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British sisters Ida and Louise Cook enjoy their quiet, unassuming lives in south London. Ida writes romance novels, and Louise works as a secretary. In the evenings, the sisters indulge in their shared love for opera, saving their money to buy records and attend performances throughout England and Europe, becoming well-known by both performers and fellow opera lovers.
But when Hitler seizes power in 1933, he begins targeting and persecuting German Jews, passing laws that restrict their rights and their lives. The sisters continue their trips to the German opera houses, but soon, Jewish members of the opera community covertly approach the sisters, worried that they will be stripped of their wealth and forced to leave their homes and the country. Danger looms on the horizon, threatening to spill across all of Europe's borders.
Ida and Louise vow to help, but how can two ordinary working-class women with limited means make a difference?
Together with their beloved opera community, the sisters devise a plan to personally escort Jewish refugees from Germany to England. The success of the plan hinges on Ida and Louise's ability to smuggle contraband jewelry and furs beneath the watchful eyes of the SS soldiers guarding various checkpoints. But how many trips can they make before someone blows a whistle? Or before the final curtain falls on Germany's borders?
The Opera Sisters is a riveting and inspiring novel of two unlikely heroines whose courage and compassion gave hope to many Jews desperate to escape Nazi persecution.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
October 4, 2022 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781649331182
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781649331182
- File size: 2968 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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August 1, 2022
Based on the true story of two sisters, Louise and Ida Cook, this historical-fiction novel pieces together fictional dramatizations and real-life accounts. Louise and Ida live small, normal lives with monotonous jobs as typists in London. They find excitement when they discover the beauty of music and opera, and their obsession takes them to Germany in 1936 to experience its thriving opera scene. Their travels open their eyes to the reality of Nazi rule and its effects on the Jewish community, the buildup of Hitler's Nazi Party, and Europe and England's mistaken belief that Hitler was true to his public word. As Louise and Ida make new friends in Germany and Austria, they realize they must help those trying to leave occupied rule, even if they risk their own lives to do it. The well-documented accounts of life under Nazi rule and the slow dismantling of the Jewish community and way of life are heart-wrenching and eye-opening. Perfect for fans of strong and resilient female characters.COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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