The Heart Mender: A Story of Second Chances

Written by Andy Andrews

Narrated by Andy Andrews

Can natural enemies make peace? Actually…can they fall in love? In his classic storytelling style, New York Times bestselling author Andy Andrews delivers an adventure set sharply against the warm waters and white sands of the Gulf of Mexico in WWII America.

Saddened and unable to abandon her resentment toward the Nazi war machine that took her husband's life, Helen Mason is living a bitter, lonely existence. Betrayed and left for dead, German U-boat officer Lt. Josef Landermann washes ashore in a sleepy town along the northern gulf coast, looking to Helen for survival.

As you uncover the incredible story within the pages of The Heart Mender, you'll learn:

• The transformative power of forgiveness
• How to embrace God's gift of grace
• The healing experience of letting go

The Heart Mender is a can't-miss story of life, loss, and reconciliation that will change your perspective for the better.

Praise for The Heart Mender:

"With the skill of a virtuoso, Andy Andrews continues his string of successful writing performances in The Heart Mender, his latest entertaining masterpiece. The plot, characters, and storyline combine to summon the reader into an unforgettable experience."

--Robert Silvers, Executive Publisher, The Saturday Evening Post

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: May 3, 2010
• ISBN: 9781418590666

Andy Andrews

Andy Andrews is a bestselling novelist, speaker, and consultant for some of the world’s most successful teams, largest corporations, and fastest-growing organizations. He is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Noticer, How Do You Kill 11 Million People?, and the modern classic The Traveler’s Gift. For more information, please visit AndyAndrews.com.

Reviews for The Heart Mender

[Patti Waggoner · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This outstanding book anxious to return each time I had to put it aside to learn more about the lives of the people who lived this amazing journey from deep hurt to forgiveness and full, healthy life!

[sue weas · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

True story weaved with amazing storytelling, and truth of forgiveness

[nanajlove_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Received through Thomas Nelson Publishing for Advance Review.A fascinating love story set against the backdrop of World War II in the gulf coast. There remain many mysteries surrounding what really happened during this period of history, and what we do know has been distorted by government influence and time.Andy discovers a treasure of Nazi artifacts buried under a dead tree next to his house on the Gulf coast. Unable to resist solving the mystery of what it contains and what it means, he delves into the memories of the areas oldest residents.Andy uncovers a little known chapter in the history of World War II: the presence and activities of German submarines along the Gulf coast and East coast of the United States. They attacked commercial boats, merchant marines, and of course naval vessels, anything that may be carrying supplies to U.S. troops or Navy ships.Helen is a young war widow, trying to carve out a new life for herself along the coast. While wandering the beach one night, she stumbles upon the body of Josef, a seriously wounded, and obviously German, submarine officer. He has been the victim of subterfuge on his own ship and is believed to be dead. Helen is furious over the death of her husband, terrified that Josef will harm her, but unable to leave him to die on the beach. She takes him to her home and together over time, they try to heal each other's wounds, through understanding, knowledge, and faith.As the war escalates and suspicions mount, Josef must face his Nazi tormentors while trying to protect Helen and the people who have accepted him and he has come to love.Andy Andrews has skillfully woven the historical evidence into a romance that began long ago and stood the test of time. He writes that the basis for the story and the characters are real, and I hope its true. This is truly a beautiful story.

[peterpohli_377586560 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyed hearing this story read by the author. That way I know for sure the mood and tonation is most accurate. Great story too!

[Tom Kalianov · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Quintessential Andy Andrews! Spellbinding, hope-filled, and simply wonderful!! Bravo!

[Ayodeji · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book once again by Andy Andrews. It kept me on the edge of my seat. Indeed there can be second chances

[estherfilbrun · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow! This was an incredible read. The history this book was centered around was something I’d never heard of before, but then getting to meet the characters (and knowing that they are/were real people and actually experienced a lot of what is depicted in the story) took it to a whole new level for me. Each character was well-formed, detailed, and dynamic. They came alive for me. The predicament they found themselves in was also quite realistic, and although this story could have come off as quite a downer because of the difficult events described, it wasn’t at all that way. There were elements of humor sprinkled throughout (HELLO, Danny!), and such genuine love and care that there’s no way you could finish the book and not be uplifted. Yes, this deals with the war and some VERY tough stuff (see the note after the spoiler alert below), but overall, it’s a story of hope, forgiveness, and new beginnings. I thoroughly enjoyed this quick read, and can’t wait to check out some of Andrews’ other works.






*SPOILER ALERT*
There’s a fairly gruesome scene in ch. 15, where someone is maimed and dies. Not recommended for young teens.

[judithrs · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Heart Mender: a Story of Second Chances. Andy Andrews. 2015. Alabama author, Andy Andrews writes inspirational advice books and novels. A friend lent me this book about German submarines patrolling the Alabama coast line. The uncanny thing is that she lent it to me a week after I’d seen a submarine disaster movie! I had no idea that the subs caused as much damage as they did. The story is fascinating not only because of the submarines but the description of the Gulf Shores area during World War II was equally fascinating and so was the story of the people involved. It was obvious from the beginning that the novel was based on true events, but I had no idea the characters in the book were real people! This is a slight novel with a message of Christian forgiveness and people who like to read books about Alabama and /or submarines would like this one.

[longhorndaniel · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was an amazing story that truly gives wonderful real life examples of what forgiveness can due for people. Can't wait for the movie!!

[sarah_gruwell · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I anticipated receiving this book in the mail; the story idea of a German navy guy washing up on American shores during WWII and falling in love with an American woman was such a unique idea. Unfortunately, some aspects of the book kept it from reaching its full potential.

Written as a unique blend of fictional tale and non-fiction research story, this book fooled me at times whether certain aspects of it were actually true or not. There is a section at the end that tells what ultimately happens to the different parties in the story that leads me to believe that maybe some aspects of this book were real. I’m still not sure on that account.

I loved getting a window into an area of WWII not often explored. The story of the perilous times that existed in American waterways on the east coast and in the gulf is not that well known. Even during the times, the government put a gag order on the papers to keep the story from the general population. Of course, the population who lived close to the coast knew what was going on. This book plays on this premise, playing on the idea of a man from the German navy washing up on shore after being shot overboard.

I liked that the author used Josef and Hans to show the readers that not all Germans were hardline Nazis. Many found small ways to resist and had a firm sense of honor and duty. Josef was a honorable, courageous man who fought for his country and loved his fellow brothers in the military. He was a great point of view to tell the story through. I also liked Helen and how bitter she was. Her levels of rage and hate were believable given the circumstances she had experienced. Helen’s journey to healing made her story relatable and emotionally resonant.

Where this book fell down and faltered was in its heavy-handedness with the themes of forgiveness and healing. While good, worthy themes to explore to be sure, when you’re portraying them with the proverbial 2x4, they can be tiresome. Nothing was subtle or interwoven with the story here. There would be entire paragraphs and dialogue exchanges where the only thing talked about was the need for forgiving others and how much peace and healing that brings. The other story threads of love, hiding, and unexpected alliances were completely overshadowed; this book suffered from that imbalance.

A good story idea and great lead characters made for a promising title. They helped to make this book at least semi-enjoyable. However, an overemphasis on themes killed the book overall. I felt drowned in the proselytizing and was just glad when the book was done. At least I finished it; the underlying story was enjoyable enough to carry me to the finish line. But, I don’t see myself picking up this book again.

[gospelchick · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great historical backdrop to a love story. A story of forgiveness, restoration, and love. The history of the German Uboats was fascinating!! This too was a page turner.

[carolee888 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Last night, I read the last page of The Heart Mender by Andy Andrews. I was astonished by this true story. I kept thinking to myself that it couldn’t’ be true but it was! If it was fiction, it would be too incredible.

The author lives on the coastline of where Alabama and Florida meet. He went outside one day to cut down a big bayberry tree. He was tried to dig up the roots and when he realized this was an impossible job, he hit his shovel on a restaurant sized can. He opened the can and found some buttons, an Iron Cross, and three pictures. One was of a man, his wife and their little baby in a wagon, another had Hitler in it. The author was wondering why some Nazi artifacts were buried in a can in his yard.

Andy Andrews did lots of research on the mystery. He was amazed to learn that German U boats were in the Gulf of Mexico during WWII for purpose of sinking U.S. ships loaded with supplies for the war. I never heard of this before! In the second part of the book, the author put together all of his research in an incredible story of love, forgiveness and hope.

