This was a lengthy book! The e-book was over 1200 pages long and borrowed from the library it took me nearly 3 weeks to finish reading it. It tells thThis was a lengthy book! The e-book was over 1200 pages long and borrowed from the library it took me nearly 3 weeks to finish reading it. It tells the story of Donut Dollies - women who joined the Red Cross to serve coffee and donuts to primarily American soldiers on the front line. I never knew this was a thing during the war! There is a wealth of detail at times it almost felt like too much detail without an equal amount of character development. The author based it in large part on his own mother's wartime experiences but did meticulous research including interviewing a very elderly primary resource. The book covered most of the span of the war in Europe from the time the Americans entered and included some very graphic and emotional scenes including the battle of the Bulge and the Americans visiting Buchenwald. It is worth the read but does take time....more
Australian based author Heather Morris has an uncanny ability to find little known stories from World War 2 and tell them in a way that makes them accAustralian based author Heather Morris has an uncanny ability to find little known stories from World War 2 and tell them in a way that makes them accessible to the readers of today. I have enjoyed her other books and know that in several she was approached and asked to help tell the story. This novel is a little different from others in that it moves away from the European theatre of the war and focuses primarily on the wartime experiences of Australian Army nurses captured by Japanese soldiers and imprisoned in horrific conditions until the end of the war in Japan.
To quote the author: 'I have not told this story so the women internees of the Japanese prisoner-of-war camps in Indonesia will be remembered. I have told this story so they will be known...alongside those of all male prisoners of war, their suffering no less'. I believe the author has done this admirably.
The inspiration for the novel began with the story of the nurses and other women and children aboard the Vyner Brook ship as they attempted to flee Indonesia prior to the Japanese take-over. The ship was sunk and the survivors survived extremely difficult conditions just to get to land. They witnessed a massacre of women including some of their nursing comrades and forced to surrender they found themselves in horrific living conditions with little food or water. As nurses used to caring for others, the Sisters stepped up from the beginning to care for others and do their best to improve conditions for everyone. Their story is told in three parts over the three year period of their stay.
I did struggle with reading this book - not because of the horrors that it described (which were truly awful), but because Morris chose to write the novel basically in the present tense as if the narrator is telling the story as it happens. I have found this seems to be more common in books these days and it always frustrates me as a reader. Because of my frustration I found myself putting the book down more often and slowing the reading process. As the story progressed it bothered me somewhat less as the depth of the research and the inspiration of these women captured me. I really appreciated the author's note at the end which gave details about these very real women.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own....more
This was a fascinating story based on the lives of the three Fraser sisters who grew up in extreme poverty in a house where violence against their motThis was a fascinating story based on the lives of the three Fraser sisters who grew up in extreme poverty in a house where violence against their mother was the norm and corporal punishment for children was very common. It really painted a clear picture of just how hard life was for people in the "lower" class and why some would join the communist party while others looked to theft to keep their family in food. Regardless there was a strong bond of love between the three sisters that withstood the test of time, war, and all life could throw at them. It made for a very interesting read....more
Originally written in 1972 this book tells the story of the author's wartime experiences in hiding in the Netherlands. It is told from the voice of thOriginally written in 1972 this book tells the story of the author's wartime experiences in hiding in the Netherlands. It is told from the voice of the author as a young girl. Shortly before the war reached the Netherlands, Annie and her family believed that they were safe. Her mother had some form of kidney disease and was reluctant to even attempt leaving the country. Annie's father began looking for people who would help his various family members to hide out the war. Annie and her older sister Sini are moved around several times. They stay with the Hannincks first but when it becomes too dangerous are moved to a farm owned by Johan and his family. Here the girls will stay until the Canafians finally arrive in May 1945. Time must have been horribly long to them as they had to stay hidden indoors and be ready to creep into a small hiding place should the Germans suddenly arrive.
This book won an award in it's time. I am not sure if it would have such a strong appeal to modern day reader's like my grandchild. The language used by the Dutch family has a certain strangeness to it that I struggled with as an adult reader. I will have to wait to hear opinions from one who is approximately the same age as Annie was....more
This short award winning book is geared to children between 8 and 12 and is apparently based on a true story. Twenty school children were living at a This short award winning book is geared to children between 8 and 12 and is apparently based on a true story. Twenty school children were living at a school with a French nun as it was a safer space for them than their homes. When ten Jewish children arrive and need to be hidden from the Germans, the children agree they will never tell anyone that they are there. When the Germans come looking, they are careful to keep the secret.
