I adored this book.  The author's writing is like a big hug, even when it's breaking your heart. There is just something so cozy and welcoming about the way she tells stories, so that even when the worst is happening or you are feeling such big emotions for the characters, you still feel safe and cared for. It's such a talent for the author to have. This book had so many fascinating aspects, but my favorite is the under-explored time after the war when the women were being removed from the jobs that they stepped up to do during wartime. Laws were actually passed saying that only men could be hired?! I get that men returning from war who have given so much, should be given the chance to support themselves and their families. But it's amazing how throughout history the women are so easily forgotten. Their sacrifices, their loss, their strength to jump into unfamiliar and many times dangerous situations is simply brushed aside so easily for the men. It infuriated me so much and the fact that the problem was left mostly unsolved (with a few exceptions) or only helped by strategic marriages on the part of women, was hard but also showed the reality of what happened in history.  There were so many great aspects (and terribly unlikable characters) in this book that I didn't want to stop reading. The way that Klaus was treated (a German sent to a camp, nothing to do with the war and then treated so horribly by everyone after the war) was devastating. The way non-white characters were treated so disgustingly. So many important themes and reminders in this book. The ending had me in tears. This book will stick with me for a while.

Note: I listened to the audiobook with one of my favorite narrators and she knocked it out of the park as usual; showing the perfect emotional ranges of the many very different characters.