151 ratings | 49 reviews | avg rating:3.80

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Annette Oppenlander

Goodreads Author

Born

in Solingen, Germany

Website

http://www.annetteoppenlander.com/

Twitter

Aoppenlander

Genre

Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Mystery

Influences

J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, James Alexander Thom, Michael Crichton

Member Since

August 2014

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Annette Oppenlander is an award-winning writer, literary coach and educator. As a bestselling historical novelist, Oppenlander is known for her authentic characters and stories based on true events, coming alive in well-researched settings. Having lived in Germany the first half of her life and the second half in various parts in the U.S., Oppenlander inspires readers by illuminating story questions as relevant today as they were in the past. Oppenlander’s bestselling true WWII story, Surviving the Fatherland, was elected to IWIC’s Hall of Fame and won the 2017 National Indie Excellence Award. Her historical time-travel trilogy, Escape from the Past, takes readers to the German Middle Ages and the Wild West. Uniquely, Oppenlander weaves act ...more

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Annette Oppenlander’s books

Average rating: 4.28 · 3,986 ratings · 440 reviews · 43 distinct works • Similar authors

	Surviving the Fatherland 4.38 avg rating — 2,513 ratings — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	47 Days: The True Story of Two Teen Boys Defying Hitler's Reich 3.86 avg rating — 703 ratings — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Everything We Lose: A Civil War Novel of Hope, Courage and Redemption 4.35 avg rating — 167 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	When They Made Us Leave 4.35 avg rating — 98 ratings — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Different Truth 4.15 avg rating — 100 ratings — published 2015 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Escape from the Past: The Duke's Wrath 4.17 avg rating — 86 ratings — published 2015 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Scent of a Storm: A Gripping WWII Novel about Love, Courage and Survival - Inspired by True Events 4.45 avg rating — 78 ratings — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Where the Night Never Ends: A Prohibition Era Novel 4.54 avg rating — 48 ratings — published 2019 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	When the Skies Rained Freedom: A gripping historical novel about the Berlin Airlift 4.57 avg rating — 28 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Lightness in My Soul 4.44 avg rating — 25 ratings — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Annette Oppenlander's Blog

Coal Dreams and the Kindle Storyteller Award

The German translation of Coal Dreams – Kohlenträume – won the Kindle Storyteller Award 2025 from Amazon Germany. Needless to say I’m over the moon about being selected. Just attending the award ceremony with Marit Bernson and Nika Lubitsch, my fellow finalists, in Munich was super exciting. I met the jury, several book bloggers, fellow […]

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Published on November 24, 2025 04:32

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Series by Annette Oppenlander

German Love Stories of WWII (3 books)
by

Annette Oppenlander (Goodreads Author)

4.38 avg rating — 2,689 ratings

Escape from the Past (3 books)
by

Annette Oppenlander (Goodreads Author)

4.19 avg rating — 126 ratings

Annette is Currently Reading

Annette is currently reading

The Grapes of Wrath

by John Steinbeck

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Oct 14, 2018 11:38PM

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Der Dreißigjährige Krieg: Als Deutschland in Flammen stand

by Christian Pantle

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Oct 10, 2018 10:00PM

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Blood Red Snow: The Memoirs of a German Soldier on the Eastern Front

by Günter K. Koschorrek

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Feb 13, 2018 06:09AM

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Annette’s Recent Updates

Annette Oppenlander wrote a new blog post Coal Dreams and the Kindle Storyteller Award The German translation of Coal Dreams – Kohlenträume – won the Kindle Storyteller Award 2025 from Amazon Germany. Needless to say I’m over the moon ab Read more of this blog post »
Nov 25, 2025 03:48AM · like
Annette made a comment in the group Young Adult Historical Fiction — Introduce Yourself! topic " Hello, I read and write historical fiction, particularly biographical and WWII fiction. Glad to be here and find out about new stories and suggested re ...more "
Jun 27, 2025 01:19AM
Annette joined the group Young Adult Historical Fiction
Jun 27, 2025 01:16AM · like
Annette has read Set the Sky on Fire by L.K. Walker (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Sep 11, 2024 10:42AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Set the Sky on Fire by L.K. Walker. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Set the Sky on Fire by L.K. Walker <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Annette has read Origin (Robert Langdon, #5) by Dan Brown (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 24, 2024 11:35AM · like

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Quotes by Annette Oppenlander (?)

