The Codebreaker's Daughter by Amy Lynn Green

The Codebreaker's Daughter by Amy Lynn Green
4 Stars

Amy Lynn Green always delivers compelling historical fiction stories and this one blends wartime intrigue, mother-daughter dynamics and roles of women in intelligence work during WWI and WWII.

Read if you enjoy:

• Codebreaking and wartime secrets
• Strong mother-daughter dynamics
• Dual timelines with journal entries
• Hidden histories from the Great War
• Women working behind the scenes in WWII
• Historical fiction with emotional depth
• Uncovering family legacies
• Intelligence work through words

We follow Dinah and her mother Lilian. We see the behind the scenes work Dinah does for the OSS in DC as she breaks through code and ultimately learns about her own mother's work as a codebreaker in WWI, as she reads through her mother's journal entries. She is trying to make sense of the entries and uncover the secrets her mother has kept hidden all this time. 

We learn all about her mother's family history and struggles. Green also tackles mental illness topics in this book in a very important and respectful way.

This story is a slower paced, character focused one as we see the dynamics between mother and daughter play out. That is what elevates this book as Dinah is discovering so much about her mother's past. They have some conflict and a bit of a strained relationship, but the heart of the story is two brilliant women navigating their jobs, expectations and the complicated relationship between the two of them.

This was a very thoughtful, layered story that highlights some lesser known aspects of women's wartime contributions. 

A thoughtful, layered novel perfect for fans of historical fiction that highlights lesser-known aspects of women’s wartime contributions. The authors note really explained so much of what was reality from war time and I appreciate that! I learned so much. 

Thank you to Bethany House for providing a copy to honestly read and review. All thoughts are my own.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7604820926
Baker: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/618528
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4j1emM9 

*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.

The Foxhole Victory Tour by Amy Lynn Green

 

The Foxhole Victory Tour by Amy Lynn Green - 4 Stars 

Amy Lynn Green's The Blackout Book Club was one of my favorite books of 2022, so when I heard about The Foxhole Victory Tour's release, I was so excited to pick up another great Christian Historical Fiction story that I knew wouldn't disappoint. And it didn't! The Foxhole Victory Tour skillfully captures the profound impact of music and humor in lifting spirits, especially in these challenging circumstances. In this story, we follow 5 total characters in the United Service Organization (USO), but primarily the story of 2 women in 1943. These characters come together in an effort to play music and entertain the troops in North Africa during this time. We see our characters at the forefront of the war looming over them and the story goes on from here. I loved learning about the USO tours in this story because I had never heard of them before.

Our main female characters are Maggie and Catherine. Maggie has such spunk and is not afraid to speak her mind. She plays the trumpet and the story kicked off with her getting in trouble again in her current job, only to find a position with the USO at her feet. Catherine plays the violin and she is out trying to figure out her own life and fine the soldier she fell in love with through letters. She struggles because she is torn among her divorced parents and they each have their own plans for her life. But Catherine isn't going to do what anyone else says and joins the USO tours right along with Maggie. I loved seeing Catherine and Maggie together because they were such opposite characters and we see a friendship of sorts develop.

We see other performers and their stories too - such as Gabriel who is a magician and he gets very close with Maggie in the story. We also see Howie - a WWI veteran and dancer, and Julia, who is a singer. I really connected with the characters and really enjoyed the story. They go through so much together in this journey and the light faith element throughout the story was great to see. 

While some parts were more slow than others, I still overall enjoyed the story and look forward to more Amy Lynn Green books in the future.

Thank you to the publisher, Bethany House, for providing a copy to honestly read and review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5836337414
Amazon:  https://amzn.to/3SAO3m3
Baker Book House: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/542729

*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned if items are purchased from these links.