Wildflowers of Terezin

This week, the

Christian Fiction Blog Alliance

is introducing

Wildflowers of TerezinAbingdon Press (April 2010)by

Robert Elmer



ABOUT THE BOOK

When nurse Hanne Abrahamsen impulsively shields Steffen Petersen from a nosy Gestapo agent, she’s convinced the Lutheran pastor is involved in the Danish Underground. Nothing could be further from the truth.



But truth is hard to come by in the fall of 1943, when Copenhagen is placed under Martial Law and Denmark’s Jews—including Hanne—suddenly face deportation to the Nazi prison camp at Terezin, Czechoslovakia. Days darken and danger mounts. Steffen’s faith deepens as he takes greater risks to protect Hanne. But are either of them willing to pay the ultimate price for their love?



To read the first chapter of Wildflowers of Terezin, go HERE.

MY THOUGHTS:

I have been reading a lot of WWII fiction lately, and this one took me by surprise. Robert Elmer has found a fresh perspective on a fascinating time in history that has been addressed from almost every angle.

Steffen Petersen, a Lutheran pastor, unwittingly becomes inextricably involved by falling for a Jewish nurse, hiding her family in his church and helping them escape from the Germans. When an attempt to smuggle the nurse out of the country occurs, he finds ways to ensure that she is safe by joining a Red Cross inspection team reviewing the camp at Terezin, where she is interred.

Elmer has created a provocative book that causes the reader to do some introspection. How far are we willing to go, breaking the rules of our church and our government, in order to follow the calling of our God? Can love cloud our judgment resulting in irrational actions that might cause others to be harmed? How do we know if we should trust God to protect loved ones in difficult situations or to intervene and save them?

This is another book I would highly recommend for those who are interested in historical fiction, the WWII era, or though- provoking books.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Robert Elmer is a former pastor, reporter and as copywriter who now writes from he home he shares with his wife Ronda in northern Idaho. He is the author of over fifty books, including eight contemporary novels for the adult Christian audience and several series for younger readers. Combined, his books have sold more than half a million copies worldwide. Like his popular "Young Underground" youth series, Wildflowers of Terezin was inspired by stories Robert heard from his Denmark-born parents and family. When he's not sailing or enjoying the outdoors, Robert often travels the country speaking to school and writers groups.