The story is true but he changed the names of the people he was writing about at their request. The story starts on July 16, 1942 close to where the author lives. Josef Landerman, a school teacher who was called up for duty on a U boat. Alternating with that is the story of Helen Mason. She didn’t have a father that she knew and her mother abandoned her when she was only 15 years old. She married later and then being widowed very early left her very bitter. This is an amazing story. Why is this story so amazing? Read this book!

I recommend this book to all people who love to read history

[tinkerbellkk · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I throughly enjoyed this book with its combination of history, intrigue and romance. Based on true facts, the author expertly wove a wonderful story into an actual war time situation. Moving from current time to the past and back again, I loved the characters and the story of love and forgiveness.

[autumnesf · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great story with the history of the German UBoats that sank ships in American waters in 1942. Well worth the read.

[mkgf_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Crazy true story of Nazi U-Boats off the coast of Gulf Shores. Story of forgiveness and love.

[ladyd_books · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow... a winning combination of history, romance, inspiration and suspense for Andy Andrews again! I was so moved by this excellent book with a captivating story. I kept reading page after page and couldn't put it down because the story got better and better. By the time I reached the end I was thoroughly surprised!

I loved the main characters, Helen and Josef, and the charm of the small town with very intriguing events happening during World War II when German submarines attacked U.S. vessels off the Gulf of Mexico. I had two Greek Uncles who were serving in the military back then. They never wanted to share with us just what they saw and experienced.

I believe The Heart Mender: A Story of Second Chances is a book for them, for you and for me. I highly recommend you purchase this book for yourself and one to giveaway. ***** stars!

[jewelknits · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Have you ever turned the last page of a book, closed it, and quietly said, "Wow..."?

In "The Heart Mender", the author is digging up the stump of a wax myrtle tree and finds a metal can filled with Nazi relics - buttons, a medal, a ring, a badge, and 3 pictures - one of which is an image of Adolf Hitler and men in uniform on what appears to be a boat. Finding these items fuels an almost mini-obsession to unearth the story behind them. What are Nazi items doing buried on a beach along the Florida/Alabama coastline? Who put them there and why?

In his quest to find answers, author Andy Andrews unearths a story about forgiveness, redemption, and the power of the human spirit.

On my journey through this book, I found myself thinking things like, "When we were learning about WWII, why didn't they teach us THAT in our history class? All of us should know about THAT."

As I was pulled into the story behind the can, I found myself fully involved with the story and it's characters. As the mother of an autistic son, I especially related to one of the side characters, Billy Gilbert, whose powerful love for his son Danny, born with Down's Syndrome, is so quietly yet eloquently portrayed. There are a few places where the dialogue "stutters" a bit, but then you are pulled right back into what is happening.

This real-life story has it all: mystery, romance, and suspense. It even has a true-to-life sociopath thrown into the mix. In the end, however, it is a story about ordinary people living quietly extraordinary lives. It is well-worth the read, and is going into my "keeper" bookshelf.

[amusingmother · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'm pretty sure this is going down as one of my favorite books. I absolutely loved it!

Andrews weaves a story of finding German WWII artifacts buried in a can on his ocean front property and Josef and Helen's journey to find peace and forgiveness. Andrews offers photos of buttons, a couple of photographs, a ring, and a medal he found digging up the roots to an old tree. He then seeks to find the story for these items being deposited on the beach.

What he discovers is really quite shocking. German U-boats were always present in the waters serving the American soldiers, including the Gulf of Mexico. During the war, much debris washed up on the shores from U-Boat carnage. They submarines shot all ships they could to smithereens. There were, however, a number of Germans rather than Nazis. They asked the crew to please exit the vehicle, blew it up, then approached the life boats to offer canteens of water and directions to the nearest landfall.

Apparently, this is documented to be true.

Also true is that some of the soldiers chose to be listed as "Missing In Action" or presumed dead rather than return to Germany where Adolf Hitler reigned his horrors and there was nothing to return. They integrated into society, although not without some help, I'm certain.

This is the story of Josef, a German, and Helen, a widow. The story is incredibly well told and draws the reader into a believable realm. Told with empathy, the journey of Josef's and Helen's hearts is hopeful. Both have suffered great loss. Both learned how to forgive and relinquish to God.

Loved it.