Annika Thor

This is a very interesting fictionalized account of Jewish refugee children who were sent to Sweden in the late 1930s. Being told from the perspective of 12 year old Stephie allows the story to examine the more emotional aspects of the situation and historical period. The author successfully contrasts the experiences of Stephie and her younger sister Nellie. When Nellie quickly adapts to the different environment, Stephie feels that she is rejecting her German culture. The conflicting show more emotions felt by the main character, being grateful for her safety, missing her family and homeland, not being truly accepted by the Swedes, make for a riveting story. The epilogue written by the author is particularly profound in that it explains that many of the 500 refugee children, while they survived the war, were not reunited with their families and returned home; in some cases it took decades for them to even be able to talk about their painful experiences. Though the book ends on a hopeful note, the reader can’t help but wonder if Stephie and Nellie received their hoped for ending.

Note that this is a translation of the original Swedish text. show less

The war is over! Stephie Steiner is celebrating with her friend May when she runs into her former crush, Sven. She is in her last year of high school and is planning to work for a couple of years in order to afford medical school. Her sister Nellie is aging out of school (only six years of compulsory education) and is still living with Auntie Alma and her family. With the end of the war, Stephie begins looking for their father, with whom they have not corresponded since he was deported from show more Theresienstadt. Lots of transitions in the offing—where will the girls end up?

Although I didn't care for the reappearance of Sven, I thought the book tied up loose ends nicely. One theme running through the last couple of books was how Sweden, who had been tacitly aiding Germany through the early part of the war, changed its tune once it became apparent that Germany was losing. Whereas the first two books had an Anne of Green Gables feel, the last two books deal with more mature topics: teenage pregnancy, unwanted sexual advances, and severe mental illness. An interesting quartet of books covering various experiences of child refugees in Sweden during WWII. show less

This is what I would call a young adult book with wide appeal. It's the story of two Jewish sisters, Stephie and Nellie Steiner, who are sent to Sweden from Vienna in the summer of 1939. Their parents are trying to get visas to leave for America, and the girls expect to join them for the trip in three months, maybe six. Upon arriving in Göteborg, they are told that they will not be in the same household, but that they will be hosted in the same village on an island. Seven-year-old Nellie is show more placed with in a cheerful family with two young children, and twelve-year-old Stephie with an older couple further out of the village, "at the end of the world." Stephie's host mother is stern and her husband is away a lot of the time with a fishing crew, but when he's home, he is sympathetic and kind. As Stephie tries to fit in and behave as expected, she is faced with challenges at home, at school, and in making friends. As the war begins in Europe, her fears for her parents increases. Will they be able to get visas?

I enjoyed this novel, the first in a quartet about the Steiner sisters. It reminded me of [Anne of Green Gables]. Like Anne, Stephie feels very different from those around her: she doesn't speak the language, she's Jewish, from an urban city, and without her parents. Her host mother is very reminiscent of Miss Cuthburt and her husband plays a role like Matthew's. But [A Faraway Island] is more somber, with the war looming in the background and fears for her parents running as an undercurrent through her life. I enjoyed this story and have ordered the next one in the series. show less

It’s been four years since Stephie Steiner and her younger sister Nellie arrived from Vienna as Jewish refugees in Sweden. Stephie is in her final year of grammar school and boards in town with her friend May’s family, while Nellie still lives on the island with her host family. Stephie has many worries. She is in her last year of grammar school. Will the relief committee pay for her to continue her schooling, or will she be forced to leave school and get a job like almost all of the show more other girls her age? Why is her friend Vera behaving so strangely? Why has Nellie become sullen, angry, and distant? By far her biggest worry is the health and welfare of her parents, who are imprisoned in the Theresienstadt concentration camp.

I loved A Faraway Island, the first book in this quartet. It reminded me quite a bit of Anne of Green Gables. I became invested in then twelve-year-old Stephie’s story, and I want to see how her story ends. The books increasingly address more adult themes as Stephie ages, and this book includes themes that would be more appropriate for older teens, about the age that Stephie is in the book (15-16). show less