The book begins with the children playing escape from Egypt - the Biblical story of how Jesus and his family escaped from Herod's soldiers. It is a fitting parallel for what has happened all too often through the centuries.
An hour long movie was filmed that is loosely based upon this book. It is called the Miracle at Moreaux and was filmed in 1985. I managed to find it on YouTube to watch....more
This book was a great surprise and unexpected pleasure. It tells the story of a group of university educated women who come together to provide aid toThis book was a great surprise and unexpected pleasure. It tells the story of a group of university educated women who come together to provide aid to women and children in France who need a lift out of the destruction caused through warfare. The coming together brings back some of the pettiness of youth and insecurities that some of the women experienced while originally in school together but it also brings out the best in most and pulls them in together.
The author provided a great historical note at the end detailing her sources so interested individuals can find out more if they choose. I would highly recommend this new to me author....more
This book is geared towards a mature middle grade student. I read it wondering if I should pass it on to an 11 year old. I decided against it. That isThis book is geared towards a mature middle grade student. I read it wondering if I should pass it on to an 11 year old. I decided against it. That is not a reflection against the writing which I felt was excellent. Written in 2018, this was in place well before the current war between Ukraine and Russia but the horrors are all to similar. First te Ukrainians were under the foot of Rusdia. They had things would be better under the Germans. They weren't. It is inspired by true stories of a survivor who lives in Canada. Set in WW2, it tells of one family's choice to hide Jewish friends in their home and the consequences that followed. I will share it eventually but will likely wait a few more years. ...more
I have had the privilege of reading this book twice. The first time I read it was in July 2020 when it was still a work in progress. I loved it then aI have had the privilege of reading this book twice. The first time I read it was in July 2020 when it was still a work in progress. I loved it then and hoped that it would be picked up and published quickly. Here we are in April 2022 on Publication Day and I've just finished reading it for a second time but this time with a completely different perspective. The novel is set in 1683 at the time when the extremely large army of the Ottoman Empire were doing their very best to capture the Imperial city of Vienna which was a base for Christendom at the time. The story begins a few short days before attacks begin and the city goes under siege. For the reader it starts in the home of the Von Schor family as Wilhelm tells his sister Katya that it s time to leave the city for safety as they will go to seek help from others to return and fight against the Ottomans.
The Von Schor family has had their share of troubles since the death of their patriarch. Wilhelm is the eldest and his two siblings are twins, Katja (Katharina) and Xavier. A little over a year before our story begins, Xavier and Wilhelm had a falling out and Xavier left the city and has not returned or resolved things. Wilhelm's wife is expecting their second child and though similar in age to Katja their relationship has been tense since Xavier's departure.
This is the point where the story suddenly took on a whole new life for me seen through the lens of the past six weeks since the Ukraine has been under attack. Decisions had to be made and made quickly. Was it better to leave Vienna or stay and fight? Would it be cowardly to go or would it just make sense? If the fortress fell the likely result for survivors would be slavery, rape or death. They knew they were outnumbered and would be unable do hold the fortress without help. For those who stayed, they knew they would have to take up arms to protect themselves and work as a team that included women and children all doing their best to hold out until help would come. This book was written long before the attack on Ukraine but it mirrors what is happening in real life now in so many respects and that made the novel even more real to me and kept me with bated breath even though I knew how things were going to turn out.
This is not a part of history that I ever studied in school, but Sowards has been a master instructor for me ( as she has in other of her novels that I have read). Her research is exhaustive and her diagrams, maps and extensive vocabulary list are extremely helpful in visualizing the story she is telling. It is the kind of book that gets me searching for pictures so I can better understand just what the different weapons looked like or what the different hairstyles were. Suffice it to say, I learned a lot about the time and the political influences that went into the battle for Vienna.
