For Such a Time

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Begin reading God's Word ad-free with instant access to your new online study library. Want more information about Bible Gateway Plus? Aug 12, Kathryn added it Shelves: Apart from the wildly, sickeningly offensive theme of this novel, just looking at the names of the main characters is extremely off-putting to me, and makes me wonder how much research the author can possibly have done. Umlauts matter; you can't just leave them off. It's like missing out a letter and calling your heroine Stella Smth. Neither is Stella, an extremely rare name in Germany whatever the time period.

It would be pronounced 'shtella' and sounds like you're trying to say the word 'stellen', 'to put'. And 'Aric von Schmidt'? Sounds exactly like the kind of absurdly non-German name someone who hasn't researched properly would think sounds like a plausible German name, but completely isn't. Schmidt is one of the two or three most common surnames in Germany, von is the aristocratic prefix meaning 'of'.

Aric is just freaking weird. I'm typing this sitting literally round the corner from a memorial which now stands on the site where the main synagogue of this German city used to be, which was destroyed on Kristallnacht in November Then, the Jewish population of the city was By the end of the Second World War six and a half years later, only 58 of them were still alive. Also near here, just a few minutes on foot, is a house with a plaque on it stating that the house once belonged to a Jewish couple murdered in Auschwitz in Years ago I lived for some months in a small town in Poland, also just a few minutes' walk from the square where in the Jewish population of the town - those still alive after the starvation and the forced labour and the shooting into mass graves and all the rest - were rounded up and sent to the death camp of Treblinka.

Not one of them survived. I've spent quite a bit of time in Krakow, which in had at least 70, Jewish inhabitants and now has barely This matters to me. It matters more than I can express. Fiction set during the Holocaust, even fiction where a Jewish prisoner has a relationship with an SS guard, can be done, of course it can, but it needs to be done a hell of a lot more sensitively than this revolting 'Gosh, I think I'll convert to the religion of the persecutors of my people!

I literally feel sick. View all 8 comments. I am an inspie reader. After three close reads and a bit of research, I believe this book fails its intended audience and its sub-genre of religious fiction. If you mess with — or ignore — the basic elements of the original story, you change the outcome.

If you mess with — or ignore — the basic elements of the original story, you change the meaning and the impact. Never acceptable in a retelling of a Bible story. I feel like I should apologize to everyone for this. I am very disturbed that book people I felt a spiritual affinity with could possibly think the premise of this story was acceptable. I should have requested it and read it and reviewed it before it won all the awards and the controversy erupted.

I decided to put my own self-righteousness to the test. And in more ways, I feel unworthy.

I would have hidden them all in my basement and thrown myself in front of Gestapo bullets to save them. We all want there to BE heroes. Americans are so obviously the heroes of WWII. Without us, Hitler would have won, right?

This is really deeply embedded in western culture. And can, I think, genuinely be seen as a subtle and pernicious form of anti-Semitism. I truly think her intentions were good, and she clearly made an attempt to treat the subject with what she felt was heartfelt respect. Yes, the horrors are mentioned explicitly and prominently in the novel.

But the scenes came across as deliberately paced and placed for shock value, instead of an integral part of the story. To borrow from another review,we need stories about the Holocaust. And you know what, Kate Breslin and Bethany House? That last bit deserved the extra bold and italics. But I am glad I read it, because I am learning so much. Our epic discussion has lead me to research anything I can get my hands on about Theresienstadt and the Book of Esther. Every time I glance at the book and our discussion and my growing list of bookmarks, I have more and more and more questions.

And in a disturbing way, reading this book has made me a better Christian. Aug 10, Roseanna White rated it it was amazing. If the beautiful story of Esther had taken place during WWII instead of the days of Persia, it may have looked like this. Breslin tells a tale of a young Jewish woman singled out of a concentration camp when her inner strength and promise of beauty captures the attention of a Nazi officer. He whisks her out of that life of hardship and employs her as his secretary, intrigued and attracted That she will never forgive it when she learns the role If the beautiful story of Esther had taken place during WWII instead of the days of Persia, it may have looked like this.

