It was a good book. WWII. ( )

This is a book about four generations plowing through life and trying to make the best of it starting with Klara & Julius, then Annelise and Walter, then Ruth and Mel and finally Claire & Matthew. The author introduced bits an pieces of their lives and how they were tied together. It portrayed the great toll it took on the Jewish families during WWII and what they had to do to survive through the horrors of war.

As a young girl worker for her family bakery, Annelise was in love with her childhood friend, Max. It broke her heart when he stopped coming by to see her only to show up with another young lady. Fifty years later, she saw their names listed on the Auschwitz column with those that had died. Annelise survived the war and died when she was 88.

Years later, Claire found a pile of letters - those collected and saved in the family over the years. She asked her mother, Ruth, if she was going to read them. It sounded like her mother was more interested in type of toothpaste she had at the time. Claire continued to ask, "Did you read the letters?" Her mother said, "No, I already know what happened."

While parts felt disjointed, that's how our mind works. We have deep thoughts but say different things on the surface. It's cleverly written that made me pause a few times but then it all made sense moving along. The Author's Notes are a must.



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This was so beautifully written and to read that the "letters" from the grandparents, waiting to join Annelise in the United States, are particularly heartbreaking when the author explains that these were the actual letters from her very own relatives. A horrifying history which we all continue to live today in so many ways in so many countries. ( )

I really love the idea of the book. The author found letter from her grandmother from Germany and tried to weave them into a historical fiction tale. I have the letters from my mother and father during WWII and have also wondered if I could create a story from them. Now, I think not. They were very personal and the ones that were not were too mundane to be interesting. I do not want to tell their secrets and I also do not want to bore people with the not so interesting ones.

For me, this book failed, I have an enduring portrait of the author's great grandfather, and a hurtful one of her greatgrandmother who was so difficult to please.

The writing is broken, not connected and that makes it very difficult for the reader to figure who is who and to get a good timeline. I did get the strong impression that there was a good deal of fear, anger and denial of what Germany would become after 1941. The change was gradual at first. The bakery in her great grandparents had in Germany was populat and then they started losing customers, Jeuish people were beaten in the streets. Annalise, their daughter was told by her friend from chidhood that her husband would not let them be friends any longer. That heartbreaking moment could have been more developed and I imagine the real happening was heart wrenching.

This is another time that I think the book could have been more connected and not such a struggle to read if it had been co-authored with a person who would have brought more structure and depth. ( )

A truly sad book. The main focus was on the family before they left Germany. Brief glimpses of present day life. Amazing how many books have focused on WWII ( )