#Book Review #The Opera Sisters by Marianne Monson #Shadow Mountain Publisher #World War 2 Historical Fiction #Holocaust Fiction

MY THOUGHTS AND BOOK REVIEW

Wow! What a lovely real life Historical fiction novel. In the 1900's the British Cook sisters, Ida and Louise Cook travelled continuously to Austria and Germany because of their passion for Opera and Music. As a result, they met and followed many of the prominent opera singers of the early to mid-20th century and developed friendships with them, including Maria Callas, Amelita Galli-Curci, Rosa Ponselle, Ezio Pinza, Elisabeth Rethberg, director Clemens Krauss, and soprano Viorica Ursuleac. It was at this period of thier life, when they helped refugees flee Nazi Germany and other nations under their influence, which was made possible by their connection with Krauss and Ursuleac.

The extent to which they took their devotion to Galli-voice Curci's was one episode that revealed a spirit that would serve them well in the future. They heard Galli perform for the first time, her first British appearance - at a platform concert in the Albert Hall, and learning the heartbreaking news that she sang opera only in New York, Ida became determined that they should travel there within the next five years to hear her. Will Louise be there? 'Rather!' she exclaimed. The great Galli-Curci waved to them from the audience and then invited them to her Fifth Avenue apartment. They were ecstatic. "Oh Rapture! Rapture! Rapture! Galli-Curci exceeds our expectations."

During their journeys, Ida and Louise smuggled out items belonging to refugees, ranging from coats to jewelry. The sisters would typically arrive in the country dressed plainly with few accessories, but they would return to London covered in furs and jewels that they claimed were their own. The Cooks also collaborated with others in England to secure safe passage for those who were being persecuted.

The sisters' willingness to assist became known in Jewish communities, and their network expanded to include people in Berlin, Munich, and Frankfurt. Hundreds of letters begging for help from strangers began to arrive at the British Refugee Headquarters, addressed simply to 'Ida and Louise.' The sisters felt an increasing sense of urgency to complete their mission. They discovered, for example, that in order to persuade others—friends and family, and, eventually, strangers—to provide a financial guarantee, they needed to persuade them that they wouldn't necessarily spend the money. 

Their love of opera served as an excellent cover for their illicit activities. The authorities saw them as crazy but harmless opera buffs. Cook's writing career took off just as their rescue efforts began, and the majority of her new-found wealth was donated to the rescue efforts. Ida and Louise Cook were named Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem and are credited with assisting 29 Jews in fleeing Germany and Austria.

Marianne Monsoon has richly researched the Holocaust era of Hitler making this novel remarkable for Historical fiction fans to read. A story of courage, compassion, strength, friendship and sacrifice. I just reviewed the Opera Sisters By Marianne Monsoon, Thanks to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publisher for an advance copy for my honest review.

Book Description

Based on the true story of the Cook sisters, who smuggled valuables out of 1930s Nazi Germany to finance a daring, secret operation to help Jews find hope for a new life in England

British sisters Ida and Louise Cook enjoy their quiet, unassuming lives in south London. Ida writes romance novels, and Louise works as a secretary. In the evenings, the sisters indulge in their shared love for opera, saving their money to buy records and attend performances throughout England and Europe, becoming well-known by both performers and fellow opera lovers.

But when Hitler seizes power in 1933, he begins targeting and persecuting German Jews, passing laws that restrict their rights and their lives. The sisters continue their trips to the German opera houses, but soon, Jewish members of the opera community covertly approach the sisters, worried that they will be stripped of their wealth and forced to leave their homes and the country. Danger looms on the horizon, threatening to spill across all of Europe’s borders.

Ida and Louise vow to help, but how can two ordinary working-class women with limited means make a difference?

Together with their beloved opera community, the sisters devise a plan to personally escort Jewish refugees from Germany to England. The success of the plan hinges on Ida and Louise’s ability to smuggle contraband jewelry and furs beneath the watchful eyes of the SS soldiers guarding various checkpoints. But how many trips can they make before someone blows a whistle? Or before the final curtain falls on Germany’s borders?

The Opera Sisters is a riveting and inspiring novel of two unlikely heroines whose courage and compassion gave hope to many Jews desperate to escape Nazi persecution.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Shadow Mountain (September 6, 2022)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 352 pages