That she will never forgive it when she learns the role he must play in the Final Solution. The question is--can he ever forgive himself after she opens his eyes to the truth of her people's plight? This is a tale that paints vividly the horrors of life for the Jews in Nazi-occupied Europe. It's a tale that shows that sometimes the heart leads us toward people logic says we should hate.

It's a tale that reminds us that sometimes God turns a heart of stone back into a heart of flesh. There was no victory like in the story of Esther. The author gives us one, and then reminds us in her note that that was part of the retelling aspect, and that in reality, no one stepped forward to save these people. That's a failing of humanity. I've read a ton of bad reviews objecting to the idea of a Christian book about a Jewish heroine, and that it's an atrocity that someone would "save" i.

But they've obviously never read the book, as the heroine doesn't convert to Christianity. I've read similar objections saying the author is dishonoring the plight of the Jews in the hands of the Nazis by redeeming an SS officer. Personally, I don't see how saying that one man might have been led to see his sin through this atrocity in any way diminishes the evils wrought by the regime. Evils that are painted quite clearly as just that in Breslin's book. Is it a true story? I wish it were. I wish the prisoners really had managed, through the help of a brave heroine, the victory they achieved in this book.

I wish an Esther--and a Xerxes--had stepped up. The world might be a different place today.

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You'll get swept away by the prose, cheer for the heroes, and wish, as I did, that history really had happened this way a second time. Oct 21, Jenny Q rated it really liked it Shelves: For Such a Time is an impressive debut. As soon as I saw the premise, I wanted to read it. I was drawn to the idea of a Jewish woman and a Nazi officer in love and wondered if the author would be able to pull off such an unlikely pairing believably.

The answer is yes! The story begins with a young Jewish woman, Hadassah--or Stella, as she is officially known thanks to the false papers she carries confirming she is Aryan--being rescued from death by firing squad in Dachau by a Nazi officer. Colon For Such a Time is an impressive debut. Colonel Aric von Schmidt is struck by the quiet defiance of the woman he believes was mistakenly interred. A wounded war hero, he has been removed from active duty and given an "honorable" position as commandant of Theresienstadt, a holding camp for Jews bound for Auschwitz.

The Red Cross is coming to inspect the Nazi interment camp, and Aric has been given the job of hiding the atrocities committed to convince the Red Cross that the Nazis' prisoners are being treated humanely. He is in need of a secretary, and Stella's papers indicate she is educated. She is also beautiful beneath the bruises and skeletal flesh, and he makes it his mission to nurse her back to health.

Hadassah can't waste much time rejoicing in her salvation at the hands of the enemy. She's seen Nazi brutality firsthand, and she's seen the mind games they love to play with their prey. Though she seems safe and more cared for than she's been in years, she can't afford to let her guard down for a moment, even though the surprisingly compassionate and generous commandant seems determined to get her to do just that. And she has trouble reconciling her newfound luxury and safety with the plight of her fellow Jews in the ghetto next door.

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At first, she feels lost, set adrift by a God that has abandoned her and her people, but she slowly comes to see that through her clerical duties and her growing influence on Aric, she can help her people, even if only in the smallest of ways. But as her feelings for Aric deepen, creating another conflict in her soul, an embittered Nazi captain plots against them, and the Red Cross visit with the Nazi high brass looms near. Hadassah and Aric will both have to confront their fears and their faith and make decisions that will have dangerous and far-reaching consequences, and they soon find themselves fighting not just for the fate of the Theresienstadt Jews, but for their love and for their own lives.

Now this is inspirational fiction, which I enjoy reading, even though I'm not a very religious person. I like getting insight into the concepts of faith and devotion. And I can't think of a more likely place than a Nazi concentration camp for people under extreme conditions, faced with unending horrors and degradations, to find or lose faith--or both.

Hadassah's faith and that of her uncle and their people, and to a lesser extent, Aric, are integral to the story, and it felt very natural. But I could have done without the verses from Esther at the beginning of each chapter. They served as spoilers as they showed how Hadassah's story mirrored Esther's. I would have preferred a more subtle line drawn between the two. I kind of like to draw my own parallels rather than have them explained for me.

