Gemma Liviero's Half in Shadow: A Gripping Story of Love, Loss and Redemption

Alan: I found this book riveting and hard to put down from the very beginning. The setting was during World War 1 in 1915 when Germany occupied Belgium. The author describes the brutal horrors of war and it’s impact on many people. It is definitely a tear jerker and it made me appreciate world peace. During Germany’s invasion of Belgium in 1914, Josephine lost her younger 13 year old brother, Yves, followed by the execution of her father, Maurice. The novel focused on the courage, love and loyalty of Josephine Desharmes, her two brothers (Xavier and Eugene) and her mother Gisela. Josephine and her two brothers resisted Germany’s occupation by working underground, helping allied soldiers and civilians escape dangerous territory by crossing the border. During the day, they worked at the Hotel Metropole serving German Officers. Franz, a kind German officer is attracted to Josephine and offers to protect her and helps her family. Yet, he is regarded as the German enemy. Meanwhile, Josephine met Arthur Shine, an allied English soldier (badly injured), who was rescued by one of her brothers. As Arthur is nurtured back to health, he starts to know and admire the Desharmes family,...

United States on Sep 16, 2023

Molly babcock: I’m into history and this book was very graphic and interesting. Weaving a love story and family ties into it. Fast paced, easy read.

United States on Sep 10, 2023

BR: Belgium! Beautiful country with a tragic history during World War One! What a ferocious and brave nation! Men are either cowards or heroes! War reveals character! Hugh Jackman as Arthur!!! Netflix. Prime video! Please make this into a movie!

United States on Aug 09, 2023

Amazon Customer: The timeline in dates and details back and forth was a bit confusing. Timeline verified by sketchy historical details lacked genuineness.

United States on Jul 16, 2023

Marie Collingwood: Lovely material very good quality can be worn by most ages. I'm 52 although quite a young 52, had loads of compliments when wearing it the other night. A must have if you're into the punk/goth but not too over the top thing x

United Kingdom on Apr 16, 2023

Jude: I’ve never read any fiction about Belgians in the Great War. I’ve heard of the Rape of Belgium more in the context of it being used as garish propaganda.
The reality bursts from this novel, in its barbarism.
I didn’t become engaged with any of the characters, despite much internal monologue but I was gripped in spite of that, and the hurried ending.

Australia on Mar 21, 2023

JackieO: Different wartime story. sad of course. Not sure what else to say without spoiling it. Good if you like wartime stories

United Kingdom on Dec 23, 2022

Kindle Customer: Loved the characters in this book, how the story unfolds from each of their experiences. There are highs and lows throughout and a lovely ending.

United Kingdom on Oct 18, 2022

Natasha: The book wasn't terrible, but there were several aspects that annoyed me enough to leave a meh review. I'm going to sound like a grammar Nazi here, but the writing style just didn't flow. It was 3rd person, and felt disconnected. It was present tense, but instead of saying, for example, "The door sways," it would say, "the door is swaying." There are too many "is'" and it almost feels like reading a playwright rather than a novel. All that isn't helped by the author referring to characters like Josephine's mom as her first name, instead of what the character would call them. Sure it's not incorrect, but it brings me out of the story when the author writes, "Gisela is working hard" instead of "Josephine's mom" or "Maman." Since it really focused on Josephine and her thoughts, I don't know why the author wouldn't write in first person, or at least from some given perspective. It seemed like it was just a story, told from a totally unrelated perspective, and it kept me from feeling immersed in the story. The other annoying grammatical issue was the incomplete sentences. Sometimes it can make an impact, but the author seriously overused that and it didn't seem neccesary or emphatic at...

United States on Aug 03, 2022

Tricia: I adore books set in the war, both first and second. This had a great bunch of characters helping the resistance, but also showed how difficult everyday life was, too. Falling for a German officer added to the excitement but also showed the locals’ distaste of Josephine doing so. Harsh and brutal at times, but family life demonstrated their love and strength for each other, too. They were brave and kept going through it all, deaths and grief included.

United Kingdom on Dec 18, 2021