Book reviews , they can make you smile or cry.
I collected my novel’s reviews. Most of them are very kind. But then, I’m not famous, and only people who like that sort of books read mine.
You can find those reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, but I copied them for you.
There were some articles written about my book, and I gave some interviews, but I don’t have those.
So, the reviews will follow lower down.
Writing this blog reminded me of my family. My mother , liberasted from the camp age 18. Photo of my parents wedding 2 years later.
Terezin:
The Stolpersteine I had installed in front of the house where the family lived before they were deported.
Our family grave in the New Jewish Cemetary in Prague. The people whose names are in black are not burried there, nobody knows where their bodies ended.
This is another family grave. In memoriam,none of these came back. That is what my ,mother and grandmother used to say about the ones who vanished in the camps. He/she didn’t come back”
Back to my reviews, The book is fiction, inspired by my family stories.But I am going to do something unusual. I will post the worst reviews first.
Why? Because in a way, the review informs me that the character of Magda was well written. The person who wrote the review hated Magda with a passion normally not felt for fictional characters. So, in my mind, this horrible review is 5 stars Plus. And it made me smile.
Of course, I love those intelligent, thoughtful wonderful reviews other people wrote. And a negative constructive review helps, more than praise.
But reading this one was kind of fun.
This is just part of my 3-star review.Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2021
This is just a small part of the review; you can read he whole review lower down. I am a devious woman, so by doing this, you might read all the reviews, the good ones.
I HATED the characters, mainly Magda. Magda was awful. She was a terrible mother. I hated the way she talked to her daughter. Magda liked her mom Franzi living with her so that she could do all the housework, cook, and take care of Zuzana. If Zuzana didn’t emigrate, she probably would have killed her mother. There was no way they could live together. I don’t know how Zuzana’s husband and in-laws didn’t see the true Magda. How could they miss the insults she gave Adam and Zuzana. The racism was also hard to ignore.…
There are other interesting points, but what made me smile again was this:
Definitely recommend giving the book a try. I’m in the minority with my thoughts. I look forward to reading more books by the author.
That sounds like a bit of masochism. Why would she want to read more of my books? She hated it. Or did she just hate the characters?
One thing it made me want to do is to write a book about a really evil fictitious character and observe the reaction.
Magda in my book wasn’t evil, she was damaged by the war time experiences, and the need to fight in life. There is a lot to admire about Magda as well as her negative side.
“Everything is possible if you try.”
My other negative review on Goodreads had 1 star, No review.I am a curious woman, and I wrote to the reviewer on Goodreads.
I said: You obviously hated the book. But I would like to know what you disliked so much. One learns from criticism.
But you just gave it 1 star and didn’t write a review?
The reply was that she forgot to post the review on Goodreads. the review was originally for Net galley.
I forgot about: “be careful what you wish for”.Now I have that bad 1-star review. You can read it lower down. I am sure she has some good points. But one was about too many sexual references. Zuzana is a woman with a healthy enthusiastic attitude to sex. She is lucky to have a husband who is similar.
I think good sex makes people happy, especially if it is with somebody they love. I am not going to apologise for that opinion.
These are the other reviews:WHY DIDN’T THEY LEAVE?BLURBS BY THREE AUTHORS WHO KINDLY AGREED TO DO IT
With meticulous detail, heart wrenching scenes like “ . . . marching us from Auschwitz to Loslau,” sear onto the page.
From police informers to the “Velvet Revolution,” Hnizdo offers answers through her characters’ actions as to why some
chose to remain in their homeland and others fled. A story filled with history and heartache . . . survival and hope.”
— Julie Maloney, author
“Zuzana is haunted by the choices that her family made during the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia and later during the Communist regime. Her discoveries make for a compelling story of loyalty, love, and courage.”
Jacqueline Sheehan author
Eva Hnizdo has turned her own story into a gripping work of fiction that follows a secular Czech Jewish family’s fortunes during World War Two through communism to a multi-cultural life in Britain. Her book says much about prejudice and tolerance, survivors’ guilt and the emotional challenges of motherhood, all through the voice of her extrovert and sexy heroine.
Brigid Grauman author
Recently I ate my book , well, I shared it with friends at my birthday party. Before he rest of the reviews, this is my birthday cake in the form of my book, Isn’t the baker ( not her profession) amazing? She even managed to add a ski boot and a stetoscope.Yep, sums up my life, working as a doctor, skiing, writing, reading.
