Blog tour: The Austrian Bride

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Welcome to the blog tour for The Austrian Wife by Helen Parusel!

More about the book…

Austria, 1938. After years of hardship, Ella is full of hope for a better future for Austrians, and when Hitler marches into Linz, she can’t help but become swept up in the euphoria of her boyfriend, Max.

But she soon realises her mistake. When she witnesses a woman being shot in the street and a childhood friend’s Jewish department store is closed down, she knows she must do something.

It’s a dangerous time to be a resistor, especially when her fascist boyfriend proposes to her. Knowing the secrets she can uncover, Ella enlists in a Reich Bride School, finding herself propelled into the social elite of the Nazi circle.

Ella knows she has a duty – to her family, her friends, and her country – so while Europe teeters on the brink of WW2, a desperate race begins to save the people she loves. But betraying the Nazis could be her death sentence…

More about the author…

Helen Parusel is a debut historical novelist, having been a teacher and a clothes buyer for M&S. She lives in Hamburg, and her first book is based on the Nazi invasion of Norway in 1940; while her second is inspired by war stories from her mother’s homeland of Austria, where she spent her early holidays.

My impressions…

What a wonderful novel! But also, what a difficult read. The storytelling is amazingly smooth, and I couldn’t put the book down once I got started… but, oh my, so much sadness and heartbreak. I mean, this is historical fiction, and we all know what happened in the lead up to Hitler’s ascent to power… but knowing about the horrors that the people had to live through doesn’t make reading about them any easier, even when the people you are so invested in are fictional. The author has created such realistic characters that I had to hold my breath quite a few times in the presence of some of them, while I desperately rooted for others. Stories about the resistance are always inspiring, and this was no exception. That it is so beautifully written is the cherry on top. Plus, I loved the Austrian setting and, because I had never heard of these schools, I feel like I’ve learned something too. 100% recommended.

Three words to describe it. Sad. Thought-provoking. Hopeful.

Do I like the cover? Yes, it’s beautiful. Those colours!

Have I read any other books by the same author? No, but I want to catch up!

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