And I was a bit confused as to what the overall point was when it came to Hadassah's Jewish faith and the Christian Bible she used to hold on to her sanity and rediscover her faith. I couldn't figure out if she was converting or if she was just exploring the similarities between the two religions. And at the end, that aspect of the story seemed to fall by the wayside. But aside from those elements, it is a wonderful, powerful story. It's a story of highs and lows, of stolen moments and secret pride in the face of torture, humiliation, starvation, and cruelty, and in the ever-present face of death.

It's a story of contrasts, how the worst humanity has to offer is still no match for the faith of the best, how hope and joy can rise from the pits of anguish and despair, how the best emotions can rise from the most awful situations, how one person can make a difference. I can only offer you this. I would label this as romantic historical fiction, so if you're not into romance, you may find it a bit much.

But I love it! And this one really pulled at my heartstrings, urging me to tears at times and keeping me in a state of angst-ridden uncertainty until the last page. A very good read. Even if many of the major plot points are purely fictional, and even if the daring, dangerous, and uplifting climax may seem improbable, it's still great storytelling. Unbearably sad yet wonderfully hopeful at the same time. Highly recommended for all fans of historical fiction and timeless love stories.

View all 21 comments. Aug 17, Casey rated it it was amazing. There is a romantic tension in this book that is so tightly woven throughout the story that I held my breath and only the pounding of my heart reminded me I was alive and reading. Stella is a captivating character coming into her own—a Jew living under the roof of a Nazi and he has no clue about her heritage. The story strongly mirrors that of the Biblical story of Esther and I loved that about it.

I would definitely highly recommend this title. A fabulous work of fiction with strong writing and even more captivating characters. I am incredibly impressed. This review is my honest opinion. Thanks to the publishers for my copy to review. View all 3 comments. Mar 12, Rebekah rated it it was amazing Shelves: Thank you to my bookclub friend who picked this book for the month's read. After being in a reading slump for so long this helped me get back out. It was completely un-put-down-able. However I am one of those people who love stories such as this, depressing, but there is something beneath it all that fascinates me.

The deep brain wash and propaganda of Hitler and how it all transpired, the depth of soul in the lives of people in the camps, the truth behind such a tragic part of h Thank you to my bookclub friend who picked this book for the month's read. The deep brain wash and propaganda of Hitler and how it all transpired, the depth of soul in the lives of people in the camps, the truth behind such a tragic part of history.

It's real and tragic. Aug 11, Sandra marked it as winter-in-pandemonium Shelves: I won't rate this book, because I didn't read it, and never will, but I'm offended that a publisher thought it wise to publish a book in which a Nazi Kommandant is depicted as some kind of hero, and that a Jewish woman supposedly falls in love with this murderer of innocent men, women, and children, whose only "crime" it was to be Jewish in Hitler Germany. I'm outraged that the marketing campaign they chose to employ uses real images from Nazi concentration camps in which millions of Jewish peop I won't rate this book, because I didn't read it, and never will, but I'm offended that a publisher thought it wise to publish a book in which a Nazi Kommandant is depicted as some kind of hero, and that a Jewish woman supposedly falls in love with this murderer of innocent men, women, and children, whose only "crime" it was to be Jewish in Hitler Germany.

I'm outraged that the marketing campaign they chose to employ uses real images from Nazi concentration camps in which millions of Jewish people died. As a German, I'm offended that someone decided to romanticize this evil bloody stain on world history, on Jewish history, on German history, and twisted facts in such a way that they become nothing but fiction. I'm offended on behalf of my Jewish friends who will forever have to live with the pain and unimaginable suffering inflicted on their people by a monster who thought nothing of killing millions of them as part of his 'master plan'.

I'm thoroughly disgusted that such a book would be published. Aug 17, Steelwhisper rated it did not like it Recommends it for: For the same reason Schadenfreude is equally utterly despicable. And two commentaries that I can undersign, applying to this whole nazisploitation romance and erotica writing, which doesn't end with "Schadenfreude" or "For Such A Time". I'm absolutely sick of this. What a fucking idiocy of RWA. They say it better: View all 14 comments.

Jan 30, Klea Tselentis rated it did not like it. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I had many issues with this book. Although I cannot disagree that it was well written but I did struggle to find any attachment to the characters. This was mostly due to the fact that I didn't agree with the romance.

