Where Butterflies Go: Book Review and Giveaway

Review at a Glance

• Title: Where Butterflies Go
• My Rating: 4.75
• Genre: Historical Fiction
• Format: Paperback*
• Publication Date: October 7, 2020
• Author: Debra Doxer

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Where Butterflies Go Book Blurb

Meira Sokolow had the misfortune of being born to Jewish parents in Warsaw, Poland, in 1912. Before she took her first breath, her fate had been sealed.

Residing in the Jewish Quarter of the city, Meira’s early life was typical. She fell in love with a local boy, got married, and had a daughter. Then the German army marched into Warsaw and everything changed. Forced into the ghetto with her family, she found survival to be a daily struggle. Hunger, disease, and unimaginable cruelty were her stark realities. When the ghetto was purged and she was sent to a concentration camp, Meira still had her family, and that was all that mattered. Then the camp was liquidated, and only a handful of survivors remained out of thousands. Meira Sokolow was one of them.

No longer a wife or mother, Meira emigrated to New York City. After World War II, the world wanted to move on and start a new chapter, but Meira couldn’t turn the page so easily. She walked through her days alone, like a ghost with nothing to tether her to the earth. Then she met Max, a handsome American, who first mistook her for one of the boring socialites he encountered every day. He soon learned she was unlike anyone he had met before, seeing her strength and resilience, even when she couldn’t. Max knew he could breathe life into her again, if only she would let him.

Tragic and heartfelt, Where Butterflies Go is based on the harrowing true story of one woman’s survival during the Nazi occupation of Poland, and her struggle to find meaning in the aftermath.

AMAZON | BARNES AND NOBLE

Giveaway

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Where Butterflies Go REVIEW

As a quick reminder, here is my rating structure:

• 1 star: Did not finish
• 2 Stars: Finished but I do not recommend
• 3 Stars: Liked but could use some improvements
• 4 Stars: Loved this book!
• 5 Stars: Rare. The unput-down-able, binge read obsession.

My star ratings are also based also genre based. I compare all books with books of the same genre. While I would love to believe that my love of books in general transcends all bias, there are genres I prefer over others.

I’m human.

Example: If I read a mystery novel and think it deserves a 5-star rating, then I have compared it to other mystery books, and determined it to be one of my absolute favorites. The unputdownable mystery.

This will hopefully keep me from comparing Outlander, a personal obsession of mine, with the experience of reading The Hate You Give. Both 5 star books for me, but completely and totally different. I couldn’t even try to rate them against each other, so I don’t. Makes my life easier. 🙂

My Thoughts About Where Butterflies Go

I’m not at all surprised that I liked this book, but I was surprised by how much I liked it. In fact, I loved it and could barely put it down.

To say that I’ve read a lot of WWII historical fiction is an understatement, but few have been as good as Where Butterflies Go. In telling the story of her great-aunt, Debra Doxer makes an emotional connection to the reader that is remarkable.

When I started reading WBG, I remembered how I felt when I watched Titanic. You knew tragedy was coming yet you still invested in these people, meanwhile sacrificing your own heart for the sake of a good story. Well, needless to say, Meira’s story is a good story.

I loved that Doxer didn’t skim over or blur the realities of life in the ghetto or concentration camps. As a mother, the beginning of this book is almost impossible to read, yet I needed to hear Meira’s story. She couldn’t turn away, so I wouldn’t either.

Honestly, this will probably go down as one of my favorite books of the year. Stunning, gripping, and heartbreaking, Where Butterflies Go is an outstanding novel that everyone should read.

Recommended For…

Historical fiction lovers and anyone else who reads.

About the Author

Debra Doxer was born in Boston, and other than a few lost years in the California sunshine, she has always resided in the Boston area. She writes fiction, technical software documents, illegible scribbles on sticky notes, and texts that get mangled by AutoCorrect. She writes for a living, and she writes for fun. When not writing, she’s walking her Havanese puppy and forcing her daughter to listen to new wave 80s music.”

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*Thanks so much to Debra Doxer and HFVBT for my copy of Where Butterflies Go in exchange for an honest review.