I’ve posted on here about getting reviews for books. Most authors long to get reviews of their books. We don’t care if they are long or short or if they’re masterpieces themselves or single sentences. We want to know that people read our books and have a reaction. Even a bad reaction is okay, as long as it’s honest.
That said, getting wonderful reviews can make a writer’s day! Truly!
My newest baby, my novel Breadcrumbs and Bombs, is two months old today. It has received six 5-star reviews on Amazon U.S., one 5-star review on Amazon Canada, one 5-star review on Amazon Germany, and two 5-star reviews on Amazon U.K. I’m thrilled with every one of those reviews and wanted to share a few with you. Big thank you to all the readers and reviewers!
It is so moving to think about what our ancestors went through to get us to where we are.
January 31, 2018
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
Really enjoyed Breadcrumbs and Bombs. The book really made the past come to life, and gave me more appreciation of my heritage, even though not the same as in this book. Thank you Susan for another great read. Each chapter was like peeling back a layer at a time to discover the gem hidden within.
Historically significant
January 31, 2018
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
“Breadcrumbs and Bombs” is a compelling story about a subject lesser known to many Americans. It is well done by Susan as she takes a family from California to the Sudetenland and finally to Germany. Tracing family roots opens ones eyes to the possibilities of their own family. This is one of thousands of stories following WWII that could have happened as written. Especially pertinent for history buffs and for those curious about the unsettling situation in Europe at war’s end. Complex and interesting throughout with side stories highlighting racial, ethnic, and religious problems that still exist today, Highly recommended.
Thank you Susan Finlay for giving us Breadcrumbs and Bombs
February 9, 2018
Format: Kindle Edition
Yes. Thank you Susan Finlay, for this soulful novel of a time remembered by readers who lived during some of the most damaging years to mankind ever seen in history. The war that was so rife with prejudice against people who did not fit a view of perfection, held by those in power, was shameful. It is apparently sneaking up on us once more in these restless times. The story, Breadcrumbs and Bombs sounds an alarm for us and honestly, should be read by everyone to wake us up to what is happening today. This is a very timely novel and in my opinion, an essential read. There are many personalities woven into the fabric of the author’s story. Once the pages turn you will reach those passages where the different characters all play a strategic role to bring the reality into focus. Since it was written with a strong element of historical fact, it is indeed an opportunity to learn more of those times. It is a studious examination of some little known history surrounding just how far the tentacles of prejudice can reach, and it is overwhelming. If you think you know all there is to know about that time in history, you will be surprised, as I was. It has been said by many that we should have been so shocked by what took place then that we should vow to never let it happen again. I feel this wonderfully intricate story will be able to remind everyone who reads it of our obligation to those who died during that horrific time to do whatever is necessary to prevent any sort of reoccurrence of such crime.
Susan Finlay has a unique skill when it comes to balancing a wide cast of characters. I have read many of her other novels and I feel this latest one is certainly an excellent example of her ability to execute a command of her people. They interact with a healthy dose of realism that you feel they actually exist. It was effortless for me to form an affinity with them and long to have their sorrows and burdens lessened. There are some very pleasant scenes that are warm and much appreciated by contrast with others that are not that way at all. I think of the adversity and feel all the more grateful for my life of freedom and the ease that comes with it in every sense of the word. That is what this novel has done for me. It made me think and form conclusions on my own life and of how fortunate I am. Who knows what lies ahead for us here in America, but I assure you, today we are all in that strong, able boat sailing along with good fortune and fair weather. It is not so much in other parts of the world but I am grateful for the opportunity to read this wonderful novel that is laced with meaning and hope.
This is a compelling book, at times heartwarming and …
January 8, 2018
Format: Kindle Edition
This is a compelling book, at times heartwarming and other times heartbreaking. It follows the lives of several families under Nazi occupation in the Sudetenland in the final year of WWII and Lucas Landry who is trying to find his own family’s roots in the aftermath of his father’s death. Susan Finlay skillfully weaves the various story lines together and keeps you reading on.
