Another outing today with Bookouture‘s Books-on-tour, and this time I’m sharing my publication day review of The Berlin Zookeeper by Anna Stuart: it’s now available via Amazon for kindle, in paperback and as an audiobook, and also via Apple, for Kobo and through Google. My thanks to Bookouture for inviting me to join the tour and for my advance reading e-copy (provided via netgalley), and to Sarah Hardy for her ongoing support.
Now, I’ve read Anna Stuart’s books before. You might just remember the quite wonderful Bonnie and Stan – I adored that book (you’ll find my review here), and had no hesitation in including it in my Books of the Year list in 2019. And then there was Four Minutes to Save a Life – which I equally loved, and yes, a place in my 2020 Books of the Year list. This book is very different, but being different is something Anna’s rather good at – you might know that she’s also written many historical novels as Joanna Courtney, and, more recently, a lockdown love story, Just the Two of Us, writing as Jo Wilde (for which I’ve entirely failed to find a slot in my reading list – with apologies to Anna, but never say never!). So, a new publisher, and another reinvention – and I couldn’t wait to see what this lovely author has produced this time…
Two women. One shocking wartime secret. And a family mystery just waiting to be discovered…
Berlin Zoo, 1943: Ten-year-old Adelaide and her newborn sister are orphaned after a devastating night of bombing. Heartbroken and frightened, Adelaide runs to her mother’s closest friend, Katharina Heinroth, and the kind zookeeper takes the two little girls under her protection. As the bombing intensifies, Adelaide tries to shut out the horrors of war by caring for her tiny sister and playing with the adorable baby monkeys. But when Katharina organises a dangerous operation to enable children and animals to escape the battle-scarred city, something goes wrong. And Adelaide has to promise her adopted mother to keep a shocking secret. A secret that will change Adelaide’s life forever.
Berlin Zoo, 2019: Bethan Taylor notices the elderly lady sitting on the bench next to her seems confused, her thoughts flitting between past and present. Ada talks of her childhood, played out in an underground bunker beneath the animal enclosures during the war. As Ada’s story unfolds, Bethan is surprised to hear a name she recognises…
Katharina Heinroth is at the top of a list of German names Bethan found in a hidden compartment of her late mother’s jewellery box. Bethan’s father couldn’t tell her anything about the crumpled piece of paper and she’s been searching for the meaning ever since.
As the two women are brought together by the pain of the past can they help each other to heal? And after decades of silence, can Ada help Bethan to uncover a long-buried family mystery?
An unforgettable and heart-wrenching novel of a brave orphan girl and a shocking wartime secret. Inspired by a true WW2 story and perfect for fans of Orphan Train, The Tattooist of Auschwitz and The Alice Network.
This book’s historical thread is set during the chaotic and dangerous final days of the Second World War, as the Nazi regime is disintegrating and the people of Berlin wait to see what the future holds – atrocities perpetrated by the invading Russians, or liberation by the allied forces. What makes this story so very different is that it’s set in Berlin Zoo, as the “family” fight against the odds to secure their own lives and futures alongside those of the animals. And then, in the present day, Bethan is a vet working at Berlin Zoo, pursuing clues to her family history based on a list of German names left by her mother, who died when her daughter was 11, together with a treasured hippo brooch.
The success of a dual timeline story often depends on both stories having equal strength and interest, and this wonderful book certainly achieves that with consummate ease. The historical story really tears at your heart – the constant danger, the devastating losses (both animal and human), the impact of the situation on a group of individuals fighting to save what they love – with a wonderful focus on their passion and commitment. At times, the story is particularly harrowing, and difficult to read – this is really powerful writing, and some of the scenes of bloodshed and devastation really sear themselves into the memory. Katharina, at the story’s centre, is the kind of strong woman who I always enjoy – entirely three-dimensional, sometimes flawed, often vulnerable, but showing exceptional bravery and resilience as she struggles for something she believes in.
The present day story provides the lightness, though driven by Bethan’s quest to uncover the secrets her maternal grandmother took to the grave. She has a boyfriend at home, a total tosser who seems to have zero interest in anything Bethan does (the Leicester City duvet cover really told me all I need to know!), and the distance allows her some space to examine their relationship. And there’s the possibility of a new romance, a fellow zoo worker who makes her heart beat a little faster – and who is more than happy to help and support her as she uncovers the layers of family secrets. At first, I did wonder if her story might be a little too light – but it develops really nicely, and the characters are strong enough and their story so involving that it provides a welcome relief at times from the more disturbing aspects of the wartime experiences. There’s a nice focus on family in the present day too, and I particularly liked Bethan’s relationship with her father – there’s a particular warmth about it, although he was initially so vehemently opposed to her investigations into the past.
I particularly liked the fact that the wartime story was based on the real history of Berlin Zoo – Google told me that Katharina Heinroth did become scientific director at the war’s end, helping to restore it after the ravages of allied bombing, when the animal numbers had been tragically reduced from 4000 to 91. But this book is much more than a retelling of well-researched history with some light romance and a few family secrets on the side – it’s a really compelling read, deeply moving, and a fitting tribute to the ordinary Berliners who risked their lives for a future they believed in. A great read, wonderful storytelling – and highly recommended by me.
About the author
Anna Stuart lives in Derbyshire with her campervan-mad husband, two hungry teenagers and a slightly loopy dog. She was hooked on books from the moment she first opened one in her cot, so is thrilled to now have several of her own to her name. Having studied English literature at Cambridge University, she took an enjoyable temporary trip into the ‘real world’ as a factory planner, before returning to her first love and becoming an author. History has also always fascinated her. Living in an old house with a stone fireplace, she often wonders who sat around it before her and is intrigued by how actively the past is woven into the present, something she likes to explore in her novels.
Anna loves the way that writing lets her ‘try on’ so many different lives, but her favourite part of the job is undoubtedly hearing from readers. You can reach her on Facebook or Twitter, and she also has a website.
