Among the Branded

De: Linda Smolkin

Narrado por: Kimberly M. Wetherell

A letter from France, discovered 70 years later, connects a Holocaust survivor and an art director with a conscience.

While attending Valor of the '40s, art director Stephanie Britain stumbles upon a flea market selling letters from the war. She buys a handful, hoping they’ll inspire the redesign for a client’s website at her branding and design firm. At first, she’s drawn by the lost art of penmanship, but soon discovers a hidden treasure nestled inside declarations of love from homesick soldiers.

Stephanie enlists a coworker to translate one and realizes it’s not a love letter after all. When a shocking discovery about a client causes Stephanie to question her principles and dedication to her firm’s business, she’s forced to make a difficult decision - one that could give her peace of mind, yet ruin her career in the process.

Contemporary fiction with a historical touch, Among the Branded explores family life, an unexpected friendship, and moral conflicts that make us wonder what’s more important: our livelihood or our beliefs.

Praise for Among the Branded:

"This is a beautiful and fascinating novel that will keep readers hooked." (San Francisco Book Review)

©2017 Linda Smolkin (P)2021 Linda Smolkin

Extremely Moving and Touching

5 well deserved stars!
I’m so glad this was put on my radar to read.
A moving, emotional, tug-at-your-heartstrings read. The characters are powerful and well-developed. At the heart of the story is a 70-year-old letter that is connected to one of my favorite book characters ever, Izzy. A child who was a victim of the horrible war actions of World War II. So moving, powerful, with a bit of historical fiction weaved into this contemporary fiction, I was so immersed in this story and did shed a few tears, without giving spoilers away. I will say that this book touched my heart in a very special way and I’m so glad I read it(via audiobook, which was the best, read through the voice of the fabulous narrator, Kimberly M. Wetherell).
Thank you, Linda Smolkin, for writing this lovely book that touched my soul and for bringing attention to this horrible time in our history through a fabulous modern way and for creating the beloved Izzy, who will forever remain with me.

This is a lovely and endearing story

This is a lovely and endearing story. All of the characters felt like family. It is so sad that history is not really taught anymore along with respect. Stephanie's children learned that and for this, they had a better appreciation for what Izzy had to endure.

This story is very character driven. Therefore, you can not help but become immersed in the story and lives of everyone. Instantly, I fell in love with Izzy. As I listened to the audio book; I had a vivid image of everyone as if there was a mini movie playing in my head.

It is hard to believe that this is author, Linda Smolkin's debut book. It reads like a seasoned professional and Linda's fourth or fifth book. I will be checking out more books by this author.