Review of Then Came Morning

[Emily Walmsley]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Then Came Morning" by James Grand.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Then Came Morning by James Grand was a well-written historical fiction book about two boys with contrasting backgrounds living through a particularly fearful and violent time in Argentina’s history. It’s a compelling, thought-provoking story that respectfully shows what life was like during the ‘Dirty War.’ I rate this 5 out of 5.
 
Something I enjoyed about reading Then Came Morning was how historically accurate and realistic the story was. The author clearly did a lot of research for this book, and that was incredibly enjoyable as a reader. It prompted me to do research of my own about the ‘Dirty War’ and how Lieut. Gen. Jorge Rafael Videla used violence and fear to demand subservience. It is terrifying to think about how people actually felt during this tense time in the 1970s, and I immediately sympathized with the entire country of Argentina. It created an anxious feeling while reading, like I was constantly worrying about the state of the country and everyone’s well-being. I don’t mean this in a negative way, of course; only a great writer can make a reader anxious!
 
I also loved the characters in this book. The author does a magnificent job building character development and really shows us who these characters are; the author really makes these characters feel human. Paul and Marco have contrasting personalities that were extremely compelling in the sense that they were so different and from different upbringings yet experiencing the same things. Despite the larger conflicts pertaining to the government, there are many other smaller yet equally as human themes in this book. Sexuality was heavily discussed, and the characters went through a lot of conflicting emotions about their sexualities and how men were expected to behave back in the 1970s.

I didn’t find any errors. For this reason I gave this a perfect rating.
 
Overall, Then Came Morning by James Grand was an enjoyable read that I would recommend to any adult interested in history. There is so much to learn through historical fiction books; even if the characters aren’t necessarily real, the troubles these characters faced were entirely real for the people of Argentina in the 1970s.

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Then Came Morning
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[Kibet Hillary]

I am glad that for such a moving historical fiction book, the author actually undertook extensive research. I also have not heard much about the 'Dirty War', but the review has piqued my curiosity to learn more about the war. Indeed, there is so much that one can learn from reading historical fiction; thank you, @Emily Walmsley.