Eoin Dempsey's White Rose and Black Forest Collection

ListenerJoe: This novel begins in the middle of the story about survival in Germany during the "Third Reich". The surprise comes as the back story is told while the suspense never leaves the page !!

United States on Nov 07, 2023

ayoung: Really interesting and easy read. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone especially if you interested in WWII

United States on Oct 19, 2023

Devina Bacon: Wow, could not put this book down, I loved every part of it. Thank you Eoin Dempsey, I wish I could write like you, I will just have to read your next book instead, please keep them coming

United Kingdom on Sep 19, 2023

Susan: A very interesting perspective on the horror of the Nazi reign. It makes a person question the idea of human loss in winning and losing at war.

United States on Sep 16, 2023

Cheryl: I’m a sucker for any story where the plan is to outwit the Nazis. This novel, based on actual events, describes the horrors of Nazi Germany and the efforts of two people to escape them in a Frank, but not overly dramatic way. Once I started reading, I couldn’t stop.

United States on Jul 15, 2023

M D Tuch: December 1943. German civilian and Nazi dissident Franka Gerber goes for a walk in the snow around her secluded cabin in the Black Forest near Freiburg, Germany. She happens upon a man in a German Luftwaffe uniform, lying unconscious in the snow. He has two broken legs and appears near death. Although she despises the Nazis, her training as a nurse prompts her to try to save his life. So, against her better judgement and with monumental effort, she hauls him back to her cabin. Thus begins another novel about damaged soldiers and airmen being discovered by country girls during WW II.
This one is a bit different though. Franka has served jail time for her involvement in the outlawed anti-Nazi group, ‘White Rose’. She barely avoided execution. Those closest to her were not so fortunate. Dempsey’s story involves the retrieval of the airman, keeping his presence a secret, and nursing him back to health. But after that, then what? When the injured man confesses that he is really an American spy, it is no surprise to Franka or the reader. But Franka suspects he isn’t being completely forthright about his mission. As more information is revealed, both parties’ safety and...

United States on Jan 17, 2022

C8 Sparrow: I have daylight reads and bedtime reads. This one was suitable only for the light of day. It’s the story of Franka Gerber, a known dissident, having already served time behind bars for her involvement with the White Rose, a faction of loyal countrymen and women who stood against Hitler and the Third Reich. All her family was gone and she was alone in the cabin where they’d shared many happy memories in her childhood. A childhood of indoctrination. She had nothing left to live for and wandered out into the Black Forest with her father’s pistol intent on ending her life when she found a wounded airmen in Luftwaffe uniform. A nurse by profession she abandons her death wish and rescues him even though he bears the uniform of all she loathes. He is not who he seems. He’s an American Spy sent to steal the plans for the atomic bomb. Franka is drawn into John’s mission and all its perils as he recovers. This was a good read. One that depicted the Nazi indoctrination of German children and the horrendous means of torture used by the Gestapo. In the end, love brought redemption. Now onto a lighter read.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Canada on Jan 24, 2021

Guy Marc GAGNE: Well written and engaging
The context and timeline are feasible, although the historical accuracy of the mission seems nebulous.
But as a work of fiction it is completely descriptive of a ruthless tim e and a mind set permeating NAZI Germany
and its occupied territories.
Hardships were heaped upon civilians,both Allied & Axis, as they comprise the largest number of casualties during WWII
The White Rose members who were executed did indeed achieve great notoriety
as referenced in the book; during the war as the Allies actually did drop
their 6th leaflet across Germany and described their fate. (Their judge, was executed for crimes against humanity,
their case being one of those brought forth by the prosecution)
There exist a number of monuments, as well as classroom curricula extolling the virtues of its members
throughout Germany. Interestingly enough, the former GDR was particularly vehement in its condemnation
of their fate as exemplifying the horrors of fascism versus the wonders of their Workers' Paradise incarnated by
the Soviet installed regime.

Canada on Jun 22, 2018

Lyne: The White Rose (die Weiße Rose) was a non-violent, intellectual resistance group in Nazi Germany led by a group of students and a professor at the University of Munich. The group conducted an anonymous leaflet and graffiti campaign which called for active opposition to the Nazi regime. Their activities started in Munich on 27 June 1942, and ended with the arrest of the core group by the Gestapo on 18 February 1943.[1] They, as well as other members and supporters of the group who carried on distributing the pamphlets, faced show trials by the Nazi People's Court (Volksgerichtshof), and many of them were sentenced to death or imprisonment. From Wikipedia.

The reason I was drawn to this book is that it was located in the Black Forest. From 1982 to 1985 I had the opportunity and pleasure to live in Lahr, Germany. The Black Forest was my playground! Freiburg is located approximately 50 km (31.5 miles) south of Lahr.

I enjoyed the storyline, a German girl who was formerly part of the White Rose movement, disillusioned with the Nazi regime finds an American spy who had parachuted into the country and, unfortunately, had broken his two legs. The story is about building...

Canada on May 09, 2018

Murf61: Set in southern Germany during WW2, this is the story of Franka, recently returned to her home town of Freiburg after serving a prison sentence for anti-Nazi activities. She is out walking in the dense forest surrounding her family’s holiday cabin when she finds a badly injured Luftwaffe pilot. She saves his life and brings him back to the snowed-in cabin, but while he is unconscious, she hears him say some words in English. Now the two have to learn to trust each other while he is recovering from 2 broken legs.

I really enjoyed this book. Franka is a strong resourceful woman whose nursing experience proves useful in helping her houseguest recover. She has lost all her immediate family members and her boyfriend was executed by the Nazis, so she is alone and wondering what to do next when she rescues the injured pilot. The pilot has a story of his own, which I won’t spoil here. Suffice to say, they manage to overcome their trust issues and work together.

The setting is somewhat claustrophobic with the two of them trapped by snow in a remote cabin and the Gestapo ever vigilant in the nearby town. The sense of oppression is palpable and the fear of getting caught is...

United Kingdom on Feb 20, 2018