Review: "Memories of Glass" by Melanie Dobson

When Miss K reviewed this one on her blog, I decided it was worth a try reading, even though I don't always like books set in two different times! (If you want to see Miss K's review, click HERE!) And I ended up really enjoying it, so I'm so glad I tried it out! 

1942. As war rips through the heart of Holland, childhood friends Josie van Rees and Eliese Linden partner with a few daring citizens to rescue Eliese’s son and hundreds of other Jewish children who await deportation in a converted theater in Amsterdam. But amid their resistance work, Josie and Eliese’s dangerous secrets could derail their friendship and their entire mission. When the enemy finds these women, only one will escape.

Seventy-five years later, Ava Drake begins to suspect that her great-grandfather William Kingston was not the World War II hero he claimed to be. Her work as director of the prestigious Kingston Family Foundation leads her to Landon West’s Ugandan coffee plantation, and Ava and Landon soon discover a connection between their families. As Landon’s great-grandmother shares the broken pieces of her story, Ava must confront the greatest loss in her own life―and powerful members of the Kingston family who will do anything to keep the truth buried.

Worldbuilding/Writing Style
The setting in the past, WWII Holland/Netherlands, felt like it could grab me and drag me into it! Everything was extraordinarily well described, despite the fact that there are not long sections of description. I especially liked the use of small details to carry across a point, theme, or feeling. The setting in the present also felt realistic--I especially loved the library, and kind of wish there was actually one like that in the Netherlands that I could visit. (If anyone knows of a library that's built in an old multi-story row house with stained glass windows...tell me in the comments!)
One thing I really appreciated about the writing itself was that I felt equally invested in the past and present periods of the book. Often when reading a split-time book like that, I'm more interested in one period or the other, leading to boredom during the other parts...but there was none of that with this book! 

Plot
The plot is definitely where this book and this writer shine. It's compellingly written, with many compelling threads drawing together in a fairly unpredictable way. It's almost a mystery, as well as being a historical fiction. Due to that, there were parts where I had to concentrate hard to remember who was who, but I'm not going to complain because a book made me think. :) I loved, loved, loved the plot of Josie and Eliese sneaking the children out of the theatre to safety, and I also loved everything that came after, as well. I especially appreciated that the taking-children-to-safety was actually based on history--so cool!
I don't know that I notice this all that often, but the first scene of the book set up the rest of it perfectly, which I thought was very impressive.
And I loved the ending! That's not necessarily all that common for a WWII book. :) 

Characters
The characters are an interesting piece of the book. Those in the present were really well fleshed out--Ava is compelling, and her family is despicable but interesting. Landon is sweet, and his family is lovely! However, in the past, I thought the characters were slightly on the stereotype side...two siblings with the Resistance, their friend the Jewish girl, and their friend the unreadable possibly-a-hero-possibly not. Not that this made them any less interesting to follow, but it kind of felt like the author stuck each of them (especially the two girls) with a couple of "likes", and then made them...do stuff. One specific quibble is that I never really felt like Eliese connected with her *spoiler* son *end spoiler*. This, I think, could have been fixed quite easily with a wee bit of showing-not-telling. Just my opinion. There were a couple of other moments like that which made me think that the author was definitely writing in a plot-driven way, rather than a character-driven way. Not that there's anything specifically wrong with that, it's just my observation. 

Romance
There is a wee bit? But while it's important to the plot, it's not especially prominent. None of the couples in the past were really "shippable", but the couple in the present...very, very cute. :)

Content
There's really not a lot, for a WWII book. Some innuendo, some death (non-graphic), and descriptions of detention camps within Holland. 
I will note that I have been to Auschwitz and certain minor mentions of the atrocities of the Nazis were sliiiiightly anxiety-producing. But not necessarily in a bad way. (Those who are ignorant of history are doomed to repeat it, after all). For those who haven't been there, those particular mentions are probably not a big deal...but I though I would mention it, just in case. 

Overall Rating
I think I'll give this one 3.5 stars! Very enjoyable. 

Reminded me of...
Hmm...in parts, it reminded me of Corrie ten Boom's The Hiding Place, mostly because of the setting in WWII Netherlands. But the parts in the present often reminded me of Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter (except without the theft part. Mostly.)

What are some of your favorite WWII books? Do you like books that are in two different times? Do you prefer character-driven or plot-driven books?