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Sophia's War #1
The End of Innocence
Sophia can hardly wait to return to Germany to help her great aunt run the town library, despite her father's distrust of the National Socialist German Workers' Party. But Sophia's not worried; she knows she will be safe with her extended family. Unfortunately, the beautiful country that she remembers from her childhood visits is almost unrecognizable. Almost every man is in uniform, and everyone she meets seems watchful and secretive. It quickly becomes apparent that Germany is not what it used to be, and neither is her cousin, Diedrich. Will Sophia return home when Diedrich gives her an ultimatum that defies her conscience? Or will her desire to fulfill her aunt's wishes keep her in a dangerous foreign land on the brink of war?
235 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 27, 2013
27 people are currently reading
281 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie Baumgartner
18 books34 followersChrist-follower, wife, mother, author, dreamer, INFJ, Hufflepuff, WWII enthusiast. My dream pet would be a red fox and if I could eat only one food for the rest of my life, it would be avocados.
Wow. A house made of avocado and a yard full of foxes. I think that would be my heaven.
If you write WWII fiction, don't hesitate to contact me so I can add your book to my to-read list! It's probably obvious, but I love reading about WWII and am always eager to communicate with fellow authors!
Wow. A house made of avocado and a yard full of foxes. I think that would be my heaven.
If you write WWII fiction, don't hesitate to contact me so I can add your book to my to-read list! It's probably obvious, but I love reading about WWII and am always eager to communicate with fellow authors!
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
August 31, 2013
I think this book should be reclassified as Christian Inspiration. The Christianity is a bit overpowering. It comes on too strong. Her family, so perfect and so Christian, Sophie brought up so right and then their Swiss/German side of the family, irresolute, having affairs and seem to have no scruples. It's an irritating part of the book. I feel like it should be classified as Christian fiction, since faith is one of the main themes.
Sophia is innocent, as is made clear by the title, but she's too sheltered, I think. She has no concept or idea about the war, (she puts off thinking about it, or says she's thought about it enough so she can worry about why a boy didn't show up for their date) yet she was raised as the daughter of a military man. Her reaction to her cousin's outburst after he learns that his family has been killed was to be shocked that he had said something irreligious. She doesn't seem to care that hundreds of Poles have been killed, only that her cousin was angry at god.
It seems to end where the story really ought to begin, but I doubt I'd read the next. Sophia wasn't a compelling enough of a character for me to follow. Again, I think this would market well towards Christian Inspiration, because it is obvious that it's her faith that is going to be the main point, that is going to help her through whatever is coming.
Also, the descriptions of feelings and thoughts were very repetitive. The author restates many times how Sophie feels, or impressions she gets. I understand that the author might want to make sure that the reader understands, but it's a bit heavy-handed.
Sophia is innocent, as is made clear by the title, but she's too sheltered, I think. She has no concept or idea about the war, (she puts off thinking about it, or says she's thought about it enough so she can worry about why a boy didn't show up for their date) yet she was raised as the daughter of a military man. Her reaction to her cousin's outburst after he learns that his family has been killed was to be shocked that he had said something irreligious. She doesn't seem to care that hundreds of Poles have been killed, only that her cousin was angry at god.
It seems to end where the story really ought to begin, but I doubt I'd read the next. Sophia wasn't a compelling enough of a character for me to follow. Again, I think this would market well towards Christian Inspiration, because it is obvious that it's her faith that is going to be the main point, that is going to help her through whatever is coming.
Also, the descriptions of feelings and thoughts were very repetitive. The author restates many times how Sophie feels, or impressions she gets. I understand that the author might want to make sure that the reader understands, but it's a bit heavy-handed.
August 25, 2013
What can I say but that I thoroughly enjoyed this book? Well, I could tell you that I loved these characters and found myself rooting for them as I saw them developing, but that isn't enough. I could tell you that I enjoyed taking a glimpse into an era that would shake the world, but that isn't enough either. I could tell you that I was sucked in with great storytelling and found myself turning page after page until I reached the end, but that wouldn't do either.
