The book begins with the 'Ten Boom family' celebrating the 100th anniversary of the family business; they sell and repair watches under the family's elderly father, Casper ten Boom. The business takes up the ground floor of the family home, known as the Béjé. Casper lives with his two unmarried daughters; Corrie, the narrator and a watchmaker herself, and Betsie, who takes care of the house. It seems as if everyone in the Dutch town of Haarlem has shown up to the party, including Corrie's sister Nollie, her brother Willem, and her nephews Peter and Kik. Willem, a minister in the Dutch Reformed Church, brings a Jewish man, who has just escaped from Germany. The man's beard has been burned off by some thugs, a grim reminder of what was happening just to the east of the Netherlands. Even though I was left wanting—if only Tudor had pushed the envelope a bit further—it won’t deter me from visiting another of her literary creations. In fact, at the moment, I find myself contemplating a peek at her debut, The Chalk Man. She talks about the only man she ever loved, a young man named Karel, who ultimately marries a woman from a rich family.

Cornelia Arnolda Johanna ten Boom was born on April 15, 1892, in Haarlem, Netherlands, near Amsterdam. Known as “Corrie” all her life, she was the youngest child, with two sisters, Betsie and Nollie, and one brother, Willem. Their father, Casper, was a jeweler and watchmaker. Cornelia was named after her mother. You can still feel the echoes of bad things. They imprint on the fabric of our reality, like a footprint in concrete. Whatever made the impression is long gone, but you can never erase the mark it left." Julia had a history of depression. She just had a divorce from Ben's father. She had stopped her medication and requested a leave of absence and took Ben out of school. Then she bludgeoned her son to death before she blew her own head off. She wrote three words in blood on the wall of Ben's bedroom, NOT MY SON. Are these the actions of a mad woman or an unbalanced mind or is this something a lot more sinister? No one is as disappointed as I am that I’m having to write “that” review. I was sure this would be the easiest 5 stars given in 2018 (or 2019 based on publication), but unfortunately there were too many issues I couldn’t glance over. Between the unnecessary racism and prejudice of people on the spectrum that was added for “character development”, to the plot twist that anyone who has read a certain Stephen King book will find unnervingly familiar, it’s safe to say this one just wasn’t for me. I feel another round of editing to take away some of the choppy presentation might improve the overall quality as well. If you're wanting to go into this one blind, I would recommend you stop reading this review right here as I'll be discussing below in greater detail some of the things that worked and didn't work for me.The Hiding Place is a 1971 book on the life of Corrie ten Boom, written by herself and John and Elizabeth Sherrill. Corrie’s mother, Cornelia, died in 1921, a few years after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage. In the years that followed, Corrie settled into life at the Beje as a dedicated spinster aunt with her sister Betsie (also a spinster) and Casper. She became the bookkeeper for her father’s watch shop, while Betsie poured herself into refurbishing the Beje. Betsie made the Beje truly glow, while opening its doors to anyone in Haarlem who wished to stop in for a hot cup of coffee, homemade soup, or Christian prayer and fellowship. The Hiding Place is an autobiographical book written by Corrie ten Boom with John and Elizabeth Sherrill and published in 1971. When Corrie graduates high school, she takes over the work of running the household. In particular, she cares for Tante Jans, who has developed diabetes. The disease makes the normally tough Tante Jans worried and nervous. Every week Corrie performs a complicated blood test on her aunt; one week the results are bad, and she knows that Jans has only a few weeks to live. The family gently delivers the news to the old woman, but she reacts with great calm and tranquility. To Corrie, this is confidence that God always endows people with moral strength at the moment they need it most.

Oh, well. Title and cover changes aside, this is one freakin’ fun and twisted spooky tale! The tone is very similar to THE CHALK MAN, but I liked this one a bit more. The novel starts with a grisly bang and your attention is immediately hooked. I found this book super-addictive. I could not wait to see what had happened to Annie Thorne!! Corrie is interrogated several times by Lieutenant Rahms, a German army officer. Instead of giving him any information, Corrie speaks to him about the Bible, which seems to strike a chord in the officer. He tells her that he hates the work he does at the prison and only wants to go home to his family. At the same time, he feels that there’s no way to change conditions in the prison or alter the circumstances of his job. After some time, Lieutenant Rahms allows the whole family to convene at the prison, on the pretext of reading Father’s will. It’s the first time Corrie sees her family in months; by now, everyone has been released except her and Betsie. Willem tells her that all the Jews hiding in the Beje managed to escape, though police watched the house for several days. In early 1944, one of Corrie’s operatives, a man named Jop, was captured by the Gestapo. Rolf warned Corrie that this likely signaled the beginning of the end for her rescue operation—the Germans would get information out of Jop one way or the other that was almost certain to result in the arrest and capture of everyone involved. Corrie had been concerned about the growth of her operation for some time and how difficult and complex it had become to maintain it. With a network of dozens of people delivering supplies and information, only one domino needed to fall for the whole operation to collapse. February 28, 1944Most people have started 2018 with parties and fireworks. I've started it by finishing a five star book! Ten Boom returned to the Netherlands after the war and set up a rehabilitation center for concentration camp survivors. In the Christian spirit to which she was so devoted, she also took in those who had cooperated with the Germans during the occupation. In 1946, she began a worldwide ministry that took her to more than 60 countries.

This was a Traveling Sister Read and we all had mixed feelings about this book. I am just happy that I ended up loving it. Just one of many examples of how this book turns a story about World War II into a platform for evangelical tripe." Corrie and sister Betsie were taken to German work camp as sympathizers to the “Jew Problem”. There they were able to share their faith with other prisoners and to love their enemies with only the love of God can give. When Corrie was released, she continued the dream of her sister, to help bring the love of God to the hurting- to the wounded and the ones who wounded as all need the grace and love of God. I'm left wondering why, up until now, I haven't felt compelled to read Tudor's debut novel The Chalk Man, which I promptly corrected by adding to my tbr list upon completion of this book. CJ Tudor has been criticized for writing too much like Stephen King. I say PHEWYYYY! I think Tudor is a hundred times more user (reader) friendly than King. I’m a fan of this super talented author.

She risked everything for the sake of others

You say we could lose our lives for this child. I would consider that the greatest honor that could come to my family."" -pg. 95