Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Hannah and Emil

3.62 of 5 stars 3.62 · rating details · 40 ratings · 15 reviews

Based on the lives of the author's own grandparents, Hannah & Emil is a remarkable story of enduring love set against the backdrop of World War II.

As post-World War I Germany heads toward collapse, Emil finds himself clashing with the political forces gaining ascendency. Hannah, a Russian Jew in the West End of London, leaves home for Europe. In Brussels, working for t...more

Paperback, 410 pages

Published August 1st 2012 by Allen & Unwin Australia

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 140)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Sep 28, 2012 Bronwyn Mcloughlin rated it 4 of 5 stars

It's a great story, well told and not overly sentimentalised. It serves as a reminder of the dehumanizing effect generalsing history has on people - Emil is a veteran of WWI but German. He and many others have the insight to see the horrendousness of what will come of the culmination of Nazism in German society. He sees what happens to his socialist colleagues, realizes what has happened when his father is disappeared, and escapes to Britain. For me, the most horrific thing, is when Hans comes t...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 06, 2013 Lisa rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-book-or-loan

An interesting choice for holiday reading, because on the one hand it’s crossover literary/commercial in style but on the other the topic is rather sombre.

In the introduction, Belinda Castles (who won the 2006 Vogel) says that it’s a fictionalisation of her grandparents’ lives. It is the sad tale of a couple tossed about by events of the 20th century: Emil by his experiences in WW1, by his struggle against fascism in Germany, his escape to the UK, from where he was shipped to Australia when WW2...more

like · see review

Jul 13, 2012 Heidi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: courtesy-of-publisher, ww2, read-in-2012, aussie-author, arc

Firstly, I should say that I was very excited to receive this book preview from the publisher, Allen & Unwin. Having worked with displaced persons from WW2 in the past who had shared their amazing stories with me, I was looking forward to reading this love story spanning nearly the entire 20th century and based on the life of the author’s grandparents.

The story opens in Sydney, 2005: Flora, newly pregnant and starting her married life in Australia, receives an old suitcase in the mail, left...more Firstly, I should say that I was very excited to receive this book preview from the publisher, Allen & Unwin. Having worked with displaced persons from WW2 in the past who had shared their amazing stories with me, I was looking forward to reading this love story spanning nearly the entire 20th century and based on the life of the author’s grandparents.

The story opens in Sydney, 2005: Flora, newly pregnant and starting her married life in Australia, receives an old suitcase in the mail, left to her by her deceased grandmother Hannah. In it, Hannah has packed Flora’s whole family history: old photos, letters, memorabilia and a journal written in Hannah’s hand, which tell of her and her late husband’s Emil’s lives, their love for each other and the hardships they had to endure due to living through two world wars.

Starting in 1902, the author tells Hannah’s and Emil’s story by offering snapshots from different decades in their lives. Born to a poor working class family in Duisburg, Germany, young Emil is sent off to fight in the trenches at Gallipoli during WW1. Returning from the war in 1918, alive but scarred in mind and body, Emil finds his homeland wrecked by economic crisis and political turmoil. As the national socialist party gains popularity during the early 1930’s, Emil follows in the footsteps of his father and actively protests against the new political power, joining the fight for the rights of the working man. However, with the growing popularity of Hitler’s party, their resistance is short lived – Emil’s father is killed by the brownshirts, and Emil himself becomes a refugee, a stateless person, leaving behind his wife and young son and fleeing to Brussels to escape certain death in his homeland.

In the meantime, Hannah is born to Russian Jewish parents in England, growing up with her father’s deep appreciation of democracy and his support for her education and independence. Politically involved in the labour party from a young age, outspoken and headstrong, Hannah leaves her parents and younger brothers to travel to Paris, Berlin and Brussels, where she holds various positions as translator and writer. In Brussels, working for the trade unions, she meets Emil and falls in love.

Without giving too much away, I was fascinated by the story’s different angle – telling the story of displaced persons before WW2, and their suffering. Castles realistically portrays the political situation in Germany in the 1930’s, and the impossible position opposers to the Nazi regime found themselves in even a decade before the start of WW2. Emil’s heartbreak of losing his homeland as well as his family is reflected in every aspect of his life story, making him a flesh-and-blood character the reader can empathise with.

I was however a little bit disappointed in the character of Hannah, as I found her quite distant and unemotional, despite the first-person narrative of her stories. Despite vivid descriptions of her environment and circumstances, I would have loved to learn more about Hannah’s feelings towards these. What made her fall in love with Emil in the first place? How did she feel on meeting his ex-wife and son? Or on first setting foot in Australia? This was especially true for Emil’s and Hannah’s love story: whilst Hannah tells of her first encounters with Emil, the next story skips three years ahead – what happened to the couple in those three years? I found this period to be such a vital part in understanding their relationship that I was disappointed the author had not shared it with her readers. Because of this, I could not totally emphasise with Hannah’s despair as Emil is interred and sent away – did she even despair? Or did she instead push her feelings aside and show a stiff upper lip, never allowing herself the luxury of such emotions?

