Reviewed by Emma Crowley
Raya bends over a delicate glove in her beloved shop in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. It’s the only place she still feels safe. When the Nazis snatched control of Paris, Raya knew she had to fight to protect the few things she had left. And so far, her support of the resistance has gone undetected.
But now, the door bangs open and three German soldiers lunge towards her. Raya’s blood turns to ice. Hauled onto the cobbled street, she struggles against their rough hands as they accuse her of organizing meetings in the tunnels below her shop.
Raya can think only of her baby daughter Amalia, hidden beneath the shop’s front desk. She has a heart-wrenching choice to make. Reveal Amalia’s existence and risk her life, or leave her behind and pray someone protects her. It’s the hardest decision she’s ever faced…
Transported to Ravensbruck concentration camp, every day is a desperate battle for survival. The only thing that keeps Raya going is the thought of being reunited with her blue-eyed, innocent baby girl.
But did someone with a kind soul uncover Amalia’s hiding place and keep her safe? And in the darkest of places, is the power of a mother’s love enough to keep Raya alive until she can see her daughter again?
Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for my copy of The Glovemaker’s Daughter to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
Shari J. Ryan’s new book, The Glovemaker’s Daughter, explores life in Paris during the German occupation in World WarTwo. It provides the reader with a fascinating and heart wrenching insight into the persecution and suffering that the residents of the City of Lights endured with Jewish people being a specific target but no one was spared from the agony torment and emotional pain. The story opens with a brief prologue. It’s October 1943 and Raya has been imprisoned in Ravensbruck concentration camp. She continues to protest her innocence, the Germans do not believe her nor have they any time for her words or pleas. ’Pain is all I know now-a constant companion of this war’.
Throughout the book there are chapters from Raya’s point of view as she tries to survive the horrors of the camp. I had read of this camp before but still some of the descriptions and images that came to mind whilst reading were truly appalling. Yet they were essential in order to show what Raya was going through. ’The most unthinkable sacrifice a person can make is to give up their life hoping to save another’. That’s exactly what Raya did. But was it worth it and will she ever be able to survive the torture and brutality and return to those she loved or will Ravensbruck ensnare her indefinitely in its evil clutches?
The story then moves back to May 1942 and from that point on smoothly moves back and forth between the time leading up to Raya’s capture and the period where she is in the camp. The chapters move back and forth between her point of view and Nicolas’ which I thought was brilliant as it didn’t allow things to become one sided. Instead it allowed the reader to understand and comprehend the bigger picture as to what was going on. You could see what fuelled the main characters actions and you were also provided with a good insight into their thought processes and opinions.
Raya has been on her own in Paris since her brother Alix left for university in Switzerland. She had been a mother figure and protector to him since her mother passed away with her father having died many years previously. She wanted the best for Alix and she was the one who insisted he take up the university place. She takes comfort knowing that he is safe in Switzerland but at the same time she does long for company and to have someone to have her back. She has been independent for so long and the pressure of keeping the family leather goods shop running increases daily as life in Paris under German occupation becomes even more of a struggle.
The business has been in her family for generations and this is what attempts to sustain her through the difficult and challenging times. It is her reason for getting up every morning and even more so when laws are introduced banning Jews from living in certain areas and owning property. Life for the Jewish population of Paris has become untenable and soon round ups occur with families taken from their homes and they subsequently disappear with their eventual fates unknown. Raya throughout every part of the book always puts others first before herself. It’s one of the characteristics that define her and others can see these qualities in her also. She is selfless and courageous and constantly thinks of others safety but at times I thought she was just too foolhardy and needed to think of herself or else let others do that for her. After all, if she had been more careful she may not have ended up in the camp but then saying that at the same time she wouldn’t have stood by and let those she cared so deeply for suffer and in turn the worst befall them.
Charlette works alongside Raya in the shop making leather gloves and goods and doing any repairs. They have been best friends since school and share a special bond that makes them almost like sisters. When Charlette fails to turn up for work one day Raya goes to her family home where she finds Charlette and her parents in a state of fear and shock. Being Jewish they now must vacate their home and are to be branded Jews of Paris and wear a yellow star. Raya knows that this news is not good and here is where her selflessness and awareness of others comes into play. She offers the family a place to stay in her apartments above the shop. There is a secret room where they can be concealed for the duration of the war but doing this will put everyone’s lives in peril. But ‘with times of war, come stronger acts of devotion’. The fear of concealing people eats away at Raya and I thought she lived on her nerves for the majority of the book. At times she didn’t seem stable or strong enough to keep going as she always had to look over her shoulder and one day when Germans come to the shop, well, that alters the course of her life forever.
Alongside Raya’s chapters are chapters told from Nicolas’ viewpoint. He is a journalist for a Parisian newspaper although he is no longer free to write the stories he wishes. Censorship is in strict force and the realities of what is occurring on the streets of German occupied Paris are never allowed to be revealed in news articles. Nicolas feels curtailed in his profession but away from his job, he is a fighter and a battler determined to do his bit for his country in order to see the Germans gone from the city he loves. To this end he is involved in a Resistance group - the Lion Rebelles - who work underground delivering communications and engaging in actions that will hinder the Germans. Nicolas is always dogged, brave and determined in his actions and a man that you would want by your side in times of trouble and anxiety. He is fuelled by the actions of his father, he wants to do his best in every situation he finds himself in and does not want history to repeat itself.
When Raya and Nicolas meet on the street outside the shop one day there is an instant attraction between the pair which sparks off the pages of the book. Raya has an air of innocence about her when to comes to the romantic things in life and there is also an atmosphere of caution too. But I loved how the relationship developed between the pair. It felt genuine and natural and it was lovely to see some light amidst the darkness enshrouding them. ‘Like a deep root buried beneath soil, love doesn’t just die, it finds another path, to grow around whatever obstacle is in its way’. These words couldn’t be truer for both Raya and Nicolas and there are numerous obstacles placed in their way especially when the worst occurs regarding Raya. I detested what happened to her and one scene in particular was especially difficult to read. But again the word sacrifice plays a very important role here and I just wished that Raya wasn’t always trying to protect others and battle through on her own. If she was honest and shared the load a lot of suffering could have been prevented. But I suppose that is what makes Raya a special and remarkable character, that is the lengths she goes to, to protect those she loves.
The Glovemaker’s Daughter, although not my favourite book by Shari J. Ryan, was still a very good read. The storyline kept me turning the pages because I wanted to know the exact reasons as to why Raya ended up in the camp and of course would she make it out or would the suffering, degradation and emotional and physical agony prove too much for her? If you enjoy historical fiction than The Glovemaker’s Daughter is one for you as it is heartbreaking and suspenseful in equal measure.
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