Code Name Sapphire by Pam Jenoff Published by Harlequin on February 7, 2023
Genres: Fiction / Historical / 20th Century / World War II, Fiction / Jewish, Fiction / Thrillers / Espionage, Fiction / War & Military
Pages: 350
Format: ARC, eBook
Source: NetGalley
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
"A heart-wrenching exploration of the decisions women must make when their loyalties are put to the test.” –Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Apothecary
A woman must rescue her cousin's family from a train bound for Auschwitz in this riveting tale of bravery and resistance, from the bestselling author of The Lost Girls of Paris
1942. Hannah Martel has narrowly escaped Nazi Germany after her fiancé was killed in a pogrom. When her ship bound for America is turned away at port, she has nowhere to go but to her cousin Lily, who lives with her family in Brussels. Fearful for her life, Hannah is desperate to get out of occupied Europe. But with no safe way to leave, she must return to the dangerous underground work she thought she had left behind.
Seeking help, Hannah joins the Sapphire Line, a secret resistance network led by a mysterious woman named Micheline and her enigmatic brother Matteo. But when a grave mistake causes Lily’s family to be arrested and slated for deportation to Auschwitz, Hannah finds herself torn between her loyalties. How much is Hannah willing to sacrifice to save the people she loves?
Inspired by incredible true stories of courage and sacrifice, Code Name Sapphire is a powerful novel about love, family and the unshakable resilience of women in even the hardest of times.
Look for these other riveting novels by New York Times bestselling author, Pam Jenoff:
- The Kommandant’s Girl
- The Ambassador’s Daughter
- The Diplomat’s Wife
- The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach
- The Orphan’s Tale
- The Lost Girls of Paris
- The Woman with the Blue Star
My Review
I received this digital book as an ARC from Netgalley in return for my honest review and opinions. Everything I write under the My Review section is all of my own thoughts and opinions in regard to the book Code Name Sapphire.
I finished this book a few days ago but I just had to sit with it for a while before I could bring myself to write anything about this story and its characters. Have you ever read a book that has kept you up at night and not because you need to keep reading but because the images and the characters haunted you while you tried to sleep? I read this book over a few days at night before bed and each night I read it I did not sleep well. I believe it is because I was so worried and stressed out about the characters which I can honestly say has never happened to me before. This story and its characters kept me from sleeping through the night. I said to my husband I need to finish this book so I can get some sleep. I will have you know though once I finished this book I finally received a full night’s sleep.
As you can see from the Goodreads description above this book is about WWII and a Jewish woman named Hannah who is desperate to get to America. The problem is her ship to America is turned around and she is forced to stay with her cousin Lily, her husband Nik, and their son Georgi. Hannah who was desperate to escape Germany and her underground work has now found herself in Belgium working another underground network in hopes of receiving a way to America. Hannah however makes a very bad decision which leads to the capture of her cousin and her family. They are arrested by the Nazis and sent to a camp where they await transport to Auschwitz. The question is does Hannah go to America or does she risk everything to save her cousin and her family?
This story was everything that I hoped it would be and then some. This was my first time ever reading anything by Pam Jenoff and I can honestly say it will not be the last. The way she weaved the stories of Hannah and Lily along with Micheline and Matteo together was absolutely wonderful. I also learned from the author’s note that one act which takes place toward the end of the book was based on a true story. I am not going to say what that act was because I do not want to give any spoilers but the bravery of those characters (real-life people) just truly amazed me. I am not sure I would have the nerve to pull off such a huge act.
I am hesitant to say too much about this book because I do not want to give anything away. I can say though that this book truly got under my skin. The hatred of the Nazis, the fear from the Jewish people, and the bravery of those who fought behind the scenes to rescue others no matter the risk to themselves is absolutely mind-blowing to me. Another thing that got me was the secrets that were kept by some of these characters, one character in particular that comes to mind completely shocked me. Reader you are probably wondering is this a book I would recommend to others and the answer is a tricky one. I absolutely loved this book, yes, but I also love historical fiction especially based during the WWII time period. If you are a person who loves historical fiction then YOU MUST pick this book up. If you enjoy strong female characters then again this book is a must. The same goes for if you love strong friendships, family, and bravery with some romance mixed into the story then please pick it up. However, if you are a person who struggles with violence, suffering, murder, infant loss, and hate crimes then please do not read this story because there are major *trigger warnings* for these topics.
I want to end this review with a quote from Hannah that I found 75% of the way through on my kindle and it reads like this:
“No one bestowed courage or freedom or self-determination one simply decided to take it”.
Again I want to thank Netgalley for the digital advanced reader copy I received with the understanding of an honest review from myself. As I said before all the words written under the My Review section are completely my own thoughts and feelings about this story by Pam Jenoff.