The story is told from the perspectives of the Schor siblings, Tobias Vischer, a master joiner and long time friend of the Schor twins, but also through the eyes of Ahmed, a Janissarie of the Ottomans who hoped to earn some of the spoils of victory so he could woo the woman he loved. Wilhelm makes the decision to leave with his pregnant wife and Katja, but circumstances change and Katja leaves the carriage taking them away to protect her heirloom violin and support her hometown. On her way back to their home she reconnects with Toby, whom she hasn't seen in years. He is staying to help protect the city. Xavier enters the picture when he arrives with a group of soldiers to help prevent the Ottomans from succeeding, but many of the soldiers, including Xavier, are sick with the bloody "flux" or dysentery. Katja nurses him back to health all the while sewing sand bags to add to the fortifications. Toby becomes a counter-miner though he has no experience with mining. His job is to discover where the Turks have their mines and try to destroy them before the Turks can damage the walls of the city. The weapons are vastly different to those used in today's war, but the devastation is similar. Food gets ever more scarce. So many are sick or wounded. There aren't enough weapons, but the spirit of the Viennese is immense and they all work their hardest to survive never knowing whether help will arrive in time.
This is a book full of action and the battles have a level of realism that may be disturbing to some but which likely downplays just how awful it really was. It was a nail-biter for me and as is true with war, death was ever present. Friends were lost. Hope wavered at times as exhaustion set in. Sleep was almost non-existent on occasion (including for me as I read through the middle of the night!) and yet Hope was never completely extinguished and when Katja payed her violin for her patients and her brother, it burned ever brighter. Love and faith helped them hold together as family, friends and as a relationship developed between Katja and Toby.
This story kept me enthralled. It made me cry and haul out the kleenex. It made me think of those suffering under siege right now and stop to say a prayer on their behalf. It showed that in war everyone loses but that it is possible to survive and rebuild. This battle apparently had a momentous impact on history, really weakening the power of the Turks and allowing Christianity to flourish with fewer incursions after the siege. There is much food for discussion here and I would highly recommend this book to others.
Many thanks to #NetGalley, #Covenant Communications and the Author for allowing me to read and advanced readers copy. All opinions are entirely my own. A.L. Sowards has chosen to donate her earnings for this book (through April 2022) which will go to charities benefiting victims of the war in Ukraine....more
This book features incredible illustrations and is based on the true story of Henry "Box" Brown, an American slave who was first given away from his fThis book features incredible illustrations and is based on the true story of Henry "Box" Brown, an American slave who was first given away from his family and later had his own children and wife sold away from him. In his despair he eventually managed to find a unique way to freedom with the help of others who opposed slavery. This is an important book to share with children to help them understand what it was like to be a slave in North America....more
I am very thankful for having the opportunity to read an advance copy of the book Three Sisters courtesy of #NetGalley and St Martin's Press. All opinI am very thankful for having the opportunity to read an advance copy of the book Three Sisters courtesy of #NetGalley and St Martin's Press. All opinions are my own unbiased ones.
Heather Morris has written several books which tell stories of people who were directly impacted by the Holocaust. This book is loosely classified as book three in the series which began with The Tattooist of Auschwitz. All of these books work extremely well as stand alone stories and while fictionalized, they are inspired by real people and events and extremely well researched. When you consider how many Jewish people and how many others such as Romany, political prisoners etc. were sent to concentration camps there are no doubt so many stories that are untold and sadly will continue to be untold. Heather Morris is to be commended for all of her efforts to help make some of these stories known. Three Sisters differs from The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilka's Journey in that it is not just about life at Auschwitz but also includes what happened at the end of the war and how life went on for sisters Cibi, Magda and Livi. It is , however, equally mesmerizing.
The author was approached by the children of one of the three sisters and asked if she would please tell their story. She had their co-operation throughout and was able to interview one of the sisters who was still alive at the time. This lends a real veracity to the story as she tells it and as in the previously mentioned two books, it set me to searching out for more about the story once I had finished reading it.
As the story begins, a father makes his three young daughters promise that they will always stay together. They had no idea at the time what difficulties this might entail and how life would unfold. Sadly their father had health issues that meant he would not be around to watch them grow up and see just how awful the situation would become for people of Jewish descent.