I am a little confused on how one can fall in love so quickly with a man who wears the same uniform as the man who killed your family. I don't see it and I don't get it. I picked up this book because it sounded intriguing and I always enjoy a good historical novel. I enjoyed the nov I had many issues with this book. I enjoyed the novel in the beginning because it was suspenseful. But that just turned into dust later on. The Christian aspect to me was forced and disrespectful to a story that should have been about Jewish faith and their struggle.

Although I understand that there is the same God when it comes to Jewish and Christian faith I did not agree bringing Jesus and his 'salvation'into the story. I just have too many problems with this book and had to skim through the last chapters because I started becoming uncomfortable and a little annoyed. I am especially uncomfortable with the fact that this author used yes, used a terrible crime against humanity as a means to promote her own religious faith.

Esther NIV - For if you remain silent at this time, - Bible Gateway

Aug 11, MrsJoseph rated it did not like it Shelves: I am disgusted and dismayed and horrified. I hope and pray that the Jewish members of my family never ever ever run across this book. How can you look at that cover and not want to throw up??? The yellow in this cover is part of the Star of David pictured as forced on the Jewish people by the Nazis. The photo below the yellow is an actual photo of Jewish people being sent to Auschwit I am disgusted and dismayed and horrified.

The photo below the yellow is an actual photo of Jewish people being sent to Auschwitz and thus to their deaths. There is no romanticism is the death of millions. What in the hell, Breslin? I just can't with people sometimes. Aug 04, Zoraida rated it did not like it. The subject is offensive. You lost me at Nazi. To the author who called the critics of this book "vengeful haters" http: View all 4 comments. Sep 20, Faith rated it it was amazing Shelves: I love this book.

What else can I say? This story grabbed my heartstrings in its fist and wouldn't let them go. And it feels wrong to say that. How can you love a story composed of tragedy and set in unimaginable suffering? I guess it's because I fell in love with the characters, and with watching them care for each other and grow increasingly more tenderhearted and brave as the story went on. Having pored over books like Ken Burn's The War, I already had metal images of the death camps and th I love this book.

Having pored over books like Ken Burn's The War, I already had metal images of the death camps and the work camps and the Jews who died there. This book contains enough detail to bring those pictures back to mind, and the facts fit in with what I'd previously studied. And this book gives back the stories behind the anonymous pictures, as the author crafts a "What if? For Such a Time made me wish that I wasn't reading fiction.

I wanted to believe that things like this could have happened. Colonel Aric von Schmidt. He's the camp Kommandant at Theresienstadt. As a soldier, Aric had fought against trained armies and fellow warriors. His new work, supposedly for the same cause, is a polar opposite: That is not work for an Austrian military man. That is the work of a bully. And so he finds himself to be a walking contradiction. As a Nazi Kommandant, his uniform and rank mark him as a ruthless killer, yet he had received the Knight's Cross, a medal that symbolizes all the highest ideals of self-sacrifice and courage.

He rues the turn his life has taken, yet how can one man stem the tide? Even his own martyrdom would not end the death and stop the trains. So he keeps on, day to day, until he himself wonders whether he even has a soul left. For some reason that she doesn't understand, this man pulled her out of the firing line at Dachau. He saved her life, but what does he want with her and who does he think she is? The only demand he's made is that she give him her loyalty.

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He think's she's Stella Muller, of course. That was the name on her forged identification papers. What she knows for sure is that Colonel Schmidt defies categorization. He's a Nazi Kommandant, yet the people he chooses to gather around him are all cast-offs on one way or another. And he takes care of them. Precocious and sweet, Joseph retains his innocence and faith. He is the first thing Stella allows herself to love in the Kommandant's house, and for Stella he symbolizes the fate of all the children.

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Helen, the mute cook whose silent presence helps guide this household. She and Aric understand each other instinctively, and there is a strong loyalty between them. Aric says that scent of Helen's apfelstrudel could lead men into battle. Rand Grossman, Aric's best friend and brother-in-arms. Rand is trusted implicitly, and he deserves that trust. He lost a hand in the war, but he never lost his honor or his heart. Kate Breslin has done something really wonderful: This is a story of where, if anywhere, our hope lies, and asks the question "What do we do with ourselves when the world is so dark around us?

