Review: A must read, for everyone.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 29, 2012
The excerpt from a review on the front cover of this novel says: "This is truly a love story". It is. It is one of the best, if not THE best love story I've ever read. The way the writer describes the couple's feelings; the way they interact; it's all so beautiful. The writer uses colour throughout the novel to describe scenes. She describes everything from the clothes the characters are wearing to the colour of the sky, to the flowers that Rebecca (one of the two main characters) loves so much. In some books I have read, it can become tiresome when an author describes everything -- but not in this book. The writing is so expertly and seemingly effortlessly scripted so that the reader can 'see' what is being described. An amazing talent.Yes, there are a few typos and some editorial issues, odd use of words here and there, but on the whole the prose flowed well.I was hooked on this book which is the story of Eli, a young Jewish lawyer, who falls in love with Rebecca, a German girl, who -- trying to escape the confines of her strict upbringing -- has moved to an apartment in Munich. Eli lives upstairs from Rebecca and falls in love with her. He gradually finds the courage to talk to her. We follow the love affair from the beginning, and by the end of the book I really felt as if I knew these two people.The book is set in Nazi Germany before the Second World War, and the author has done a good job in weaving together the history and the love story, showing how the changes in the country had a direct effect on the couple's relationship and their lives.As Hitler's power takes hold in Germany, Eli and Rebecca have to face up to the prejudice around them and the concerns of their families about their forbidden relationship.'The Day The Flowers Died' is so much more than just a love story. It is a tale very relevant to the world we live in today, showing the destructive effects of prejudice and hatred on innocent people.This book made me cry at the end.