A kindly doctor admits Magda to hospital in order to help her avoid a round-up for work: by the German's. It was thought that her two sisters would be ok as one was "too young" and the other was out with a group preparing to ultimately move to Palestine. Sadly the German's paid no attention to youth and when one sister learned the other must report for "work" she remembered her promise to her father and without really understanding what would happen, opted to report with her sister. They ended up being two of the earliest inhabitants of Auschwitz Birkenau. Their sister Magda returned home to her mother and grandfather but ultimately she too was faced with forced deportation and experienced the death of her grandfather en route and eventually of her mother too. Fortunately she was found by her sisters who did their best to support her and give her a reason to keep on going. How they survived, made their way eventually to Palestine and prospered makes for a fascinating tale. I was incredibly moved by it and am so thankful that Heather Morris was able to share this story with the wider world. I hope it is read by many!...more
I was drawn to this book because it featured two genres that always appeal to me - world war history and time travel. I found the story to be a fairlyI was drawn to this book because it featured two genres that always appeal to me - world war history and time travel. I found the story to be a fairly quick easy read that would be well suited to primary school students and would hopefully interest them in exploring the subject matter in more depth.
The story begins when Jack's teacher assigns students a writing project on what it might have been like to live in London at the time of the Blitz when children were often being sent off to live in the country. It's difficult for Jack to really imagine what it would be like and he struggles to produce anything that will please the teacher which makes him late meeting his friend Emmie at the bus stop. He almost misses the bus but gets on through the back just in time and before they know it Jack and friend Emmie find themselves in what seems like a movie scene but turns out to be London in WW2. Not only are they dealing with culture shock but they quickly learn that people will stop them and ask why they aren't in school. Life becomes a little easier when they meet Jan - a young boy who had arrived in England via Kindertransport and who is having trouble making friends among his classmates. He misses his home in Poland.
There is a little mystery thrown in when the trio encounter another youth who seems to be acting in a suspicious manner. Might he be a spy? If they do something abut him will it change their future? Can they tell anyone that they are time travelers and how can they possibly get home to their own time?
For North American readers the language may take a little getting used to and the ending of the story is pretty abrupt but overall I enjoyed the story and would recommend it to younger readers.
Many thanks to #NetGalley and #BooksGoSocial for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book. All opinions expressed are entirely my own....more
I have been fortunate enough to read several books by Ellie Midwood and have found those that I have read to be extremely well researched and written.I have been fortunate enough to read several books by Ellie Midwood and have found those that I have read to be extremely well researched and written. When I saw that this book was available to request as an Advanced Reader Copy, I quickly hopped on it and requested to read it. Many thanks to #NetGalley and #Bookouture for allowing me the privilege. All opinions are completely my own.
Midwood has an incredible knack for finding fascinating true stories from World War 2 and making them come to life for the reader. Several of her novels have been set in Auschwitz as is this one. It is factually inspired and most of the names of the characters in the novel are the names of real people. She did , however, change the last names of the two main characters - Helena and Franz. I appreciated that even before I started reading their story Midwood had written a note to the reader to explain some of the background.
The story is set in the year or so after the end of the war when DeNazification Trials were underway to try and deal with the worst offenders from the Holocaust realizing that there simply were not enough jails or infrastructure to imprison everyone who had in some way followed the Nazi ideology. The Americans were trying to get as many trials done as they could before they were simply placed back in German hands where they felt even more people would get away with very little in the way of consequences. This story comes to life through the course of the trial and it grabbed me almost immediately and drew me in to the point where I hated to put it down. I found it gut-wrenching as the various witnesses told their story through the use of flashback testimony.
When Helena first arrived in Auschwitz she was told that she would be exterminated as soon as possible. First though she was chosen by a German officer to sing at the birthday celebration of Franz Dahler, another member of the SS. He liked her singing (and even more liked her) so he refused to allow her to be sent to her death and demanded she be assigned to work in "Kanada" under his command. Horrible though the job was (sorting the belongings of those who had just been exterminated), it was still one of the best jobs one could have in Auschwitz as the food was better, they were allowed to keep their hair (on their head) and they had better sleeping quarters. They lived however, surrounded by the stench of bodies being cremated pretty much 24/7.
Helena had no idea why she had been singled out to survive. The work was still extremely hard and whippings could occur for very minor reasons. When Dahler handed her a note telling her that he was in love with her, she was disgusted and couldn't believe it, but over time their relationship developed and ultimately, after the war they were married. Another inmate of Auschwitz, Novak became a co-plaintiff in the case against Dahler. He had personally been whipped by Dahler and had also watched as Helena developed a relationship with him. I honestly wondered if Novak was in love with Helena himself. He believed that Dahler was an abusive liar and rapist who manipulated Helena for his own benefit. Hearing his point of view throughout the trial was heart-wrenching.
