“An address! There was magic in the word for people whose very lives depended on their finding one.” – From Dr. J. Presser, Ashes in the Wind
A Kirkus Reviews Indie Book of the Month: “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.”
An Address in Amsterdam is about an 18 year old Jewish woman, Rachel Klein, who risks her life in the resistance.
Winner, Sarton Women’s Book Award for HIstorical Fiction
When her Gentile boyfriend must go underground because of his anti-Nazi activism, Rachel changes from a naive young woman falling in love to a messenger for the resistance. She’s not only in peril of her life, but must keep her activities secret from everyone. After months of clandestine action during intensifying raids, Rachel goes into hiding along with her parents, moving from their comfortable canal house to a dank basement, where much is revealed.
The book is available wherever books are sold. Independent bookstores can obtain it through Ingram Publisher Services, or you can order it through Amazon and the other giants. It’s also available in major electronic formats such as Kindle.
To read about coverage on Bookstr, PopSugar, BuzzFeed, Brit + Co and others, click here. You’ll also learn about my very favorite review from Books J’Adore.
“Fillmore brings to light the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands in this compelling and emotionally touching tale, told through the eyes of a courageous young woman determined to put aside her fears and risk all for the noble cause of resistance.” — Laurel Corona, Author, The Mapmaker’s Daughter
“The Amsterdam of World War II comes alive in this deeply-imagined, well-researched story. Thoughtful and courageous Rachel compels us to travel along streets and canals with her as she confronts the challenges and terrors of the German occupation. The city’s history and beauty are no match for the inevitable advance of Nazism. I finished the book feeling as if I had also lived through those harrowing years.” — Jane Pincus, Co-Author, Our Bodies, Ourselves
“Because I lived in Amsterdam through the German Occupation myself, the author had asked me over the years to check the historical facts and the verisimilitude of her well-paced plot. . . 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, Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, Portland State University
“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, You Never Call! You Never Write!: A History of the Jewish Mother, Samuel Lane Professor of American Jewish History and Culture, Brandeis University
“Mary Fillmore was ahead of her time when she realized that this story is hers and everyone’s story. We will never forget these characters because there is no curtain between them and us . . . Skillfully drawn, complex, unique, true, we know these people as we know ourselves as we search for all the possible ways to survive the rising blood tide of brutality, violence and death. Fillmore challenges us and sustains us simultaneously. She is unflinching in her writing but also helps us bear what we must by being true to the insistent life force, to love, beauty, snowdrops and herons that accompany the most extreme ordeals.” — Deena Metzger, Author, Entering the Ghost River: Meditations on the Theory and Practice of Healing; Writing For Your Life: A Guide and a Companion into the Inner World
“An Address in Amsterdam is a compelling story of the Jewish experience during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. Filled with richly detailed descriptions, obviously based on extensive research, the book follows the activities of Rachel Klein as she navigates the personal challenges of her emerging adulthood and the complex social dangers of working in the Dutch resistance movement.” — Amy Belding Brown, Mr. Emerson’s Wife, Flight of the Sparrow
“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
“This powerful novel seldom left my hands. Based on years of research, Fillmore’s story gets at a universal truth about the dangers of prejudice.” — A.J. Mayhew, Author, The Dry Grass of August
“In spite of the fact that An Address in Amsterdam is a novel, and frankly that word and the Holocaust in one breath bothers me, Ms. Fillmore has done a great job. It’s an excellent read!” — Johanna Reiss, Author, The Upstairs Room, The Journey Back and A Hidden Life