#BookReview The Two Loves of Sophie Strom by Sam Taylor @FaberBooks @PGCBooks #TheTwoLovesOfSophieStrom #SamTaylor #PGCBooks Title: The Two Loves of Sophie Strom

Author: Sam Taylor

Published by: Faber & Faber on Oct. 8, 2024

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 400

Format: Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

One man, one choice, two lifetimes.

A house fire, Vienna, 1933: thirteen-year-old Max is orphaned, disfigured and adopted by an Aryan family who change his identity – and his prospects.

A house fire, Vienna, 1933: thirteen-year-old Max saves his parents and escapes unharmed, to face life as a Jew in 1930s Austria.

In one unforgettable night, Max Spiegelman’s life splits in two. As war looms and Nazism continues to rise, Max is forced into choices that place him and his alter ego on opposing sides of a divided world. Tethered by their dreams, the boys watch helplessly, haunted by visions of what could have been. But in each parallel universe, they share a magnetic bond with an enchanting, grey-eyed girl.

The Two Loves of Sophie Strom is a profound story about how tragedy, choice and life-altering love shape our future.


Review:

Intriguing, thought-provoking, and gripping!

The Two Loves of Sophie Strom is a moving, parallel-universe tale that takes us into the life of Max Spiegelman, a young Jewish boy whose life is split into two completely different paths when one night he dreams that his house is burning down, his parents don’t survive, and thus he becomes an orphan raised by a german family with a new name, Hans, who eventually becomes a member of the Nazis or does he awake to find the house filled with smoke, his parents alive, and a future that involves persecution, an escape to Paris, the French resistance and the possible enduring love of a woman both versions of himself can’t seem to live without.

The writing is dynamic and fluid. The characters are flawed, vulnerable, and tormented. And the multi-layered plot is a heartfelt, absorbing tale about life, loss, love, destiny, survival, heartbreak, choices, war, and the question of what if?

Overall, The Two Loves of Sophie Strom is a fascinating, pensive, engaging read by Taylor that does a remarkable job of highlighting that it only takes one moment, decision, or circumstance to completely change your life forever.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or one of the following links.

         

 

 

Thank you to Publishers Group Canada for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Sam Taylor

Sam Taylor is a novelist and literary translator. His previous novels have reached an international audience, and his award-winning translations include works by Laurent Binet, Leïla Slimani and Marcel Proust. Born in England, Sam was a writer and editor at The Observer before moving to France. He now lives in the United States with his family.