The Refrain Within Review and Giveaway!

Posted by abakersp in Historical, Reviews / Spotlights / 4 Comments

Welcome to the Celebrate Lit Blog Tour for The Refrain Within by Liz Tolsma!! Oh my goodness Liz is such a fantastic writer – I highly recommend. But have tissues nearby – trust me on this!! And Liz, if you’re reading this – I played clarinet too! I loved it. Such a beautiful instrument that I think is underrated. I wish I still had mine to play – made a dumb decision after I graduated high school to sell it, and it was a wooden one!!! Ugh, hindsight is 20/20. Anyways…..onto my gushing of this wonderful book 🙂

ABOUT THE BOOK

Book: The Refrain Within

Author: Liz Tolsma

Genre: WWII Fiction

Release Date: September 29, 2020

To save a life, would you betray everyone you love?

Hungary in 1944 is a dark place. The Nazis have invaded and turned the country upside down, their evil making its way into every life.

Clarinetist Eva Bognar is engaged to conductor and composer Patrik Kedves, happily planning her wedding. At first she doesn’t think the war will affect her directly; everyone around her can be trusted to do the right thing. Then her Jewish best friend and sister-in-law Zofia goes missing–and instead of the Gestapo being to blame, a friend says it was Patrik who led Zofia away. Has he betrayed Eva and everything the family stands for?

When the rest of the family’s lives are directly threatened, Patrik’s secrets must come to light. The Bognars flee for the border in hopes of getting out of the country to the safety of Palestine. Eva must put her life and the lives of everyone she loves in the hands of the very man who betrayed her–and they may not all make it out of the war alive . . .

Click here to get your copy!

MY PERSPECTIVE

Oh my goodness I cannot gush enough about this book, well this series by Liz Tolsma actually. Wow. They have completely taken my breath away. There is so much emotion between these pages that you almost have to pause here and there throughout the book to just take in what you’ve just read. I won’t lie – it’s not an easy read. In that I mean there is heartache, hurt, and situations that we in this day could never even fathom happening. And it breaks my heart. But it’s real. Okay, this story is fiction, but I know Tolsma is a great researcher, and so I know there’s some truth behind her story.

My favorite thing about this story was that Eva played the clarinet. While that probably seems odd to some – I played and loved the clarinet when I was in school. Music just fills my soul, which is really why I’ve connected with this series. And to play an instrument that you love is something indescribable. I connected to her character from the very first pages, and while I enjoyed seeing her character deal with tough situations throughout the book, and see her faith shine through, it was still that clarinet that made my face light up.

But amongst the joy in these pages, there was much sorrow. I mean this book is set in one of the darkest time periods in the history of the world (in my opinion anyways). But I appreciate that Tolsma brings these things to light in her books. She doesn’t keep it fluffy, and all happy – she keeps it real. I think as readers we need a does of reality now and then. Life isn’t all roses, but it’s how we react, much like Tolsma’s characters, that really stand out during trials.

This is a story I know for sure will be a reread for me in the future. With vivid descriptions, engaging characters, and a journey that will have readers at the edge of their seats, Tolsma has written a beautiful story that will speak to hearts. Her display of The message is intricately woven throughout the pages in a way that will remind us that there is light in the darkness – we just have to look for it, and also be the light that shines!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Passionate might best describe Liz Tolsma. She loves writing, research, and editing. Her passion shone through in her first novel which was a double award finalist. On any given day, you might find her pulling weeds in her perennial garden, walking her hyperactive dog, or curled up with a good book. Nothing means more to her than her family. She’s married her high-school sweetheart twenty-eight years ago. Get her talking about international adoption, and you might never get her to stop. She and her husband adopted three children, including a son who is a U.S. Marine, and two daughters.

GUEST POST BY LIZ

This is the third book in a series all set around music. The first heroine, Anna in The Melody of the Soul, was a violinist. The second heroine, Natia in When the Heart Sings, sang beautifully. So what did I choose for this heroine?

When I was in fifth grade, the band teacher from the middle school came to our class and encouraged us to join. She brought instruments with her for us to try. I really wanted to play the flute. I thought it was very feminine. But all the girls wanted to play that, and I would have to be really good to get a good chair. So I decided on the clarinet. I played all through middle school and high school, making first chair a couple of times. I participated in marching band and in solo and ensemble contests, earning a couple of first places in state competitions. Even after my “career” ended, I continued to play from time to time. I still play in church. I love the rich, full sound of the instrument. When played well, the clarinet is beautiful. It can be playful and happy or dark and sad. It can skip and it can cry. I’m very glad now that I chose the clarinet instead of the flute.

That’s why the heroine of The Refrain Within plays the clarinet. In fact, she comes from a family of clarinet makers, and her family stamp on the barrel of a clarinet means a great deal to her. As God would have it, my editor, Janyre Tromp, is also a clarinet player. Between the two of us, we worked hard bring out the unique aspects of playing clarinet, like the callous that forms on the inside of your bottom lip.

Eva is a special character to me because we share this passion for the clarinet. There have been many times throughout my life that my clarinet has skipped with me and plenty of times when it has cried with me. Music is God’s beautiful gift to us, and I thank Him for the opportunity to share some of that with you in The Refrain Within.