Review for The Seven Year Dress by Paulette Mahurin

The Seven Year Dress by Paulette Mahurin

Blurb:

One of the darkest times in human history was the insane design and execution to rid the world of Jews and “undesirables.” At the hands of the powerful evil madman Adolf Hitler, families were ripped apart and millions were slaughtered. Persecution, torture, devastation, and enduring the unthinkable remained for those who lived. This is the story of one woman who lived to tell her story. This is a narrative of how a young beautiful teenager, Helen Stein, and her family were torn asunder, ultimately bringing her to Auschwitz. It was there she suffered heinous indignity at the hands of the SS. It was also there, in that death camp, she encountered compassion, selfless acts of kindness, and friendship. Written by the award-winning, best-selling author of His Name Was Ben, comes a story of the resilience of the human spirit that will leave you thinking about Helen Stein and The Seven Year Dress for years to come after the last page is shut.

Review:

As we all know I'm not a big fan of Historical Fiction, but this year I have read/listened to two books in this genre now. I think that's pretty damn good in itself. 

I avoid reading Historical Fiction because I for some reason don't want to read a story based in the times of hardship. Reading The Seven Year Dress was quite difficult. 

When you read about the World Wars or the cruel actions in Germany during that time, its all just in our textbooks. It doesn't feel personal or doesn't hit home that it was real and it was that difficult. And when you connect to a character and you read a book like this one, based amidst one of the most difficult times, it just makes it that much harder to look for the positives in this world that we live in. If people were capable of this, and history repeats itself, won't this happen again?

Anyway, back to the book. The Seven Year Dress was a really touching read. The little moments of kindness interspersed between the horrors and cruel actions kept me going. (It gave me a little hope)

The book beautifully depicts an amazing story of courage and kindness amidst the most excruciating circumstances. It was beautifully written and rang painfully true. The characters and writing style were so engaging that it kept me hooked.

Overall, another amazing read from Paulette Mahurin.

To Live Out Loud by Paulette Mahurin

You guys there's another book out by Paulette!!! I so loved her previous book The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap. I'm definitely going to add this to my TBR pile!

To Live Out Loud by Paulette Mahurin

Blurb:

In 1895, France was torn asunder by a scandal that rocked the nation and divided the country. An innocent Jewish military officer, Alfred Dreyfus, was unjustly sentenced to life imprisonment on a desolate island. The news that could exonerate him was leaked to the press, but was suppressed by the military. Anyone who sought to reopen the Dreyfus court-martial became victimized and persecuted and was considered an enemy of the state.Émile Zola, a popular journalist, determined to bring the truth to light, undertook the challenge to publicaly expose the facts surrounding the military cover-up. This is the story of Zola’s battle to help Alfred Dreyfus reclaim his freedom and clear his name. Up against anti-Semitism, military resistance, and opposition from the Church of France, Zola committed his life to fighting for justice. But was it worth all it cost him, to those around him, and to France? This is a narrative of friendship, courage, and love in the face of the adversity and hatred. It is a story of how one man’s courageous actions impacted a nation. From the award winning author of The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap comes a book that will leave you examining your notions about heroism, courage, and your role in social change long after you read the last sentence.

Author Bio:

Paulette Mahurin lives with her husband Terry and two dogs, Max and Bella, in Ventura County, California. She grew up in West Los Angeles and attended UCLA, where she received a Master’s Degree in Science.

While in college, she won awards and was published for her short-story writing. One of these stories, Something Wonderful, was based on the couple presented in His Name Was Ben, which she expanded into this fictionalized novel in 2014. Her first novel, The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap, made it to Amazon bestseller lists and won awards, including best historical fiction of the year 2012 in Turning the Pages Magazine.

Semi-retired, she continues to work part-time as a Nurse Practitioner in Ventura County. When she’s not writing, she does pro-bono consultation work with women with cancer, works in the Westminster Free Clinic as a volunteer provider, volunteers as a mediator in the Ventura County Courthouse for small claims cases, and involves herself, along with her husband, in dog rescue.

Profits from her books go to help rescue dogs.


So my lovelies, if Historical Fiction is your kinda book do pick up a copy of this book on Amazon US or Amazon UK, and add it to your shelf on Goodreads!
If you can please buy a copy of this book as the profits go to help rescue dogs! Do it for the puppies and the books of course! ;)

Till Later!
oxox
~TJ