How do we remember the Light? Apr 12, Melinda rated it it was ok. I should start by saying that I read Christian Fiction with a different eye than I do other forms of fiction. Whether this be right or wrong, I feel that Christian Fiction has a different aim and, because of that, I need to look at it with that aim in mind.

Because of this, I can overlook some things that would really, really bug my in other genres. Still, the fact that this is Christian Fiction does not give it a free pass. The idea of re-telling the story of Esther and setting it during the Hol I should start by saying that I read Christian Fiction with a different eye than I do other forms of fiction. The idea of re-telling the story of Esther and setting it during the Holocaust is intriguing and problematic. The setting definitely works--both the Biblical account and the Holocaust center around the persecution of the Jewish people.

Breslin does a very good job of pacing this book along with the Biblical account so that they line up. I found that the general arc of her story was fascinating and it kept me interested in the book. She had a lot going on--she was rescued from one concentration camp and then put into the employ of the kommandant of another. She had to hold up the facade of being a gentile while watching her fellow Jews, including her Uncle, suffer.

Breslin was able to effectively communicate all the inner struggles of this woman in a believable way. All this being said, I found two rather big problems with this book. One has to do with the fact that it is Christian Fiction and Breslin had to struggle with how to make it "Christian" while dealing with non-Christian characters. On this count, I don't feel that she completely succeeded. I believe that she tried to remain respectful to the Jewish faith--but having a main character in kind of a limbo land between Judaism and Christianity just didn't work.

I think she still could have told this story in a "Christian" tone by focusing on Aric's faith instead of Hadassah's. The second issue was far more troublesome to me. The relationship between Aric and Stella was just outright uncomfortable to read. The idea was that Aric was in love with Stella at first sight, of course and that is what led him to rescue her from a firing squad and that she fell in love with him as she discovered his good heart under his SS uniform.

Unfortunately, that is not how the relationship came off. Instead, it came across more like a frightening case of sexual harassment couple with Stockholm Syndrome. I was incredibly repulsed by the whole situation--and the fact that what I find stomach turning from this book is the love story and not the fact that it was set in a concentration camp should tell you something. Honestly, Breslin could have told this story in a way that conveyed a believable love story and I think that is probably the biggest failing of the book, which is too bad because the overall story is quite good.

I might recommend this book to others--but only to those with an interest in Christian fiction and who were willing to overlook a badly written romance in order to see a fascinating re-telling of Esther. I was given an electronic copy of this book in return for an honest review. I received no other compensation for this post. What can I say? It's heart-wrenching, it's emotional, and extremely deep. It holds your attention. It makes you want to ignore the rest of the world, but also wish that there was never such an awful history in the past.

As a believer, it brings forth the beauty of the book of Esther and carries you through to the end. Yet, in some ways it fell short. Aric was a deep character, but I never was drawn to him. Sometimes I didn't understand Stella's love for him. But every time I wondered "how in the What can I say? But every time I wondered "how in the world?

Any sort of kindness would have been reached for. Neither did I understand how she could love him so quickly, but I think part of it is becuase she could sympathize with his struggles. The kissing scenes were over the top for me, several much too detailed I'm not kidding. I also would have liked if Aric's faith struggle had been bigger. It seemed that he found more love-which, during most of the book was a selfish love-from Stella, then God.

In no way did I ever feel that the author agreed with the Nazi's. If that is what is taken away from this book, then I believe readers have sorely missed the point of this story. Aric's character is an example of many Germans during the war. I've read true accounts where German soldiers-yes, even SS officers-showed compassion. It is possible, even in the worst of men. But neither does this discount the fact that man, even as "good" as they may be, can only be saved through Jesus Christ. The author never belitted the suffering of the Jewish people.

She could have been much more detailed in her descriptions, but neither does she sugar-coat it. Maybe it seems offensive she would have a Jew trust in Jesus Christ as some reviews have pointed out , but believe it or not there are are Jews that believe in Jesus Christ as the Messiah. All around this is a very intense story I thought the ending would be different and would have preferred it that way, even though most readers would be happy with how it ends.

Feb 05, Staci rated it really liked it Shelves: For Such a Time is a modern day retelling of Esther.