1949, Reviewed by Frances Helsten, Reedsy Ltd. © 2024
"1949", Book One of the Trilogy "Starlings of Peace"
By Catharine A Deever writing as Dani Dee
Reviewed by
I’m an avid reader who loves books that challenge the mind, stir the heart, and expand the soul. I am passionate about discovering diverse stories and sharing meaningful reads to inspire and connect with others. I'm always seeking my next great literary adventure!
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Loved it! 😍
1949: Book One of the Starlings of Peace trilogy is a richly researched, character-driven tale set in post-WWII Berlin's complex era.
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Readers, who love history, will be captivated by characters powering through daily life, balanced on the edge of war.
1949, the debut of the Starlings of Peace Trilogy by Catharine A. Deever/ Dani Dee, is an intelligent discussion of life after World War II Berlin.
Against the backdrop of a divided city, the novel evokes the tumult, the strength, and the future that characterized that time. Using thorough historical investigation and rich storytelling, Deever provides a compelling narrative that weighs the grandeur of history with deeply felt human stories.
The novel focuses on a diverse cast of characters grappling with the aftermath of war. As Berlin transitions from devastation to reconstruction, the story brings to life the complexities of a city caught between emerging Cold War tensions and the shadow of its recent past.
Deever's attention to detail is remarkable, painting an authentic portrait of Berlin's landscapes and the struggles of its inhabitants. Based on food shortages, political shifts, and the like, the historical setting is realistic and believable.
1949 is primarily a story about the power of recovery and the human tendency to transcend adversity united in a web of connections. Everyone has their travails and history, and they form together a dense fabric of experiences. Deever navigates the personal struggles with broader historical forces to show how common people deal with extraordinary situations. Survival, loyalty, and hope are all themes that are evoked with subtlety, and as such the characters are made both human and touching with their journeys.
The writing is both evocative and accessible, with a pace that keeps readers engaged while allowing for moments of reflection. Deever catches between historical fact and emotional experience and guarantees that the work is of interest to history buffs and those who love character-based literature. Although the book addresses a particular period and location, its themes are contemporaneously relevant, and thus the text serves not only as a powerful commentary on how mankind can rebuild and achieve peace from destruction. Among the many stories for those interested in post-war history or tales of survival, 1949 is a good one. It paints a picture very well for the next three books in the trilogy which leaves readers wanting to read on.
Highly recommended!
Reviewed by
BEST HOLIDAY GIFT IS THIS REVIEW!
1949: Starlings of Peace By Catharine A. Deever Genre: Historical Fiction
Reviewed by Addison Ciuchta, for the "Independent Book Review" Publication
A testament to humanity found in the aftermath of war.
The first in an expected trilogy, 1949 by Catharine A. Deever follows eight individuals throughout the titular year in the aftermath of World War II.
Changing perspectives between the characters, readers follow the lives of people impacted differently by the same war, those who fought in it like pilot Captain MacDonald or those who fled from it like Rene, a Jewish translator. Along with a Senator’s daughter and a reporter and his wife, the characters’ paths converge at a little bed and breakfast run by Sebastian, a former German soldier and prisoner of war looking to make a new start for himself in the hotel business with his friend Heidi.
Living amongst each other and trying to cope with the trauma of war while they move forward, the eight navigate differing perspectives, troubling political developments, and blooming intimacy between each other.
“The war was over, and she was still hearing explosions that left more rubble to clear.”
1949 may be on the longer side with over 400 pages, but the author does a great job of breaking up each page with dialogue and action and steers clear of big chunky paragraphs. The narrative doesn’t feel too long either. The book captures the events of an entire year between the cast of characters, each of them going through their own strife and successes. This is a beautifully written novel too. The prose is impressive— succinct but cutting, capturing the exact feeling of a moment in time for these characters and the reader experiencing it along with them.
“Everyone would be wanting a night of anything other than hot wars long over, still smoking from their ashes—not yet as cold as they were going to be.”
It’s very much a character-driven story, focusing on the impact of such a war on each character and how they attempt to both cope and move on. While it is at times grief- filled and tragic, the author does an excellent job of weaving in an undercurrent of soft hope for the characters and their connections to each other. It’s touching the way those with different backgrounds and perspectives can find affection and love for each other in the most trying times. While they may argue or disagree, there is a fundamental level of tenderness for each other that shines through.
“He looked at Heidi with the doubt of a man who was expecting to lose another war.”
You don’t need to love historical or war novels to love this either. While it may help provide context to the backstory of some of the characters, the author includes enough to understand what they went through to dive right in. If you’re looking for a gentle reassurance that peace is out there even in the toughest of times, this is a great read!
REVIEWS from READERS!
LoveReading From the UK Says
https://www.lovereading.co.uk/book/9798989727155/isbn/1949-by-Catharine-A-Deever-aka-Dani-Dee.html
1949 is the first book in the Starlings of Peace trilogy by Catharine A Deever and sees a group of residents of a Gasthaus form a community and work to rebuild their lives after the war. As implied by the title, the book takes place throughout 1949 in a Berlin blockaded by the Soviet Union. Against this historic backdrop we find a character driven story of love and hope.
I liked the setting of the Gasthous which allowed a varied group of people to come together, developing their own storylines, whether that’s searching for their family after the war, finding love, or working to achieve their goals and build a better future for themselves. It is clear that a lot of research has gone into bringing to life Germany and the world at the time, and it provides an interesting backdrop to an otherwise very character-focused storyline. Each character brought their own wartime experiences to the storyline - an orphan surviving poverty and horrendous abuse, former pilots, resistance and prisoners of war, all perspectives that would have required yet more research in order to bring the characters to life the way the author has managed. This is an epic first instalment that would be great for Historical fiction readers interested in the post war era but is also a great read for those looking for character focused stories of love, hope and community.
Charlotte Walker, A LoveReading Ambassador
They all have various strength, prejudices, talents and challenges to overcome. It was so refreshing to see the couples evolve and grow. The women were strong in their own rights and working at worth while careers with their husbands' support. The men were influential in getting things done with lots of background on how the war had affected them both personally and in their career since the war. They each played a significant part in how West Berlin became self governing as the occupancy was ending.
I became very vested in each of the couples and look forward to the rest of the trilogy.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2024
The character-driven nature of the book keeps the reader engaged with the plot through emotional settings in which character backstories weave together and characters in the present grow closer. Because of this, the book has quite a lot of heart. To continue to highlight the character-driven point - the beginning of the book has a list of the main characters for you to read before jumping into the story. This is immensely helpful since there are so many.
People who enjoy historical fiction will enjoy this book; however, I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars due to some of the scene set up being a bit dry. With that being said, maybe my real concern is that the book could have been a bit shorter. All in all, though, I appreciate what the author has done with this story and felt that this book was a great overall read.
I received this book as an ARC from GEMS books.