Memories of Glass by Melanie Dobson – Review

About the Book

Reminiscent of Diane Ackerman’s The Zookeeper’s Wife, this stunning novel draws from true accounts to shine a light on a period of Holland’s darkest history and bravest heroes.

1942. As war rips through the heart of Holland, childhood friends Josie van Rees and Eliese Linden partner with a few daring citizens to rescue Eliese’s son and hundreds of other Jewish children who await deportation in a converted theater in Amsterdam. But amid their resistance work, Josie and Eliese’s dangerous secrets could derail their friendship and their entire mission. When the enemy finds these women, only one will escape.

Seventy-five years later, Ava Drake begins to suspect that her great-grandfather William Kingston was not the World War II hero he claimed to be. Her work as director of the prestigious Kingston Family Foundation leads her to Landon West’s Ugandan coffee plantation, and Ava and Landon soon discover a connection between their families. As Landon’s great-grandmother shares the broken pieces of her story, Ava must confront the greatest loss in her own life―and powerful members of the Kingston family who will do anything to keep the truth buried.

Illuminating the story and strength of these women, award-winning author Melanie Dobson transports readers through time and place, from World War II Holland to contemporary Uganda, in this rich and inspiring novel.

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In My Opinion

“One hundred twelve thousand Dutch Jews were deported ruing the Holocaust. Five thousand survived, but nothing was ever the same for those men and women who came home.”

With decades comes perspective but what if you were on the other side of WWII and the Nazi regime? What if you didn’t realize what would happen to the families you helped register before they were loaded on trains to a German concentration camp? Melanie Dobson puts you in those shoes and others in the Dutch resistance group in Memories of Glass.

I was immediately drawn into this tale of three women. Josie and Eliese met and became friends as young girls in Holland. The war brings them together years later and together they work together to save children from the camps.

Ava Drake longs for a family that’s not motivated by greed like those surrounding her. When she discovers some new information about the Kingston family, she sets out on a journey to uncover the truth with no idea of what she will uncover.

From Holland to Portland to Uganda, Dobson paints portraits of a life lived in selfishness versus a life lived in selflessness with beautiful prose and a story of sacrifice that will stay with the reader long after the final word is read.

Disclosure statement:
I receive complimentary books from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including NetGalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.