My disconnection from Hannah’s feelings contributed to less enjoyment of the novel’s last part, in which the couple marry and start a new family – for my part, I would have been happy had the story finished there, with the lovers being reunited in Australia. However, with the novel being based on real life events, it was interesting to find out how Hannah and Emil fared in their later years.

All in all, I really enjoyed this well-written novel, which opened my mind to a different aspect of WW2 – that of the fate of many political refugees who had to flee their homeland even before the war. Whilst I would have happily given the first part of the book 4 stars, the book lost a bit of steam in its later quarter - my overall rating therefore is 3 ½ stars. This is the first book I have read by Belinda Castles, and I will be sure to look up her other novels.

(less)

3 likes · like · see review

May 07, 2013 Debbie Robson rated it 5 of 5 stars

It only happens rarely (at least for me) that I actually live through a book rather than read it. We quickly lose the sense that this is a book we are reading and begin to live through the characters in the book. Only two other books apart from Hannah & Emil come to mind that have had that effect on me. The first was The Fortunes of Richard Mahoney - an enormous book that I read whilst I was pregnant and became very depressed as I realised I was near to finishing the epic saga and wouldn’t h...more It only happens rarely (at least for me) that I actually live through a book rather than read it. We quickly lose the sense that this is a book we are reading and begin to live through the characters in the book. Only two other books apart from Hannah & Emil come to mind that have had that effect on me. The first was The Fortunes of Richard Mahoney - an enormous book that I read whilst I was pregnant and became very depressed as I realised I was near to finishing the epic saga and wouldn’t have it and the characters in my life anymore. The other one that comes to mind is Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. With both this book and Castles's, I actually wondered in the early stages why I was being given so many details. In Never Let Me Go it was the details of everyday life, ordinary conversations, school lessons, drawings, a trip to a nearby town. All very commonplace but gradually we are totally drawn in to the lives of these strange half people; we are living the book and of course that is why the ending has such a dramatic effect on us.
In Hannah and Emil I opened the book and immediately thought - this is strange! Why are we starting as far back as 1902? But it didn’t take me long to realise what Belinda Castles was doing. She was setting up (in real time so to speak) the memories of the two main characters. I found the first person for Hannah and third person for the enigmatic but rather sad character of Emil, excellent narrative choices.
I had read from another reviewer that they felt more could have been written about a crucial encounter and early days together of the two main characters. I actually counted the pages and worried that I would agree and there would be a lack somehow. When I came to read Emil’s section for 1936 it didn’t seem to be that way for me. I found enough within the pages to understand how they interacted. I believe that subtlety can be profound and Castles’s writing in this book is a perfect example.
What stays with me is Emil playing by the river in Duisburg, a place that would gradually change as industries encroached. I still remember the water mill where the two main characters lived in England and Hannah’s home by Hampstead Heath. The boat trip too is skillfully evoked and the hardships of the camp. This is a wonderful recreation of a difficult time in history during which so many people suffered. This book will help many people understand another side to World War II and its aftermath. Highly recommended!(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 19, 2012 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ozzie-gems

It is inevitable that there will be comparisons between this book and another aussies recent release All That I Am by Anna Funder. both revive the persecution of social and political activists and Jewish people. Both stories are partly tolled through the memories of older women and both involve Syndey. but thats were the similarities end with history being the basic thread of Funders story but is only a background to the imagined love story of Castles paternal Grandparents.

The story goes of Hann...more

5 likes · like · see review

Sep 19, 2012 Kathy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Hannah & Emil is a different than usual romantic war story. Hannah, a Russian Jew living in London and Emil a German war vet who escapes Germany before WW2. They briefly make a life together before Emil is interned as an enemy alien and sent to Australia. The story was done well in telling the plight of the displaced and suffering people before WW2.

I must say though I sadly didn’t connect with Hannah as I found her feelings were not displayed so I didn’t really feel her connection with Emil...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 17, 2012 Di rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical

A novel based on the experiences of the author's grandparents. It traces their lives from Germany in 1902 through dislocations and travels to Europe and England to escape persecution from anti-semitism and anti-communism. They eventually meet in England but are separated as Emil is transported on the Dunera to Australia, where they eventually reunite. At the end of WW11, returning soldiers claim their jobs and they are forced to return to England. The novel is told in alternating chapters, first...more

like · see review

Nov 18, 2012 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-are, provided-by-publisher

Hannah and Emil is a novel pieced together from real letters, diaries and family lore, interspersed with the vivid imagination of the author. Based on the lives of Belinda Castles' grandparents, it relates a remarkable story of courage, love, loss and longing.

