Book review: The Daughter's Tale by Armando Lucas Correa

The Daughter’s Tale by Armando Lucas Correa tells the story of a Jewish family during the Second World War. We follow the family as they are forced to leave Germany in their quest to survive the persecution of the Nazis, and their own people.

I’ve read quite a few novels set during this time period and with this similar storyline. Many times, reading the same story over and over can become tedious but this is something different. This topic, this story, can never be told too many times. It can never stop being told.

At times I found the narrative a bit difficult to follow, and it jumps between character points of view within the same paragraph. I’m not typically a fan of that style, but there were points in the novel where I found it worked. I think I would have preferred if the narrative had been a bit more limited, mostly between Amanda and Elise. While some historical points may have been missed, or descriptions of scenes, I feel it would have added to the confusion caused by the chaos. It would have also allowed me to become attached more to those characters, especially Elise. I found her voice got a bit lost, but then again, I think that was her character all along. She was shuffled around, lost, found, her identity completed changed throughout the entire novel.

The descriptions of the people, and how they acted, I found very realistic. I haven’t read too much about the people of France during the Wars, so I was happy to learn a few new things. It was important to add how convinced they were that Germany would never invade, that some people were so detached from it all that they thought the war was fake. It’s also frightening that the mindset is still present in some people today, whether it’s about the holocaust or current wars.

Overall, this novel is a must read. It’s moving, and powerful. If you can get past the character switches, I can tell you that you will enjoy this book. Whether you enjoy historical fiction or not, it’s an important story people need to read. In a way, this isn’t really historical fiction. While Lina Sternberg in name was not a real person, her story represents someone who is, was, very real. So we can remember. So we can say “never again.”


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