BOOK REVIEW: This book has all the heart of a war-time historical fiction novel but the heart rate of a suspense novel.
The first novel from award-winning short story author Gosia Nealon, The Last Sketch is a World War II novel set in Poland and Montauk (USA).
The story opens with 23-year-old Polish woman Wanda Odwaga hiding in the street in her beloved homeland as Hitler’s forces perform a ‘roundup’ of Jewish people. Talk about getting the heart racing!
It is the first of several spine-tingling and often heart-breaking situations we find Wanda in as she works with the resistance.
But when the Gestapo storms her house and her father is killed, it takes Wanda all her strength to continue.
The plot weaves seamlessly between both the beauty and tormented scenes of Poland during 1944 and New York during the same period where we find Finn Keller.
He’s an agent working deep undercover with the US forces, desperate to right the wrongs of his twin brother, a ruthless Nazi henchman.
Finn and Wanda meet on separate missions in Poland. They both struggle with the conflicting, intense emotions of every encounter as the secrets they keep from each other further complicate their already dangerous lives.
Can they survive in the deadly game of espionage that pins them against each other? Read the remainder of the book review to find out what I loved!
Why I loved it
1. Fast-paced – this is almost an understatement. I’m actually quite a fan of the gradual burn style of historical fiction, but this is not that kind of story. Our author dives straight into intense situations from one moment to the next. Just when you think everything’s going to be okay – boom! Something else happens.
2. Characters you’ll love – sometimes a fast-paced novel comes at the cost of truly in-depth characters. However, The Last Sketch paints a very real picture of its main characters. They each have a tapestry of life experiences that attest to their actions. I would have loved to have seen a little more inner conflict and dialogue surrounding the romantic storyline. This could also have helped us to really feel any change or growth in who they are.
3. Poland – I’ve never travelled to Poland, but now find myself wanting to. I love a wartime novel but loved, even more so, that this novel took me to Poland and a point of view of the World War II conflict that I’d not yet explored in great detail.
As Gosia’s first novel it shows a huge promise of how this obviously talented author will continue to evolve her style moving forward. I will certainly be looking out for future works.
Find out more about Gosia or purchase The Last Sketch here: https://www.gosianealon.com/
STAR RATING: 4 out of 5
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