“The endless tasks of surviving had become infinitely worse.”
― Annette Oppenlander, Surviving the Fatherland

1 likes

“the kitchen, his eyes bright with excitement. “I’ve been drafted.” At the sink, Mutti abruptly dropped her sponge and stared at him. Her mouth opened, then closed without a sound. I didn’t understand”
― Annette Oppenlander, Everything We Lose: A Civil War Novel of Hope, Courage and Redemption

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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Genre Specific Re...: Young Adult Review Group 9 (completed)	42	40	Jan 17, 2017 02:36AM
Genre Specific Re...: Young Adult Review Group 11 (closed)	42	31	May 26, 2017 06:01PM
Genre Specific Re...: Young Adult Review Group 13 (closed)	107	61	Jun 02, 2018 01:13AM
Genre Specific Re...: * Historical Fiction Review Group 3 (2019) NOW CLOSED	67	51	Aug 15, 2019 01:18AM
What's the Name o...: YA Fantasy. Boy gets trapped in an online game set in a medieval type world (like Warcraft) that he plays regularly after school. Cover: black with red fire. Read in 2013-2014. Spoilers ahead.	10	574	Jul 05, 2023 08:36PM
Gigi's Company: Title Game	6447	1420	Jul 08, 2023 03:26PM
2026 Reading Chal...: Yes, I AM Doing Something 2023 Challenge	9	231	Jan 01, 2024 03:38PM
Shut Up & Read: * JANUARY- FROZEN CHALLENGE	41	68	Feb 17, 2024 07:47PM
2026 Reading Chal...: Boys' Mom Reads!	11	50	Nov 23, 2024 12:03PM
2026 Reading Chal...: It's in the Cards - 2024	379	625	Jan 02, 2025 03:12PM

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Annette’s Quotes

“We write in response to what we read and learn; and in the end we write out of our deepest selves.”
― Andrea Barrett

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Genre Specific Review Groups — 1679 members — last activity Jan 30, 2026 12:37PM
Following the example of fellow Goodreads group, "Review Group", this group believes support for our Indie authors is extremely important. Many of the ...more

Advanced Copies for Review & Book Giveaways — 16046 members — last activity 4 hours, 35 min ago
A place to help authors and reviewers come together to get the word out about new books as well as a group for anyone to post or enter listings for bo ...more

YA Fiction Books, Readers, Writers, and Reviewers — 191 members — last activity Nov 02, 2025 11:59AM
This is a place to share, discuss, and pimp your favorite Young Adult and New Adult fiction books. This includes every genre: contemporary, fantasy, p ...more

Crazy for Young Adult Books — 12893 members — last activity Dec 25, 2025 10:38AM
Buddy Reads: Requests - In Progress - Upcoming A-Z: 2024 Grp Page Count Challenge: 2024 Jan - March Qrtly Challenge: 2023 Series Challenge: 2024 Ge ...more

Never Too Old For Y.A. & N.A. Books — 7911 members — last activity Jan 16, 2026 07:50PM
This group is for Young and New Adult readers. For those who believe in Angels, Vampires, Werewolves, Fairies and other mythical and supernatural crea ...more

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This is a group for authors to discuss their craft, as well as publishing and book marketing.

Vietnam in Literature, History & Film. — 181 members — last activity Jul 04, 2025 07:59AM
To discuss the Vietnam War in literature, history, and film. To discuss favorite books and great new finds and the wars cultural legacy.

Young Adult Historical Fiction — 283 members — last activity Aug 27, 2025 11:08AM
A group for all fans of Young Adult Historical Fiction who would love to meet other fans, read and discuss historical books. We will also have optiona ...more

Amazon Editors' YA Book Club — 1735 members — last activity Nov 25, 2018 07:43AM
Love reading YA? Us too. This is a new Young Adult book club started by the band of book lovers who are also the Amazon Book Review editors. Join us t ...more

♥ Young Adult and New Adult Readers ♥ — 973 members — last activity Sep 27, 2025 01:07AM
Hi! Thank you for joining Young Adult and New Adult Readers. We hope you like it here! :) This is a group for everyone who reads Young Adult or New A ...more

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