Each trial also included a team which included at least one psychologist with experience in assessing whether an individual was telling the truth or not. They never expected that Dahler would come to trial holding his wife's hand, nor that she would seem so incapable of being parted from him.
Can love exist in such circumstances, or is it just some type of psychological disorder? Can someone who has been raised with Nazi ideology being hammered into his head truly change? Can a prisoner filled with hate learn to temper it? Is anyone innocent in such circumstances? This book provided so much food for thought and moved me immensely. I felt as if I had been in Kanada as the events were taking place. It will no doubt stick with me for a long time. I think it would be an excellent read for a book club as there is so much that could be discussed and learned from this story....more
I am a newcomer to the writing of Ellie Midwood having just recently read the Violinist of Auschwitz and being blown away by how she made me feel as iI am a newcomer to the writing of Ellie Midwood having just recently read the Violinist of Auschwitz and being blown away by how she made me feel as if I was right there in the midst of it all, so I was excited to see that she had another book coming out and requested the chance to read an advance copy. Many thanks to #NetGalley, #Bookouture and author #EllieMidwood for giving me that opportunity. My opinions are all my own.
I think the dedication of a book can often give you a good idea about what you will find inside the pages to follow. This is true here as well and so I share the dedication:
“Dedicated to all the freedom fighter, past and present; to everyone who has ever spoken against oppression, persecution and inequality. Keep speaking your truth and fighting your battles. Your bravery won’t be forgotten.”
One really shouldn’t be surprised at how many stories are coming forth from the era of the Holocaust and the War. So many people were touched/rocked by the events of the time, and their stories are so valuable to those of us who follow after. Ellie Midwood is doing an excellent job at introducing her readers to the lives of some people who were indeed individuals who stood up for all that was good even at great personal cost.
This novel was inspired by the lives of two real individuals – Mala Zimetbaum and Edek Galiński. I have visited Auschwitz, but I don’t remember hearing about these two as part of the tour that I took. I’m sorry about that and very thankful to Midwood for drawing their story to my attention. They are known as a young Jewish woman who because of her skills had a job that gave her more freedom than most within the camp and a Polish man who before the war had been embarking on naval service but also was skilled in carpentry and other hands-on skills. While at Auschwitz they met, fell in love, and eventually managed to escape together from Auschwitz. Sadly, the prologue makes it clear that their freedom did not last long.
Their story is a fascinating one and has been very well-researched by the author. When I had finished reading it, I was able to go online and find out more information about this couple and even see pictures of them. For those who are interested you can read more at the following link. https://artsandculture.google.com/exh...
Ellie Midwood has an excellent way with words that as I mentioned before pulled me in as a reader. Here are some words she used to voice the thoughts of Mala as she moved around Auschwitz as part of her duties: “She loathed the processing block the most; it was the place where the last fragments of hope were clubbed to death, where former lives were cut short and swept away along with lumps of shorn hair, where names were abolished and replaced by numbers, forever branded into women’s forearms with a crude tattooing tool.”
Another sentence that grabbed me: “Danger was virtually everywhere; the air stank of it just like it stank of burnt flesh and singed hair.”
Midst all the horror there was also this: “The whipped golden butter of golden clouds was slowly melting around the glowing disk, reddening the tops of the trees tucked in snow “As though someone spilled pure honey atop the reddest apple one can find.” “
In this book you will learn how some doctors refused to perform abortions on pregnant women even though pregnancy itself was pretty much a death sentence. So often those who claimed moral authority truly lacked any morals at all. “They spoke at length of their Christian values, but when it came to offering shelter to the persecuted, they shut their doors and chased the invaders off their property with guns and curses.” Sadly this is still true today.
For fans of The Violinist of Auschwitz, you will reconnect with Alma and Zippy, both real women who featured in both books. You will also learn more about the real men and women who were part of the Nazi machine at Auschwitz.
