Book Review: The Secret Pianist by Andie Newton

“When a British RAF Whitley comes under fire over the French coast and is forced to drop their cargo, a spy messenger pigeon finds its way into unlikely hands…”

Goodreads blurb for The Secret Pianist

Review:

I read A Child for the Reich last year and I appreciate this author’s use of lesser-discussed nuances of the WWII time period. In The Secret Pianist, the use of carrier pigeons is one of the main focuses in correlation to Resistance work which I found intriguing. 

Three sisters escape Paris to a coastal town. Though they’re still under German occupation, they’re away from the worst of the war — so it seems until Gaby is enlisted to give music lessons to a Commandant’s daughter. The sisters are accused of being in league with the Germans even though Gaby, Martine, and Simone are secretly working with the Resistance. Through a rescued carrier pigeon, the women have contact to London.

Though this book didn’t grip me quite as much as A Child for the Reich did, I found it interesting. I didn’t feel super connected to the characters given how divided the focus was on the three sisters, likable as they were. Again, I appreciate the unique accents of the plot. 

A huge thanks to Harper360 for sending me a free ARC of the book!

Likes & Dislikes:

What I liked:

• The focus on carrier pigeons.
• Likable characters.

What I didn’t like:

• I felt ‘meh’ about the romance side of the story.
• Not enough character development.

Afterthoughts:

I’m looking forward to seeing what Andie Newton writes about next!

Where to buy the book: