Far to Go

Aug 05, 2011 Boof rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: war, arc-and-review-copies, read-in-2011, eastern-europe

Once in a while a book comes along that unexpectidly blows you away. This is that book.

Far to Go is set in Czechoslovaki in 1938, just before the outbreak of WW2. Pavel and Anneliese Bauer live with their 5 year old son, Pepik, in a suburban appartment in the northern region of Sudetenland. They own a factory, they have money, enjoy nights in at the theatre and employ a live-in nanny, Marta, to look after their son. They have a life – a good one – that is until the Nazi occupation and annexation...more Once in a while a book comes along that unexpectidly blows you away. This is that book.

Far to Go is set in Czechoslovaki in 1938, just before the outbreak of WW2. Pavel and Anneliese Bauer live with their 5 year old son, Pepik, in a suburban appartment in the northern region of Sudetenland. They own a factory, they have money, enjoy nights in at the theatre and employ a live-in nanny, Marta, to look after their son. They have a life – a good one – that is until the Nazi occupation and annexation of their homeland.

What I found really worked with this book is that we were shown an ordinary family - secular Jews in fact – which I believe added to the confusion of why they were being persecuted; they were just like their friends, their neighbours, their colleagues; they celebrated Christmas, they didn’t follow the customs of the Jewish faith. The fact that they were secular Jews also allowed the author (and reader) to try to understand and question how the war would impact their lives – while Anneliese was eager to shed thier history, Pavel found himself becoming increasingly fervent and proud of his heritige. Another person struggling with her own questions and feelings was Marta the nanny who, despite not being Jewish herself, had to listen to gossip and speculation about the family she lived with and loved and even horrified herself by randomly thinking comments like “dirty Jew” in her head. Marta is really the central character in Far To Go and her actions and decisions have repercussions on the Bauer family that she would have never seen coming; but again we are left to question – what would we have done?

Far To Go deals with a period of history that I was not so familiar with: Czechoslovakia before the war. The characters we are walking hand in hand with through the pages have no idea what is coming: they’ve never had cause to distrust or suspect their best friends before, they don’t understand why they have to give up their businesses and livelihoods, they don’t see why they should have to leave their homes and they certainly have never heard of death camps before. This is all to come; this is the future and they are living in ignorance of what awaits them.

Once Pavel and Anneliese have relented and moved to Prague (while they still can) they become increasingly aware that they have to send Pepik away on the Kindertransport to a family in the UK to look after him “just for a few weeks or months”. The scenes on the platform are heartbreaking. The gentleness of the narritive and the lack of melodrama in Far To Go doesn’t mean that these aren’t some of the most emotionally powerful pages I have ever read. I don’t have children and yet to put myself squarely in the book with those parents at that moment just about broke my heart; it’s almost beyond comprehension. I could see their little faces at the window, alone and not understanding why they were being sent away.

There is no room for flowery prose in this book; it’s sparse and no words are wasted. The empathy I felt for each person in this book, however, was so palpable I could almost taste it – it’s a gifted writer who can make a reader feel as they do here without relying on sensationalism and melodrama. You will question every one of the characters actions; you will ache for them, you will hope for them knowing that there is no hope, you will close the book and know that they were just a few people out of 6 million. Six million!

Verdict: Wow. Just wow. Highly, highly recommended.

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Aug 04, 2011 Teresa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One of the longlisted novels for the Booker Prize 2011, Far to Go is certainly attracting a lot of attention from readers and all with good reason - it's a refreshing look at a period of history which should never grow stale in our minds no matter how many years go by.

The main focus of the novel is on the Bauers, a young, secular Jewish family living in Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia which has been invaded by Germany. Pavel, a wealthy factory owner, Anneliese, his stunning, self obsessed wife and t...more One of the longlisted novels for the Booker Prize 2011, Far to Go is certainly attracting a lot of attention from readers and all with good reason - it's a refreshing look at a period of history which should never grow stale in our minds no matter how many years go by.

The main focus of the novel is on the Bauers, a young, secular Jewish family living in Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia which has been invaded by Germany. Pavel, a wealthy factory owner, Anneliese, his stunning, self obsessed wife and their six year old son, Pepik flee to Prague hoping to leave the ominous shadow of the *** behind them. Marta, their dutiful Gentile governess, accompanies them, not so much out of duty but because they're all she's got - she doesn't hold Jews in the highest regard but, like a lot of ordinary Europeans caught up in the war, she probably wouldn't be able to tell you why. Eventually, all hopes are lost apart from those pinned on little Pepik who is sent on the Kinderstransport to the UK, hoping to be reunited with his family and Marta after the war.

Despite having studied WWII as part of my History O Level course (many, many moons ago..) my knowledge has remained rather sketchy until recently when I have had the good fortune to read some excellent fiction set during this period. Reading about the Bauers and their efforts (including bribery) to get Pepik out of Czechoslovakia will enlighten readers about the Kinderstransport and the heartache of separation albeit for a greater good, or what they thought was a brighter future...

As well as educating the reader, this novel also achieves a more balanced view of events as the narrator who divulges the Bauers' fate and who also holds their fate in her hands, is a Gentile with no political aspirations. Marta, the governess, is more concerned with looking after Pepik and protecting him from the growing anti-semitic feeling which is gripping Sudetenland. She has little in common with her conniving adulterous lover, Ernst, who hopes to gain financially from Pavel's downfall. Still, she's no saint either and self-preservation is at the forefront of everyone's mind be they Jew or Gentile, Czech or German.

What I love about Far to Go is its simplicity and unpretentiousness - the characters are flawed, real flesh and blood creations who find themselves in the most surreal of situations and whilst they aren't always the most likeable they are all the more credible as a result. Yes, it's a story which will affect you emotionally but it doesn't dwell on sentimentality and presents the truth in simple prose, in black and white. The one minor difficulty I did have was getting into the rhythm of the story as several narrative strands are introduced very quickly, almost on top of each other - the story of the Bauers set in 1939, a contemporary storyline whose narrator remains a mystery until later and also letters written by Jewish parents to the children they sent to the UK. However, this is just a minor quibble for me and it quickly becomes a compelling, coherent read.

Alison Pick has carved a fresh, fictional work out of the past experiences of her Czech grandparents who fled to Canada following Hitler's invasion of their native country. It's a fitting tribute to all those who did not survive and those children who were never reunited with their parents.

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Jul 28, 2011 Jane rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Czechoslovakia. 1938. War is coming, and invasion by Germany seems inevitable.

Pavel and Anneliese Bauer think that they will be safe. That their young son, Pepik, will be safe. They are affluent, successful, good people.

Yes, they are Jews, but they are secular Jews, not practicing the faith.

But of course they won’t be safe. And they will have to make painful decisions about what to do, about how best to protect their son.

Alison Pick tells their story simply and clearly. She picks out details bea...more

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May 08, 2011 Athira (Reading on a Rainy Day) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, source-review, fiction, source-own, list-ww2, f-literary, favorites, personal-library

Imagine if a war is brewing around you, but you don't have the knowledge of WW2, its history, causes, and its ultimate two tragedies (the Holocaust and the atom bombings) and their repercussions. Imagine that you are not lucky enough to have read about what Hitler did, from your living room or classroom, and rail against his actions in indignation, disgust and disbelief. Imagine that WW2 never happened - instead it is only going to happen, soon, in exactly the same way and we are going to be pup...more Imagine if a war is brewing around you, but you don't have the knowledge of WW2, its history, causes, and its ultimate two tragedies (the Holocaust and the atom bombings) and their repercussions. Imagine that you are not lucky enough to have read about what Hitler did, from your living room or classroom, and rail against his actions in indignation, disgust and disbelief. Imagine that WW2 never happened - instead it is only going to happen, soon, in exactly the same way and we are going to be puppets in Hitler's hands, again. As a member of a designated "inferior" race, would you trust the people who stood by you all these years - friends, neighbors, colleagues? As a non-member of the said "inferior" race, would you betray your friends, neighbors, colleagues, and even little kids, all because a self-styled leader is brandishing a supremacy theory? This is what Alison Pick's Far to Go asks the reader. Not what choices you would make now, but what you would have done then. It puts you in the shoes of the people who had no idea about what is unfolding about them, what is going to happen.

Far to Go follows two story lines - one is set during the year leading to the start of WW2 and the other is set in the present. The events of the past are narrated mostly from the perspective of Marta, a non-Jewish nanny staying with a Jewish family - Pavel and Anneliese Bauer and their son Pipik. The present is written in second-person narrative with the identity of the characters not revealed until the last few chapters. The Bauers are an affluent and secular Czech family, who have not practiced their religion in years. At the time of the events in the book, however, in 1938-39, having a Jewish grandparent was enough to make a person Jewish in the eyes of the SS officers.

At the beginning of the book, Pavel is telling Marta about an anti-Semitic attack that his brother faced. Marta is very confused by all the anti-Jewish sentiments floating around her. She likes and respects the Bauers, and looks after Pepik as if he was her own son. But when Ernst, Pavel's colleague, whom Marta meets secretly at night, talks about the inferiority of the Jewish people, she is truly unsure of what to believe. On the one hand, she can't fathom how such a thing could be true. Aren't they just like her? On the other hand, she wants to believe Ernst, wants to impress him. And thinks there there possibly is some difference between the Jews and her.

I've wondered many times how people could just accept Hilter's dogma, when so many people were being killed, many disappearing into camps. I knew the facts - how easy it is to be swayed, how many young people wanted to "belong" and be seen doing something important, how they wanted to get over the WW1 failure. But it is one thing reading about it and a totally different thing actually feeling it or living it. I thought that Far to Go helped me answer those questions in the best way - by putting me in the shoes of Marta. She is no perfect person, just like many others during that period. She has considered Hilter's theories, committed a truly life-changing act towards the Bauers as an act of defiance, and not tried to rescue the Bauers' from a swindler. I so wanted her to stand up and tell the truth. In the end, I could understand why she did what she did. It was not right, but it was the only way she would have done it.

Far to Go also explores the Jewish identity, or rather the meaning of being one. Not in the religious or theoretical sense, but more in the sense of the believers' actions. The Bauers were assimilated Jews - they were as non-Jewish as could be. They didn't follow the Jewish customs, they celebrated Christmas. And yet, the arrival of Hitler triggers something in them. Pavel becomes increasingly proud of his Jewish heritage and opposes his wife's desire to baptize Pepik. Anneliese, on the other hand, distances herself further from the faith. It becomes evident soon that they had never had a conversation about their religion.

Rather than being just another WW2 fiction, Far to Go is actually about the Kindertransport, a program by which nearly 10,000 children were sent without their parents out of Nazi-occupied areas. Pepik too is put on the train, but the process by which the Bauers managed to get Pepik on was not straightforward. They suffered a lot, and struggled with the many choices they and Marta made. The events of this book have relation to the author's background - Alison Pick's own Jewish grandparents left Czechoslovakia to Canada without telling their children that they were Jewish. The dedication section of the book has a list of 12 people, 8 of whom died between 1942 and 1944. No guessing was needed to know how or why most, if not all, must have died. Even though it's no secret that millions lost their lives during WW2, seeing so many members of the same family on the same page is painful. Two of them were not even past 10 years of age.

When the book started off in the present in the second-person narrative, I was worried. I'm not a fan of that form of narration, but surprisingly, I thought it worked well here. I myself write in second-person sometimes when I write my reviews, if I want to project my experience on to the reader, so that you can be the one experiencing instead of me. In that same respect, I thought it worked really well here, because obviously I didn't put the book down. The narration is occasionally interrupted by a few letters - many of them truly heart-breaking.

Alison Pick's writing pulled me in the right from the start. There is a frank bluntness about her prose that makes you want to keep turning the page. She examines emotions in a very unflinching manner; there are no perfect characters here, everyone is flawed. Even though Pavel is mostly a good person, Pipik an innocent child, and Marta a poor girl who just knows what she hears, it is Anneliese who I most sympathized with. She could be selfish, appear uncaring, show disregard towards the help, but she was willing to do anything, even lose her honor, to save her family. It was sad. Overall, I strongly recommend this book. It is beautiful, poignant and very powerful!(less)

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Aug 07, 2011 Chrissie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: czech-republic, hf, religion, kindle, bio, sample-g, philo-psychol

DEFINITELY NO SPOILERS!!!
This has been difficult to achieve.

ETA: I admit defeat. I only want to give this book three stars, and I do not quite now why. The book was perfectly executed. It kept me reading. The characters were well rounded. The writing was fine. Some nice similes were included, but they were not excessive! But somerthing didn't work for me. It felt like fiction. The book was just plain kind of ordinary........ Sorry for being so unclear! I simply cannot give this and On Hitler's ...more

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Apr 03, 2011 NerdGirlBlogger rated it 4 of 5 stars

What happens in Prague is the heart of the story, which I won’t tell you about in fear of spoiling it for you, and this book suddenly turns into a constant thriller. To say that this book is a page-turner is the understatement of the year. I was up all night reading this book in one night, sick with worry, grieving for characters and the fate I was expecting them to have. Not even I could imagine what was going to happen to them next, and I fancy myself a great predictor of books and movies. Pre...more

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Oct 12, 2011 Friederike Knabe rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: canadian-lit, ce-europe

Alison Pick's recent novel, Far to go, tells the story of one family's efforts to survive the persecution of Jews in Czechoslovakia during 1938/39. Among the books written on this theme, Pick stands out in that she integrates the personal with the historical. Inspired by her own family history, she interweaves the past events with a present-day narrative thread. One adds to the other's understanding in the reader.

The primary narrator is Marta, an orphaned country girl, dependent on the family o...more Alison Pick's recent novel, Far to go, tells the story of one family's efforts to survive the persecution of Jews in Czechoslovakia during 1938/39. Among the books written on this theme, Pick stands out in that she integrates the personal with the historical. Inspired by her own family history, she interweaves the past events with a present-day narrative thread. One adds to the other's understanding in the reader.

The primary narrator is Marta, an orphaned country girl, dependent on the family of well-to-do Jewish factory owner Pavel Bauer. Working as their young son Pepik's governess, Marta feels very much part of the family. When Germany occupies the western region of Czechoslovakia in 1938, life for the Jewish population there turns increasingly precarious. Pavel moves his family to Prague, convinced that they will be safe there ... However, it is only a question of time, before the German Army occupies Prague. Torn between her deep feelings for the Bauers and for her pro-Nazi German lover, Marta's perspective on the unfolding events is hovering between trust in the Bauer's continuing ability to care for her and her fear that remaining with the family might jeopardize her own safety. Her loyalty to her employer is soon tested.

The novel opens with the second, present-day story, written in the second person. Its narrator is early on introduced as a researcher, inquiring into the life of those who escaped as children from Czechoslovakia thanks to the Kindertransporte. The narrator's "project" also explains to the reader the "reprinting" of various letters throughout the story. They inform us, primarily through their "file notes", of the fate of several of the novel's characters, post 1939.

Overall, Far to go is a very moving story, simply told, that concentrates on the daily life that Marta and "her" family are confronting. The dangers hovering over the family are palpable. The tense atmosphere in Prague of the day is convincingly depicted. At times, though, I found the choice of narrative voice too limiting, Marta demonstrates a tendency for reducing complexity to oversimplification. The characterization of Pepik's parents and their interactions, also with Marta, seem simplistic and soon predictable. The narrative thread centred on the Kindertransport and one child's fate later on is much too brief and, to me, does not convincingly convey the depth of trauma experienced in cases like this. We have, of course, powerful and deeply moving accounts on this topic, whether in fiction or not. W.G. Sebald's Austerlitz stands out for me as the most memorable among them. Pick's novel is ambitious in attempting to deal with several daunting topics, some very personal to her. For me the balance and weight of the different threads are not totally successful. (less)

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Sep 27, 2011 Lindsay (Little Reader Library) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Pavel and Annaliese Bauer and their young son Pepik live in Czechoslovakia, along with Pepik’s nanny Marta, who has no family of her own, but carries on an affair with married man Ernst. The family has Jewish roots, though they themselves have barely embraced this side of their lives thus far. It is 1938, and with Hitler in power, Chamberlain operating a policy of appeasement and handing over the Sudetenland to Germany, everything is about to change for the Bauer’s. Though stubborn at first, and...more Pavel and Annaliese Bauer and their young son Pepik live in Czechoslovakia, along with Pepik’s nanny Marta, who has no family of her own, but carries on an affair with married man Ernst. The family has Jewish roots, though they themselves have barely embraced this side of their lives thus far. It is 1938, and with Hitler in power, Chamberlain operating a policy of appeasement and handing over the Sudetenland to Germany, everything is about to change for the Bauer’s. Though stubborn at first, and determined to believe that his beloved country will stand firm, Pavel slowly realizes that it is changing beyond all recognition, that his family is in grave danger, and he must take desperate steps to try and safeguard them all, which ultimately leads to the consideration of the option of the Kindertransport for Pepik.

Such a moving and very sad novel of a human story, beautifully written in spare prose, I began to care for the fate of this family who just wanted to carry on with their life as it had been, with Pavel running his factory, Pepik playing with his toy train and soldiers, Marta loving being nanny to this young boy, and so on. Instead Pavel is actually drawn into a new belief in his Jewish religion, whilst Annaliese is trying to separate them from those roots. Although I could imagine all too well what fate might befall them, I felt so drawn in that I was rooting for them, and wanting to believe that nothing terrible would happen to this family. It is Marta’s perspective that we are often given on the family and on events around them; she is a key character, on whose actions and decisions the events turn, and who seriously influences the lives of the Bauer family in so many ways as the story unfolds.

The novel has an interesting structure. Interspersed within the main story are small sections of narrative told by a modern day voice looking into the history of those who fled via Kindertransport; this narrator’s identity and their significance are only revealed towards the end of the novel. This voice causes us as readers to rethink the story we have just read. As well as this, there are several letters, which also appear at intervals throughout the book. This correspondence slowly builds to add to the picture of what has happened to the main characters, and it adds to the sadness and tragedy of senseless separation and unnecessary loss; it is truly heartbreaking to read, and for me these made the sadness hit home most of all. This book explores individual loneliness and family bonds, the ache to protect your loved ones in the face of danger, the danger of trust and risk of betrayal, and the desperate measures that were taken to survive in the face of evil.
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Aug 09, 2011 Kirsty Darbyshire rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle

This is the first book I've picked up from the 2011 Booker Prize longlist. By the end of the Kindle sample - where I usually decide whether I want to keep reading or not - I really wasn't into the story, hadn't figured the characters out and wasn't especially bothered about keeping reading. I went against my own judgement however and carried on. And got captivated by the family story.

In retrospect it is hard to understand why all Jewish families weren't taking every opportunity to flee from Nazi...more

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May 01, 2011 Paula rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

'Far to Go' is the story of the Bauer family, Pavel, Anneliese and their six year old son Pepik, along with Pepik's governess, Marta, they live a quiet life in Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia. Their lives are changed forever with the arrival of Adolf Hitler and his government in 1939, the Bauer family, who are Jewish but chose not to practice their religion believe they will be safe because of this. Pavel is outraged by the fall of the Sudetenland and the fall of the government but he still believes...more 'Far to Go' is the story of the Bauer family, Pavel, Anneliese and their six year old son Pepik, along with Pepik's governess, Marta, they live a quiet life in Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia. Their lives are changed forever with the arrival of Adolf Hitler and his government in 1939, the Bauer family, who are Jewish but chose not to practice their religion believe they will be safe because of this. Pavel is outraged by the fall of the Sudetenland and the fall of the government but he still believes his family will be safe but as the situation becomes more frightening and Pavel's own views changing, he realises he must flee with this family while he still can but its too late for Pavel and Anneliese but not too late for their beloved Pepik, his parents and governess must be prepared to let him go on the Kindertransport, to go to Great Britain where he will be safe until he can return home.

What I thought of 'Far to go' ~

I was very lucky to be able to read 'Far to Go' before its release on the 12th May 2011 and I recommend it highly.

The story is told from the point of view of Marta, Pepik's beloved governess, who stands by the Bauer family for different reasons but ultimately she stays because she loves the family. Marta's point of view is full of emotion, there is sadness, happiness, strength and love, emotions that are shown so well that you are immersed in the story from the first page. Marta is a well written and realistic character, she is a young girl, who at times is confused and makes wrong decisions.

Pavel and Anneliese are also well written characters, their fear as people and parents are heartbreaking to read, their frustrations and sadness, what they are facing, what they sacrifice to ensure their son's safety. Pepik is a lovely character, you can visualise a sweet, gentle little boy who does not understand the harshness of the world but quickly learns, which was sad to read because you want him to be happy.

The story interweaves between the past and the future, the aftermath of the Kindertransport and what it meant for so many children, some who were lucky enough to see their parents again and the children who did not see them again.

I enjoyed 'Far to Go', it was a powerful story and you can see the love and commitment that went into telling the story by Alison Pick, a story which is part of her own family history. (less)

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Apr 21, 2011 Amy Meyer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: to everyone

Recommended to Amy by: reviewed for TLC Books

Title: Far To Go
Author: Alison Pick
Date Published: May 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-203462-5
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Pages: 368
Genre: Historical Fiction; Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Publisher’s Book Summary: When Czechoslovakia relinquishes the Sudetenland to Hitler, the powerful influence of Nazi propaganda sweeps through towns and villages like a sinister vanguard of the Reich's advancing army. A fiercely patriotic secular Jew, Pavel Bauer is helpless to prevent his world from unraveling a...more Title: Far To Go
Author: Alison Pick
Date Published: May 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-203462-5
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Pages: 368
Genre: Historical Fiction; Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Publisher’s Book Summary: When Czechoslovakia relinquishes the Sudetenland to Hitler, the powerful influence of Nazi propaganda sweeps through towns and villages like a sinister vanguard of the Reich's advancing army. A fiercely patriotic secular Jew, Pavel Bauer is helpless to prevent his world from unraveling as first his government, then his business partners, then his neighbors turn their back on his affluent, once-beloved family. Only the Bauers' adoring governess, Marta, sticks by Pavel, his wife, Anneliese, and their little son, Pepik, bound by her deep affection for her employers and friends. But when Marta learns of their impending betrayal at the hands of her lover, Ernst, Pavel's best friend, she is paralyzed by her own fear of discovery—even as the endangered family for whom she cares so deeply struggles with the most difficult decision of their lives.

Interwoven with a present-day narrative that gradually reveals the fate of the Bauer family during and after the war, Far to Go is a riveting family epic, love story, and psychological drama.

My Thoughts: World War II, Hitler's Reign of Terror and the Nazi's attack on Jewish people has become a very popular topic with authors. Often the stories are sagas, spanning numerous years, a multitude of characters, issues and topics, their impact felt far and wide. Alison Pick, however, chose to write a small, intimate and personal story about one family living in Czechoslovakia, relating their experience amid Hitler's violent campaign in the late 1930s into the early ‘40s. The story is fiction but I wondered, while reading it, if there were any threads of truth. This possibility occurred to me when I opened the book one day and my eyes fell on a page before the story begins. The author has listed the names of people I believe to be her family members along with the years of their births and deaths. Some have the last name "Pick", some "Bauer", the name of the family in the story. All of the older people listed died in 1942 or 1943 which sent a shiver down my spine. I was very touched by this list as it made the story seem so much more real.

Far To Go is an engagingly written, captivating and poignant story. Incidentally, Ms. Pick is also a poet. As such, her writing is simple, elegant and magnetic. She draws you in with beautiful phrasing and her writing is rhythmic. I found it difficult to put the book down but at times, had trouble continuing because of the distressful, foreboding nature of the story.

The Bauer family, Pavel, Anneliese and their 5-year old son, Pepik as well as his nanny, Marta, are close, happy and loving when the book begins. But as the threat of Hitler and the Nazi's taking control of Czechoslovakia grows, fear and worry cause tension and bickering between Pavel and Anneliese. He’s adamant about remaining in Czechoslovakia, their home country, but she wants to flee. It's not long before Pepik no longer sings or laughs.

Dialogue is a substantial part of the story and the character’s conversations are realistic. Ms. Pick is adept at conveying each character's emotion through their words as they discuss the fate of Czechoslovakia and their own personal future. She also manages to communicate a lot of important information in the dialogue, but it never feels forced or artificial. This is just one aspect of Ms. Pick's gift for writing.

The majority of Far To Go is told from a third person (omniscient) point of view. If any character can be said to dominate the narrative, however, it's Marta, Pepik's nanny and the Bauer's maid. Only 22, she often seems much older, although she is naive and lives in denial of the Nazi‘s taking control. She's been with the Bauers for many years and loves them, though her actions, occasionally, belie this truth. Marta didn't have an easy childhood and it becomes apparent, early in the story, that she’s often insecure and unsure of herself. She's desperate to know that she’s loved by someone, anyone, but especially a man. Marta will do almost anything to make this a reality. She's immature and ignores things that upset her, pretending they never happened. We are privy to the many conversations and arguments Marta has with herself, enlightening us about her thoughts and motivations. Ms. Pick has created an amazingly complex and relatable character here, and I found myself sympathizing with her one second while wanting to shake her the next!

There is a lot of sadness in this novel but I don’t think anything is more heart-breaking than Pepik’s story. Though a secondary character, he is of great importance. Only five and six years old for much of the story, he is a happy, spoiled little boy doted on by three very loving adults. Pavel and Anneliese make the ultimate sacrifice for Pepik Ms. Pick successfully portrays the extreme difficulty of the decision his parents have in saving Pepik because it involves sending him away on his own. It’s a rare person who won’t shed tears at the vivid and memorable scene in the train station when Pavel questions his decision. Pepik is a realistic, three-dimensional child and his behavior seems like that of many children his age. He doesn’t understand what’s happening and displays the resiliency children are known for, making the best of his situation, hoping and expecting that soon things will change.

The book is divided into five sections, marking the significant aspects of the story as it progresses. Each section begins with a brief chapter from an unknown, at the time, first person narrator who, unlike the rest of the characters, lives in the present. This narrator is also related, in some way, to the Bauer family. This unknown person has done a lot of research on Czechoslavakia, Prague and Hitler. He/she is also sad, lonely and seems to be searching for someone or something. I found this part of the book awkward and a little bit confusing because it clashes with the narrative style and viewpoint of the majority of the chapters. Although I understood who the narrator was by the end, I would have liked this part of the story to be told in a last separate section, since a series of questions are raised by the small chapters, just as others are answered.

Apart from this inconsistency, the author manages to take a subject that lends itself to being told in bold strokes and over large swaths of time, the equivalent of a Hollywood blockbuster, and writes a poignant, intimate family story. Ms. Pick doesn’t ignore the horrors of the Nazis as it’s always there in the background. But the focus is on the Bauer family and the people close to them whom, though not related, are still part of the dynamic and whose actions have far reaching impact for the family. Character development and plot are what drives this very well written, tightly packaged story that, if you can get past the occasionally jarring change of pace as discussed above, then you will be doing yourself a favor. It’s very much worth letting yourself get lost in this riveting drama about people of a universal nature in a time and place that is nearly impossible to imagine living through.

I received a copy of Far To Go from the publisher through TLC Book Tours

For more about Far To Go and Alison Pick see her website.(less)

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Dec 15, 2012 Geetha rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

While all the cruelty and atrocities were being perpetrated by the Nazis in the late 1930s, there were a few brave individuals who took it upon themselves to help the victims of Hitler’s genocide. One such unsung hero was Nicholas Winton, a 29 year old British stockbroker, who having visited Prague, decided to do something to save the Jewish children prior to Hitler’s invasion of Czechoslovakia. He organized trains that would carry Czech children from Prague to London where they would be looked...more While all the cruelty and atrocities were being perpetrated by the Nazis in the late 1930s, there were a few brave individuals who took it upon themselves to help the victims of Hitler’s genocide. One such unsung hero was Nicholas Winton, a 29 year old British stockbroker, who having visited Prague, decided to do something to save the Jewish children prior to Hitler’s invasion of Czechoslovakia. He organized trains that would carry Czech children from Prague to London where they would be looked after by British families. Thousands of Czech parents contacted Nicholas Winton to hand over their children to his care and so almost 700 Jewish children from Czechoslovakia were saved by him as most of their parents lost their lives in the death camps of Dachau and Auschwitz. The author’s own grandparents fled Czechoslovakia for Canada during the World War so this is a deeply personal book.

Hitler’s annexation of Sudetenland, the subsequent conquest of Czechoslovakia, and the rescue of children from Czechoslovakia is the background of Alison Pick’s “Far to Go”. It is a riveting story of the Bauer family and in their predicament and suffering we learn of similar suffering of thousands of Czech citizens at the hands of the Nazis. The plot is fast paced and though we have read other stories set during the holocaust, Alison Pick’s story of the proud but defeated Pavel Bauer, his wife Anneleise, their son Pepik and nanny Marta is emotionally powerful.

Each character reacts to the political happenings of the time in his/her own way. Pavel tries to hang on to a semblance of order for a long time sometimes refusing to read the writing on the wall. He has been a secular Jew all these years, hardly practicing the rituals of Judaism but as the Nazis work to exterminate the Jews, he finds himself more drawn to the heritage of his ancestors. Anneleise on the otherhand distances herself from her faith and drowns her fears for the future in clothes and shoes, Marta the nanny, not Jewish herself, struggles to reconcile the growing anti Semitism around her and her own love for the Bauers, particularly the little boy Pepik.

The plot is very realistic – not all marriages survive chaos and suffering, not all friends help in a crisis, not all British families welcome their charges under the kindertransport program.

Of particular interest is the mystery narrator of the story. The reader is left wondering whose voice is telling the story as slowly, bit by bit the narrator’s identity is revealed. The latter part of the book is excellent in which pages the author gives a heart breaking description of the fear and anxiety experienced by little Pepik as he is separated from his family as part of the kindertransport program. One can easily imagine what this must have been like for child and parents.

Alison Pick’s book was long listed for the prestigious Booker Prize in 2011. It is a simple story but powerful. It leaves you thinking about those who suffered, it leaves the reader wondering why we bring so much suffering to each other, what it is that prevents us from living in peace and allowing others to have the same life we wish for ourselves. And yet it is encouraging that while some like Ernst will use the climate of discrimination to further their own interests, there are others who will risk their lives to help. Tough times separate the men from the boys. I encourage you to read “Far to Go”. I hesitate to say you will “enjoy” the book because of the subject of the plot but the book is well written, the characters are real, flawed humans and the book exposes you to the history of Nazi occupation and conquest of Czechoslovakia and the kindertransport program that saved the lives of several Jewish children.

This review was originally published at Book Weyr
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Jun 30, 2012 Meagan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My first Alison Pick book, and I was absolutely blown out of the water. Absolutely incredible. Her writing style is typical Canadian - well written, very descriptive and obviously took substantial time to develop. I learned so much in reading this book, and I had thought I knew quite a bit about the Second World War in regards to the Jewish community - I didn't. Even if you aren't interested in reading a book about war (because I am not), it's the characters that make this book. Characters that...more

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Apr 17, 2012 Abeille rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-books-wtm-challenge

I find it difficult to share my thoughts about books on horrible subjects like the Holocaust. It feels awkward to say I enjoyed a book where most of the characters are victims of the Nazis. Having said that, Far to Go is a wonderful book. The author does a commendable job of capturing the experience of Jewish families during the beginnings of World War II, as Hitler began his relentless conquest of Europe. I'll confess that I'd thought to myself "Why didn't they just leave? Couldn't they see wha...more

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Mar 13, 2012 Banafsheh Serov rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Czechoslavakia, 1939 and Hitler has been handed the Sudetenland. The Bauers, a wealthy Czech Jewish family till now have lived a secular life, identifying themselves more with their country than their religion.

Pavel and Anneliese enjoy the status and benefits provided by their affluent lifestyle. But with the emminent arrival of the German Army, and rumours of Nazi attrocities, they suddenly find their lives in danger. Their son Pepik,is not old enough to comprehend what is happening. As his pa...more

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Sep 23, 2011 Felicity rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Yet another book on the Booker longlist that didn't make it to the shortlist. Once again, I trust the quality of this book speaks volumes about the quality of the books that did make it to the shortlist. First, a confession. I generally avoid holocaust novels. Perhaps that's not true, but I don't find myself racing out to read them. I never read nor saw "Schindler's List." I did see "The Reader" but never read it. I do read Lily Brett's holocaust novels, but I never go back and reread them--that...more Yet another book on the Booker longlist that didn't make it to the shortlist. Once again, I trust the quality of this book speaks volumes about the quality of the books that did make it to the shortlist. First, a confession. I generally avoid holocaust novels. Perhaps that's not true, but I don't find myself racing out to read them. I never read nor saw "Schindler's List." I did see "The Reader" but never read it. I do read Lily Brett's holocaust novels, but I never go back and reread them--that's a privilege I reserve for her non-fiction only. Once of the nest movies I have seen so far this year was "Sarah's Key" about the role of the French people in the mass incarceration and deportation of Jews to concentration camps during WWII. But I couldn't bring myself to see a similar movie about the same topic starring Jean Reno, released just a few months later. And I went to Amsterdam and didn't visit Anne Frank's house. But I did see "The Pianist." So, in short, I approached Alison Pick's novel--which is, essentially, the story of a Jewish family from Czechoslovakia during WWII--with some trepidation. I need not have worried.

There are no camps other than what we know is hovering in the background. This is a novel about how people lived as they slowly watched their lives collapsing and shrinking around them. It does not shy away from the difficult issues...about how war--a world thrown into chaos--brought out the worst in people; about how a marriage slowly disintegrates as the Bauers struggle to survive in the face of the inevitable. Where one might expect that the couple found solace in each other's arms, their marriage actually falls apart as they bicker and differ over everything, except, ultimately, the goal of saving their son. The novel is ostensibly framed around the kindertransport--the trains of Jewish children that were saved from certain death by the "kindness" of British families and businessman who organized for them to leave German-occupied territory during the war. Part of what Pick is interested in exploring is the nature of survival for these children--the allegedly "lucky" ones, who emerged from the war alive but without any surviving family; often few memories of their origins; and no sense of their heritage.

I perhaps would have liked Pick to push this further--to explore this complicated legacy a little more as the little bit she does is so tantalizingly compelling. She demonstrates so clearly how a few breakdowns in translation can frame people's memories for life.

The problem with holocaust novels is that we know how they end--there are no surprises. I can't promise this is a novel that ends with hope or redemption or anything but sadness, but it is well worth reading, nonetheless. (less)

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Sep 14, 2011 Cj W rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, want-to-re-read-at-some-point, war-related, romance

"You wanted to protect him? Look what your protection has done. Now he can't get out of the country at all."

"Who was it? The secretary?"

"Yes, the Secretary. And you can guess what he said"

"There must be something we can do"

"No," Pavel Said. "He made it very clear. The decision was Winston's, in fact. Because, you see, there are so many Jewish children desperate to get out that is simply doesn't make sense to send those with a Christian baptismal certificate."

Far To Go: Alison Pick.

A family li...more

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Aug 18, 2011 Nancy Oakes rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: booker-prize-longlist, canadian-fiction

Far to Go is simply stunning, and I recommend it highly.

Novels about the Holocaust are nothing new, and I got to a point some time ago where I just quit reading them. Although it is an essential time that should remain as a period to never forget, at some point I got to where a) I felt saturated, having seen many of the same content and literary conventions reappearing again and again and b) I just had to turn away from the emotional toll some of these books brought on. I do have a few on my tb...more Far to Go is simply stunning, and I recommend it highly.

Novels about the Holocaust are nothing new, and I got to a point some time ago where I just quit reading them. Although it is an essential time that should remain as a period to never forget, at some point I got to where a) I felt saturated, having seen many of the same content and literary conventions reappearing again and again and b) I just had to turn away from the emotional toll some of these books brought on. I do have a few on my tbr shelf yet to read (Austerlitz and Panorama to name a couple), but in general I don't make this type of literature my first choice of reading material. Truthfully, had this book not been on the Booker Prize longlist this year I probably would never have picked it up, and as it turns out, that would have been a crying shame. Although it has many of the same elements from other Holocaust literature, there are some fundamental differences I didn't expect in Far to Go that set it apart.

Far to Go alternates between two times and two places: Czechoslovakia on the eve of and during the Nazi invasion and occupation, and modern Montreal. In Czechoslovakia, we meet the Bauer family, an ordinary upper middle-class family, living a normal life: Pavel, Annaliese and their young son Pepik, who is watched over by his nanny Marta. Pavel owns a textiles factory that allows his family to live well. Annaliese, who grew up in Prague, wears the most current fashions, sports "large Greta Garbo sunglasses and fresh red lipstick," and falls well into her social role as wife of a wealthy industrialist. Annaliese has had some tragedy in her life: she lost her baby daughter when she was only three weeks old. It was Marta who took care of her afterwards, and who takes on most of Pepik's upbringing as well. The fact that the family is Jewish isn't a major factor in their lives -- Pavel's self identity is more tied up in his love for his country and pride in his forbears.

But the Nazis begin to roll into Czechoslovakia. As they hear about and witness events by Nazi soldiers and ordinary people being caught up in the anti-Jewish rhetoric, and as the factory is taken over, Annaliese realizes that her family may not be so safe, and begins to try to convince Pavel that it's time to leave. Marta, who is not Jewish, is involved in a secret affair with Ernst, a married man, Pavel's foreman, and good friend to the Bauers. As the Nazis begin to get closer to home, she begins to sense a strange shift in him, one that runs contrary to the Ernst she thinks she knows.

While up to this point the novel employs several familiar components of other Holocaust literature, Pick intersperses a modern-day character in between the ongoing story of the Bauers that keeps this book from becoming like so many others. In Montreal, a woman named Lisa is busy pursuing her life's work, the collection and documentation of stories told by those who escaped the Holocaust as young children thanks to the Kindertransport program. As the Kindertransport Association website notes, this effort began after

"... the atrocities in Germany and Austria, the untiring persistence of the refuge advocates, and philosemitic sympathy in some high places – in the words of British Foreign Minister Samuel Hoare “Here is a chance of taking the young generation of a great people, here is a chance of mitigating to some extend the terrible suffering of their parents and their friends” – swayed the government to permit an unspecified number of children under the age of 17 to enter the United Kingdom. It was agreed to admit the children on temporary travel documents, with the idea that they would rejoin their parents when the crisis was over. A fifty Pound Sterling bond had to be posted for each child “to assure their ultimate resettlement.” The children were to travel in sealed trains. The first transport left on December 1, 1938, less than one month after Kristallnacht; the last left on September 1, 1939—just two days before Great Britain's entry into the war, which marked the end of the program. By that time, approximately 10,000 children had made the trip."

Part of Lisa's work involves letters sent to these children and to those who took them in by the parents left behind; the book actually opens with one of these that will immediately draw in the reader to find out more, and more letters and stories are scattered throughout the novel that could tell the story in their own right.

Lisa explains that the Kindertransport story is filled with ambiguities: while she's found many examples of things having worked out for these relocated children, the bulk of the stories are "cases of trauma and upset." Many of the children arrived speaking no English, to poor families, and have had "everything solid ... pulled out from under them." The addition of this researcher, who admittedly can't always "frame the world in objective terms," as academics are supposed to, and the Kindertransport at the heart of this novel, provides the novel with an added dimension. These elements set it apart from the more conventional aspects of the Bauer family story, as does the novel's end.

Far to Go is a wonderful book. What I appreciated most about this novel was not so much the story itself, but something else that may not seem so obvious as you're reading through it. I came away with this feeling that the book works so well because Alison Pick chose a subject that is important to her, and that although she's going to make some money on this book, in many ways it rises above the simply commercial. While she wants her readers to connect with the period of the Holocaust, there's so much more here than just riding the wave of emotions you feel about that time period to get you through the novel. I may get torched for saying this (and flame away), but sometimes I've spotted this approach in a few books set during the Holocaust. There is a real story at work here -- how the Kindertransport affected those who made it out, those who were left behind, and those who made room for these children in their homes. There are, of course, also the events leading up to the need for its creation. I don't mean to imply that Far to Go is at all clinical in the telling, because the opposite is true -- unless you're cold and unfeeling, the novel will unavoidably tug at your emotional heartstrings. I've often noticed that sometimes the best writing happens when an author is passionate about what he/she writes, and that is definitely the case here.

So go get a box of tissues and have nothing else planned while you're reading this book. You will not want to put it down.(less)

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Aug 04, 2011 Felice rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Far to Go by Alison Pick is the affecting story of one family’s struggle to escape the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia. The Bauers, Pavel and Anneliese, are a young, educated, affluent couple. They live a happy life with their six year old son, Pepik and his nanny, Marta. The Bauers have a successful business, a lovely home, a thriving social life. They take trips to London and the Adriatic coast every year. The quiet village where they live is centuries old. It is a picture postcard place of...more Far to Go by Alison Pick is the affecting story of one family’s struggle to escape the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia. The Bauers, Pavel and Anneliese, are a young, educated, affluent couple. They live a happy life with their six year old son, Pepik and his nanny, Marta. The Bauers have a successful business, a lovely home, a thriving social life. They take trips to London and the Adriatic coast every year. The quiet village where they live is centuries old. It is a picture postcard place of peace and tolerance.

All this is lovely until 1938 when the Nazis arrive. The Bauers are Jewish. For them the loss of freedoms and the increase of indignities and atrocities begin immediately. Pavel cannot believe what is happening. Worse, he cannot believe that the bigotry and terrorism will get worse. He loves his country and is optimistic about peoples’ willingness to do the right thing. Annaliese is more of a pragmatist. She sees the writing on the wall but she can’t see how to escape it. Soon it becomes vital that the family must flee Czechoslovakia to avoid deportation to the camps.

A series of bad choices by the Bauers and Marta puts them all in even more terrifying danger. These events are unprecedented, overwhelming. None of them are sure what to do, what will be safe, what will work. Through Marta’s efforts they are able to secure a place on Kindertransport for Pepik. This might mean safety for Pepik but the choices for the Bauers and Marta continue to narrow.

Paralleling this story, Pick brings in the tale the narration of a contemporary Holocaust historian whose special area is the Kindertransport. This academic whose identity the reader doesn’t know for most of the novel, takes a special interest in the Bauer’s story. It’s a tough trick for a writer to be able to divide a book between an emotional hurricane like Jews verses Nazis and a modern day study of those same events and have both parts be of equal interest for the reader. In this effort Pick is not successful. You are invested in the Bauers and Marta in ways that Pick isn’t able to make happen in the academic’s pursuit of what happened.

Far to Go is on the Man Booker Prize longlist this year and despite some unevenness it’s easy to see why. Pick does a magnificent job in telling what could be an overwrought story simply. In giving the narration to the gentile, Marta, Pick shows us multiple and diverse reactions to the invasion. The documents and letters included in the text add authority. Best of all Pick allows the small details of the happy life before and the perilous life after build the drama in her storytelling and the book is all the more moving because of that. (less)

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Aug 02, 2011 Steven Buechler rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A great piece of literature. It goes beyond the politics and the labels of the people of 1938-1943 Czechoslovakia and deals with the human conditions of that era and beyond to our time.

Page 6-7
"I wish this were a happy story. A story to mae you doubt, and despair, and then have your hopes redeemed so you could believe again, at the last minute, in the essential goodness of the world around us and the people in it. There are few things in life, though, that turn out for the best, with real happy...more A great piece of literature. It goes beyond the politics and the labels of the people of 1938-1943 Czechoslovakia and deals with the human conditions of that era and beyond to our time.

Page 6-7
"I wish this were a happy story. A story to mae you doubt, and despair, and then have your hopes redeemed so you could believe again, at the last minute, in the essential goodness of the world around us and the people in it. There are few things in life, though, that turn out for the best, with real happy endings.
And what am I doing, talking about endings so soon? The truth is, I don't even know where to begin. As a young academic I was taught to frame my research in clinical terms, to take the stance of a disinterested observer. That was how to court fellowships, publication, and promotion. I was told that the relationship between professor and subject was like that between courteous strangers, when in fact the thing that draws us to unwrap a story, a particular story, is personal.
If I've learned one thing over my very long career, it is this: we research what we recognize. We are looking into our own darkness.
I've lived a quiet existence, working lat in my office, closed in by towers of books and periodicals. Avoiding faculty parties, the clusters of draduate students drinking pints in the lounge. I take my noon and evening meals along at my desk. I've been lonely, yes. In that way I might have been better to leave all of this alone, to let - what is the expression? - to let sleeping dogs lie. After everything that's happened, what has this story given me? It has only aggravated my restlessness, that need to search for what isn't there. In what I've found there's been relief, true, but also disappointment. When there's nothing left to be uncovered.
What I'm saying to you now is, don't get your hopes up. Don't expect some thunderclap, some burst of enlightenment. Life isn't like that - not yours, and not mine. Low expectations create the most favourable outcomes.
You'll see what I mean."(less)

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Jun 01, 2011 Susan Poling rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-on-facts, wwii-hitler-judism

Not the best Halocaust book I've read. The jumping around was very confusing in the beginning. The kindertrain was introduced about 2/3rds of the way through. Hmmmm...

When Czechoslovakia relinquishes the Sudetenland to Hitler, the powerful influence of Nazi propaganda sweeps through towns and villages like a sinister vanguard of the Reich's advancing army. A fiercely patriotic secular Jew, Pavel Bauer is helpless to prevent his world from unraveling as first his government, then his business par...more

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Apr 30, 2011 Carrie Crockett rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: any adult

Recommended to Carrie by: Amazon

Reading this book was a fascinating experience in reading. Two chapters in I had the book in hand, ready to chuck it across the room into the waste bin (something I am fond of doing--too many books out there to waste precious time on the less-than-great) for references to sex, a seemingly stagnant plot, not great writing, a general boring alert. At the last minute, however, I decided to keep reading since I have read little historical fiction about Czechloslovakia (now the Czech Republic of cour...more

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Apr 28, 2011 Pam rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

http://iwriteinbooks.wordpress.com/20...

Marta’s life is as normal as any life might be, living and working as a governess for a wealthy family in war-time Czechoslovakia. Though, at the rise of the curtain, Hitler has only just gotten a grip in the Sudetenland, the anti-Semitic sound machine is in full swing. The propaganda throws Marta into an emotional tailspin as she struggles to separate fact from fiction, pitting her own happiness and safety against her loyalty to the family that works and...more http://iwriteinbooks.wordpress.com/20...

Marta’s life is as normal as any life might be, living and working as a governess for a wealthy family in war-time Czechoslovakia. Though, at the rise of the curtain, Hitler has only just gotten a grip in the Sudetenland, the anti-Semitic sound machine is in full swing. The propaganda throws Marta into an emotional tailspin as she struggles to separate fact from fiction, pitting her own happiness and safety against her loyalty to the family that works and lives for.

Her employer, Pavel Bauer, is passionately headstrong and a countryman at all cost. He is convinced that neither the war nor high water will tear down his textile mill and all his family has built-in the city over generations. As the war sniffs closer, though, business becomes less of a concern as loyalties shift and priorities focus not on profit but on survival.

Told, primarily through the eyes of gentile, yet, affected, Marta, the story is crafted much differently than other world war two tales I’ve read, especially recently. Though it is Czechoslovakia, it seems to be a microcosm of the divided feelings, even on an individual level, that wrecked havoc on those Jewish and non, through the entire conflict.

Being of middle and eastern European Jewish background, I know that my own family had to get out of dodge pretty darn fast when things turned ugly but I think that, often, things unfolded differently in the middle to eastern countries than they did right off the bat in the front of the continent. This shed a little bit of light on the shadows of the commotion where rich and poor, Jew and Gentile, employer and employee were more blobs of gray than the crisp lines that history tells of.

This is a tough read at times as there is a big inner conflict in Marta’s life. The events are nothing new to the world of ’30′s hiostory but, as I’ve said, the view-point and manifestation of the entire tale is just done very differently than I’ve come across. It’s a recommended read to anyone who knows little about the conflict but also very much so for those who have done their share of reading up on the issue.(less)

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Mar 13, 2011 Stacey rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Alison Pick brings her award-winning poetic sensibilities to a difficult historical subject in Far to Go. A complex story of a family’s struggle set against the backdrop of the Nazi takeover of Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland, the novel focuses on the Bauer family, secular Jews caught in the rise of anti-Semitism. Patriarch Pavel Bauer is a respected, rich business owner who, with his wife, Annaliese, refused to face the reality of occupation and can no longer obtain the necessary permission to cro...more

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Feb 29, 2012 Vicky Thomasson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Whilst reading this book, I learnt the true meaning of 'don't judge a book by its cover' or, in my case, don't judge a book by bad reviews. When I started reading this book I became very involved with the characters 'pavel', 'anneliese', 'marta' and, of course, little 'pepik', it occasionally flicked back to modern times which got me thinking 'how does this author know so much detail about what happened?'. It was then that I decided to read some of the less praising reviews of the book and saw m...more

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Sep 06, 2011 Elaine rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

Very competently put together -- but lacked the emotional power of the Invisible Bridge, another recent book that similarly drew on family history to illuminate a particular corner of the Holocaust and to tell a sweeping family story that was not about the camps but about the lived experience, before the camps, in a specific country (there Hungary, here Czechoslovakia). While the story has some wrenching twists and turns, there is a little too much telling of history (characters neatly recount h...more

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Aug 06, 2011 Sooz rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

i know the poem reads, "and MILES to go before i sleep" and not far to go ... yet i find myself thinking of Frost's poem just the same and thinking the war must have felt like that for parents trying to find some safe haven for their children.

i like this book a lot. i wish i could give it another 1/2 star because it deserves it. i like the story, the writing, the characters. all of it.

the slow relevation of the narrator (the I who speaks at the beginning of each chapter) is well done and i com...more

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Nov 17, 2012 Shonna Froebel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: canadian

This novel is set in Czechoslovakia at the beginning of the Second World War, when the Germans took over first Sudetenland and then the rest of the country. We look at things from the point of view of the young nanny for a well-off Jewish family. There is also a voice from the early twentieth century that we don't find out the identity of until the end of the book.
The story is a different voice and follows not only the arc of the German's in Czechoslovakia, but also the variety of responses to t...more

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Apr 20, 2012 Huw Rhys rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

For most of this book you felt as if you were reading yet another Holocaust story. Sadly, the nature of the Holocaust was such that no matter what spin a myriad of writers have tried to put on it over the years, there's never a happy ending.

There isn't, of course, a different outcome to this one either - as the author spells out to us a few pages from the end - but there's quite a twist, which elevates this interesting little novel above many of its peers.

It is set in Czechoslovakia (I wrote tha...more

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Jun 09, 2011 Mrsgaskell rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library, canadiana, 9-star

Alison Pick is a new-to-me Canadian author and I'm pleased to have discovered her. Far to Go is a moving and beautifully written story. I'm not surprised to learn that the author is also a poet.

Pavel and Anneliese Bauer are secular Jews who live in a small Czechoslovakian town in the Sudetenland with their six-year-old son Pepik and his nanny, Marta. None of them can foresee how their lives will change when England and France agree to cede the Sudetenland to Germany in 1938, part of Neville Cha...more

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