Told in alternating first person and third person chapters, advancing the years from 1902 to 1972, the novel traces the remarkable story of Emil, a working class German forced to flee his homeland, leaving his family behind, as the Nazi pa...more
Hannah and Emil is a novel pieced together from real letters, diaries and family lore, interspersed with the vivid imagination of the author. Based on the lives of Belinda Castles' grandparents, it relates a remarkable story of courage, love, loss and longing.

Told in alternating first person and third person chapters, advancing the years from 1902 to 1972, the novel traces the remarkable story of Emil, a working class German forced to flee his homeland, leaving his family behind, as the Nazi party gained power, and Hannah, a middle class, Russian Jew in England whose social conscience and independent spirit led her through Europe as a journalist and interpreter. Their meeting in a Brussels cafe, sparked a love affair that transcended the political, religious and social strictures of the time.

Emil's story, as a German refuge from the Nazi party in Britain, is not one often explored in wartime fiction and I thought his forbearance of his fate was admirable. While I was vaguely aware that foreigners were interred for a period, I hadn't given it much thought and I wasn't aware that many were sent to camps in Australia. At least it seems they were treated reasonably well here, though conditions were still difficult and the enforced separations from loved ones tragic.

I admired Hannah's ambitious idealism and her strength of character. She was a woman ahead of her time, intelligent, brave and independent. My heart broke for her as her young German guests sung the anti-Jew tune, and Emil's son rejected her care as tainted. Left alone when Emil is taken, Hannah refuses to slide into despair and instead follows her lover to the other side of the world despite the risks.

The story is enhanced by so closely following the real path of Heinz and Fay. The smaller details of their lives may be creative fiction but their larger joys and agonies are truths that connect them as individuals with history.
Personally, I would have liked to have seen more of the early relationship between Hannah and Emil, essentially the pair meet and then the story jumps ahead three years where we find them living together in England. I imagine that those years would have been some of the most difficult and joyful for the couple and I think more detail about this period would have fully explained their bond, given the sacrifices they both must have had to make to be together.

I enjoyed Hannah and Emil, I found the historical details fascinating and the relationship to the authors family history gives it an additional layer of poignancy. This is a novel Castles can be proud of and a beautiful way to honour her remarkable grandparents.(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 12, 2013 Jasmine rated it 1 of 5 stars

The start was great, and I thought it was going to be a great read. But, I didn't like how it progressed. I thought that the author didn't put enough details into important parts, and too much detail into not important parts. Also I didn't like the pace

like · see review

Dec 19, 2012 Kate Irish rated it 4 of 5 stars

This started off a little slowly but I became quickly absorbed in it. Thoroughly enjoyed it

like · see review

May 10, 2013 Letitia rated it 5 of 5 stars

I adored this book. Well written and an interesting story. Thumbs up!

like · see review

Sep 04, 2012 Steven Austin rated it 5 of 5 stars

An epic story, so beautifully written...highly recommended

like · see review

Jan 05, 2013 Nat Emmington rated it 5 of 5 stars

Great read loved it.

like · see review

Aug 20, 2012 Georgia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Love love love this book!

like · see review

May 16, 2013 Amanda Malseed marked it as to-read

May 10, 2013 Rajaram marked it as to-read

May 05, 2013 Jenny rated it 4 of 5 stars

May 03, 2013 Colette Stewart marked it as to-read

May 02, 2013 Robyn added it

May 02, 2013 Jasmine rated it 1 of 5 stars

Apr 13, 2013 Melissa Mitchell marked it as to-read

Shelves: 2013-52-books-in-a-year

Apr 03, 2013 Stephanne Siberry-clancy marked it as to-read

Mar 31, 2013 Alana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Mar 28, 2013 Kim Kelly rated it 5 of 5 stars

Mar 19, 2013 Jane Kessler marked it as to-read

Mar 12, 2013 Tanvi marked it as to-read

Shelves: aussie

Mar 09, 2013 Siobhan added it

Feb 11, 2013 Mary Etheridge marked it as to-read

Feb 06, 2013 Diane marked it as to-read

Mar 30, 2013 Rachel added it

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

Genres

History > World War II

3 users

Historical Fiction

2 users

See top shelves...

About Belinda Castles

When not writing, Belinda Castles works as an editor, and lives with her husband and daughters in Sydney. She has a Masters in Novel Writing from the University of Manchester. Her first novel was Falling Woman, and her second novel, The River Baptists, was the winner of the 2006 The Australian/Vogel Literary Award.

More about Belinda Castles...

Books by Belinda Castles

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Hannah and Emil

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Hannah and Emil
avg rating	preview: Hannah and Emil Goodreads rating: 3.62 (40 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15736408-hannah-and-emil?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1341459893l/15736408.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15736408-hannah-and-emil?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Hannah and Emil by Belinda Castles[/url]

Hannah and Emil

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

Genres

About Belinda Castles

Books by Belinda Castles

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Hannah and Emil

new topic
Discuss This Book