I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.
Only the Brave by Danielle Steel Published by Dell on April 30, 2024
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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, as Theresa flees 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.
A poignant tale of survival and perseverance from the queen of women’s fiction! Danielle Steel always delivers a story that takes her reader on a journey that makes us feel like we are living the angst right beside her characters. I know the minute I turn the first page of a new book that I will be quickly swept up into the story and will be hesitant to set the book down to atone with life’s demands. ONLY THE BRAVE is no different. While the heroine suffers great injustice and showcases the inhumanity, she still manages to tell her story in a powerful way that connects the reader to the direness of what is happening. Very well told and easily connectible.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a dramatic spin on historical women’s fiction that is light in romance but strong in a powerful female lead who tackles life with strength and dignity.
