Alright, buckle up folks because we've got a gripping audiobook on our hands. Susan Meissner, the brilliant mind behind Secrets of a Charmed Life and As Bright as Heaven, invites us on a journey through time with her latest novel, The Last Year of the War. Get ready to listen to a powerful story that will leave you questioning your own identity.
Set during World War II, this tale follows the life of Elise Sontag, a German American teenager from good ol' Iowa. Elise, like many young Americans, is aware of the war, but she never imagined it would touch her life in such a profound way. Out of the blue, her father, a legal U.S. resident for nearly twenty years, is arrested under suspicion of being a Nazi sympathizer. Suddenly, everything changes for Elise and her family.
They find themselves torn from their homes and thrown into an internment camp in Texas. Behind the harsh reality of armed guards and barbed wire, Elise feels as though she's lost everything that once made her who she is. The only glimmer of hope in this desolate situation is the friendship she forms with Mariko Inoue, a Japanese-American teen from Los Angeles who shares Elise's plight. Together, they cling to the belief that they will reclaim their lives as young American women once again.
But life has other plans for them. The Sontag family is eventually exchanged for American prisoners held captive in Germany. Elise is thrust into a crucible of danger and uncertainty, forced to confront the very person she's becoming in the face of a war that seeks to define her. Will Elise rise above the prejudice and hatred that surround her, or will she succumb to the image others have forced upon her?
The Last Year of the War sheds light on a lesser-known aspect of World War II, resonating with the challenges we face in our own time. Get ready to question the very core of your identity as we dive deep into this captivating story. So grab those headphones and get ready to embark on a journey that will keep you on the edge of your seat for a riveting 16 hours and 39 minutes. Trust me, this audiobook is worth every second of your time.
With an audiobook rating of 4.5 out of 5, Susan Meissner's powerful storytelling combined with the captivating narration by Kimberly Farr is a match made in literary heaven. So sit back, relax, and let the story consume you as you listen to The Last Year of the War.