Another outstandingly brilliant novel by Mitch Albom. His unique, moving and beautiful writing is unparalleled and this one moved me to tears. Definitely not just another work of WWII historical fiction, I didn't even know that the Nazis invaded Greece before reading this book. The characters and plot were wonderful. A must-read that I will be recommending to everyone.

As usual an amazing read from Mitch albom.
Beautiful read that I would highly recommend.
The author manages to capture the true atrocities that happened whilst providing a gripping read.
Heartbreaking.

A heartbreaking but powerful read, set against the backdrop of Greece during the Holocaust telling the story of the lives of three Jewish children and a nazi officer, during and beyond WW11. The narrative is heartbreaking, intense, and delivers a powerful reading experience with its compelling characters.

As always, Mitch Albom hits it out of the park. Story set in Greece in World War 2 and the consequences of lying. Nazis are rounding up the Jewish population and selling them the lie that they are going to a better place.. We have three children and a nazi officer as the main protagonists in the story. No spolers here, but a must read book set in a terrible time in history.

I loved this book, it was very cleverly told and was such a heart-breaking, mesmorising read. The author takes us on a journey following four main characters - three Jewish Greek children, Nico, Sebastian and Fannie, and a German Nazi officer, Udo Graf. Their stories are all very different, but all revolve around the horrors of World War II and in the years beyond.

I was absolutely transfixed on this story. The author takes you to the Greek town of Salonika and you find yourself there with the Greek people when the Nazis are moving them by trains to Auschwitz. I've read many books set around these times, but never one based in Greece and shamefully I never realised that so many Greek Jewish people died at Auschwitz and other camps. The story is told by the four main characters through alternating chapters. The storyline is easy to follow, despite the switching of characters with the chapters, and I found myself unable to put the book down until I'd finished it.

I've read many books by this author, but this has to be my favourite so far. I loved how their stories carried on many years after the war has ended, showing how the traumas of what happened to them didn't end when the war did. The author has cleverly weaved historical events into a captivating fictional story which will have you on the edge of your seat until the last page. Heart-breaking, horrifying and so sad it had me in tears throughout. It is definitely a book which will stay with you a long time after you've finished it. Would definitely recommend.

Mitch Albom's "The Little Liar" takes us on a poignant journey through World War II. This is a tale filled with historical depth and profound life lessons. Albom is a prolific author, whose earlier work "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" ignited my passion for reading around two decades ago. That book holds a special place in my heart.

Set in Salonika, Greece, during WWII, the story unfolds through the lives of four characters, three children from Salonika and a German Nazi tasked with gathering the Jewish population and sending them to Auschwitz to their deaths. The youngest among them, Nico, known for his honesty, spreads misinformation about the fate awaiting the townspeople. This pivotal moment transforms him into a master of deception.

Albom's choice of a narrator—Truth itself—adds a unique way of storytelling. The pacing is fast and gripping. Also, the story doesn't conclude with the end of the war; instead, we are following these characters post-war.

Anyone interested in historical fiction would definitely enjoy this story. It is filled with life lessons. I am glad to see that Mitch Albom is still going strong in his writing career.

I loved this book!
Mitch Albom's books are so readable but challenging too exploring themes of love, revenge, redemption, and the lies we tell ourselves and others. The narrator is Truth themself.
It follows 4 characters: Nico, Sebasitian, Fannie and Udo Graf, whose lives are shaped by war, the horrors of Auschwitz and the evil that people do.
Nico was known for telling the truth as a child but when Udo Graf walks into his life that all changes. Unwittingly he lies to people telling them that at the end of the train journey from Greece into the heart of Nazi Europe there will 'be a new life. The realisation that this is not true shapes his life. Crisscrossing Europe and ending up in the USA his life becomes one of lies.
Sebastian survives Auschwitz but can't escape the horrors he was subjected to by Graf.
Fannie has her own her own story if survival and escape.
I couldn't put this book down and really wanted to know what would happen next. A moving and engaging book which really makes you think.

OMG This book nearly broke me. It is initially centred around the events of the Holocaust and I think we all need a bit of a reminder of the heinous atrocities that occurred then. Especially with the world as it is at the moment.
I won't say too much about the book apart from that we follow four characters, all very different, and start from the time where their lives diverged. Following them along the decades until the day that their lives converge once again...
We have Nico who, due to his trusting nature, finds himself on the wrong side initially. His brother Sebastian who, together with Fanni, their childhood friend, do what they need to survive from the moment they step on that train. Our fourth character is Udo, a Nazi Officer, and tells the part he plays in the proceedings.
What this author does very well indeed is telling the story of the Holocaust without embellishment. Not that I think it's possible to make one of the worst things that has ever happened even more nasty. But he doesn't glamorise or glorify any more than what happened, if you get what I mean.
What he does do is weave his fiction into the facts already written down in history completely credibly and seamlessly. The Holocaust is a subject that has always been of interest to me and I have been to various places that have featured heavily in its history, The Haus am Wansee and Auschwitz being the two that also feature herein and I was taken back to those visits and the things I learned and saw there. Had to stop and take a breath on occasion.
But whether you already know what happened, you want to know a bit more, or you are just a fan of the author. Please do give this book a try. It's so much more than just the actual Holocaust, it's about the fallout and how what happened to the characters changed their life paths. I am going to let it sit with me a while longer and then re-read.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This is a very powerful book with some amazing characters.

