The Butterfly and the Violin by Kristy Cambron Book Review

// The Butterfly and the Violin //
 

A Hidden Masterpiece Novel

                            By Kristy Cambron

                      {Review Written by Bethany}

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Source: Review book from the publisher through BookLookBloggers

Number of Pages: 336

Publication Date: July 8th, 2014

My Rating: Five out of five stars

// Book Synopsis //

{Taken from GoodReads} 

 
"And then came war . . .

"Today." Sera James spends most of her time arranging auctions for the art world's elite clientele. When her search to uncover an original portrait of an unknown Holocaust victim leads her to William Hanover III, they learn that this painting is much more than it seems.

"Vienna, 1942." Adele Von Bron has always known what was expected of her. As a prodigy of Vienna's vast musical heritage, this concert violinist intends to carry on her family's tradition and play with the Vienna Philharmonic. But when the Nazis learn that she helped smuggle Jews out of the city, Adele is taken from her promising future and thrust into the horrifying world of Auschwitz.

The veil of innocence is lifted to expose a shuddering presence of evil, and Adele realizes that her God-given gift is her only advantage; she must play. Becoming a member of the Women's Orchestra of Auschwitz, she fights for survival. Adele's barbed-wire walls begin to kill her hope as the months drag into nearly two years in the camp. With surprising courage against the backdrop of murder and despair, Adele finally confronts a question that has been tugging at her heart: Even in the midst of evil, can she find hope in worshiping God with her gift?

As Sera and William learn more about the subject of the mysterious portrait--Adele--they are reminded that whatever horrors one might face, God's faithfulness never falters."

// Bethany's Book Review //

A picture is worth a thousand words, and a painting brought forth in trial is worth even more. Fans of heartwarming historical fiction will love this new breathtaking novel from debut author Kristy Cambron. Switching between two different time periods and point of views, this story takes you an unforgettable journey of two women-one during WWII inside a concentration camp, and the other in the present day tracking down art from the concentration camps. 

As a devoted fan of WWII historical fiction, I was very excited to learn of this new book which is set in my favorite time period setting for historical fiction. My very first impression of this book was how breathtaking the cover is. While I knew it held so much beauty even before reading the novel, after reading the poignant story within its pages, I have an even greater love for the cover, and all it represents in the story with the painting that Sera is tracking of Adele. 

This novel completely blew me out of the water. I had a feeling it would be good, but I didn't expect that it would end up on my favorite books read in 2014 list! For a debut novel, I'd have thought that this was not the first book by this author, as the writing style shows experience and a seasoned writing style, making it hard for me to believe it was only this author's first novel! Kristy has been gifted with the ability to take words on a page of paper and turn them into a story, breathing life into the characters and weaving a true masterpiece that moves you just as much as the painting of Adele did for those in the story. This novel has such heart and emotion, and was written in such a way that you can't help but be touched in a positive way. 

Kristy wrote about the horrendously unjust time in history where innocent Jews were killed all for the sake of power. She wrote it in such a poignant way that I just couldn't help but feel as if I were in the concentration camps alongside Adele and the others who were there with her. While lots of Holocaust historical fiction is usually known for producing this emotion, I felt like this experience was different than others I've had with other fiction set during this time. The author just has such a wonderful way with words, and this novel was truly one of the most unique novels I've ever had the pleasure of reading. The way that the power of music and art were woven into the storyline made for such a touching addition to the novel. I loved how the author wove the beauty of life into the story by emphasizing how music can be a form of worship to the Lord, as we saw ultimately displayed in Adele's life. 

Aside from the sheer beauty and radiance of this novel, and the story it tenderly tells, the characters were another part of this story that I loved. This novel was extremely unique, since it switches between two different time periods and point of views, making for an interesting reading experience. In the story we get to know Adele who lived during WWII, and we also meet Sera who is living in the present day, tracking down a portrait of Adele painted long ago. Both women have a touching story in this novel, and the development of both of their characters is such a beautiful thing to see take place on the page, and was done so well. I'd only read one other novel sharing two point of views/time periods before, and really liked how this part of the story added to the storyline and overall theme, adding advantages to the reading experience that I enjoyed greatly. 

Overall, this novel was such a touching one. I got so swept away in the story, and truly felt the characters emotions, and will forever remember Adele's legacy - even more so the because of the real people who's stories of concentration camp life were similar to Adele's fictional one. Even though Adele's story is a work of fiction, I love how it reflects upon to true stories of those who did suffer in the concentration camps. That fact that what Adele went through was based on real events added another dimension to the story, making it a truly beautiful masterpiece. I loved the way music was incorporated into the story as a form of worship to the Lord, and loved how Kristy really drove home the fact that music has the power to move people, and is a wonderful thing when used for the Lord's glory. I feel so blessed to have been able to read this book, and treasure it as a favorite! I would highly recommend this novel to any historical fiction fans, and eagerly await future novels by this author! 

D I S C L A I M E R :: I received a complementary copy of The Butterfly and the Violin from the publisher for the sole purpose of this review. I was not paid to promote this book, and all thoughts expressed in the review are my own, completely honest and unbiased.