
The Girl in Gray
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Narrated by:
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Krista Nicely
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By:
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Annette Lyon
About this listen
A country fighting to stay free. A woman with an impossible decision.
In November of 1939, Sini Toivola is sure of two things: She loves Marko Linna, and she has a comfortable life in Helsinki. But when the massive Soviet army invades her beloved homeland and Marko spurns her affections, her life is turned upside down.
Needing a fresh start, Sini decides to join the female volunteer corps - the Lotta Svärd - and is sent to serve near the front lines. Service at a field hospital proves to be a good distraction, until Sini discovers a Russian soldier lost behind their camp.
Duty requires her to turn him in, but her heart begs to keep him safe and help him escape. Torn between love for her country and love for her enemy, Sini must choose.
But no matter what choice she makes, heart-wrenching consequences await them all.
©2019 Annette Lyon (P)2020 Annette LyonListeners also enjoyed...
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Beautiful! 10x better than Cilka’s Journey& that was Amazing
- By DeRoseBreathe on 03-15-20
By: Lily Graham
Listener received this title free
This story has love, though it’s not a traditional romance. It follows characters that feel real as they struggle to figure out where their loyalties lie. Who can they protect, and who must be betrayed? Can a person betray their country by loving the wrong person? We follow our main character through her life as she faces a multitude of tough choices that will tear her apart.
Interesting premise, entertaining story, and satisfying ending. Well done.
Love and loyalty complicated by war.
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Listener received this title free
Little known histórica info
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More than worth a listen
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Listener received this title free
Krista Nicely is a fabulous narrator and voice artist. She does an amazing job portraying the characters, bringing them to life, giving each their own voice and personality. You could hear how much heart she puts into her work as she captures the characters emotions and projects them into her performance. She is an entertaining storyteller and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for another great listen🎧
Outstanding Story & Listen🎧 Riveting & Heartfelt!
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Listener received this title free
An incredible story
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Listener received this title free
The story is written in third person omnipotent and switches between the three main characters: Sini, Leila, and Marko. The reason this story is 4 star for me rather than 5 star is because I did not find the development of the secondary characters Leila and Marko as compelling as the character development for Sini. In fact, the book opens with a greater focus on Leila and Marko and I wasn't really "hooked" until Sini was followed more closely.
This is an audiobook that is well worth the listen and I definitely recommend it for fans of authors such as Kristin Hannah, Melanie Benjamin, and Ruta Sepetys.
Compelling Listen with Stellar Narration
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Story: After her parents died when she was a child, Sini was passed around relatives as an unwanted addition to their families. Now an adult, she lives in an apartment building in Helsinki and pines for an upstairs neighbor, Marko, who is in love with another woman. Dr. Marko Linna has been in love with childhood friend Leila for most of his life but she married his best friend and they had a son. After her husband died, Leila's whole life is devoted to her son, Taneli; so much so that she does not see Marko's years-long obsession with her. When the women join the Lotta Svart (military nurses) and Marko signs on to the military, their three lives will continue to intersect as Finland struggles not to be consumed by Stalin's forces.
The book takes place during the Finnish Winter War, which lasted for 6 months at the beginning of World War II in 1939. It is notable because the Finns managed to hold off Stalin through guerilla tactics, making full use of the snowy terrain against Stalin's conscripted soldiers (many of whom were from other countries/areas that had never experienced northern Winters). Not really mentioned in the story is how adverse Finns were to Russian occupation since they had suffered under Russian rule for centuries in the past. It was the reason the fighting was so spirited on the Finnish side. There are plenty of Finnish-perspective references throughout the book - including the overused tropes of Finnish Sisu and Sauna Vihta. But for the most part, the book takes places in a war hospital in the forest so you won't glean much about Finnish life/living as a result.
Our main characters all hail from Helsinki, creating an interesting perspective since those in the city were most fearful of what was to come - they knew their homes would be bombed if the Winter War failed. This, among other reasons, is why one character sends her young son to Sweden to be fostered until the end of the war. There are not really any actual war/battle/fighting scenes and Sini isn't a nurse so she does cooking and errands.
The novel gives three perspectives but, for the most part, the focus is on Sini. She is somewhat of a sad-sack character since she spends most of the book mooning after two unavailable men and being reactive rather than proactive. The war is more of a backdrop to the romance here in her quest for love. Marko, meanwhile, is just confused for most of the book and wanders around endlessly saying to himself how much he loves Leila while he goes through the motions of war. Leila is so perfect that I expected little birdies to braid her hair in the morning while she sang happy songs; Sini's love interest Nikolai is prince charming in a Soviet uniform.
Admittedly, I couldn't help but roll my eyes from the melodrama. It felt like 80% of the book was the characters repeating over and over the same topic - mostly about how much they are in love with someone else. It made it a chore to read for that reason and several times I decided to give up on the book in annoyance. In the end, I did finish it but I can't say I enjoyed it.
Those looking for a great source on the Winter War can go to the 1954 book The Unknown Soldier by Väinö Linna (or watch the recent big production 2017 movie of the same name). Linna wrote the book in 1954 as a form of protest of the over glorification of the Finnish soldiers after the war by showing the Finnish soldiers as ordinary people, mostly from small towns and villages, doing bad things and being just as desperate or dirty as the Russian soldiers. I imagine that choosing Marko's last name as Linna was an homage by author Lyon since Marko suffers the worst fate in the book of the three characters.
I listened to the audible version and I think a lot of the shallowness and problems with characterization may have come from the narrator. Her pronunciations of the Finnish words was adequate but the reading was bland and made the characters sound simplistic, rather stupid, and unrealistic. It was very hard to root for any of the main characters as a result. This also added to my issues with completing the novel.
A Somewhat Melodramatic Christian Romance
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Listener received this title free
I'm so glad I stayed with it! The Girl in Gray proved a spell binding historical fiction about the Winter War between the Soviet Union and and Finland in 1939.
Since world history doesn't spend time on these events and Finland often seems forgotten, this book opened my understanding to the importance the strength one small nation can make on the outcome of war.
Lyon takes her readers on a tour of Finland introducing Finnish culture, landscapes, traditions, and historical details that forever leave her readers enlightened. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing life through the eyes of a Finnish Lotta Svärd during the winter of 1939.
The Girl in Gray depicts how war is not only unpredictable but unforgiving. This compelling novel illustrates the significant role of women volunteers supporting military efforts in the Finnish army with their labors of love and nurturing. Lyon portrays that not all warriors fight with arms. More importantly, the human spirit awakens to the concept that not all on conflict is black and white. Sini Toivola, in her gray Lotta Svärd uniform becomes an evocative symbol of the gray area between duty and humanity.
I appreciated that Lyon, who is a well known author in Christian circles, kept the novel clean without dilluting the story. She could have easily applied the high moral standards of characters from her previous books in this war torn area of Scandinavia. However, she artfully demonstrates the most likely behaviors of the characters in this setting which manifests her commitment to history over popularity.
Rich with Symbolism
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Listener received this title free
I love history and the main characters lives are entwined in the conflicts in Finland during World War 2. It was nice to learn their war strategy and to hear a different part of the history of that war.
This book made me think about the realities of war and how much it affects those who serve and the countries who are attacked.
I didn’t want the book to end because I want to learn what Finland did and how they handled Germany and Russia attacking at the same time. I want to know how the lives of the main characters continue. I am hoping this is the first book in a series.
Couldn’t stop listening
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Narrator was good.
Not the greatest story
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