*I received a copy of this book in eBook format via NetGalley in return for this review. All reviews published on Yours, Chloe are completely honest and my own, and are in now way influenced by the gifting opportunity.
Title: The Girl From Norway
Author: Emma Pass
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: ★★★★★
1942. When Hedda Dahlstrøm flees her
abusive husband and Nazi-occupied Norway with her eight-year-old son she
doesn't know if they'll make it out alive. In her desperate journey to safety
she'll find safety on the rocky shores of the Shetland Islands, rescued by
Canadian Flight Sergeant Bill Gauthier.
As WWII's destruction rages at their doorsteps, can love find its way through the rubble?
The Girl From Norway is the latest historical fiction novel
from author Emma Pass. It is the perfect combination of mystery, drama and
romance, all set against the Second World War landscape of the RAF base in Shetland
and Nazi-occupied Norway.
The dual-perspective narrative begins as two separate stories
– one about Hedda’s escape from Nazi-occupied Norway with her son and one about
Bill’s experiences in the RAF – but they quickly converge when they both find
themselves on the Shetland Islands. The story is fast-paced and packed full of
action from the very first chapters. I was worried it wouldn’t be able to
maintain this momentum once Hedda reaches the safety of the Shetland Islands
but, after a number of slower-paced chapters setting the new scene and covering
Hedda’s adjustment to life outside of Nazi-occupied Norway, the action quickly
returned as the RAF and islanders try to determine the identity of an island
spy traitor leaking information to the Germans.
The story was clearly impeccably researched and historical
details were seamlessly woven into the narrative. I also appreciated both the
inclusion of Shetland dialect throughout the story and the nods to the Norwegian
language and this really supported the authenticity of the story.
As the book blurb suggests, there is a blossoming romance between
Hedda and Bill throughout the story and this makes the book perfect for fans of
a good historical romance. Theirs is a slow burn love and definitely not
without its bumps in the road but I really enjoyed this aspect to the story
overall as they were a perfect match for each other.
Both of our dual protagonists – Hedda and Bill – were fantastically
written with such depth to their character. Hedda was an incredible female
protagonist and her strength and courage amazed me throughout the story. Her relationship
with her young son Eirich was beautiful and he was a lovely little character himself.
I loved seeing his developing relationship with “Mr Bill” as he called him as
it blossomed into the father/son relationship the young lad deserved. Bill was
another fantastic character and I thought the book really authentically portrayed
the mental and physical impact of both his experiences serving on the
front-line and of the accident which injured him and resulted in his redeployment
to the Shetland Islands. I didn’t find myself particularly connecting with his
relationship with his fiancée and it was therefore very difficult to root for
them at all. That aspect of the story was quite predictable but I do appreciate
that it just served as another barrier for Hedda and Bill’s love to overcome.
Hedda’s emotional abuse at the hands of her husband Anders
was also very well portrayed. Although he appears in person very little
throughout the story, his voice was a constant presence in the narrative,
constantly playing in Hedda’s head in it’s cruel and demeaning tone. Anders was
a truly vile character, which is just credit to how well written he was. Whilst
being mindful of avoiding spoilers surrounding the island spy plotline, the other
primary antagonist of the book was also very well written and I did pat myself
on the back for my immediate suspicions of them being well-placed.
The primary setting of the story, a fictional island part of
the Shetland Islands, was fantastic and I loved meeting all of the different
island inhabitants and seeing them come together as a community. I find the history of the Shetland Bus – a transport
link established between Nazi-occupied Norway and the Shetland Islands during WW2,
used to smuggle people (including SOE agents and refugees), arms and equipment in
and out of the enemy territory – to be a truly fascinating part of Second World
War history which isn’t talked about enough within historical fiction so it was
exciting to see it play such an important role in Hedda’s story.
I also can't review without giving a nod of appreciation to the beautiful cover art. The imagery and colour palette were perfectly chosen.
Overall, The Girl From Norway is a fantastic piece of World War
Two fiction and perfect for fans of the genre and anyone who likes a good spy
mystery. Hedda and Bill’s story is endearing and truly moving and I was hooked
from cover to cover.
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