Captivating Characters of April link-up opportunity! Please join the link party or share your most captivating character in the comments.
Carol’s Captivating Characters of April Link-Up

On the last Friday of the month, I will write a post about my most captivating character of the month and create a Link Party (see link below my review)! In addition to hearing about the memorable characters that have captivated you, I also want this new project to facilitate new bookish friendships, help you find your book twin, and promote blog engagement. This link party will stay active for 30 days. In exchange for linking your post back to me, I promise to visit every blog post that links up, leave a comment, and share your post once on #bookx or #booksky.
Captivating Character Link Up Details:
- You can use fictional or real characters/persons.
- Link up a review that specifically highlights a captivating character or person, or write a post dedicated to your most captivating character or person of the month.
- Please include a link back to my link-up post in your post.
- Be kind: visit one other post in the link-up and leave a comment.
- #CaptivatingCharacters25
No blog? No problem! Share your most captivating character of the month in the comments.
Special shoutout to @ The Irresponsible Reader @ Portobello Book Blog and @ Carla Loves to Read for their support and participation in my new monthly feature! Check out their blog posts! Join us!
Lili
Name of Captivating Character: Lili
The reason she is captivating: brave, loyal, sacrificial, determined, compassionate
Book and Author: One Good Thing by Georgia Hunter (author of We Were the Lucky Ones)
Genre/Categories/Setting: Historical Fiction (WWII), Jewish, Italy
Mood: Tense
Lili and Esti are college friends who become as close as sisters. As Italian citizens, they feel relatively save from the war that’s being fought across borders. Then Mussolini’s Racial Laws deem Lili and Esti descendants of an “inferior” Jewish race. When Germany invades northern Italy, their lives change. First, they flee to a villa in the countryside to help hide a group of young war orphans. As their safety becomes more concerning, they escape to a convent in Florence where they pose as nuns and help the resistance by forging false identification papers. When the danger finds them, Esti asks Lili to go on the run and take her young son. Lili is terrified to travel on her own, but she courageously takes Theo and sets out on a long journey toward Allied territory, navigating Nazi-occupied villages and bombed-out cities. She’s determined to keep Theo alive. and safe.
Lili is memorable for her bravery, courage, and mission. As a result of their travels, LIli and Theo develop a strong bond. In the midst of tragedy and war, he is her one good thing.
Lili is not too overwhelmed with caring for Theo that she doesn’t think about her father who also lives in Italy. As a caring, concerned, and loyal daughter, Lili manages to correspond with her father.
Through Lili we experience the story’s poignant themes: friendship, family, courage, hardship, grit, loss, resilience, survival, kindness of strangers, antisemitism, father/daughter relationship, motherhood, and sacrificial love.
Lili is a captivating character who represents what many Jewish women faced during WWII, and I cared deeply for her safety and well-being throughout this page-turning story. Some of you might enjoy knowing there’s a family celebration and a small side of romance at the end of Lili’s journey!
I’m recommending One Good Thing for fans of the author (We Were the Lucky Ones), for those who love strong characters, and for readers who appreciate riveting WWII histfic. You will enjoy the strong sense of place the author creates through her vivid descriptions.
Star Rating: 5 Stars

Meet the Author of One Good Thing, Georgia Hunter

When Georgia Hunter was fifteen years old, she learned that she came from a family of Holocaust survivors. We Were the Lucky Ones was born of her quest to uncover her familyโs staggering history. Hunterโs site, http://www.georgiahunterauthor.com, offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the extensive research this project has entailed. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and two sons.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
“Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading.”
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“I read because books are a form of transportation, teaching, and connection. Books take us to places we’ve never been, teach us about our world, and help us understand human experience.”
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ยฉ ReadingLadies.com
Nice post ๐ธ๐
Excellent post Carol and thanks for the mention. I’ll have my post out on Sunday!
Thanks! No pressure intended! ๐
Lili sounds like a great character, Carol. I will definitely be checking out One Good Thing. Thanks for the shout out as well. Now to go back over my April reads and decide who is my captivating character of the month.
Thanks Carla. I think youโll enjoy it! No pressure to post though!๐
[…] My most engaging and memorable read in April was a compelling historical fiction, One Good Thing by Georgia Hunter. […]
[…] Genre: Historical FictionWHY: I loved the author’s debut We Were the Lucky Ones.***UPDATE: 5 Stars. Another WWII histfic winner from Hunter! Set in Spain, this is a story of survival and saving a child. Hunter writes the best conclusions! My full review here. […]
[…] One Good Thing by Georgia Hunter(WWII, Italy)Superlative: “Most Brave, Determined, and Sacrificial”WHY: “Friends as close as sisters.” […]