AMAZON REVIEWS OF MY BOOK UK
VINE VOICE
5.0 out of 5 stars A powerful read.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 November 2023
Spanning four decades and several lives, this is a haunting and unequivocally honest story chronicling the trials and tribulations of one extraordinary Czech/Jewish family, before, during, and long after, The Holocaust.
The saga begins in Nazi-occupied Prague in 1940. Magda Stein, a bright but headstrong pupil with a talent for manipulation, is told that she can no longer attend school for no other reason than being born a Jew. And so, with the benefit of historical hindsight, we read on looking through our fingers and shuddering as each worrying development unfolds. Magda’s family, like so many other Jewish families in WWII, find themselves dispossessed of their worldly goods; their prosperity precipitously turned into austerity. Uncertainty and fear spread throughout the Jewish community; even a ’Promised Land’ and a ‘spa for Jews’, underwritten by the Swiss Red Cross, turned out to be a brutal ghetto from which there was little chance of escape.
Author Eva Hnizdo writes with great authority and candour about the abhorrent events that shatter the comfortable lives of one close-knit Jewish family. Herein there are stories of astonishing bravery, of racism, antisemitism and unending guilt.
In peacetime, the fractious relationship between Magda and Zuzana – her spirited daughter (a chip off the old block) – is something to behold. The mother is perhaps resentful of the luxuries and freedoms afforded to her daughter when such privileges were stolen from her at the same age.
Although the story is mostly fictional, it felt so real – a commentary rich with human interest and mindful of the strong ties that bind people together.
And perhaps, love – not the cloying sentimental kind, but the raw defiant version – is the real winner here.
I thoroughly enjoyed this vivid multigenerational story, and Zuzana’s letter to her dead mother would make even a statue cry.
A great read!
5.0 out of 5 stars Why didn’t they leave? or Why did they stay?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 October 2021
In the many books dealing with the dramatic canvas of twentieth-century European history, the Eva Hnizdo book: Why didn’t they leave? stands out.
By not following the format of other personal recollections of the horrors and inhumanity of the Holocaust, her perceptive writing focuses on a more universal question of how to capture the complexity of individual lives and how we become who we are by our decisions and actions. The book’s alternative title could have easily have been: Why did they stay?
What made this book stand out for me is how the writer seamlessly interweaves the enormity of the Holocaust and communism with the human desire of all the protagonists to be known and heard, in owning their unique story as a mother, daughter …. or being Jewish or Czech … The multi-layered narratives of Magda and her mother become an almost surgical step by step capturing of a shared burden of multigenerational trauma of encountering the values of another person formed in another time and of the ultimate redemption of allowing yourself to be known and heard, in owning your unique story and all the good and bad decisions of others within it.
5.0 out of 5 stars Why Didn’t They Leave? novel
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 January 2022
An emotional deeply human saga of a Jewish family in Czechoslovakia during the war years of Holocaust. Second section take place after the emigration of the daughter Zuzana in the early 1970’s to Great Britain, after the Russian invasion and occupation. Events based on very real lives and in many ways similar to my own life’s story as I emigrated from Czechoslovakia in 1969. It’s expertly written by a Hertfordshire retired Czech doctor Eva Hnizdo. Once you start reading the book you cannot put it down. The characters appear so real you could be watching them in a film. I recommend this book 100%.
5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating story of one Jewish family
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 October 2021
When you start reading this book you’ll find it difficult to take the smallest break.
Antisemitism, racism, hatred and the blind obedience of WW2 described so well. You will build a relationship with characters, experiencing the life they lived. Perhaps, your neighbour or a friend has a similar story to tell. A story for you but a life once lived. You might think, it’s history. Indeed, I agree. The history humans should never repeat or experience ever again. And therefore, let’s not forget. Enjoy the book 
5.0 out of 5 stars If you ask too many questions, you get too many answers …
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 April 2022
Thinly disguised as fiction this book has its roots in family history and autobiography. Reading it was an emotional rollercoaster, at times heart-breaking, and other times heart-warming. It traces a large Jewish Czech family from the rise of Nazism to the beginning of this century. The diaspora caused first by the Nazis and later by the Soviet regime is all-too authentic and a harrowing reminder of Ukraine today.
The author writes with honesty and integrity, in bold and brave brush strokes, flinching from nothing. An important memoir of times we must never forget.
