Only The Brave.

 

 

★★★★

Sophia Alexander, the beautiful daughter of a famous surgeon in Berlin, has had to grow up faster than most young women. When her mother falls ill, Sophia must take charge of her younger sister, Theresa, and look after her father and the household, while also volunteering at his hospital after school. Meanwhile, Hitler’s rise to power and the violence in her very own town have Sophia concerned, but only her mother is willing to share her fears openly. 

After tragedy strikes and her mother dies, Sophia becomes increasingly involved in the resistance, attending meetings of dissidents and helping however she can. Circumstances become increasingly dangerous and personal when Sophia assists her sister’s daring escape from Germany, fleeing Germany with her young husband and his family. Her father also begins to resist the regime, secretly healing those hiding from persecution, only to have his hospital burned to the ground. When he is arrested and sent to a concentration camp, Sophia is truly on her own, but more determined than ever to help. 

While working as a nurse with the convent nuns, the Sisters of Mercy, Sophia continues her harrowing efforts to transport Jewish children to safety and finds herself under surveillance. As the political tensions rise and the brutal oppression continues, Sophia is undeterred, risking it all, even her own freedom, as she rises to the challenge of helping those in need—no matter the cost.

 

 🌼

I'd heard about Danielle Steel for years, and I don't know why it took me so long to read a book by her, but I'm glad I finally had a chance to. Only The Brave isn't the first novel I've read about World War II, and it won't be the last. The subject was different from earlier WWII books I'd read because the main character, Sophia, was a nun or was in the process of becoming one. While reading the book, I, like the others, wondered if Sophia wanted to be a nun, or if she imagined she did. I wondered if she became a nun because she believed it was the only way to serve God and help others. Sophia's determination was one of my favorite characteristics. Regardless of what others told her or tried to sway her mind, she was determined to follow through because it was what she meant to do. 

It was difficult not to love Sophia. She went through so much, and I can't imagine going through half of it. Despite everything she had faced and the horror of it, she kept going and never considered giving up. I rooted for her all through the book. There were a few moments when I was frightened for her, and I was afraid that what she was doing was putting herself in danger and would finally get her caught. I enjoyed all the descriptions and the book, and I felt all the emotions that all the characters were feeling; it was as if I was going through everything they were. A few parts in the book were dragging on or repeating, but they usually didn't last long. 

There are so many words I could use to express how I feel about this book, but I wouldn't know where to start. When I picked up this book, I didn't have big expectations because I hadn't read this author before. The book Only the Brave exceeded my expectations. I'm intrigued to read the author's other works. I suggest this book to anyone who loves historical fiction.