Springtime in the Spirit by Maureen Lang is part of the Great War series and is set in post-WWI Germany. I wasn't sure what to expect since I'm not a big fan of historical fiction but I came away pleasantly surprised.
Annaliese is a part of the Socialist movement in Germany working to rid herself of the links to the Capitalistic society of her youth. She is surrounded by other like-minded individuals who use her to gain the support of the women of Germany. Christophe, a childhood friend of Annaliese, is sent to the city to try and convince Annaliese to come back to her parents' home. Annaliese though wants no part of her history or of her family. She sees them and their capitalism as the problem with society. As the book progresses, you sense a shift in Annaliese. Her nicely restructured belief system begins to crack and as violent incidents occur throughout the city, she is forced to begin questioning her beliefs. I won't spoil the ending but rest assured, the book ends happily for the main characters.
I will admit this book was a little tough to get into. The story took a bit of developing and that seemed to cause the story to drag a little. But, I stuck with it and was glad I did. The level of intrigue picked up and I had to force myself on several occasions to put the book down and go to sleep. I appreciated that the author allowed Annaliese to question her beliefs in an honest way and even toward the end of the book, she was still questioning God and how He could have allowed things to happen the way they did. You could sense the struggle the character was going through.
I was definitely surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. I think if you like history, the book will interest you on multiple levels. It really explores the political maneuverings of that time period but has a sweet story in it as well. I will be looking for the other books in the Great War Series.
Tyndale House provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest review. I was not required to post a positive review. No other compensation was provided.
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