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read book about love, loss and survival
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 January 2022
I have read this book with enormous interest, and I would wholeheartedly recommend it. This book is about love, loss and survival, of mothers and daughters and of humanity in all its colours. Although this book is not about the Holocaust, the Second World War, the Holocaust and the events thereafter are integral to this story. They hold the key to understanding Magda, and the relationship she had with her daughter. Magda presented me with a conundrum and stayed on my mind for several days after I finished reading this book. It was interesting to see how many of her formative experiences (for example, the teasing about her appearance as a young child, to the terrifying time in Theresienstadt , the loss she suffered) translated into her character as an adult right through her life.
I congratulate the author, for a very illuminating and thought provoking book. I also found the understated and matter-of-fact way of storytelling very refreshing.
5.0 out of 5 stars A heart rending tale of the suffering of the Jewish people.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 November 2021
This is a gripping account of the suffering of the Jewish people at the hands of the Nazis and their sympathisers. It personalises their torment and really brings home the horror of it all.
The story continues through several generations, detailing the legacy of this tragedy.
Read this to be moved afresh by this awful saga which must never be forgotten.
Amazon From the United States
Some Chick
4.0 out of 5 stars An important story for today
Reviewed in the United States on 15 October 2021
Why didn’t they leave by Eva Hnizdo tells the story of a Czech family from the point of view of Magda and her daughter Zuzana, moving between the two women and covering most of their lives.
Magda in the 1930’s is a wilful somewhat spoiled child living in a beautiful home in Prague. Her mother Franzi is a cultured woman and grandmother Olga is a steel-willed Matriarch used to getting her way.
They’re wealthy and the family is educated, close, and enjoys a privileged lifestyle. They’re Jewish but agnostic and celebrate Christmas with roast pork and have no discernible religious beliefs.
There are rumblings of trouble in Europe but family matriarch Olga dismisses it and even though the opportunity to leave and emigrate to the United States comes their way—enough so that much of the family could go—only a few go against grandmother Olga’s command and leave.
Though the family barely considers themselves Jewish, in fact some are married to Christians and even a German, it’s enough Jewishness for the Nazi’s. They’re sent to camps, most of the men die, in fact most of the family dies. (I heard the author speak in an interview with the BBC about this book and her family history upon which this story is based. She made an intriguing statement that how we see ourselves is important, but how others see us too is also important. That really stayed with me.)
Those that survive in this story are changed forever. Magda at 18 returns from a camp determined to put it behind her, she finishes school quickly and becomes a pharmacist. She trusts no one and is damaged by what she endured. Her mother Franzi too survives but decides the worst in life is behind her and focuses on the good. Olga too managed to survive but with the knowledge that her family died because of her demands.
The Nazis confiscated much of their wealth, but some things were saved by non-Jewish friends.
Magda marries and has a daughter Zuzana. Zuzana doesn’t even know her family is Jewish because Magda like many survivors of the Holocaust decides the safest way to ensure future survival is to leave every last hint of their Jewishness behind them, so she hides everything from her daughter.
Zuzana knows only that her mother is demanding and impossible. Prague and Czechoslovakia are then invaded by Russia and becomes communist. So the surviving family goes from Nazis to Communism.
Zuzana slowly learns her family’s truth though her mother shares nothing. When grandmother Franzi dies, Magda has the funeral behind Zuzana’s back.
Magda manages to secure state permission for a trip to Paris and Zuzana takes her first opportunity to escape to London and never return. Determined not to make the same mistakes as her family.
Zuzana is pragmatic and open to new cultures and races, surprisingly unlike her mother Magda who is still living in survival mode. Zuzana escapes communism to the west. She marries a black man whose family emigrated from Grenada. Slowly over the years Zuzana pieces together her family story. It’s a fascinating tale and an education for many Americans whose own families escaped many of the horrors of the Second World War—and the ensuing political problems of the decades following even to now.
This book is important and worth your time and effort. The large cast of characters at the beginning gives the story a slow start but the payoff is huge. It’s amazing how much of this history is repeating itself even today.
5.0 out of 5 stars Why Didn’t They Leave? Read it!
Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2021
I have a strong sense of the importance of refugee stories, so much so that I wrote a book about an escape from Soviet occupied lands during World War II of a young girl and her single mother (non-fiction), and a story of escape by a family under the Pinochet regime in Chile in 1973 (YA fiction).
So when Eva Hnizdo’s book, Why Didn’t They Leave, was released in September, I was eager to read it. Hers is an up close and personal story of a mother, Magda, and a daughter, Zuzana, both of whom survived the battlefield that was Czechoslovakia between Nazism and communism during the years between 1938 and 1989, and the many relatives of theirs who did not.
Why Didn’t They Leave asks a question universal among survivors of the Holocaust and the Soviet/Communist oppressive regimes that followed WWII in eastern and northern Europe. And, in her telling of a truly personal family history, Eva answers in heart rending, vivid, emotional truth, leaving out nothing of the pain of each family member whether they survived to emigrate or perished in the camps.
Told with a humor characteristic of Eva’s shorter and earlier work, and in her straightforward, no-nonsense prose, these stories are as much about Zuzana’s discovery of her family’s past hidden from her in her youth in Prague (when she was not even told she was Jewish), as it is about the family heroes and heroines she came to know as she uncovered their detailed stories of bravery, survival, obedience and defiance.
Central to this book, and what gives it it’s mesmerizing tension, is the conflicted relationship between Magda, the mother who survived Theresienstadt, and her daughter Zuzana, who took a lifetime to understand the impact such an imprisonment left on a mother who so wanted to protect her daughter from pain that she didn’t even tell her her grandmother died until after her funeral.
Ultimately a story of forgiveness, not of the Nazi’s or the Communist regime, but of the family matriarch who advised her children against emigration – “there has always been anti-Semitism, it will go away” this is a personal story and a historical record that is a not-to-be-put-down-until-finished work of beauty and truth. I loved it and so will you.
NB.
5.0 out of 5 stars Unites you with history and the human spirit.
Reviewed in the United States on Octo
This is a powerful story of the family complexities of emigration in face of one of the most evil times in human history. The ancestral strings and the form of family trees that Eva Hnizdo took to write of the Jewish family experience throughout Hitler’s reign of terror was something I appreciated very much.
Mother-daughter and family matriarchy plot lines pulled me into each character’s life as they lived it and found me “putting myself in their shoes” whether standing huddled on the transport platform or reffing a mother-daughter banter and communication barrier.
The historical sequences that led up to Hitler’s Final Solution played all the while accurately in the background, while the characters captured your heart in their uprooted lives. I bought this book because of it’s title: Why Didn’t They Leave? That question was very well answered by the author, and it’s not a simple one. Kudos to Eva Hnizdo.
5.0 out of 5 stars Solidly and beautifully written
Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2021
This read was painful and healing at the same time, having me relive some of my family’s challenges in Russia. The author’s descriptions are striking and at times tear at the heart. It is hard to take a break from reading, being drawn into the family dynamics through the author’s writing skill. It also is published at a time in this world when hatred and racism are blatantly rearing their ugly heads. A reminder of what was, and what could again be.
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book
Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2021
Eva Hnizdo accomplishes a feat that is nothing short of brilliant, offering a skilfully written story
This book is just purely amazing, start to finish. From the plot to the way the author lets you emphasize the characters, this novel is absolutely wonderful.
This is an excellent book that everyone should/must-read. Many people forget that some of their ancestors were once refugees too!
5.0 out of 5 stars Answers to important questions
Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2021
This is a beautifully written book, recommended for anyone interested in understanding human adaptation and survival in the face of terrible situations. Raised in the shadow of the Holocaust, Hnizdo’s heroine goes searching for her identity and uncovers a story of bravery and tolerance.
5.0 out of 5 stars Historical novel at its best
Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2022
This was a complicated read. Emotionally draining, the story follows a family through terrors most will never know. Readers glimpse the horror of war via a family torn apart by unimaginable racism and inhumanity. I recommend the read but be prepared. You will see what you wished you hadn’t, hear what you can’t unhear, and feel pain so deep you’ll cry in shame. History cannot and must not repeat itself. Bravo to the writer.
Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2022
An enlightening look at the profound effects over time on a family’s experience through extraordinary times and how those times influenced life to come. Life is always clear in the rear-view mirror; this story presents in real time which allows the reader to walk in the “now” of history through the lives presented in the book. It is easy to armchair quarterback when we know the outcome, the way this is written gives the reader a taste of the multifaceted considerations and decisions people were faced with. An enjoyable and interesting perspective and read.
5.0 out of 5 stars A Riveting Family Saga Set Against the Backdrop of War
Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2021
This review is written by Patricia Black-Gould.
Zuzana learned she was Jewish when, as a teenager, the family went to a synagogue that contained a list of 78,000 Czech Jews killed during World War II. Her family members began looking for names of relatives. And that was when it was revealed to her. She knew her grandfather and other relatives died in the war but didn’t know what happened. Her family never spoke about the Jews. And growing up in Communist Czechoslovakia, the Holocaust wasn’t mentioned in textbooks.
