This was an interesting read because it was told by a Jewish person in WW2 that escaped to London and wasn't in a concentration camp. The characters were likeable and relateable and I enjoyed this book!

Good Novel About the Holocaust/WWII, Mental Illness & Adoption......................

I got this book, "Beneath a Glass Bridge" after I came across it while browsing the Netgalley website for Kindle books available for free in exchange for a truthful review. Although it was the cover design that first caught my attention, because the title didn’t really give any clues to what this novel was about, I clicked on the link to the listing to find out more about it.

Once I read the blurbs & reviews on Netgalley, and then on Amazon, I just knew I had to get this book. Because "Beneath a Glass Bridge" is a historical fiction novel set (at least partially!) in Nazi-occupied WWII Austria and not only am I very interested in history, but also, as horrible as it sounds to say, I’m a HUGE World War II (or more specifically, HOLOCAUST) buff, and I LOVE historical fiction novels, particularly those that take place during the Holocaust/World War II. Ever since the age of 9 or so, when I saw the concentration camp scenes in "War and Remembrance" (the TV miniseries based on Herman Wouk's novel, "War and Remembrance") and read/skimmed Viktor Frankl's book, "Man's Search for Meaning" I’ve had a DEEP interest in the Holocaust (some relatives have even called it an obsession!).

Also, the plot/storyline involves the mental illness(es) of one of its main characters — and mental illness is another subject I’m pretty interested in, largely due to the fact that, I too have struggle(d) with clinical depression, anxiety and other issues.

"Beneath a Glass Bridge" is a multi-decade (and in some ways, multi-generational) family saga that spans from 1941 and World War II, to the beginning of & battles for Israel’s independence and statehood, and concluding in the 1990s with the Gulf War/Desert Storm as seen through the eyes of Helena, a Jewish-American writer living in the United States and Israel who chronicles the lives of her mother, Naomi, and her well-to-do & prominent Jewish family in Vienna. She talks about her mother's youth & young adulthood in pre and post Anschlüss Austria, her own (Helena's) birth in 1941 as the illegitimate daughter of her mother's married employer who abandons them when/after she is born, her early years spent hiding in a brothel under Aryan identities to escape the Holocaust, and what happened to the rest of her mother's family during the war. Helena details her post-war childhood, adolescence and young adulthood in London and Israel, and recounts the struggles she has with her mother Naomi, who struggles with mental illness, the lingering effects of her wartime experiences and her losses during the Holocaust, as she (Helena) eventually divulges the bombshell secret that she had been keeping from her eldest daughter, Blair — a secret which contributed to Helena leaving her family for several months of every year and hiding out at some kind of ranch/resort in California.

All in all, I liked this book and I would likely recommend it to those that would love history and historical events that took place during this time period of the Holocaust and the post-World War II society. One of the only reasons I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is because some or many (maybe even ALL!) of the chapters start in the format of a letter that Helena addresses to someone called Nurit — but to the best of my recollections, the book NEVER explains who Nurit is. I also don't get why Helena considered the secret that she was keeping about Blair being grounds to warrant abandoning her family for MONTHS at a time every year, especially with her younger kids (and in particular her younger daughter) being so young, and to be honest, I kind of hated Helena for that. I mean granted, she didn't have much of a role model for motherhood in Naomi, given her issues, but Ruth seemed to me pretty decent (if not even better!) and in my opinion, whatever Helena's feelings about the secret involving Blair does NOT explain or excuse her abandoning her husband and younger children!

Other than that, "Beneath a Glass Bridge" was a great novel and I would like to thank Tali Asnin-Barel, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free copy for an honest, unbiased review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 STARS!!!!!!!!!!!

Beneath a Glass Bridge by Tali Asnin-Barel gives a magnificent and emotional account of the 1941 social-political environment. I especially appreciate the approach used by the author to inform the reader of the emotions of uncertainty, fear and sadness experienced by inhabitants of Austria and the rest of the world. The author attempts to incorporate world history in the narrative and align past political and war events with people's everyday realities. Besides the historical background, I particularly appreciate the real-life human-like encounters explained in the book.

It allows the reader to grasp a real understanding of how people's lives changed because of war and political agendas implemented during the time. The shock and pain carried by many generations portray the life difficulties of the 20th century. I recommend this story to any person who enjoys world history but wants to learn more about direct influences on people's everyday existence during 1941. The book also maintains an interesting writing style with the use of symbolism, memories, stories and letters to make it authentic. I give this book a five-star rating because of the exceptional, emotional and interesting story it presents.

I am never cold when I’m next to mama’s heart

This was a great story. It was very hard to read, but I so much enjoyed reading it. War changes people, it hurts them, it causes them to lose loved ones and sometimes to lose reality.

This is a search for meaning, for love and for understanding from a young girl damaged by the war at a very young age. Although she had a very understanding and loving aunt, uncle and cousins she often felt alone. Her life with her mentally ill mom caused by the war was very hard on her. Although she had some loving moments with her mother she never really bonded with her mother because of her mother's mental state.

The story was very hard to read because it had so many characters and the author tried to follow all their stories which often caused three time lines going on at the same time. The book went from the start of WWII through Vietnam, the Gulf War and Desert Storm. It kept going back and forth between characters and time periods and different countries to the point I was quite confused about where I was in the book.

My favorite part was the last third of the book where she was writing letters she never sent and telling her life story in the book she was writing. I think I would have loved reading the whole story written in this format.

I would recommend the book to those that would love history and historical events that took place during this time period.

Thanks to Tali Asnin-Barel, Books go social and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of the book for an honest review.

I absolutely adored this book. The characters were so real that it sucked you in and made you feel a part of the story. You didn't want it to end!

I really struggled with this book. Time jumps are one thing, but when there are more than 2 it gets really confusing, especially when it is being told from first person at one point and then from letters at another. I would not recommend this book.