Midwood has include a section with the historical background behind the story which I found well worth reading. I would highly recommend this book to other readers. I believe the story of Mala and Edek has much to teach all of us. I will finish with a final quote from the thoughts of Mala. “Bravery was a muscle that ought to be trained.” May we all train our muscles so that we can become braver in standing up and looking out for the needs of those we encounter. ...more
This is the kind of book that grabs my interest quickly and makes me want to do more research right away. The fictionalized story took place on the isThis is the kind of book that grabs my interest quickly and makes me want to do more research right away. The fictionalized story took place on the island of Jersey, one of the Channel Islands who to this day are loyal to Britain while having their own currency and government. In 2015 my husband and I chose to visit the Channel Islands, drawn there primarily by my interest in the history of the Second World War as it affected these Islands. The British made the decision to withdraw all forces from the Islands at the onset of the war basically leaving the door open for the Germans to walk right in and take over. It could have been done without a shot being fired, but somehow the Germans failed to get the message leading to bombings in the harbours and death of locals. Through the years of Occupation, the Germans always believed the British would try to get the islands back and they built extensive fortifications around the coasts that can still be seen and explored to this day. During our visit there we learned a lot about what life was like, visited the underground hospitals, stayed in the hotel mentioned in the novel where the Germans had been. We were able to speak to an old woman who had been evacuated from the island at the age of five and to an older gentleman who had been a young teen who stayed throughout the occupation. He spoke of the starvation that both islanders and Germans faced as the war dragged on and told how they would never have survived without the Red Cross boxes, many of which came from Canada.
Although this story is fictionalized, it tells the story of real individuals and is extremely well researched. It was originally published in Europe under the title Hedy's War. Hedwig Bercu Goldenberg was a Romanian Jew who came to the Channel Islands to escape the persecution Jews were facing in Europe. As the novel begins, the evacuation of many Islanders to England is past and Hedy's employers are also gone leaving her on her own. Her heritage made it so that she could not go with them and the bombing of the harbour is underway. She has one friend, Anton Weber, a man from Austria who is also fairly new to the Islands and who works as a baker. He becomes involved with a local girl, Dorothea Le Brocq, who he eventually married just as he is conscripted by the Occupying forces. In the novel, the reader gets a real feeling of how such a marriage would have been treated by locals.
Hedy is forced to register with a member of the local States (government), and the islander refused to accept her explanation that she was not Jewish, only her step-father was, thus she ends up with papers labelled with a red J. Dorothea suggests she apply to work as a translator for the Germans and although Hedy hates the idea, her need for income gave her little choice. Upon being hired she decided to steal petrol coupons as a form of resistance and as a Mitzvah, gives them to a local doctor so he can visit his patients. Through her job Hedy also meets Kurt, a German officer, also conscripted and certainly not a Nazi. Their story as it unfolds is fascinating and terrifying. The accuracy of the details provided by the author add areal depth to the tale. None of the characters are perfect. They have their flaws (as do we all), but the main characters all chose to resist in their own way.
Some reviewers found cause to critique because Dorothea is painted as flighty and Hedy is at times seen as arrogant. I think it is important to remember while reading that Hedy's life was always at risk once the Germans arrived so any of what she perceived as lack of discretion on another's part would have been terrifying. She had to stay out of the limelight. Also, although the bones of the story are true, it was impossible for the author to know exactly what the relationships were like. What is true is that both women were in relationships with men who were perceived as enemy and when Hedy's life was in imminent danger, Dorothea hid her for 18 months in her home sharing starvation rations with her. As a reader I found this book very hard to put down.
As soon as I finished reading I started searching the internet. I came across pictures of both women and lots of information including that Dorothea Le Brocq Weber was posthumously named Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem and was also honoured by the UK. You can read more about it here: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe...
I would highly recommend this book to others and, once one can safely travel again would recommend the Channel Islands as a great place to visit!
Many thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and advanced copy. The opinions expressed are entirely my own....more
Many thanks to Cheyne Walk, Glenn Haybittle, and #NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. What follows is my honest review.
Many years ago I read Many thanks to Cheyne Walk, Glenn Haybittle, and #NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. What follows is my honest review.
Many years ago I read and was fascinated by the book Mila 18 by Leon Uris which through fiction gave me insight into what life was like in the Warsaw ghetto and how some chose to fight rather than give in to the demands of the Nazis. About two years ago I had the opportunity to visit Warsaw myself - to walk on Mila and see the stone markers in memory of those who fought. This book - In The Warsaw Ghetto by Glenn Haybittle is equally compelling.
The two main characters in the story are Ala, a teenager who loves to dance and Max, her thirty something uncle who has never married and who converted to Catholicism as an act of rebellion against his father. I struggled a little with the first chapter as the author chose to use the present tense to describe what was happening and I find that challenging, but that feeling wore off pretty quickly and it wasn't long before I felt as if I was right there watching what was happening to Ala and Max as their worlds became ever increasingly circumscribed by the rules and regulations of the German war machine. I finished the book in just under 24 hours.
