An Address in Amsterdam

2015/2016 Sarton Women’s Book Award Shortlist in Historical Fiction
2017 International Book Awards Finalist in Fiction: Historical

“In her well-researched novel, Fillmore vividly portrays Amsterdam, Rachel, and her family… An intense tale that gives the tragedies of history a Dutch dwelling and a family name.”
―Kirkus Reviews

Rachel Klein hopes she can ignore the Nazis when they roll into Amsterdam in May 1940. She’s falling in love, and her city has been the safest place in the world for Jewish people since the Spanish Inquisition. But when Rachel’s Gentile boyfriend is forced to disappear rather than face arrest, she realizes that everything is changing, and so must she—so, although she is often tired and scared, she delivers papers for the underground under the Nazis’ noses. But after eighteen months of ever increasing danger, she pushes her parents to go into hiding with her. The dank basement where they take refuge seems like the last place where Rachel would meet a new man—but she does.

An Address in Amsterdam shows that, even in the most hopeless situation, an ordinary young woman can make the choice to act with courage—and even love.

Author: Mary Dingee Fillmore

Publication Date: October 11, 2016

Categories: Fall 2016, Fiction, Historical Fiction

Description
About the Author

Description

2015/2016 Sarton Women’s Book Award Shortlist in Historical Fiction
2017 International Book Awards Finalist in Fiction: Historical

“In her well-researched novel, Fillmore vividly portrays Amsterdam, Rachel, and her family… An intense tale that gives the tragedies of history a Dutch dwelling and a family name.”
―Kirkus Reviews

“An Address in Amsterdam is the biggest literary event for the historical fiction genre this year…”
―Redbook Magazine

“Fillmore’s tale of powerlessness and defiance, of death and love during the years of Occupation is woven into the rich tapestry of sights and sounds of the inner city of Amsterdam. Her language is that of a poet: sensuous and rich in metaphors and similes that reach deep. That is why I could not put the book down!”
―Laureen Nussbaum, Professor emerita, Portland State University, Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures

“The taut drama of the novel stands in counterpoint to Mary Fillmore’s gentle intimacy with her characters. She knows these people as though she has lived among them―walking down every street to every address, feeling every heartbeat and breath, sharing a vision that rejects easy optimism while holding on, always, to hope.”
―Diane Lefer, award-winning author of The Fiery Alphabet; co-author of The Blessing Next to the Wound: A story of art, activism, and transformation

“An Address in Amsterdam immerses the reader in both the light and beauty of the city and the dark, ugly atmosphere of the Nazi occupation. The protagonist, teenaged Rachel Klein, must find her way between the extremes, which makes her breathtaking story impossible to put down.”
―Katherine Bradley Johnson, NextReads Bibliographer, NoveList, a division of EBSCO
“Written with verve and integrity, An Address in Amsterdam is the best kind of historical fiction: a wonderful read with a marvelous heroine who challenges us to take action in our own time. Don’t miss this gripping, intricately detailed account of Jewish resistance to the Nazi occupation of wartime Amsterdam.”
―Joyce Antler, author of You Never Call! You Never Write!: A History of the Jewish Mother, Samuel Lane Professor of American Jewish History and Culture, Brandeis University

About the Author

Mary Dingee Fillmore fell in love with Amsterdam in 2001 and has been returning there and pondering its complex history ever since. A longtime professional facilitator for nonprofits and government, she gives talks for the Vermont Humanities Council, titled “Anne Frank’s Neighbors: What Did They Do?” and writes at www.seehiddenamsterdam.com.