A Song of Silence by Steve N. Lee ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

A Gripping Holocaust Novel Inspired by a Heartbreaking True Story 

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

May 2024; Blue Zoo; 978-1914292248
ebook, print (306 pages); historical fiction

War thrust them together. Love will tear them apart.

Inspired by a true story...

This World War II story was based on a real person so all of the horrific pain that was part of the book really happened.  It's still difficult to believe that a group of people could be so cruel and heartless to people that they believed were 'less than'.  Not just Jewish people but their cruelty also extended to sick people, homosexuals, and any people who didn't fit into their narrow description of what a perfect Aryan person was.

One person was a beacon of hope and it's his sacrifices that leave the reader with feelings of love and compassion.

In 1939, when the Nazis invaded his small Polish town, Mirek Kozlowski was running an orphanage.  He was also a popular writer of children's books.  The orphanage took care of almost 100 children of all ages.  It was apparent early on that Mirek would do whatever he could to keep 'his' children safe.  But no matter how hard he tries, the cruelty of the Nazi officials in his town kept dragging him and the children closer to danger.  The SS captain who is in charge of the town is beyond cruel but at first, it looks as if he may like Mirek as a person and Mirek even goes so far as to read and critique the novel that he has written.  But as time goes on, he turns on Mirek and on the children.  He removes the Jewish children and then he removes many of the young girls to work in a brothel for the soldiers.  Finally, it appears that the Resistance may have found a way to save Mirek and the children and he puts his life on the line to try to save 'his' children.  Will their plan succeed?

Mirek is a compassionate and loving person who wants to protect other people even if he is harmed in the process.  His love brought a beacon of hope for the future.  I read a lot of WWII fiction but this one really touched me.  I think it was because there was so much senseless cruelty toward children and it hurt to see them facing so much evil.  This novel brought tears to my eyes several times with major tears at the end.  This is a book that I won't forget because of the love and compassion of one man who tried to save those he loved.

Buy A Song of Silence at Amazon

If you missed Lee's novel last year, you can read my review of To Dream of Shadows.

Susan Roberts grew up in Michigan but loves the laid-back life at her home in the Piedmont area of North Carolina where she is two hours from the beach to the east and the mountains in the west.  She reads almost anything but her favorite genres are Southern Fiction and Historical Fiction.

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us. Get even more book news in your inbox, sign up for our newsletter today! Or Follow Girl Who Reads with Bloglovin. Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.