It should be no secret to readers that during the war all the Jewish people from Warsaw and other surrounding areas were forced to relocate into a ghetto which was relatively small, and that conditions became incredibly harsh ultimately leading to the German decision to "relocate" the Jews by sending them to Treblinka which was a death camp. The author made that become real for me. The descriptions of the horrors and bullying that people faced brought me to tears. To quote from the book: “The newspapers are relentless in their attacks on the Jews. They blame Jews for the war, for stealing the jobs of native Poles, for every human disease. There’s no question people are beginning to get brainwashed. The policy of the Germans seems to be to bring every base emotion to the fore – spite, covetousness, ignorance, jealousy, mindless prejudice. It’s as if the Nazis are set on ripping the heart from human interaction.”
The story is told in three parts. Book One begins as war is looming on the horizon for Ala and Max. It finally arrives on their doorstep and the reader watches as the ghetto is established in 1940.Book Two is set in 1942 and Book Three is set in 1943 when the days of the ghetto and its inhabitants are clearly numbered. When I first saw how many chapters were in the book it looked rather overwhelming to me but the chapters are short and the pace of the story moves quickly.
Ala’s story is that of a young girl who is just discovering who she is. She struggles in her relationship with her mother as she yearns to move into adulthood and greater independence. She is learning about her body, both as a dancer and as a young woman who has yet to learn what love is and can be. She sees the young men around her and wonders (in the way that many teens do) if she will ever find a love and intimacy of her own. Max on the other hand fell in love in young adulthood but it failed to be returned and he has never been able to move on. He is torn between his Jewish roots and his need to move away from what his father seemed to want to pressure him into becoming. He and Ala find in their relationship the ability to emotionally support each other in a time when that is very much needed. Both of them come from what has been a prominent family. Ala’s father is a member of the Judenrat. Max’s home was already in the area which was to become the ghetto and he lives in what is relative luxury and isolation in the early days of the ghetto. The ghetto is a place where there is little beauty. The author describes it as being a place with no grass, no trees, no birds – very stark and depressing. Each and every day they are forced to witness atrocities taking place around them and in front of them. The Germans force Ala and her mother to clean toilets using their underwear and then to put them back on. I don’t think it is unrealistic to say that they faced hell on earth. Each character is faced with choices that they have to make in order to survive and those choices often make them think less of themselves. I can only imagine the horror of being constantly faced with decisions on how to act that can result in their death if they make the wrong choice and to be faced with this day after day after day.
Glenn Haybittle is an incredibly good writer. His ability to describe a scene is impeccable. I can’t finish this review without sharing a particularly vivid passage from early in the book. “The sirens have stopped wailing. The air has stopped screaming. There are no more earthquakes. When she and her mother venture out into the street Ala asks herself if she shouldn’t be more frightened, more shocked. Perhaps, she thinks, she is taking the lead from her mother who appears to be taking this momentous moment of history in her stride. It’s like everyone else she sees on the street has overnight stopped looking at themselves in mirrors. AS if appearance has ceased to matter. As if everyone has abandoned all thought of decorum. Her mother, on the other hand, is, as always, impeccably made up, groomed and dressed. Now it is Ala’s eyes which have to withstand the unprecedented. Life has overnight ceased to be continuous. She keeps staring as if by force of will she might return all the devastation to its former reassuring order. This part of Warsaw has always been an extension of home for her, part of her shape, a responsive intimate part of her identity. So much that she was attached to, so much that lent her footholding weight is now obliterated. It’s as if one of the mirrors by which she recognizes herself has ceased to reflect her. The teetering balancing act of unsupported walls makes her feel unsteady on her own legs. Buildings taken for granted are no longer standing. There are voids where previously history stood. Feathers like snowflakes rise up into the smoke infested air as if she is inside a macabre snow globe.”
This is an important book. While it is a novel, real people lived as Ala and Max did and it is vital that we as a society never forget that they lived and experienced lives like these. We need to remember and learn how easy it is for life to change almost in the blink of an eye. Only if we learn these lessons can we keep it from happening again and again and again.
