Tricia Goyer: A Daring Escape

By Kelly Bridgewater

As the threat of World War II looms on the horizon, American Amity Mitchell is living a comfortable life abroad as a tutor in England. Life changes when an urgent telegram arrives from her brother, Andrew, summoning her to Prague. Nazi forces tighten their grip on the country, and Andrew's efforts to help Jewish children escape Czechoslovakia grow desperate. Children's lives are at risk. Amity knows she can't ignore God's call to join her brother's cause.

Amity's boss, Clark, arrives in Prague, urging her to return. Soon, he too finds himself helping prepare kindertransports bound for the safety of England. With the sound of German tanks rumbling over cobblestone streets, Amity and Clark race to save innocent lives. Will their prayers for deliverance be answered?

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My Thoughts:

A Daring Escape by Tricia Goyer is an interesting twist on a World War II story. I have read many World War II stories, and I have loved many of them. Lately many of the stories feature the effects of Hitler on different countries. Goyer picked Czechoslovakia. With a historical romance, I expect to be transported to a different time in history and see a budding romance. With A Daring Escape, I did learn more about the transporting of children out of Czechoslovakia, but the romance wasn't too gushy, which I enjoyed.

When reading a history novel, the writer needs to be able to take the readers on a journey to a different time period without stopping to explain things for the reader. It should flow uninterrupted for the reader. Goyer does a good job at this. I had no problem cementing myself in 1938 and 1939. The facts read like I was there traveling with Amity, Clark, Eli, and the hopeful survivors. I enjoyed the development of the time period.

As for the characters, I liked Amity, the main heroine. Most of the story was in her perspective. She had a heart to do her brother's work when she left her employer in England and traveled to Czechoslovakia to help transport Jewish children out to families in England. She was brave and thought of helping the children. Her brother, Andrew, makes an appearance in the beginning, then disappears for the rest of the novel. I always wondered if he was coming back, but it wasn't an important character to the novel.

The plot kept me focused, and I wanted to see what happened. Would Amity escape? How many children would they actually free? Clark, her employer from England, came to help out, and he stayed for a while and allowed Amity to stay even longer. She was gone for over six months. Maybe because that wouldn't happen in the 21st century, I found it hard to believe he would allow her to leave for that long. Even if he loved her. But I could be wrong. The climax at the end appeared weird too. Palva hasn't eaten much in a long time, but she found the energy to fight her captor. I didn't find that believable either.

The romance really wasn't your typical romance. Clark and Amity already had feelings for each other before he traveled to Czechoslovakia after her. They moved in a comfortable way and declared their feelings for each other. No gushing emotions all over the place, fighting their growing emotions.

Overall, A Daring Escape by Tricia Goyer showed me a different aspect of World War II, but coupled with the okay plot and a developed characters, I believe fans of World War II novels will enjoy this story. If you enjoy Cara Putnam, Kristy Cambron, and Kate Breslin, then this might be the perfect book for you.

I received a complimentary copy of A Daring Escape by Tricia Goyer from Harvest House Publishers, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars