Official Review: The Weeping Woman of Putten

[Kelebogile Mbangi]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Weeping Woman of Putten" by Alyce Bailey.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The Weeping Woman of Putten is a historical fiction book by Alyce Bailey that is based on true events. The book tells the story of the Nazi war crime against the town of Putten, Netherlands.

The Dutch resistance and the Allied troops were fighting to free the Netherlands from Hitler and the Nazis. What they now needed was information on German troop movements to the war front. Men from the resistance planned to ambush German vehicles that approached the Oldenaller Bridge. It was the night of September the thirtieth, 1994 – the night that would forever change the lives of the people of Putten - when the planned ambush went very wrong. When the Nazis found out about the botched ambush, they decided to make an example of the town of Putten, even though most of the town’s people had nothing to do with the Dutch resistance. The Nazis rounded up the men of Putten and sent them off to work camps to face “death by labor”. They then set the town ablaze.

The author, Alyce Bailey, was born in 1947 and grew up in the town of Putten. In preparation for this book, she interviewed family members and family friends; she also collected stories from the few survivors that returned to Putten from the work camps. Thus, her book includes real pictures of the events and people. There are pictures of Putten, the German camps, and even pictures of the aftermath of the raid on Putten. These pictures along with the author’s excellent writing skills brought the book to life.

The only thing I did not enjoy was how perfect the lead character, Janneke, seemed to be initially. She is a strong-willed, confident, and quick-thinking woman who is far different in character to the meek women of her time. Initially, she got far too much praise for my liking. However, as the plot developed she became more relatable and less invincible. My favorite characters had to be Dirk and his father, Johan. They are two of the men from Putten who get sent from work camp to work camp in Germany. Seeing Dirk’s optimism remain through the toughest of adversities was refreshing to read about.

The Weeping Woman of Putten is very well edited, and I could not spot any errors. It contains no vulgar language and has no sexually explicit scenes, making it available to a wider audience. I personally love books that are clean in content, and this is one of those books. If you do not enjoy books with heavy emotions, then you might want to skip this one. On the other hand, if you are a historical fiction fan (like me), you will definitely love this book! I rate it 4 out of 4 stars because of its great content.

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The Weeping Woman of Putten
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[Elmaestro]

History is always a part of the future... I like how the author has decided to remind us of the Hitler times because through Hitler the world got to understand how leadership should be!.. Great piece of writing!

[Chrisnermarseille77]

Everyone should love history,because it is a part of our lives. So I really apreciate the way the autor (Alyce Bailey) takes the time to remind of about such true events. For thi period is quite a unforgetable one(the Nazi war). So I congratulate the autor.

Chrisner

[Chrisnermarseille77]

Excuse my mistakes spelling please. I meant: I really appreciate the way the autor takes the time to remind us of such true events. For the period is...

[Laura Lee]

Wow. The title caught my eye first. How evocative! But then to read that it is based on a true story, wow. Honestly, it sounds too heart-wrenching for my taste, but I really enjoyed reading your review.

[Dannyphery]

Historical fictions are always interesting.
Subjecting the people to Death by labour.... hmmmm.... sure won't be light on them.
Sounds like a nice book from the review though. Good job

[Cynthia_Oluchi]

The tiltle really captivated me, but unfortunately, I am not a fan of history fiction. However, this review makes this book seem an interesting one. I would love to know what became of their fate when the ambush they had planned went wrong.

[Miraphery]

A historical book about Hitler and the Nazi war, this would make a great read. I love that the book had no obvious errors and captures real events. Nice job

[praise+anyi]

The fusion of history and fiction takes a great mind with knowledgeable facts to pen down. I must applaud the author for doing a great work. Awesome review by the way.

[Leen282]

Great review, makes me want to read the book. I am curious to see how Janneke's character evolves from too perfect to relatable.

[Amy+++]

I'm not into historical fiction, or books about WWII. I am going to pass on this book. Great review.

[LeDiplomatique]

I love that this is a true recount of what happened to Puten in the Nazi era. The inclusion of real pictures and people in the story makes it believable. Thanks for a wonderful review. Congratulations BOTD.

[Ivona R]

That's a difficult topic. However, stories like this one are relevant so that we as humankind don't repeat the same mistakes again. Great review.

[Thxtw]

I love the title and theme _ historical fiction are interesting and this one really won me _ ii new a little about the Nazi war and this right here really filled my collection about history_although its fiction but its based on true events

[Caffrey_19]

Somewhere along the line, you’d want to feel that the horrors of past wars were so disastrous that it had given birth to the pursuit of Peace and civilization today. Thanks for the review