If you're looking for a well-developed story about the experience of women in World War II, this is a great choice. If you're looking for a read about sisters who struggled to make a connection with each other while simultaneously struggling to stay alive, you'll probably love this book. If you've wondered how groups of ordinary citizens made a difference in turning the tide of this war, this book will show you some of the ways they did extraordinary things.

But this book is much more than a story about sisters in France during World War II. It's about choosing to do something that could literally cost you your life at any moment. It's about the terrible things that can test us. It's about taking steps forward despite the physical and emotional pain. It's about how tragedy changes people and families. It's about love - enduring love.

When I posted about this book on Facebook, I said that it wrecked me. The way Kristin Hannah describes the experiences of these families is quite honest and clearly well researched. But not always easy to read. I had to put it down for awhile. And decide to pick it back up. It's tough stuff, I'm not gonna lie.

I have the same feeling when I tour the Holocaust museum or watch documentaries about prisoners of war and the approximately six million Jews who were killed in concentration camps. The sorrow I feel overwhelms me. I can't even give words to how I feel.

For that reason, I had to wait a day to write this review. I had to let the feelings settle.

When I read novels or non-fiction about World War II, it's all too clear why my father never spoke much about his experiences in Germany, France and places in between.

This book is heartbreaking and heartwarming. Each time I thought the worst was over, it wasn't. I sighed a lot and cried a lot. But I'm such a fan of this book. It quite possibly may be the best of Kristin Hannah.