We Shall Not Shatter – Reader Friday

Patricia Bradley Reader Friday 39 Comments

We Shall Not Shatter by Elaine Stock is this week’s Reader Friday. Here’s the first line. “The French marble clock in the bedroom chimed five o’clock at the same time a pounding came to the front door.”

Now for this week’s photo and Scripture verse. I truly hope this is the last snow for our area this year! lol Although it was the best kind of snow–the kind that didn’t freeze on the streets. I’m told it made great snowballs. My Sunday school class closes out each week with this verse. It’s a great reminder to take Christ with us as we leave church.

Here’s the cover and blurb of We Shall Not Shatter:

An unforgettable story of friendship, family and hope as two courageous young women face one of history’s most horrific tragedies

Brzeziny, Poland, 1939 Zofia’s comfortable lifestyle overturns when her husband, Jabez, who monitors Nazi activity, has gone missing. Rather than fleeing the country with her young son, as she had promised Jabez who is fearing retaliation, she decides to stay. She cannot possibly leave her friend, Aanya. Since their childhood, they have amazed fellow Brzeziners that it does not matter that Aanya is Jewish and deaf, and that Zofia is Catholic and hearing. Now, more than ever with war looming, Zofia will do whatever is necessary to protect her family and Aanya.

As both love and war approach their Polish town, Zofia and Aanya must make choices that will change the meaning of family, home, and their precious friendship. The journey, decisions, and the no-going-back consequences the women face will either help them to survive—or not—as Hitler’s Third Reich revs up its control of the world.

Inspired by the author’s paternal heritage from Brzeziny, this is a heartbreaking yet beautiful story of two women who are determined to remain united in friendship and to live freely despite the odds.

My Take:
We Shall Not Shatter is the perfect title for this poignant story of friendship, love, and faith set against the backdrop of World War II in Poland. The story and its characters will linger in the reader’s heart for days… perhaps forever.

These two strong women quickly became favorites. Elaine Stock has a way of engaging the reader with compelling characters facing great odds. The reader will root for both women and the characters around them. I literally could not put the book down.

This is a story that reminds us unless we take a stand evil will prevail. Elaine Stock’s characters will attach themselves to your heart and you’ll root for these two women to be reunited. A great story, one I believe everyone should read.

You can preorder on Kindle now for only $2.99–after the release it will go up! Unfortunately Barnes and Noble isn’t offering it in the Nook yet.
Leave a comment with the first line of the book you’re reading and I’ll enter you in a drawing for a $10 gift card.

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Comments 39

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  1. Priscilla Bettis

    We Shall Not Shatter sounds like a compelling book!

    Did you change your blog theme? Something looks different . . .

    I am reading Storm Dancer, an epic fantasy by Rayne Hall. Here is the first line: “Even in the shade of the grafitti-carved olive tree, the air sang with heat.” Hall is SO good at description and atmosphere!

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      Patricia Bradley

      Hi Priscilla…it looks like gremlins got on my website and changed some of my text to white. Thanks for noticing! I usually answer comments from the dashboard, so I didn’t see the change.

      We Shall Not Shatter is definitely a compelling book, especially in the light of what’s going on in the world. Storm Dancer–Wow! that frist line is good!

  2. Elaine Stock

    Heartfelt thanks and much appreciation for sharing We Shall Not Shatter with your readers, Pat. I’m thrilled that you enjoyed Zofia and Aanya’s story and hope your readers will too.

    We are looking forward to 60-65 degrees and sunshine today. Rain tomorrow and murmurs of possible snow for the Northeast next week–hope not!

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      Patricia Bradley

      I’ll be so glad to see spring get here…I may shoot (figuratively) the first person who complains about the heat. Which won’t take long. lol I loved this story about Zofia and Aanya’s friendship. The story has staying power–still think about it. Thanks for writing such a powerful book.

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  3. Tim Johnson

    We all need to be shining the light of Christ. Love that photo, Pat.

    Hearing pounding on the door at 5AM is never a good thing. That sounds like a very good book. The description reminds me of another that has an Eastern Europe WWII setting called “The Last Bridge” by Elvera Ziebart Reu (https://grhc-northdakotastate-ndus.nbsstore.net/last-bridge). Stories like that are amazing.

