Amsterdam, 1943. Hanneke spends her days procuring and delivering sought-after black market goods to paying customers, her nights hiding the true nature of her work from her concerned parents, and every waking moment mourning her boyfriend, who was killed on the Dutch front lines when the Germans invaded. She likes to think of her illegal work as a small act of rebellion. On a routine delivery, a client asks Hanneke for help. Expecting to hear…
(Historical – World War 2)
Monica Hesse’s story of survival in Holland during the Second World War had me on the edge of my seat. Secretly working on the black market, Hanneke is used to finding almost anything for her paying customers, but as the Nazis begin gathering up more Jews to send to camps, she is given her biggest challenge yet – to find a missing Jewish girl – The Girl in the Blue Coat. But that’s not Hanneke’s only challenge. She’s also dealing with the loss of her boyfriend, who was killed in the war and the fact that she can’t afford to be found out as she is the only earner in her family. It’s a story about danger, risk, love and grief.
