Girl in the Blue Coat

by Monica Hesse

To purchase this novel or to find more information, you can visit Amazon.

Amazon Prices:

Paperback: $9.99

Hardcover: $17.99

Kindle: $9.99 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Audible: $22.99 (Not available on Kindle Unlimited)

Before Reading Facts:

Girl in the Blue Coat by Monica Hesse was published in 2016 by Little, Brown and Company.

Page Count: 320 pages (paperback) 320 (hardcover) 368 (Kindle)

Audiobook length: 09 hrs 42 mins

Chapters: 34

Languages: English (also available in the following translations: French, German, and Spanish)

Summary of Book:

“Amsterdam, 1943. Hanneke spends her days finding and delivering sought-after black market goods to paying customers, nights hiding the true nature of her work from her concerned parents, and every waking moment mourning her boyfriend, who was killed on Dutch front lines when the German army invaded. Her illegal work keeps her family afloat, and Hanneke also likes to think of it as a small act of rebellion against the Nazis.

On a routine delivery, a client asks Hanneke for help. Expecting to hear that Mrs. Janssen wants her to find meat or kerosene, Hanneke is shocked by the older woman’s frantic plea to find a person: a Jewish teenager Mrs. Janssen has been hiding, who has vanished without a trace from a secret room. Hanneke initially wants nothing to do with such a dangerous task but is ultimately drawn into a web of mysteries and stunning revelations–where the only way out is through.” – Little, Brown and Company

Author Biography:

“Monica Hesse is an author and journalist with the Washington Post. She lives in Washington, DC, with her husband and their dog. She invites you to visit her at monicahesse.com.” -Little Brown and Company

Book Review:

Overall Book Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

My initial reaction: Why hadn’t I read this or heard of this book sooner?

The only reason I picked this book is was because it was being read as the April pick for a book club. I am absolutely thankful that I got the chance to read this book. I read/listened to half of the book one night and by noon the next day, I had already finished it. I could not put it down. I was so invested in the story, the characters, and the history the novel was presenting.

I did not originally consider myself a person that likes books with historical events in them. However, after reading this book I have a new appreciation for them, and I actually want to read more books like this one. I had also never read any book by Monica Hesse, and the way she presents this one really has me invested in her writing. I want to read more work from her. I recently also purchased The War Outside, her most recent release, to get signed along with Girl in the Blue Coat at a book signing event Hesse was at, and I cannot wait to read it as well.

My only “problem” with this novel is that I constantly asked myself why Hanneke was so invested in finding Mirjam. I do think that near the end of the novel, Hanneke gives a brief, sentence-long explanation of why she does. That one description of why she go to the length in her hunt for answers gave me enough to justify her search, but I will admit that I can see who someone else may disagree. It was not really something that stood out when she says why she does search so extensively, and one would actually have to ask that question early on to really notice the answer at the end.

Other than that one picky question I had, I could not find any other complaints. I was too invested in what was going on to really point out anything else that I did not like. It was so real to me! I was getting so anxious and worried. I was scared for the characters throughout. I was frightened to find out what fate Hesse had in store for her characters. When I got to the end, I found myself asking what was next. I am unsure if there is a second part to this novel. It does not need one. I simply want a second book because I really enjoyed the journey Hesse took me on in this book, and I did not want it to end just yet.

Audible Review:

Narration Rating: ★★★★★ / ★★★★★

Narration by Natalia Payne

Payne’s narration was well done but was too slow for me at 1.0 and 1.25 speeds. Her narration 1.50 speed was at what I would consider normal, conversation speed and the slowest speed I would listen. The favorite listening speed for me was at 1.75 speed. The speed was just right for me. For those of us who like to multitask and listen on the go, I recommend listening at a 1.5 speed, so one does not miss anything. For those who are listening while reading the book and want to listen at a faster pace, I found 2.0 speed to be the best speeds. 2.5 speed was good too, but I liked 2.0 speed better and easier to follow. 3.0 was manageable and easy enough to follow as well. I was able to keep up with a full chapter when I was testing out the listening speed and was able to get through the whole thing. I do recommend reading along with the book if you decide to listen at 3.0 speed. 3.5 speed was too fast for me, and I had to slow it down to 3.0 speed.

Other works by this Author:

Novels