A gripping, sobering, and thought-provoking tale of friendship, loyalty, and politics, set in the aftermath of the erection of the Berlin Wall in 1962. When Rolf is identified as a member of the underground, responsible for 23 successful escapes to West Berlin, he himself is forced to flee to the West. His defection puts his wife Trudy under suspicion, however. Wolfgang is a childhood friend of Rolf's, with diametrically opposed political views, and a senior officer with the Volkspolizei. When he realises Trudy is in danger, Wolfgang risks his own career to facilitate her escape. However, she is forced to leave her young son Stefan behind, and swears to come back for him. The rest of the book tells about her attempts to do just that.

At the start of the novel, Trudy has little interest in politics, and despite her husband's 'hero' status, sees both Rolf and Wolfgang as being loyal to abstract principles that only serve to ruin people's lives. She's not blind to the irony that her husband has been a hero to total stangers, and yet simultaneously unable to protect his own family. Trudy's views evolve, however, over the course of the story, and this raised interesting questions for me about the extent to which we could and should be willing to make sacrifices for such principles. ( )

This is a book with two titles as noted above. It is the first book that I have read about the time period when the wall went up and having lived in a town that must have been cut apart by the wall, and having actually seen the wall it meant a lot to me. I did enjoy the book.
In summary - Trudy's husband Rolf is forced to flee to the West when it is discovered that he has been helping people escape to the West. Trudy, as the wife of a defector is brought in for questioning and in consequence she knows that she now faces possible imprisonment. It is a difficult decision but she leaves her small son with her mother in law and escapes to the West not knowing what has happened to her husband. When she arrives in the West Trudy learns the fate of her husband and from then on her goal is to find a way to be reunited with her son, a journey that takes her to America and back. Preston has included JFK"S visit to Berlin and his subsequent assassination in the story. I found the chain of events leading to her visit to America slightly unbelievable but I did become engrossed in her struggle to be reunited with her son. There are good descriptions of life in East and West Germany in the book, and strong characters in Trudy, her husband Rolf, and Rolf's childhood friend Wolfgang, a member of the border police, who in the end was prepared to put his career at risk to help Trudy. And in the end the question is - How far would you be prepared to go to get your child back? ( )

This tender story begins with strong-willed and principled Rolf defecting from East Berlin and leaving behind his wife and child in hopes that they’ll join him later. His wife, Trudy’s determination to move her family to West Berlin drives the rest of the story with emotional insights. As the reader, I found her fearless determination courageous and admirable, yet scary at the same time. Author Marcia Preston does a good job helping the reader to identify with Trudy and her actions. When she describes Trudy’s trek through the tunnel to West Berlin, I could well imagine the humility of having someone tuck my skirt into my underwear to keep it out of the way. I could almost feel the sting of scraped knees from crawling through the dirty, rocky passage. She continues with pictorial descriptions of Trudy’s shabby clothes and meager living arrangements on the west side. Not only are her descriptions vivid, but she brings to life the real history of communist Germany in the early ‘60s. The real focus of the story shows how strong a mother’s love is and how far she’ll go to be reunited with her son without compromising her principles. This was a wonderful story that I will not forget. ( )

Very good book,,love the story. ( )

Trudy is left alone to raise her son when her husband flees East Berlin to the safety of West Berlin. With the help of her mother-n-law she tries to go on with her life the best she can.
When she learns she faces prison because she is the wife of a defector, she knows her only choice is to flee East Berlin. She is told she must leave her young son behind because it is too dangerous to take him with her. She vows to find a way to be reunited with him.
After spending hours crawling through dark tunnels underground she makes it to freedom in West Berlin. Shortly after arriving she learns that her husband died trying to make it across.
After seeing President Kennedy and hearing his speech he gives in West Berlin, she travels to the United States in hope of finding someone who can help her in getting her son to her. Things don't work out as hoped for and she is forced to return to Berlin. Can she ever be reunited with her son?

I finished the book in just one day. Fast moving plot. The author does a great job with putting the reader right there in the story. The story leaves the reader with the question of "Just how far would you be willing to go to be reunited with a loved one?". ( )