But Zuzana learns more about her family history, which makes Eva Hnizdo’s book Why Didn’t They Leave? such a riveting story. The author brings readers back in time to the 1939 Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia. She takes us through the lives of this family: those who remained within the country and those who left. We follow their stories, especially Magda, Zuzana’s mother, who survived a concentration camp.
The story continues, and we witness the strained relationship between Magda and her daughter until finally Zuzana flees Czechoslovakia and tries to discover who she is. But that’s not that easy, as she states, “When I was in London, I felt Czech; when I was in Prague, I felt British. I felt Jewish when I was with Non-Jews, but not much with other Jewish people.” So who is she? Zuzana learns more about herself as she learns about her family, both from the past and those surrounding her.
ALLTHAT
4.0 out of 5 stars Lots of history
Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2021
This book kept my attention with the historical details. Initially, overwhelmed viewing the time line and family lineage but the focused writing takes you on a historical tour placing characters in challenging family conflicts while in the depths of communist Czechoslovakia and the Holocaust. Sequels seem evident to really expound into the experiences of the surviving Holocaust victims as well as family dynamics the characters.
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2021
I have so many mixed feelings about this book and give it 2.5 stars. From the description I thought I would love it, but it was the opposite. If it wasn’t for the last part of the book, I would have given it 2 stars. There were so many characters to keep track of and at times it got confusing. I HATED the characters, mainly Magda. Magda was awful. She was a terrible mother. I hated the way she talked to her daughter. Magda liked her mom Franzi living with her so that she could do all the housework, cook and take care of Zuzana. If Zuzana didn’t emigrate, she probably would have killed her mother. There was no way they could live together. I don’t know how Zuzana’s husband and in-laws didn’t see the true Magda. How could they miss the insults she gave Adam and Zuzana. The racism was also hard to ignore. It felt like what the family went through during the war was glossed over and was the shortest part of the book. The Stein family was pretty lucky, since they were so wealthy. They didn’t seem to suffer as much as some families after the war. They also had the luxury of constantly traveling. For me, the book was more about the terrible family relationships than WWII and what happened to Czechoslovakia after the War. The best part of the book was when Zuzana visits her relatives in the United States.
Definitely recommend giving the book a try. I’m in the minority with my thoughts. I look forward to reading more books by the author.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from The Book Guild, through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
5,0 sur 5 étoiles Why didn’t they leave?
Commenté en France le 7 février 2022
This very readable story of a Jewish family from Czechoslovakia uses the personal story of a young girl Zuzana to tell the history of the Jews from the Second World War, which brought disaster to her family, through life in communist Czechoslovakia to her decision to emigrate, i.e. to live freely in England and at the same time to escape the influence of her mother.
Eva Hnizdo obviously draws on her family history, but also adds to the reality in a way that creates a plastic, appealing story. Her focus is not just on the Holocaust and post-war totalitarianism, but on everyday life, family relationships, and the exploration of Jewish identity. Once the protagonist, Susan, is in England, other weighty themes enter the book, such as the integration of immigrants into local society and the like, issues of national ethnicity and multiculturalism.
5.0 out of 5 stars A Fascinating Family Saga/Historical Fiction/Memoir
Reviewed in Canada on May 20, 2022
Magda is 13, it’s 1940 in Prague, Czechoslovakia. The Germans are taking over the country and Magda and her brother Oskar have already been booted from school, while their mother is sewing yellow Stars of David on their clothing. At first Magda thinks the stars look cool, then quickly realizes after getting pushed and shoved on the street, the star is a calling card for attention. Magda’s family was privileged and Magda’s mother Franzi and her husband Bruno did well with buying off SS agents by giving them many family possessions to avoid deportation to Theresienstadt, but by 1942 her family was finally deported. Some survived, some didn’t. When liberation finally came, Magda and her mother lived through the brutal and lean times and were lucky to be given back their home in Czechoslovakia.
Magda at 18 reinserts herself back into the school system and studies hard to graduate high school after missing four years of school and succeeds. She marries Mirek after she graduates and they live with her mother Franzi. Franzi mourns the loss of her husband, her son and all others while Magda wants to go on, avoiding the memories and deaths. By 1948 communism was taking over the Czechoslovakia and government was taking over private businesses, those who didn’t comply were sent to jails. It was like war was back but within their own country. Magda and Mirek were urged to leave in the late 40s, but Magda didn’t want to leave her mother. By 1952 they were stuck there. Anyone caught trying to leave the country was jailed.
