A Feather on the Water: a post-World War II novel

A Feather on the Water by Lindsay Jayne Ashford is the story of three women in postwar Germany. In 1945, as the world war ended, it was a time of hope for the lost and found as the world tries to rebuild. Three women from different regions of the world come to Germany to run a Displaced Persons (DP) camp. They long to rebuild the shattered lives the war had created, including their own. Martha comes to Germany to escape her violent marriage. Kitty arrives from England, hoping to find her parents who stayed behind in Germany. Delphine comes to Germany to escape the ghosts she left behind in Paris after the death of her husband and son. As the residents of the camp grow to more than two thousand, the three women rely on each other to endure the pain and devastation and give hope to the hopeless. Can they also find the strength to bring closure to the past and find a brighter future? 

In the genre of historical World War II fiction, the aftermath is rarely featured in a full length novel and it is usually left to a brief epilogue. It is why when I heard about A Feather on the Water, I jumped at the chance to read it. From the opening chapters, the story was very interesting and engaging as readers followed Martha, Kitty and Delphine from their various homes to the hard work of helping the displaced people who were liberated from the camps, forced from their own and left with nothing in the aftermath of war. The fear, the prejudice and the anger is very present as they try to come to terms with the events of the war. The only downfall was it had no urgency, no tension, no real conflicts other than trying to find the supplies needed to help these people. Overall, though, I did enjoy it. If you enjoy World War II history, I recommend A Feather on the Water. 

A Feather on the Water is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook