My Review for The Hideaway by Norma Curtis

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Well, there was a tear in my eye within the first couple of chapters, and it was more about how The Hideaway by Norma Curtis was written, rather than what she was writing about at that moment. Right from the beginning, I wanted to be the one to move into The Hideaway for the summer, nestled somewhere in Wales, and somewhere you could go and dangle your feet in the water! 

A dual timeline story, set both in the present day and towards the end of the Second World War in Belsen Concentration Camp. Hedi was a German Prisoner of War and we learn all about the traumatic ordeal she and her friends underwent, and we discover how she met her husband Harry whilst there. Thea is their granddaughter and Hedi tells her story to Thea each night, sitting on the jetty with a glass (or bottle) of wine in hand. 

Historical fiction, romance and a little bit of mystery all mixed into one, Norma Curtis just picks you up and drops you down, right in the heart of both Belsen, with Hedi, and The Hideaway, with Thea and Hedi. I loved it; I loved the writing, the story, and the vivid descriptions throughout and I loved how close Hedi and Thea became as they got to know each other properly. 

I am lucky enough to be a part of Books on Tour for this book, so thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of The Hideaway by Norma Curtis.

Book Description

Thea placed her hands on the soft, aged leather of her grandmother’s suitcase, the one the slight old woman never let out of her sight. The thunk of the lock sounded very loud in the stillness of the cottage and Thea froze, her eyes on the bedroom door. Hearing nothing, she held her breath and peered inside…

Hedi Fischer, aged ninety, smooths her hair and applies a touch of red lipstick from the tube. Over her pristine wool skirt suit, she has knotted a men’s tartan bathrobe, frayed with age. Hedi hasn’t taken it off since her darling Harry passed. Since the day she gave away everything but the battered little suitcase that holds all the memories she’s tried her best to lock away.

Thea has never met her grandmother Hedi, so she’s surprised when she receives a call to take her home. She’s not sure how Hedi will fit into her new life – the one where she’s left her boyfriend and moved into a run-down cottage miles from the nearest town. And Hedi refuses to talk about her past, or why she and Thea’s mother haven’t spoken for more than thirty years. So when Thea spots Hedi’s case on the table, she can’t resist taking a peek inside…

What Thea finds there is more heartbreaking than she could have ever imagined. It is a story that begins in World War Two, when young Hedi arrives by train at a Nazi concentration camp, from which she has no hope of escaping alive…

A heart-warming and emotional read that will have you reaching for the tissues! Perfect for fans of Fiona Valpy, Lily Graham and Rachel Hore.

Author Bio

Norma Curtis's first published stories were for teenage magazines and she began writing novels when she joined the Romantic Novelists' Association. Her first novel won the New Writer's Award and was chosen as a WH Smith Fresh Talent title. 

A couple of years after being invited onto the RNA committee she was made chairman and following her two-year term of office, she studied creative writing at City University before taking an MA in Prose Fiction at Middlesex University. 

The Drowned Village is her sixth novel and she lives in North London with her family.

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