A huge thank you to #NetGalley and #Simon&Schuster for granting me my wish and allowing me to read this book. I finished it yesterday and have thoughtA huge thank you to #NetGalley and #Simon&Schuster for granting me my wish and allowing me to read this book. I finished it yesterday and have thought a lot about it since then. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
I have read many books that are set in the time period of the Second World War. In many ways it was a time period that shaped my life as my parents and relatives lived through it (except for a few) and it affected them in ways that trickled down to my generation. This story in this fact-inspired novel began during the war but continued on afterwards to a time period that I do remember living through and though it was set in the past, the story told resonates deeply with what I see happening around us in this present era as well.
The story begins in Romania. I haven't read a lot about the war in Romania so I found it fascinating to discover what life was like for the people there at that time. In 1941 during the time of the Bucharest pogrom, a young Jewish couple escape from their home while the local police are waiting to take them away. In order to survive themselves and offer a better chance of survival to their young daughter, they are forced to leave her out on the streets. She is found by a caring woman who takes her to a local orphanage and eventually Natalia (as she is called) is adopted by a well to do young couple (Despina and Anton). Despina and Anton were unable to have children of their own and Natalia's entrance into their lives brought them tremendous joy.
The incredible incapacitating grief of Natalia's parents at their loss is well described. It was hard to read at times because I could identify as a parent with the huge sense of loss they would have to have been feeling and yet Natalia blossomed over the next few years and life was good until the war came directly to Bucharest and the bombs began to fall.
This story took me through so many high's and lows. Extremely well written, it is dark in tone at times because the war was dark and life was not easy and when the war ended, life did not go back to what it had been before. As the Russians took over Despina and Anton lost pretty much everything they owned except their lives and their daughter. Even their lives were at stake at times. Throughout, their love for their adopted daughter was so great that they were willing to sacrifice themselves on her behalf.
I was crying as I finished reading the book - tears of sadness and tears of happiness, and in the author's after posts I discovered that much of this was the real life story of her grand-parent's who adopted a young girl during the war. There are wonderful photograph's that put faces to their names. What stood out to me in this book was the depth of love that both of Natalia's sets of parents felt for her and showed her. There are parents in our world right now who are forced to give their children up as they try to escape to a better place. Sometimes it ends well - sometimes it doesn't. The lessons shared in this book are ones that we need to take to heart and remember. Natalia could be any one of us. Thanks to Roxanne Veletzos for putting this story to paper....more
I was very pleased to be able to read a copy of this book via #NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own unbiased ones.
I am a big fan of historicalI was very pleased to be able to read a copy of this book via #NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own unbiased ones.
I am a big fan of historical novels set during the time of the second world war and this one particularly caught my eye because it was set in Guernsey. I read the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society some years ago when it first came out. I had also discovered in my Dad's collection of books about the war several that focused on the events which took place in Guernsey and Jersey under the Nazi occupation. All of this inspired my husband and I to plan a trip to Guernsey about three years ago. Both islands show ample evidence of the presence of the Germans and it is easy to use the local buses to tour the island and visit the many places of interest all while enjoying the natural beauty of the islands.
Two experiences on our trip really stand out in our memories. The first was during a visit to a church which was hosting a floral festival which focused on the evacuations which took place just before the Germans arrived. We had the privilege to talk to one woman who had been evacuated from her family at the age of 5. She shared her memories with us including the long term effects it had on her relationship with her father who was interned by the Germans. The second experience that really stood out for us came during our visit to Castle Cornet when our Guide told us how he had stayed behind with his family and would have starved to death had it not been for the Red Cross parcels delivered to them.
All this leads me to tell you just how much I enjoyed this novelized version of the story of Laurence, Lily and their family in the days leading up to the arrival of the Germans. The author did an excellent job of bringing them all to life for me and once started I didn't want to put the book down.
Aside from focusing on the story of his family, the author also included the story of a young German pilot stationed not far from the Channel Islands. I don't know how much of his story was based on truth and how much on fiction, but it drew me in as well and showcased his humanity rather than just the fact that he was one of the "enemy".
The stories told in this book matched closely with everything we learned when we were in Guernsey. The book is written in such a way that it is suitable for young adults as well as the older reader.
The only small flaw that I noticed while reading was in the format. There were quite a number of spots where words would run together or be split in the middle. It was just a small thing and didn't hamper my enjoyment of the story. Did Laurence and his wife make the right choices? I believe that history shows that they did....more
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