I forgot how wonderful historical novels can be until I read Breadcrumbs and …
January 31, 2018
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
I forgot how wonderful historical novels can be until I read Breadcrumbs and Bombs. I’ve been so caught up in reading my favorite genres, mysteries and action thrillers, that I’ve overlooked many a worthwhile endeavor because historical novels require painstaking in-depth research and if done well it shows and it shows here. Then to interleave an interesting and feasible story into the historical backdrop shows the work of a dedicated craftsperson. All of that and more is on display in this great book. Susan Finlay gives both Ken Follett and Irving Stone a run for the money.
Spurensuche
20 January 2018
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
Der 28 Jahre alte Lucas Landry, gebürtig aus Sacramento, California, Psychologe, spezialisiert in der Behandlung von Drogenabhängigen, konnte seinen eigenen opioidabhängigen Vater nicht retten. Seine Gefühle gegenüber seinem Vater und dessen Tod werden kompliziert, als er entdeckt. dass sein Vater viele Geheimnisse ihrer Vorfahren vor ihm und seinem Bruder verheimlicht hat. Lukas begibt sich auf eine Reise, um Antworten zu finden: Welche Geheimnisse hat sein Vater verheimlicht, wer sind die Landrys, und woher kamen sie? Sind Lucas und sein mit ihm zerstrittener Bruder dazu bestimmt, die Fehler der Vorfahren zu wiederholen? Ein versteckter Dachboden in dem alten viktorianischen Haus von Lucas’ Vater ist eine Goldmine an Erinnerungen und Hinweisen aus der Vergangenheit. Hinweise, die nach Nazi Deutschland und das frühere Sudetenland zu führen scheinen. Krümel zu anderer Leben.
Die 10 Jahre alte Christa Nagel ist eine völkische Deutsche, die 1943 mit ihren Eltern und Geschwistern im Sudetenland in der Nähe der polnischen Grenze lebt. Als ihr Vater zur Wehrmacht eingezogen wird und ihre Familie sich nun selbst überlassen bleibt, ist sie entsetzt und besorgt um ihn. Nach einiger Zeit ist sie nicht mehr sicher, was schlimmer ist, im Krieg zu kämpfen oder der Versuch, die Familie zusammenzuhalten und in Sicherheit zu wissen. Nach Ende des Krieges sind sie und ihre Familie genau so wie Millionen andere völkische Deutsche mit der Vertreibung konfrontiert, auf einem Weg in eine ungewisse Zukunft.
Die 15 Jahre alte Ilse Seidel, ein deutsches Mädchen, lebt in einer kleinen bayerischen Stadt und weiß mehr über Gefahr als jemand in ihrem Alter wissen sollte.Sie überlebt Bombardierungen, verliert Menschen, die ihr lieb sind, und erlebt, wie jüdische Freunde aus ihren Wohnungen weggekarrt werden. Sie will nichts mit Krieg und Soldaten zu tun haben. Ihr Leben nimmt eine dramatische Wende, als sie einen verwundeten Soldaten findet, der Hilfe braucht.
Lucas ist entschlossen, diese Krümel zusammenzufügen, herauszufinden, wie die Geschichten zusammenhängen und seine Vorfahren zu entdecken. Wird das, was er entdeckt, ihn besser oder schlechter über seine Familie denken lassen? Breadcrumbs and Bombs ist eine Geschichte über Geheimnisse, Lügen, Vorurteile, Verrat, Schuld, Liebe, Ahnenforschung, und was es bedeutet, Familie zu sein.
Compelling celebration of human resilience
6 March 2018
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
This is a story celebrating the incredible resilience and determination of the human spirit and its indestructible nature as well as the survival against all odds.
A tale of people struggling through the Second World War in the Sudetenland interspersed with the modern day tale of a young man discovering family secrets after inheriting his childhood home following the death of his father.
I love the way that Susan Finlay seamlessly blends past with present to weave this compelling tale. I have enjoyed her previous books but this is her absolute best.
Highly recommended
So interesting, so different
25 January 2018
Format: Kindle Edition
I love family history and this is excellently written. The story fascinating as I had little knowledge of this part of the war. I felt I knew the characters and suffered their pain with them.
What a lovely end to the story.