Daisies Are Forever

If you look at the cover of the book, the title doesn't fit. When you read the book, the title barely fits. This is the absolute worst thing I can think of to say about this book.

Daisies Are Forever is one of those books that will leave you haunted if you don't finish it. I had to flip to the back of the book and read the ending when I was about halfway through it. (Yeah, I am one of those people). I've watched Band of Brothers more times than I care to count, which is a pretty good picture of the war for the soldiers. This book gives a pretty good idea of what the war was like for civilians going through it--the lack of food, the dearth of safety, the brutality of the Soviet soldiers as they took over parts of Germany, the constant bombing raids by British and American Air Forces, and the nightmares of the aftermath.

Gisela knows she has to leave Heiligenbeil, and her cousin, Ella, wants Gisela to take her two young daughters--Annelies and Renate--with her to Berlin. Along the way, she meets up with Mitch, an escaped POW; Kurt, a wounded soldier; Audra, a young lady who wants to go to America; and she also escorts her neighbors Bettina and Katya--two rather senile, old ladies. With this entourage, she has to avoid Soviet soldiers, keep her group together AND fed, and get any kind of transportation she can to get to Berlin where her mother lives. Once she reaches her mother's place in Berlin, the worry becomes keeping her group sheltered and safe as well as fed.

Liz Tolzma has written an incredibly intriguing book with more details about the war than I have ever thought about. Her research for her plot is well done, her characters have depth and interest, and the subplots only add more color to the story. The conflict of the war, the conflicts among the characters, and the personal conflicts all add together to produce a gripping story that is hard to put down.

Where do the daisies come in? Gisela wears a scarf with daisies printed on it, and her grandfather gives her a daisy to keep in her Bible at Isaiah 43 to give her strength. He knew this journey would be impossible to complete without knowing that God is with her regardless of the trials she would go through.

Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a daisy in your Bible.

Thomas Nelson provided this book for me to read in exchange for my honest opinion.