In 1953 Magda gave birth to daughter Zuzana and was happy to let her mother Franzi do everything and look after her daughter while she kept occupied, entrenched in her job. By this time Mirek was already cheating on moody Magda. Magda decided she didn’t want her daughter to be Jewish so she convinced her unwilling husband to have Zuzana baptized to protect her from being a persecuted Jew, as anti-semitism was running rampant even after the war, especially while Czechoslovakia was under communism. When Zuzana was age 9, Mirek left Magda. He was tired of her whining and lack of interest in cultural things he liked to do. And he wasn’t happy about not giving their daughter a religion to practice, as Magda only wanted the baptism to protect her child from future incidence of anti-semitism, without teaching her about any religion.
In the mid 60s, Magda went to visit Bavaria. She was stunned at all the beautiful goods for sale in stores – something they didn’t have in the Czechoslovakia. Her pent-up anger at Germans had her stealing from stores because she felt entitled after the Germans seemed to have stolen much more from her. Her passive- aggressive anger lingered.
By 1964, Zuzana was a young teenager who protested all her mother’s good intentions for her. Magda tries to send Zuzana for dance lessons, but Zuzana doesn’t like it, doesn’t like girlie things or dresses. Magda wants to give her daughter everything she didn’t have, but Zuzana is rebellious. Zuzana prefers wearing pants and reading books to dresses and parties. Magda is often bitter at her daughter’s reactions to all her plans for her, as though Magda wanted to live what she missed out on vicariously through her daughter. Magda often mumbles to herself that her daughter doesn’t know how lucky she is to have access to clothes, classes and adventures as Magda internally remembers her time imprisoned during the Holocaust. But Magda stays firm in her decision not to tell Zuzana about her imprisonment or how so many family members actually died in the Holocaust. She never even told Zuzana they were really Jewish.
Part two of the book is Zuzana’s story in the year beginning back in 1966, till the early 2000s. Now married Zuzana with a 13 year old son, Adam, tells her husband Harry that she changed schools when she was a teenager where she could learn more languages, adding that her mother got her in through black market connections, which she reiterates was really such a thing.
In 1967 Zuzana’s Uncle Otto and his wife came back to Czechoslovakia to visit his remaining family and he went to the synagogue with Zuzana, her mother and grandmother Olga. This was the first time Zuzana realized that it was not only the communist anti-fascists who were killed in the war, but innocent people, including her own family. Until then, Zuzana had been sheltered from knowing about war and the fact that she was an actual Jew. As an avid book reader, Zuzana began to read ‘different’ books that were starting to appear on the shelves – stories about the Holocaust.
As a late teen, Zuzana left the country, organized by her rich Uncle Otto and moved to England where she went to university and lived out her dreams of freedom, education, meeting people from different races and falling in love with her to be black husband Harry who became a pharmacist.
Zuzana felt she didn’t love her mother because Magda nagged her all the time and never gave her daughter a compliment, almost trying so hard to force her daughter to do the things Magda never had the chance to do. The tension remained between mother and daughter throughout the story until Magda’s ultimate death, when Zuzana learned from Uncle Otto what really happened to their family during the war, and this opened up a world of curiosity for Zuzana about her real heritage inspiring her desire to travel to America to meet the sparse family who survived the war and ultimately, moved to America. Then Zuzana gets the rude awakening about how her mother survived and the PTSD effect it left on Magda that made her become the way she was. She meets up with aunts, uncles and cousins who were survivors and descendants of survivors, and her new discoveries give her a new sense of why her mother acted the way she did, discovering her mum not wanting to talk of what she lived was a shield for herself and the PTSD she suffered through the rest of her life from what she lived through. Zuz learns that she shouldn’t have judged her mother and once Magda dies, Zuz’s grief becomes overwhelming. As Zuzana begins to have regrets in this new appreciation for her mother, we begin to learn the true effects the war had on this one family.
This is a story about a family caught up in the brink of war, during the war, and their lives in the aftermath. It deals with racism, anti-semitism, communism, humanitarianism and inhumanity. Fascinating on many levels with the intricately woven characters and going deep learning how and why these people were shaped. Yes, it takes place during the Holocaust, but it’s about people’s individual lives, living through hell, and how they become after. This is the story of one once large family torn by war, how they survived, why some left in time, and why some chose to stay behind.
