold and moves from her idyllic Yorkshire home to Berlin. Adjusting to her new life isn't easy, not least when she discovers that the Remer family are producing weaponry for the German army. With war looming, Vicky flees with her children, leaving Berlin, and her husband, behind.

Striking dark-haired beauty Zelda Wallace is eager to meld into Berlin's high society and sever all ties with her American identity. But beneath her exotic looks, Zelda holds a deeply hidden secret that if revealed, could threaten everything that she holds dear...

Spanning four decades, from the decadence of early twentieth century Berlin, to the horror and devastation of war, Enemies of the Heart is a sweeping international epic that will hold you mesmerized from the first page until the last.

THE REALITY:-

Gawd, remind me not to read another drama set in wartime for a while, as parts of this novel are just too damn depressing.

But then, so they should be- the layers and layers and layers of suffering that went on during WWII, and how many millions of people that were affected, are something we all should know about. There was never going to be a totally happy ending with a book with this subject matter, yet it was a book that you couldn't put down.

This was beautifully researched and came from the interesting angle of an English family with American connections marrying into a German family and also gaining a Jewish in-law. You were curious as to how the interpersonal relationships would all pan out.

The characters were strong and varied- all of them came across as really human and dimensional, and it was interesting to see how they grew as individuals as the situation in Europe worsened- and worsened.

This novel is a good study of both history and geography, as you find out what life was really like within both Berlin high society, and Yorkshire country society, with great descriptions setting the scenes.

As a bit of a fashionista, Lotti was my favourite fashion character, with her kooky (and quite tarty) style of dressing, and I also liked Zelda, with her exotic looks and carefully put together outfits (trust me to find the sartorial element within such a serious book!)  She was someone who defiantly held her head up high, whatever the situation, and someone who embraced Berlin culture and totally tried to eradicate her former American life. There's nothing wrong with reinventing oneself- we should all do it, when need be, and if you are not happy with a situation, sometimes it's better to let the axe fall upon it and move on.

Like The Women In His Life (Barbara Taylor Bradford), Heart Of The Night (Judith Lennox) and A Week In Paris (Rachel Hore) this book tells it like it is and is all the better for it as wartime is not something you can soft-soap. With as happy an ending as possible (have to say, I always prefer a happy conclusion!) this book comes highly recommended.