Five Star Read! I had no idea how much I needed this book in my life. Based on the true story of Hannie Schaft, this book focuses on the work of the Dutch resistance groups against the Nazis in the Netherlands during WWII. Hannie is known by the Nazis as “the girl with red hair” who lures officers into dark alleyways and unexpectantly shoots them. Through the horrors of war and starvation, Hannie fights to resist the Nazi invasion while maintaining her humanity and protecting those she loves.

I loved this book. Hannie is fierce and a force to be reckoned with in the face of cruelty and injustice. The book only touches on a portion of this woman’s life and ends with an afterword that summarizes who she was and so much of what she accomplished. I had never heard of Hannie Schaft before reading this book, but after I finish a historical fiction, I love knowing a little about the real story. This afterword saved me the research, but I still ended up doing some work on Google later.

This book made me cry and wrenched my heart apart. Even though I had a hard time getting into it at first, I can honestly say I loved it and I still tear up talking about it.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction based on real people, particularly based on the WWII era, or anyone who loves learning about women in history.

By: Alexia Casale

            In 2020, a global pandemic put the world on lockdown. It is during this time that Salley’s abusive husband takes issue with the strength of his tea, and she whacks him over the head with Granny’s cast iron skillet. Suddenly, Salley finds herself a widow and in the predicament of what to do with her husband’s body. It isn’t long before she finds that she isn’t alone. Not far away, three other women find themselves in similar situations, unexpectedly and suddenly widowed, with a corpse to dispose of. Now all four women must work together and make a plan to dispose of their deceased husbands before anyone notices they are missing. Along the way, they each discover their strength, happiness, friendship, and the joy of life after the pain of their abusive marriages.

            Alexia Casale delivers her story with a dark comedy that, at the same time, calls attention to the matter of domestic violence during the 2020 pandemic lockdown. The writing was good. I definitely found myself cackling at the dark humor, and I enjoyed the story overall. Watching the women empower themselves and each other was inspiring. I was cheering for them all and hoping that they each found their happy endings.

            Portions of the story did get a little repetitive at times and parts of the story also seemed a little drawn out and could have been a bit shorter. There were times I definitely zoned out on my audiobook and had to go back to re-listen.

Who I would recommend this book to:

            I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a dark comedy or someone who loves a story about women finding their strength and empowering each other through difficulties. There are a few adult themes, so I would not recommend this to readers under 16.