The Melody of the Soul Book Review

Litfuse Book Tour

In The Melody of the Soul, Anna Zadok, a Jewish Christian living in Prague, has lost everything, including her career as a concert violinist and almost her entire family – will she lose the music of her heart as well?

The Melody of the Soul Book Review

About The Melody of the Soul

By 1943, Anna Zadok, a Jewish Christian living in Prague, has lost everything, including her career as a concert violinist and almost her entire family. The only person she has left is her beloved grandmother, and she’s determined to keep her safe. But protecting Grandmother won’t be easy–not with a Nazi officer billeted below them.

Anna must keep a low profile. There’s one thing she refuses to give up, though. Despite instruments being declared illegal, Anna defiantly continues to practice her violin. She has to believe that the war will end someday and her career will be waiting. Fortunately for Anna, the officer, Horst Engel, enjoys her soothing music. It distracts him from his dissatisfaction with Nazi ideology and reminds him that beauty still exists in an increasingly ugly world.

When his neighbors face deportation, Horst is moved to risk everything to hide them. Anna finds herself falling in love with the handsome officer and his brave heart. But what he reveals to her might break her trust and stop the music forever.

My Thoughts

This novel is set in the backdrop of World War II. We have Anna who is a Jewish Christian who has watched her friends be taken away. She is struggling with her family but they are together. This all changes the day that her family are called to report – everyone except her Grandmother and herself. She is devastated and can not imagine leaving her family. She begs to be able to go with them regardless of where they ended up. She just wants to keep her family together. Instead her Father tasks her with the job of caring for her Grandmother.

The two live in constant fear of being called next, they don’t leave the house and Anna who has already lost so much is forced to give up her music in fear of being heard. When a German soldier moves in to her building, this ups the risk for the two.

The soldier that moves in is not like most soldiers in the German army. He is conflicted morally and religiously with what his country is doing. He sees the humanity in all and can not bear to do the harm that is expected of him. In the eyes of his Father and his army, he is a failure and is weak but in his own eyes he can’t bear going through with the actions. He becomes security for Anna – although she finds it hard to trust, understand and forgive him. She becomes his saviour and forgiveness in the eyes of God.

This is an extremely powerful novel. I cried in so many parts of the novel for the cruelty and unfairness. I cried for the trust and forgiveness these two are trying to build. In all of the cruelty, there is hope and faith. Hope that this will soon end and that freedom, peace, respect and love will come again. This is the type of novel you will not put down – I read it in one sitting as it was just too powerful. I had to know what was happening to Anna. The ending was just perfect and suited their story. This is a definite must read novel.

You can find more reviews on the Litfuse blog tour page. You can purchase a copy of the book here.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Best-selling novelist Liz Tolsma is the author of several World War II novels and prairie romance novellas. She also works as a freelance editor. She lives in a semirural area of Wisconsin with her husband and two daughters. Her son serves with the US Marines. All of their children came to them through international adoption. Her other passions include walking, gardening, camping, and reading.

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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