In late May I read Rachel Seiffert's historical novel, Once the Deed is Done. It's set in northern Germany, during the final two months of World War II and in the immediate post-war period. For two months before the surrender, the British have advanced and have come to occupy a small town.
This town, once the site of a German (Nazi) labor camp/factory, whose forced laborers had been mostly deported from Poland and Ukraine, is now the site of a DP (Displaced Persons) camp. The story focuses on the activities and viewpoints of a woman who's a Red Cross worker from Britain, three German children who spend the summer of 1945 renovating a shepard's hut high in the hills of the town, a German couple who are hiding a very young Polish child who was abandoned in their barn, British military staff, and various characters who are living in the DP Camp. There is a mystery, too. What happened one frigid month in March 1945 when dozens of women deportees from the factory vanished?
I thought this novel was exceptionally well-done. I have an intense interest in 1945 Germany and the early post-war era and have read many histories on the subject. I can say that Seiffert did a tremendous amount of research for this novel. It was short-listed for the 2026 Sir Walter Scott Historical Fiction Prize. Seiffert has been on the short-list for the Booker Prize at least once. I loved her handling of the multiple viewpoints.
This summer I also plan to read another book that's on the Scott shortlist. That's The Pretender by Jo Harkin.
I read my first book for my 20 Books of Summer this past week. I galloped through At Midnight Comes the Cry, the 10th and most recent book in the Claire Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne mystery series. It seems that this installment has been announced as the final book in the series. I have read them all, starting with my favorite, the first book, In the Bleak Midwinter. Well worth reading!
Although this latest entry in the series received very high ratings on Goodreads, it was one of my least favorites. There's a great deal of action, and I found it chaotic. The premise was difficult for me, too: A white supremacist group in the Adirondacks is on the verge of wreaking havoc. I found the themes difficult to read, especially because we're dealing with these issues all the time in real life in our country. I hope that other readers have thought differently about this book and I hope you will share your thoughts here.
I'm also reading The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout and have started The Black Death by Thomas Asbridge, a work of history.
I went to a joint booksigning JSF did with Paula Munier in December so I have an autographed copy waiting to be read but perhaps because I was disappointed in the last book or so, I have delayed reading it.
ReplyDeleteIf you do find your way to read it, I'd most certainly be more than interested in your thoughts!! Please do write about it if you do come around to reading it.
DeleteIn a way I'm sad to see the series end. JSF was going great guns until her husband died, at the time she was writing the 9th book, way back when. I can TOTALLY understand how difficult it must be to continue on after such a huge loss. I think she has struggled since then. I do hope she will continue to write, though.
I vividly remember reading In the Bleak Midwinter and being totally swept away by Claire and Russ's relationship and their jobs and the setting. I read everything up to when his wife died and then the series sort of fizzled for me. Interesting that it is still going!
ReplyDeleteOnce the Deed is Done sounds so good. I am also intensely interested in Germany in1945. I will have to get this one on my list--I like the premise and the characters you mention have promising stories.
Yes, I agree--I felt badly for Spencer-Fleming, but the last two books didn't hit the spot the way her early books did. I'm so glad you liked In the Bleak Midwinter! That was a marvelous read.
DeleteI think you will like Once the Deed is Done, given your interest in Germany 1945.
I'm glad you're reading a couple on the Walter Scott short list. They sound interesting and I just checked and it appears that The Matchbox Girl by Alice Jolly last week won the 2026 Walter Scott Prize, Wow! I don't know this novel but now I'm curious to add it to my TBR. I enjoy good historical fiction. Here is an article announcing it: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crkv0mv1p87o
ReplyDeleteSusan--Yes I noticed via BookPulse (Library Journal Daily) that The Matchbox Girl won the prize, and I checked into it. It sounds like it's written in a very experimental format, which is interesting.
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