“Sometimes finding the truth can be painful. But then, it can be liberating too.”

After reading ‘The Watchmaker of Dachau,’ I didn’t think Carly Schabowski’s newest book would reach the same heights….I was wrong! It’s truly an unforgettable novel about human kindness. She’ll numb your senses with dancing in the rain, mystic readings and rainbow scarves and then you slightly become aware of the crescendo of insidious fear before the atrocity and human suffering take center court. If you loved her second book, you’ll love this one; the same juxtaposition and the same bonds formed due to shared experiences.

Isla is home helping her grandmother prepare for her grandfather’s 95th birthday and finds a saved newspaper article featuring her grandfather in a Nazi uniform. It’s not what she expected to find when gathering photos for the celebration. Why? Well, her grandfather is Polish! This is his story.

Stories such as this one need to be published to remind us of (1) the atrocities in our world history but also (2) of the endurance and strength displayed in the desperate and uncertain times. I am shocked at the destructive power held in the hands of some at the expense of many. You’ll learn about little-known historical wartime experiences of Polish men and boys who were forcibly conscripted into the Wehrmacht. One-quarter of a million Polish boys like Tomasz, who was simply in town for ice cream, were forced into the German army.

Seven years in the making and born from her own family history, this tale has an authentic feel and centers around survival, human suffering and finding love within the backdrop of the desperate and uncertain times of 1940s Europe.

July 28, 2021

I was gifted this advance copy by Carly Schabowski, Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

"The Rainbow" by Carly Schabowski is not as graphic about the Second World War as "The Watchmaker of Dachau" was. This is a good thing, as in the Watchmaker, things were pretty grim. Yes war is not pleasant but this book focuses on a newspaper article about Isla's Granddad which sends her on a trip to Poland to find out about his past, to fill in the gaps as his memory fails from Alzheimer's. Slightly magical, slightly romantic, this is a good story about family and long-term friendships.

This book evokes so many emotions. Based loosely on memories the Authors grandfather has growing up in Poland and being forcibly conscripted into the German Army. Many Polish boys were conscipted in this way, this is the first novel i have read about this.
Isla is preparing for her beloved Grandfathers birthday when she finds an old photograph of him in a German War uniform and a very colourful scarf. Unable to question her grandfather due to his dementia She travels to Poland to try to discover the truth.
I recommend everyone to read this lovely novel
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

THE RAINBOW by CARLY SCHABOWSKI is a WW11 story that takes place in Poland and shows the horrors inflicted by the Nazi invaders, particularly as they forced young Poles to join the German army and fight against their own people. Isla's grandfather, Thomasz, is one such man and she goes to Poland to find out the truth about his past because he has dementia and cannot remember.
It is a story about bravery and remorse on one hand and bullying and hatred on the other.
The book is knit together by a multicoloured scarf and a strange man who it seems can make it rain. The themes of friendship, family and national pride run strongly through the book.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bookouture. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

Wow!! Just wow!!… This book is brilliant! More than brilliant, amazing!!!… Absolutely gripping, addictive and captivating… I was absolutely hooked from the first page to the last. Everybody should put the rainbow 🌈 on their reading list for 2021!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Rainbow was such a beautiful, heartfelt book!
Its seriously the best book. I've read all month!
The writing was brilliant. Captivating. Very well done!
The characters what they went through. Simply heart breaking.
Overall I loved everything about this book!
So beautifully done!

Thank you so much NetGalley, Bookouture my favourite publisher! And the author for this advance ebook!

Based on a true story this tells of Isla and her grandparents. Alternate chapters take us back to 1930 in Poland. Whilst looking for something in the attic for her grandmother, Isla stumbles across a picture of two men in German army uniform. The name of one is her grandfather, someone she believed had fought for the allies and won medals. When she asks her grandmother she denies who it is and says Isla must never ask her now rather confused grandfather about this. She also finds an old rainbow coloured scarf with the picture and hangs on to it. Her grandfather has a brother still in Poland so she ventures to find out more from him, but he himself is elderly but he does have some diaries of his brothers from the war period and gives them to Isla so that she can find out more for herself. I really enjoy this type of novel- it's not only a story but a wonderful way to learn what life was like and what went on in that time period. A heartwarming and gripping read of tragedy and trauma and of love and determination winning through and being carried through the generations. A brilliant, poignant, highly enjoyable read,
(rest of links as part of blog tour)

The Rainbow will rip your heart out as you read. It has heartache, pain, loss, joy, and sorrow. It's a great WWII historical fiction, featuring a young Polish man who has to make unspeakable choices under duress. Isla, his granddaughter, had to travel mamy miles to find the answers she seeks. When the entire story is stitched together it's compelling, poignant, and heartbreaking. I continue to read a ton of WWII fiction because I think it's one of the most provocative periods in history. What people went through, most of us can only imagine.