Saving Amelie - by Cathy Gohlke (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

2015 Carol award finalist!
Increasingly wary of her father's genetic research, Rachel Kramer has determined that this trip with him to Germany--in the summer of 1939--will be her last. But a cryptic letter from her estranged friend, begging Rachel for help, changes everything. Married to SS officer Gerhardt Schlick, Kristine sees the dark tides turning and fears her husband views their daughter, Amelie, deaf since birth, as a blight on his Aryan bloodline.

Once courted by Schlick, Rachel knows he's as dangerous as the swastikas that hang like ebony spiders from every government building in Berlin. She fears her father's files may hold answers about Hitler's plans for others, like Amelie, whom the regime deems "unworthy of life." She risks searching his classified documents only to uncover shocking secrets about her own history and a family she's never known.

Now hunted by the SS, Rachel turns to Jason Young--a driven, disarming American journalist and unlikely ally--who connects her to the resistance and to controversial theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Forced into hiding, Rachel's every ideal is challenged as she and Jason walk a knife's edge, risking their lives--and asking others to do the same--for those they barely know but come to love.

From the Back Cover

SUMMER 1939

ONE LETTER, ONE REQUEST . . .
On a trip to Germany with her father, Rachel Kramer receives a cryptic letter with a plea for help from an estranged friend. Married to SS officer Gerhardt Schlick, Kristine sees the dark tides turning and fears her husband views their daughter Amelie--deaf since birth--as a blight on his Aryan bloodline.

. . . LEADS TO A TRUTH SO DARK . . .
Once courted by Schlick, Rachel knows he's as dangerous as the swastikas that hang like ebony spiders across Berlin. She fears her father, an eminent eugenics scientist, may know about Hitler's plans for others, like Amelie, whom the regime deems unworthy of life. But when she risks searching his classified documents, she also uncovers shocking secrets about her own history and a family she's never known.

. . . THEY'LL RISK EVERYTHING TO BRING IT TO LIGHT.
Now hunted by the SS, Rachel turns to Jason Young-- a driven American journalist and unlikely ally--whose connections to the resistance help Rachel and Amelie escape the city. Forced to hide in Oberammergau, the Bavarian village of the Passion Play, Rachel's every ideal is challenged as she and Jason walk a knife's edge, endangering their lives--and asking others to do the same--for those they barely know but come to love.

Review Quotes

Saving Amelie is a moving portrayal of the fortitude and resilience of the human spirit. Gohlke has captured the beauty and sacrifice of those willing to help others in the depths of Nazi Germany. At times both emotional and suspenseful, this is a fantastic novel for those who love both historical fiction and human interest stories. 4 stars--Romantic Times

In this compelling and tense novel, Christy Award-winning Gohlke (Band of Sisters, Promise Me This) tells a haunting story of the courageous few who worked tirelessly and at great risk to themselves to save people they did not know, whom they would not see again. Reminiscent of Tatiana de Rosnay's stirring stories of human compassion and hope, this should appeal to fans of both authors as well as to historical fiction readers.--Library Journal