The Butterfly and the Violin

“UPS”: The historical characters in this book were absolutely incredible! I loved each one of them and they were all so realistic, believable, and just excellently written. The story was also full of adventure, plot twists, and believable emotion, which made the book that much better. The Christian content was also great, nearly every page was full of prayers, faith, and Scriptures, making the book very refreshing to read.

“DOWNS”: The “present day” characters and story did not impress me that much, the romance between Sera and William happened way to fast to be realistic and really, kissing the day you meet is not a good move. William was a well developed character, but Sera, as a character, seemed confusing. Her hurt was believable at first, but the fact that she threw away all her guard and cation the day she meets William, made it seem as if she was just using her “hurt” as an excuse to ignore other guys, which I am sure the author did not try to do.

“OVERALL”: The “downs” do not overpower the “ups”! Despite the “downs”, I still give The Butterfly and the Violin a rating of 4.5 stars out of 5 for my time well spent! Those of you who love historical fiction, you will love this book! I highly recommend it!

“I received this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review. All comments and opinions are my own.”

This story is simply exquisite. Adele makes one decision to help a friend and loses everything, being sent to Auschwitz after being sentenced to “eight weeks of reeducation” for her actions. She is not Jewish, and her father is a high-ranking officer in the Third Reich, but that does not save her from a horrific experience in the concentration camp.

I was not aware that prisoner orchestras were forced to play during the arrivals and executions of other prisoners. I had heard that musicians and doctors had a higher chance of survival than others, but not why. I don't think I could manage to step up and keep playing in such circumstances, and it was no surprise to read of the high suicide rate among the players.

Add to that the story of Sera James, the art dealer who is trying to find a painting made of Adele and her violin. The jumps in timeline were expertly executed and easy to follow.

Highly recommended!