The Ragged Edge of Night

This was one of the free Amazon books you get with prime. I never read those but still usually choose one. When I found myself in between library holds, I thought I’d give it a try. It really grabbed me. Beautiful writing. A great story. And the fact people rage in the reviews about the author’s politics just reminds us all that they’re the ones who most need to hear it. Let’s stand up against the night, like Anton and Elisabeth, and shine the light. I’ll check out her other works, for sure!

This novel was just so amazing on many levels. Thought provoking, going from WWII to present sadly realizing and experiencing it's current political relevance. The poignancy, so eloquently written, describing the reality and risks taken by ordinary individuals to fight back against hatred, intolerance and injustice. A wonderful story, woven with joy and sadness, while love and freedom triumphs--I became a bit suspicious while reading, so finding out at the end that this beautiful historical story was in fact real, was icing on the cake for me. Coming from Italian, Austrian and German immigrants who came here just before and after WWI, and those relatives left behind facing WWII, reading what resistance fighters risked and accomplished resonated more emotionally with me because of our family history. Thank you Starzmann family!

Love Olivia's books. It is difficult to put them down. I have read all your books that I know about. Thank you Olivia for sharing your talent of writing historical novels. Love, love the journey

This is a beautiful story of a courageous man who lived out his faith in an extraordinarily difficult period of our history under Hitler’s reign. It is a reminder to us of how insidiously evil can get a foothold & begin to flourish when good people do not stand up for what is right. But faith in God & love for his fellow man & specifically for his family drove this man to take a stand & make a difference.

I would have gone higher but it was a slow start. Interesting take on WWII. Small village in Germany and how they took steps to survive and resist during the war. With an unusual love story thrown in.

I have read a number of good stories set during WWII in the past six months. This one is really enjoyable, telling the story of a couple of people in a small village. I am truly delighted by the surprise the author shares in the afterword. This is an enjoyable story worth reading!

Based on a true story

We all can learn from the trials of our ancestors. Evil will prevail is it is not confronted . But there is always another waiting to take its place. The real people in this story remind us to stay vigilant. Their courage is inspiring!

I chose this novel from the Amazon First Reads list for September, I leave a review of my own free will.This novel tells the tale of Josef Anton Starzmann and his experiences during the Second World War. Age 18 he joined a friary and became Brother Nazarius, a friar teaching children with both physical and mental health issues, whom have been abandoned by their families, to play musical instruments bringing them a whole new world to explore.As the Nazi party gains power it starts to eradicate anyone it considers "life unworthy to live" under the T4 bill. The friars are forced to hand over the children in their care, Brother Nazarius tries to pursuade the soldiers not to take them, and learns a stark lesson as to why so many Germans appear to have forgotten their own humanity; if they don't follow orders it's their own families who will be rounded up and taken to the death camps or killed as an example to others.The friary and school are disbanded and he's conscripted to the Wermacht, where his feelings of devastation and guilt over having been unable to save the children are increased, being asked to take people's lives and then witnessing the despicable acts of the soldiers, burning a church amongst other things, he manages to escape the Wermacht by overplaying an injury acquired while parachuting into his first battle.Desperate to be of help to someone and to avoid being forced to kill against his beliefs and instincts he responds to an advertisement placed by a widow and mother of three, seeking a husband to help bring up and protect her children.Inexperienced in the complexities of relationships he marries Elisabeth Herter 2 weeks after meeting her and we follow their family through the remaining years of the war.Anton finds hope, friendship, love and support in the small close knit community Elisabeth lives in but not everyone believes that the great Nazi Party is wrong and Anton faces being reported and worse from the gauleiter Herr Franke but the tide is turning and Hitler's days are numbered. Will Anton and his family be able to make it without being taken by the SS?The tale unfolds lyrically, I literally didn't stop reading until I had finished, the scenery, their emotions and the complexities they both face are brought to life with such clarity you can feel them, almost reach out and touch them.The crowning glory of this is that Ms Hawker is married to Anton's grandson and it's based in fact. I hope that she will share more stories from her family history in time as they are captivating.At the moment the world is on the brink of forgetting that everyone is equal... No race, creed or political group should forget the mistakes made in the name of the German people by the Nazi Party extremists and the overwhelming power they obtained through violence and fear... Love, acceptance and tolerance are the way forward... No one should ever have to live through this again.

Within minutes of opening 'The Ragged Edge of Night' on my kindle, I was entranced. The writing is both poetic and compelling and the story flowed along, carrying me with it. Anton is a super sympathetic main character and I couldn't resist him. His story interested me so much.This is a real testament to Olivia Hawker's writing skills, because Anton is a Catholic, an ex friar. My relationship with the Catholic church is cold at best, and I wouldn't normally read a book featuring a Catholic hero and a sympathetic priest. Ms Hawker managed to hook me within a page! So I had to go on reading in spite of my initial reluctance. And found that 'The Ragged Edge of Night' is just beautiful, so inspiring and full of love.Page by page I was drawn further into the story and grew more and more worried about the fate of the characters, all suffering under the harsh rule of Hitler in Nazi Germany. The town of Unterboihingen is beautifully evoked and I couldn't face the thought that the terror would destroy this peaceful kindly place. No plot spoilers here, but I will say the last two sentences of 'The Ragged Edge of Night' are inspirational. Whatever happens there is always love.

I didn’t really enjoy this book. The revalation it’s based on a true story in some ways helped, as otherwise it’s inexplicably dull.The comparison to Beneath a Scarlet sky does that book a disservice. Though that book’s writing style isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, the story is compelling, relentless and ultimately ruthlessly tragic. It left an impression.This has none of that. I was expecting something to happen and it never did. It’s not quite “stuff happened, it was quite tough, and we all lived happily ever after” but it’s about as close as a WWII book can get. I also can’t forgive the use of ‘Fall’ to describe Autumn.I can’t recommend it. It’s okay but that’s not really a compliment.

An extraordinary recounting of the resistance of a humble man and his priest against the evil Nazi regime. The book is so much more than the suspense and terror of those times, as the author delves deeply into the mind of a much-troubled man who had been a friar.What makes this story all the more powerful are the fact that it was based on the real life of the author's husband's grandfather. Her remarks at the end of the book reinforce the importance of Anton's life being remembered.

I enjoyed reading this novel and was pleased to discover that it was based on a true story as I particularly liked the main characters. It is nicely written with enough drama to keep you interested but without the gratuitous sex and violence that too many novels rely on today.