A Master Plan For Rescue by Janis Cooke Newman- 336 pages
Book Blurb:
Set in 1942 New York and Berlin, A Master Plan for Rescue is an enchanting novel about the life-giving powers of storytelling, and the heroism that can be inspired by love. In essence, it is two love stories. It is the story of a child who worships his parents, then loses his father to an accident and his mother to her resulting grief. And it is the story of a young man who stumbles into the romance of his life, then watches her decline, forever changing the arc of his future. Each is propelled by the belief that if he acts heroically enough, it will restore some part of what — or whom — he has lost. But when they meet, this boy and this man, their combined grief and magical thinking will allow them to dream the impossible. Sharing stories of the people they have lost, they are inspired to join forces and act in their memory. To do something so memorable that it might actually bring their loved ones back -– even if only in spirit.
My Review: 3.5 stars
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A Master Plan For Rescue is a literary, languid story of love, both romantic and familial, during WW2. Although it was quite slow moving for the first half of the book and then picked up pace for the last half, it was beautifully told, rich in place and time.
I had no prior knowledge of the cruise ship the St. Louis that left Germany with 900 Jewish refugees in 1939. Seems like I always learn something new from books by Janis Cooke Newman, who wrote one of my favorites about Mary Todd Lincoln.
I loved the two main protagonists, Jack (Irish) and Jakob (Jewish) who had so much in common yet were so completely different. They both had vivid imaginations and had an internal knack for understanding and fixing things. Both are dealing with the loss of loved ones but never give up believing in their spirit.
I enjoyed this book and recommend to those who liked The Book Thief, another of my favorites.
Quotes I liked:
It is not easy to hold so many words in your hands and prevent your brain from turning them into meaning.”
-“Sit in the shop and wait. Even the Nazis own things that break. That is why you will fix their things for favors, which are much more valuable than money.”
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