It was "The House at Tyneford" by Natasha Solomons and it is the story of a young Jewish woman from Vienna named Elise. The book begins in 1938, and Elise's well-to-do parents have arranged for her to seek refuge as a parlor maid in England. Like most people, I've been exposed to many stories of World War II through books, films, and television, but this one came from a perspective that I haven't seen before. It seems strange, given how many there were, but I've never heard the story of a Jewish exile before, and having a character who was about the same age as me made it easy to relate to her, even if her life shared few similarities to my own.
Without giving too much away, the ending was messy enough for me to find it somewhat realistic, but tidy enough to leave me satisfied. Overall, I enjoyed the book for its description of the English coast, the preparations for war, and life of the moneyed classes both in Vienna and in England. Most of what I've read about the book describes it as a romance, and while romance occupies many of its pages, I don't think people looking to read a "romance" would be entirely satisfied. It is romantic, but the romance story does not seem to be the main concern of the author, and I appreciated that.
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