Hidden Among the Stars by Melanie Dobson

Hidden Among the Stars

by Melanie Dobson

"The year is 1938, and as Hitler's troops sweep into Vienna, Austrian Max Dornbach promises to help his Jewish friends hide their most valuable possessions from the Nazis, smuggling them to his family's summer estate near the picturesque village of Hallstatt. He enlists the help of Annika Knopf, his childhood friend and the caretaker's daughter, who is eager to help the man she's loved her entire life. But when Max also brings Luzia Weiss, a young Jewish woman, to hide at the castle, it complicates Annika's feelings and puts their entire plan-even their very lives-in jeopardy. Especially when the Nazis come to scour the estate and find both Luzia and the treasure gone. Eighty years later, Callie Randall is mostly content with her quiet life, running a bookstore with her sister and reaching out into the world through her blog. Then she finds a cryptic list in an old edition of Bambi that connects her to Annika's story . . . and maybe to the long-buried story of a dear friend. As she digs into the past, Callie must risk venturing outside the safe world she's built for a chance at answers, adventure, and maybe even new love." -- back cover

Reviewed by phyllish on

4 of 5 stars

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Hidden Among the Stars by Melanie Dobson

A compelling novel of sacrifice and trust

My rating is 4.5 stars

I loved the way children’s stories were threaded throughout the book. As a co-owner of a children’s bookstore and as the real live Story Girl, Callie was intimately acquainted with this genre. Her philosophy about the importance of being selective about the books that children read is one that I appreciate and wholeheartedly agree with. Comparing the types of books to various kinds of food was very clever. Are the books you read healthy, are they like a junk food diet, or are they simply poison?

Hidden Among the Stars was very rich and compelling. While it dealt with some of the atrocities against the Jewish people, it was handled very tactfully and carefully so that it was not gruesome or depressing. Very few details were given of any violent acts.

I appreciated the way that Max loved Luzi so deeply that he was willing to sacrifice for her. Despite the fact that she did not encourage him at all, he continued to pursue her and watch over her to the best of his ability. In addition to that, he was not influenced by his father’s cold heart and just knew that what the Nazis were doing was wrong.

Callie needed to face her fears. She had been hurt deeply, first by her parents, and then by her fiancé. As a result, she closed herself off from adventure and spent her life with her sister’s family and at the bookstore but never branched off beyond that. When she was challenged to travel, it took almost more than she thought she could give to get her onto the airplane.

There were many rich insights from the Scriptures. Insights about the nature of God filled the pages as well. As the characters struggled with questions about how a good God could allow such terrible things to happen, they discovered truths that helped them to deal with their pain.


This review was originally posted on Among the Reads

I was given a free copy of this item. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.

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  • 6 September, 2018: Reviewed