Happy Sunday bibliophiles!
Excited to share with you today my review for this stunning story that I won’t soon forget! Many thanks to Anne for my invitation to the tour!🍀
my Thoughts
This beautifully crafted story weaves together the present and the past seamlessly with threads of heartbreak, sacrifice, and love!
Two strong women, two unique voices, two different times, one stunning tale! Kelly Rimmer has spun a story Full of survival and love that you won’t soon forget! Miss Rimmer has poured her heart, her hope, and her own personal family history into these pages. No matter how many books I read about WWII I am always deeply impacted by the horror of war and the power of hate. I am also humbled by the sacrifice, generosity, and love of so many.
This book jumps between 1940s Poland and today. Both stories completely captivated me seemingly disconnected, but as more pieces were added to the puzzle things started to become more clearer. Alice’s story took place in present day, she is the mother of seven-year-old Eddie and 10-year-old Callie. Eddie is on the autism spectrum and nonverbal. Alice’s main focus in life now is to create an environment best suited for Eddie’s needs, something her husband Wade does not always understand or appreciate. When Alice’s beloved grandmother has a stroke and asks Alice to travel to Poland, will Alice refuse her grandmother’s dying wish? How can Alice’s family survive without her? Wade does not seem to understand all of Eddie’s quirks and needs. Poland late 1930s-early 1940s. Alina is a naïve teenager who thinks the hardest thing in her life will be staying away from her beloved fiancé Tomasz while he is away at college. It isn’t too long however before Alina Has to look reality right in the face. Germany has invaded Poland, her twin brothers are sent off to work camps, food is scarce, and freedom is gone. Alina soon learns that she is much stronger and vraver than she ever would have thought. Two courageous women faced with some pretty big challenges, how will their stories intertwine?
Alice and Alina were amazing women with big hearts and to whom family means everything. As a mother I really felt for Alice, i’d imagine it would be very difficult, challenging, and yet rewarding to have a child with special needs. I appreciated how this book addressed the impact this has on the family dynamics and the marriage. I loved Eddie’s bond with his great grandmother. I found the technology fascinating that he used( and Great grandma did as well) to communicate. Alina was a remarkable young lady, her story was both heartbreaking and heartwarming. her strength and courage were admirable. It never fails to amaze me how far you can push the human spirit without it breaking, the resilience of so many inspires me.
A beautifully told stunning story packed with heart, hope, and emotion, have your tissue handy! Absolutely 100% recommend!
Song Running Through My Head
I will remember you, will you remember me?
Don’t let your life pass you by,
Weep not for the memories
Remember the good times that we had?
I let them slip away from us when things got bad.
How clearly I first saw you smilin’ in the sun
Want to feel your warmth upon me
I want to be the one
I will remember you, will you remember me?
Don’t let your life pass you by
Weep not for the memories
I’m so tired but I can’t sleep
Standin’ on the edge of something much to deep
It’s funny how we feel so much but we cannot say a word
We are screaming inside, but we can’t be heard
I will remember you, will you remember me?
Don’t let your life pass you by
Weep not for the memories
I’m so afraid to love you
But more afraid to lose
Clinging to…
*** many thanks to Headline for my copy of this book ***
The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer
Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 2146 KB
Print Length: 352 pages
Publisher: Review (7 Mar. 2019)
BLURB 2019. Life changed beyond recognition for Alice when her son, Eddie, was born with autism spectrum disorder. She must do everything to support him, but at what cost to her family? When her cherished grandmother is hospitalised, a hidden box of mementoes reveals a tattered photo of a young man, a tiny leather shoe and a letter. Her grandmother begs Alice to return to Poland to see what became of those she held dearest.
WWII. Alina and Tomasz are childhood sweethearts. The night before he leaves for college, Tomasz proposes marriage. But when their village falls to the Nazis, Alina doesn’t know if Tomasz is alive or dead.
2019. In Poland, separated from her family, Alice begins to uncover the story her grandmother is so desperate to tell, and discovers a love that bloomed in the winter of 1942. As a painful family history comes to light, will the struggles of the past and present finally reach a heartbreaking resolution?
Inspired by the author’s family history, a searing page-turner of war, family secrets and a love to defy all odds, from the Top Ten Australian bestselling author of Before I Let You Go.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kelly Rimmer is the USA Today best selling author of contemporary fiction novels including Me Without You, The Secret Daughter, When I Lost You, A Mother’s Confession and her most recent release, Before I Let You Go. She lives in rural Australia with her husband and children.
For further information about Kelly’s books, and to subscribe to her mailing list, visit http://www.kellyrimmer.com/
Twitter : @KelRimmerWrites
Author Page on Facebook
Instagram : @kelrimmerwrites
Berit Talks Books 