Set in Greece during the Holocaust it tells you the story of a family of Jews. It tells of the hardships, the pure evil they were subjected too and the ending after the war. Nico, Sebastian and Fannie were children when they were confronted by the Nazis. It tells their story of what happened during the war and after.

Heartbreaking, intense and a powerful read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

It is not your memories which haunt you. It is not what you have written down. It is what you have forgotten, what you must forget. What you must go on forgetting all your life.
~ James Fenton, A German Requiem.

The Little Liar has been a brilliant read. A wonderfully narrated story that's heartbreaking and heartwarming, filled with hope, love and courage.

"Some would say you can trust nature, but I disagree. Nature is fickle; species thrive then flame out. Others suggest you can trust faith. Which faith? I ask".

The Little Liar is the story of Nico Krispis, who used to live in Salonika, Greece, with his family. Nico is known through his home town as one who never tells a lie, but when the Nazis invade the city, a German officer decides to take advantage of the trust that everyone has in Nico.

"Truth is a straight line. But human life is a flexible experience. You exit the womb curling into a new world, and from that moment forward, you bend and adjust".

This beautiful book is narrated by Truth itself, and it kept reminding me of The Book Thief.

A must-read.

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"We are all one fateful act from a redirected destiny, and the price we pay can be immeasurable".

I usually don't read novel that talks about the Holocaust as I don't like the mix-match that whitewash what was a tragedy turning it into a sort of romance.
Primo Levi's If This is a Man is one of those books that are part of my soul
This was something different as there was not filter, no masking. The tragedy change everything turning life into a living hell.
Nie Vergessen, Don't forget.
Some friends of mine lost nearly all their family in the lagers. A book like this help not to forget so that it will not happen again
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

As Mitch Albom has mentioned in “From The Author “ section of this book, “That he always wanted to set a story during the Holocaust & find one that wasn’t already tragically familiar.” I would say that his wait finally paid off. He has just not only found the one but in fact he has found his finest one.

“A novel is not a history book” (as said by the author in the “ From the Author” section of this book) but merely a work of fiction telling us the horrifying story that went on in these death camps at Auschwitz but this book just doesn’t start or stop there. This book tells us the story of happy lives being lived before WW2, the brutal truth that went on in the death camps of Auschwitz & the never forgotten memories, never to be lived again by it survivors. Though, a work of fiction, I’m sure to think of this story, whenever I hear the words WW2 or Holocaust. This story & its 4 main characters or corner are something you’ll carry with you for a long time.

The book is beautiful written & by far the finest work by the Author. The narration was spot on & keeps you hooked from the very first page. It’s a book you wouldn’t want to put down. The story was well researched, well calculated and each event well rolled out. Its characters were thoroughly thought through, so much so that you will find yourself intertwined with their lives & each one of the four characters is sure to find a special place in your heart.

All in all, this work of fiction is one of its kind you would ever read in this genre. Highly recommended if you’re a fan of historical fiction or books like “The book thief or The tattooist of Auschwitz.

This story can make a good movie someday.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publishers at Little brown book and the author Mitch Albom from this ARC.

You will find the review post on my Bookstagram page nearing Publication day. Link to my bookstagram page is below.

This is an extraordinary novel telling the story of the lives of three Jewish children and a nazi officer, during and beyond WW2. The novel begins in Greece, in Salonika now Thessalonica, where the Jewish community were rounded up and sent on trains to Auschwitz. But this novel spans well beyond the period of internment in concentration camps and takes us to several countries.

One of the narrators of the story is truth. This reminded me of the novel, the Book Thief, which is narrated by death. But it is only similar in terms of having a unique narration perspective. I really enjoyed this element of the book and it helped to gently examine the effect of lies verus truth throughout the story.

I also particularly liked the way real historical events were woven throughout the story. I knew about the horror of Jewish people being shot on the banks of the river in Budapest because of the sculpture 'Shoes on the Danube Bank' but it is brought to life in this novel through the experience of one of the characters in particular. The author has been very clever in the way that he drew the characters apart, in order to include very different experiences and then brought them together again.

I loved this book, it was easy to give it five stars. Despite the horrific events, I found the book engaging and emotional throughout. It is one of those novels that educates and makes you think and importantly reminds us of the terrible events of the past. Never again.

Many thanks to NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.