Book Review: Lines of Courage

Lines of Courage

-Jennifer A. Nielsen

Historical Middle-Grade

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The stories of five kids living through World War I, each of whom holds the key to the others' futures... if they are lucky - and brave - enough to find each other.

World War I stretches its cruel fingers across Europe, where five young people, each from different backgrounds and nations, face the terror of battle, the deprivations of hunger, and all the awful challenges of war.

Felix, from Austria-Hungary, longs for the bravery to resist Jewish deportations before his own family can be taken.

Kara, from Britain, dreams of someday earning her Red Cross pin and working as a nurse - or even a doctor.

Juliette, of France, hopes her family can remain knitted together, despite her father's imprisonment, as the war's longest battle stretches on and on.

Elsa, from Germany, hopes her homing pigeon might one day bring her a friend from out of the chaos.

And Dimitri, of Russia, wants only to survive the front, where he's been sent with no weapon.

None of them will find exactly what they want. But the winds of fate may cross their paths to give each of them just what they need.

I'm a fairly big fan of most of Neilsen's writing, so when I was able to get my hands on her latest, WWI no less, I fairly jumped at it.

I have not read much WWI, in fiction or otherwise, but I will say—that needs to change. The history and circumstances surrounding The Great War are riddled with question marks, with each country having a different reason for joining. What a better way to illustrate the various countries and their involvement than to have characters from all over the Europe?

Plot

I have to say, it was interesting reading a book with five different points-of-view, and I was curious how confusing that might get. But bravo to Neilsen, she did a fantastic job weaving together the lives of all the characters, as well as the basic thread that bound them all together. Plus, I was quite pleased when all of them met up in the end for one grand finale. 😊

Characters

Felix starts the book off, our boy from Austria-Hungary, whose father has been called to re-enlist to fight the Russians. Kara joins her mother on a Red Cross train, which had to have been one of my favorite aspects of the book. Juliette is separated from her family and forced to survive in war-torn France.

Elsa from Germany is caught up in the ugly side of engaging in a war—which includes being the daughter of an unpopular General. And all Dimitri wants is for the war to end, preferably with him still alive.

Each characters' lives brought to light very different aspects from the war, from soldier to nurse to victim, while also portraying how just because somebody is fighting for the enemy, doesn't mean they are a bad person, which I found most enjoyable.

Romance

No romantic content to speak of. A boy mentions his friend wanting to get back a girl. A girl blushing slightly at the mention of her and another character. Nothing inappropriate.

Content Labels

A character is chained to a post overnight by a German as a punishment. Mentions of wounds sickness, but not described. Also mentions of Shell Shock, bombing, war zones, trenches and No Man's Land.

Final Note

Once again, Jennifer Neilsen impresses and inspires with her accurate portrayals of history. This was one book that kept me up late to finish, and it did not disappoint. I look forward to more to come from this talented author!

So! Are you a Jennifer Neilsen fan? If so, which is your favorite book? Comment down below, and let's chat favorite authors!

Catch ya on the flip side!

_Mac