The Belgian Girls

Kathryn J. Atwood

Type: ARC
Genre: Historical fiction, young adult
Word count: 70,000

When the Germans overrun Brussels during the First World War, Gabrielle sees her newfound happiness shattered. Three decades later, shy and bookish Julienne moves to Brussels with her widowed father at the height of the Nazi occupation and is horrified to witness the city’s treatment of Jews. In this dual timeline novel inspired by the life of Belgian spy Gabrielle Petit, two very different young women must discover their inner strength to become the heroes their city needs.

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What’s this?
When the Germans overrun Brussels during the First World War, Gabrielle is infuriated to see her newfound happiness shattered. It isn’t long before she is faced with an impossible choice. Three decades later, shy and bookish Julienne moves to Brussels with her widowed father at the height of the Nazi occupation and is horrified to witness the city’s callous treatment of Jews.

In this dual timeline novel inspired by the life of Belgian spy Gabrielle Petit, two very different young women must discover their inner strength to become the heroes their city needs. And when loyalties are tested and decades-old secrets are revealed, their legacies will become entwined forever.

Written by historian and storyteller Kathryn J. Atwood, The Belgian Girls is a tale of hope, forgiveness, and the healing power of friendship.

Kathryn’s award-winning books have led to multiple opportunities to speak about the role of women in wartime. She has been seen on America: Fact vs. Fiction and the Acorn TV series Deception: WWII; heard on the BBC World Service’s History Hour program and BBC America; published in The Historian and War, Literature & the Arts; and featured as a guest speaker at dozens of historical societies and libraries, including the First Division Museum at Cantigny Park and the Atlanta History Center.

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