Daisies Are Forever

By: Liz Tolsma

Narrated by: Carol Jacobanis

In the final days of Nazi Germany, the strength of one woman’s heart will determine the fate of a family.

Prussia, 1945

The fall of the Third Reich is imminent. As the merciless Red Army advances from the East, the German people of Prussia await the worst.

Among them is twenty-year-old Gisela Cramer, an American living in Heiligenbeil with her cousin Ella and their ailing grandfather. When word arrives that the Russians will invade overnight, Ella urges Gisela to escape to Berlin—and take Ella’s two small daughters with her.

The journey is miserable and relentless. But when Gisela hears the British accent of a phony SS officer, she poses as his wife to keep him safe among the indignant German refugees. In the blink of an eye, Mitch Edwards and Gisela are Herr and Frau Josep Cramer.

Through their tragic and difficult journey, the fabricated couple strives to protect Ella’s daughters, hoping against hope for a reunion. But even as Gisela and Mitch develop feelings beyond the make–believe, the reality of war terrorizes their makeshift family.

With the world at its darkest, and the lives of two children at stake, the counterfeit couple finds in each other a source of faith, hope, and the love they need to survive.

©2014 Liz Tolsma (P)2023 Thomas Nelson

Critic reviews

“Tolsma isn't afraid to detail the horrors of war as she depicts how tragedies can be obstacles to one's Christian beliefs.”—Romantic Times, 4-star review

“[Daisies Are Forever] is a compelling and fast-paced tale about the atrocities and tremendous losses endured by those marked forever by World War II. Recommended for fans of ­Rosamunde and Robin Pilcher, Kate Morton, and historical romances.”—Library Journal

“Excellent storytelling, accurate historical reporting and gritty, persevering characters make this WWII-era novel a must-read.”—CBA Retailers + Resources

Brutal Historically Accurate Accounting

I’m not sure I was ready for the other side accounts of WWII. The Soviet terror has been briefly touched upon in other accounts but nothing like this.

As in many tales, You ask yourself Why… why didn’t people flee sooner. Why were the young so ignorant to danger and elders so stubborn. Then it hits you, what would you have done differently?! Until you are in the moment, you really don’t know and that’s where this story really takes off in characters development. Survivors guilt, ptsd, and disbelief/shock and sense of betrayal when the government lies are exposed. It’s well worth a listen. Especially with the happenings occurring in Ukraine and similar stories being reported today!

My next listen is going to be something light and trivial.

Very LOOOONG and slow moving

I have so enjoyed a couple of other books that Liz Tolsma has written. I am just over halfway through this one and it is a bit torturous. It is moving so incredibly slow and is so depressing. The time seems to just be sitting on the characters and their depression. I’m trying to finish this one but I have had to jump ahead several times. The narrator’s voice also begins to grate on the nerves as the time just scrapes by so very slowly.