I think I will tell you to simply read this book (it's not extremely long, what are you afraid of?) and fall in love for yourself. What's better is it's free right now on Amazon, so you really have nothing to lose. Check it out; I think you'll be glad you did.
- Devin
I think I will tell you to simply read this book (it's not extremely long, what are you afraid of?) and fall in love for yourself. What's better is it's free right now on Amazon, so you really have nothing to lose. Check it out; I think you'll be glad you did.
- Devin
October 2, 2014
Disappointed. Subject was of interest but it was little more than an introduction to the sequal. I hate when they do that!!! I want a book that stands on its own whether its part of a series or not. Also felt that it wasnt very realistic or logical in its story progression. Lets just say I dont feel a need to run out and buy the sequel.
October 31, 2013
I was instantly connected to the main character, Sophia. The story drew me into that time and place. My biggest criticism is that it ended abruptly. Despite that, I really want to know what happens next to Sophia.
July 8, 2015
I Was surprised by the ending but now realize there are more volumes. Looking forward to the next volume.
This story is well written and keeps you wondering about why the secrecy?
Lots of unanswered questions at the conclusion which keeps you intrigued.
This story is well written and keeps you wondering about why the secrecy?
Lots of unanswered questions at the conclusion which keeps you intrigued.
August 22, 2013
I really enjoyed reading this book! It drew me in immediately and kept me wanting to read more. Awesome read!!!! Can't wait to start book 2!
September 9, 2019
I whizzed through this book..not wanting to put it down..on the edge of my seat.. afraid of what was coming next..at the same time savoring it because I didn't want it to end! I then realized there are more Sophia books...I have to go..I'm on to #2..
July 1, 2024
A short book that really grabbed my attention. I rated a 3 instead of a 4. Because the story stops mid story and in a somewhat climatic time and you have to get the next book in the series to find out what happens. It looks like this has book one of seven.
March 12, 2019
This is a serial book and not complete in itself. I will not be finishing this series
March 10, 2014
I can only say a few things about this book and to be honest that is a shame. Here is a book I wanted to truly love, after all I thoroughly enjoy both fiction and non-fiction works set in this era, so by the time I reached the end of this novel, I was so disappointed that I only just liked it.
I have no issue with Christian fiction, as sometimes it can be a lot better written and put together than those outside this genre; the Authors of this kind of work always seem to be able to show the sliver of light in the darkness, but this novel was just too much and led to my being really irritated in parts. This impression was fuelled mainly by the featured protagonist of the title; she was just too good to be true. Her most annoying trait was putting off thinking about things that she didn’t like, or upset her all too sheltered little world. This may sound like a natural human reaction when dealing with the issue of war, but then the reader discovers that the most important things in her world are all centred on her. I found there to be no strength of will or conviction in this character at all, and as a whole found her to be rather vapid and flimsy. The main protagonist was not the only character I had issues with; her all too perfect devoutly Christian family were written in such a way that I felt downright disgust at their hypocrisy, and this made me come to think of them as “Sunday Christians”, not an image I should imagine the Author was looking to create at all.
Repetition featured heavily in this novel and, not intending to insult the Author in any way, it came across as if they had reached a wall with the storyline and brought back time and again feelings and impressions that had been covered earlier, to bridge a gap until the plot could be picked up again. If it was used as a tool to ensure the reader understood the motivations behind everything, good for them but if you are going to use this style in the future it may do well to come across a little less heavy-handedly. Also, and this is definitely just my personal opinion like everything else in the reviews I write, I feel this book should be reclassified as Christian Fiction; in this way the Author would probably reach a larger target audience. Classified as it is, readers picking this up and expecting to read about World War II Germany from a young American woman’s viewpoint will be sorely disappointed. I’m in two minds whether I will read anymore in the series; as one part of me would like to see if the Authors writing style and approach develop; but the other side of me is loathe to have to go through the same thing I went through with this novel.
I would recommend this book to those readers who enjoy inspirational Christian fiction and who don’t mind embarking on yet another series of books.
Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2014/03/10...
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
I have no issue with Christian fiction, as sometimes it can be a lot better written and put together than those outside this genre; the Authors of this kind of work always seem to be able to show the sliver of light in the darkness, but this novel was just too much and led to my being really irritated in parts. This impression was fuelled mainly by the featured protagonist of the title; she was just too good to be true. Her most annoying trait was putting off thinking about things that she didn’t like, or upset her all too sheltered little world. This may sound like a natural human reaction when dealing with the issue of war, but then the reader discovers that the most important things in her world are all centred on her. I found there to be no strength of will or conviction in this character at all, and as a whole found her to be rather vapid and flimsy. The main protagonist was not the only character I had issues with; her all too perfect devoutly Christian family were written in such a way that I felt downright disgust at their hypocrisy, and this made me come to think of them as “Sunday Christians”, not an image I should imagine the Author was looking to create at all.
Repetition featured heavily in this novel and, not intending to insult the Author in any way, it came across as if they had reached a wall with the storyline and brought back time and again feelings and impressions that had been covered earlier, to bridge a gap until the plot could be picked up again. If it was used as a tool to ensure the reader understood the motivations behind everything, good for them but if you are going to use this style in the future it may do well to come across a little less heavy-handedly. Also, and this is definitely just my personal opinion like everything else in the reviews I write, I feel this book should be reclassified as Christian Fiction; in this way the Author would probably reach a larger target audience. Classified as it is, readers picking this up and expecting to read about World War II Germany from a young American woman’s viewpoint will be sorely disappointed. I’m in two minds whether I will read anymore in the series; as one part of me would like to see if the Authors writing style and approach develop; but the other side of me is loathe to have to go through the same thing I went through with this novel.
I would recommend this book to those readers who enjoy inspirational Christian fiction and who don’t mind embarking on yet another series of books.
Originally reviewed on: http://catesbooknuthut.com/2014/03/10...
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
June 9, 2014
Overall, this book was just an okay read for me, and finished the book only to see how it ended. The initial plot was interesting, but the characters were not intriguing enough for me to fully enjoy the story. I felt that main character was way too naive for her age and time period, which made the story unbelievable. Also, there were several instances where the time frame did not line up, and several times I had to go back a few pages just to try and figure out the time lapse on when events were occurring. The ending to the story was not an ending at all, and I felt that the story just stopped in an awkward time. Granted there is another book after this one, but I'm not curious enough to read it.
September 27, 2014
It was a tossup for me on how I was going to rate this book. Honestly during the entire first half the story moves at a glacial place which lowered my rating. Mostly that was because of the author was focusing on the minutia of Germany just before the start of World War II. It also surrounds setting up a town library which doesn't lend much to excitement. She's really done her research thoroughly which I'll give her credit for. I personally did not think of it as a Christian book like some of the other reviewers seemed to. Other than a couple of verses there's really no reference to religion. My guess is because the war has actually started the pace of the second book should speed up a lot.
October 5, 2014
The writing wasn't terrible, though I think there was a little too much description about mundane unimportant things, however basically nothing happens in this story until the very very end and what does happen made me go "Well, that's weird" Hence the two stars.
July 1, 2014
Thought it read slow. Not a fan and disappointed that it is a continuing series. Not aware of that when I started.
March 6, 2014
I really enjoyed this novel up to the ending...which there wasn't one. It allowed you to read the first chapter of volume 2
December 4, 2014
Excellent read. My only complaint, and it's the same for the others in the series, is that it ends abruptly. That's it.
June 9, 2019
Absolutely fell in love with Sophia!!! If you love reading series I HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend these books!!!
September 18, 2015
Enjoy this writer and her incorporation of history into her novels!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews