Snow on the Tulips

Cornelia de Vries lost everything to the Nazis, including her beloved husband of less than one day. Now in early 1945, she's content to wait out the rest of the war without making waves. Too bad the Nazis forced her hand. When a Resistance worker named Gerritt survives his execution against all reason, Cornelia has no choice but to conceal him in her home, along with an impetuous brother hiding from the German army's decree that able-bodied men must work for the Nazi war effort. What follows might kill them all, and will certainly change the course of their personal histories. Actually, in its own small way, the events of their lives might change history itself.I discovered this book years ago but balked at purchasing or reading it. For some reason, I thought Cornelia and Gerritt's story would be boring. I am so happy to have been proven wrong. Liz Tolsma writes these characters and circumstances with a creative hand and simple, yet sharp and memorable, imagery. Snow on the Tulips is a wartime romance, but it doesn't veer into melodrama. If anything, Cornelia and Gerritt's romance is sweet, but secondary to the reality in which they live. Better, as harsh as that reality is, hope always exists, not only for our two main characters but for those around them.Speaking of our two main characters, they are beautifully developed, as are secondary cast members. Cornelia especially is one of the most unique wartime heroines I've met. Unlike many of her ilk, she isn't eager to fight for freedom. If you didn't know better you would assume she didn't have a courageous bone in her body. But, as other characters learn when they make that assumption, they're dead wrong. Cornelia is arguably the most courageous, steadfast, and faithful character in the cast. Her growth toward courage is the book's most engaging arc.This isn't to say the other characters are a bunch of losers. Oh, no! Gerritt, as Cornelia's hero, does a great job of protecting her while trying to stay loyal to the Resistance, and goes through a great journey of learning when to risk his neck and when to stand down. Cornelia's sister Anki and her husband Piet give us a probing look into the gray areas of moral and spiritual law - that is, would God ever have us disobey authority? When, how, and why? Even impulsive Johan, who many readers say they found annoying, has a purpose in Snow on the Tulips. At his core, Johan is the impulsive soul we all think we'd be when faced with a Nazi-like danger, but still has a lot to learn and a lot of growing up to do. And don't we all?Finally, I loved the spiritual threads of Snow on the Tulips. Most are subtle, which make the more overt moments stand out. There's a nice twist with Cornelia and a German soldier, and another that takes place during one of Gerritt's assignments. In a world where God seems to have disappeared, these characters are determined to find and honor Him, something we should all aspire to.The prose seems a little slow in places, and I'd have liked to see a touch more romance. I also would've appreciated a short Dutch glossary for words I didn't get through context. But these are very minor issues. Overall, Liz Tolsma has crafted a beautiful book - based on a true story, no less - and I look forward to more from her.

I enjoy reading WWII books, both fiction and non-fiction. Snow on the Tulips was well written and kept my attention as I finished it in a day and a half. Trusting God through the horrors of war seemed to be the main theme. Although it was based partly on a true event, most of the book is fiction.I thought the book was extremely well written. The author did a good job at describing the fears and changes that the war had caused in the Netherlands. So little to eat, everything from clothes to homes worn out and unable to replace or repair. Even those homes owned by well to do people, before the war, were run down and bare skeletons of what they once were. The tone was survival.I didn't care for Johan, Cornelia's brother, who was 20 and in hiding so he wasn't sent to the German factors as slave labor. Considering he was 15 when the Germans invaded the land, you can somewhat understand his lack of depth of character but he really was annoying. He didn't grasp the danger and jumped head on into things he shouldn't have. At least by the end of the book he started to realize the dangers and that this wasn't a game. Cornelia tried so hard to protect him because she has lost so much in the war already. She couldn't stand to lose him too.Cornelia was very real to me. She expressed a lot of emotion throughout the book while she dealt with her grief and survival of the German occupation of her land. Gerrit was a true resistance type who looked death straight in the eye and survived, more than once. Although some of the instances seemed a far stretch of possibility it made for good fiction reading. Especially when it seemed that God was the one who pulled them through the maize.Anka, Cornelia's sister, was an interesting character. Her relationship with her husband was sad. She hadn't even told him she was pregnant until the Germans were taking him away .Peit was a strange man. His faith, if you can call it that, caused him to just roll with the punches and never seemed to think he had to do anything to help his and his families survival. It was all God's will. No matter what happened. I'm sure the war brought out others like him although it was probably more fear then faith that caused them to just go with the flow.I really enjoyed the book. I look forward to reading other books by the author. She is a very good writer.

Snow on the Tulips by Liz Tolsma is a World War II historical fiction book. Liz has written lots of books about historical fiction and was a double award winner on her first book she wrote. She likes to read, write , edit and research. World War II is almost finished. There is still so much at stake for those in Europe. Those in the Dutch Resistance do all they can to help the people that could be in danger to the Nazis. The Dutch Resistance group risk their own lives in many amazing ways. There are several people in the Dutch Resistance in the book that go above and beyond for those in need to protect and help them . The book is fast paced, romantic, historical and emotionally touching. It becomes very hard to put down. The author has done some very good research to help the reader learn about the challenges of life during World War II. The book is well written . Thank you to the author for a well written book. I will share my review on facebook, Goodreads, Bookbub, Barnes and Noble, . MillionMillionCommentsWrite a comment...Nancy Larimer

Disappointed in this book, far too many religious references ,lacking in detail and unconvincing characters, was a waste of £7.99

An uplifting and inspirational read deftly weaving different views of how faith affects our choices, and how God moves in mysterious ways, without preaching.

I loved this book / This bookk takes place in Friesland where I was born. This could easily havebeen my parent's story as they lived during this period of the war. in Friesland. My mother was always afraid of low flying planes. She remembers rhe planes flying over the land fter the day of bombing was finished. Also the people from the cities looking for food.. Mem and Heit and two kids with a bag of sseed potatoes came to Canada after the war but Friesland was always home. This Fall I am taking some oof their ashes home.

Enjoyed yet another WW2 historical drama.... Have read soooo many that it is now becoming impossible to keep them ALL straight ( this of course needed to give an accurate honest review)But needless to say I am enjoying discovering dozens of wonderful "same theme titles" on Amazon. CaOne title enjoyed... Leads to many othersThanks Amazon 📚

Interesting story right from the start