    “Aubrey Clark approached the low-income two-story apartment building with trepidation.” is the first line of “Sealed with Courage” by Laura Scott. It’s set in San Diego, one of my favorite cities.

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  4. Barbara Diggs

    This entire blog brought tears to my eyes and heart, Pat. The lovely photo with the Scripture is what I pray for my life…let God be glorified.

    This book blurb and your review definitely makes this a must read for me. I value the loyalty of their friendship, despite the persecution, I’m sure they faced.

    I agree with you, unless we take a stand, evil will prevail!

    “As long as she kept dancing, Lucille Girard could pretend the world wasn’t falling apart.” Until Leaves fall in Paris, by Sarah Sundin.
    “When the Nazis march toward Paris, American ballerina Lucie Girard buys her favorite English-language bookstore to allow the Jewish owners to escape.”

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  5. Debra Tucker

    Thank you Pat for all you do! You are such a Blessing! I look forward to receiving your blogs in my inbox each week. The picture along with the verse was a wonderful reminder and start for my day.

    Before finishing your review of We Shall Not Shatter I knew it would be my selection for my month in Book Club. I already have it preordered. I can’t wait to read and share it with our members.

    I love words and enjoy phases that are short and descriptive. The latest is “slow as a wet week” in The Forgotten Garden. It’s possible it spoke to me because I read it during several terribly rainy days when daily life all around seemed to be slowed and crawling. Fantastic book by the way!

      1. Debra Tucker

        Elaine, thank you for the link and I’ll be sharing it with our Book Club ladies! I’m looking forward to We Shall Not Shatter book release!

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      Patricia Bradley

      Hi Debra! I’m so glad you’re enjoying my blogs. I know you recognized the verse. 😉 And I’m glad it’s going to be your bookclub selection!!! And I love the “slow as a wet week.”

  6. Gail Hollingsworth

    “And no more digging.” Kathryn King, known to all Blue Sky, Pennsylvania, as Kappy, pointed a finger at the two beagles seated on the floor in front of her.
    This Little Piggy by Amy Lillard

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  7. Jackie Smith

    Sounds like a great book! “Homicide Investigator, Ryan Parker, flashed a thumbs-up to his dive buddy and fellow homicide investigator, Gabe Chavez”… in book Beneath the Surface by Lynn Blackburn!

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  8. Alicia Haney

    I love the sound of this book, thank you so much for sharing about it. “For the third time that Thursday morning, Kelsey Harris fought back tears.” from The Adoption Surprise by Zoey Marie Jackson

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  9. Caryl Kane

    Beautiful scripture and photo, Pat! Thank you for recommending We Shall Not Shatter.

    This afternoon, I finished reading Once Upon a Wardrobe.

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  10. Erika Luther

    Hi Patricia. Great picture and verse. This book sounds really good. Definitely one to check out. I just went on Elaine Stock’s website. The background story of her family is very sad and inspiring. I’m reading The Letter from Briarton Park by Sarah E. Ladd. “James Warrington met his half-sister’s determined gaze”.

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  11. Lelia (Lucy) Reynolds

    Love the scripture. I’m reading the Veteran’s Vow
    Ellery Watson’s job description did not include tracking down veterans at their homes to investigate why they hadn’t shown up for training, but when she realized her no-show lived in her town, she’d been unable to resist.

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  12. Esther M Bandy

    This sounds like a wonderful book by a talented author. I look forward to reading it. Thank you for sharing it with us.

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  13. Edward Arrington

    Love the picture and verse. I think that was among the very earliest Bible verses I memorized as a child. It and the picture go together so well.

    I have read some other books in recent months set in the same time period as this one. It sounds interesting.

    I am reading both a fiction and a non-fiction book right now. The fiction is Never Leave Me by Jody Hedlund. I am enjoying it. The non-fiction is Well Versed: Biblical Answers to Today’s Tough Issues by James L. Garlow. It happens to be the one I have beside me right now. The first line reads: “I grew up on a Midwestern farm with strong Christian parents and a close family.” I have only read a few chapters, but I highly recommend the book to anyone who is concerned about what is happening to our nation.

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  14. Diana Hardt

    Nice picture. This comes from Tracking Concealed Evidence by Sharee Stover: An eerie howl clawed at the edges of Shaylee Adler’s consciousness, dragging her from the depths of darkness. She struggled to open her eyes, uncertain why they felt so heavy.

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