The Brunswick | WWII Historical Romance in a Small Town
The Brunswick is a wholesome historical novel set in a small town in America right before Europe entered into WWII. One thread of the story follows Cora as she struggles to keep her father’s business afloat. The other thread follows Charlotte, a Jewish girl in Austria who is forced to flee her country to avoid the secret police.
Main Themes
One main theme in the novel is the importance of having good friends. Both Cora and Charlotte have to allow others to help them if they want to make it out of their respective situations. It’s not easy to have the humility to admit they can’t do it on their own, but the rewards of having a loyal community are worth it.
Another main theme is courage and the willingness to risk life, limb, and respect of neighbors to do the right thing. Cora is shunned by members in her community when she opens her home to German-speaking Jewish children fleeing from the war. Yet she knows compassion is the right response towards these children, not contempt or fear.
Faith Elements
Faith played a small part of the novel, but Christian themes like courage, compassion, protecting innocent children, caring for those in prison, and a strong sense of community were absolutely present throughout the novel.
Family Friendly Considerations
This was a clean novel, but there were a few themes that might be difficult for more sensitive readers. There is a brief scene of attempted veteran suicide, absent/always disapproving fathers, and some very mild wartime violence, torture, and discrimination.
Interested in Similar Reads?
If you enjoy WWII fiction, you might want to check out these novels as well!
- The Foxhole Victory Tour by Amy Lynn Green
- The Warsaw Sisters by Amanda Barratt
- The Collector of Burned Books by Roseanna M. White
- The Scarlet Spy by Rachel Scott McDaniel
