The Oasis: A Memoir of Love and Survival in a Concentration Camp

by Petru Popescu

Details the powerful and poignant story of Mirek Friedman, a freedom fighter in the Czech underground, and Blanka Davidovich, who first met during World War II in the Dachau 3b camp, and whose love became a symbol of hope during a time of war.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Holocaust, Biography

355 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2001

About the author

For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petru_Po...

Reviews

[Soapie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most beautifully written, bittersweet, and heart wrenching novels I've ever read. The author retells this Holocaust survivor story with great accuracy, detail, and prose. I've read it once and yearn to read it again; books like this make me question why I even bother reading fiction because historical accounts like this are so haunting, dramatic, suspenseful, and romantic all at the same time.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book more than five years ago and it still sticks with me. I've read many memoirs from WWII and the Holocaust and this one for whatever reason keeps coming back to me. The powerful story of love that truly did conquer all gives us all something to hope for.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH MY GOSH!!!!! READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!! Read it - Read it- READ IT

[Vaneza Vasquez · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a really good book, i mean its amazing that two people could fall in love in a situation like that but they do. i think it is about the strength and durability of the human soul.

[Sandra Nixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a true story that reads like fiction and on top of that it is set in a concentration camp! Such a moving story.

[A.L. DeLeon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A necessary read. It left me wondering if us Americans ever truly understood the Holocaust. I worry with these present events, that perhaps we haven’t learned from history at all.

[Rebekah Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would read this book again in a heartbeat. It was heart grabbing from the moment it began to the very last page.

[Gayle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the personal account of two Jews who were sent to Dachau and who survived. They fell in love in the camp and though separated found each other again after the war ended. The author is their son-in-law, who defected from Communist Romania and married their daughter. It is a fascinating look at holocaust victims and survivors, the emotional and psychological impact on their lives and a story of hope. I am so glad I read it because being given a glimpse into their lives gives me understanding of what such atrocities does to those who survive and gives me an appreciation for what they suffered.

[Vivian · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unusual WWII story set in a camp where although there was cruelty, the prisoners were well fed and had access to creature comforts. This is a love story between two prisoners that endured. I thought that it was amazing that Blanka could have gotten where she was along with four of her cousins. This seemed to be fictional, however, I was surprised to learn that the story is actually the true story of the author’s in-laws. I thought the story was told with great emotion.

[Keith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good love story at a work camp in Germany where the couple survive the Holocaust. I thought it might be cheesy because of the garish cover, but it was really well done. Told from alternating points of view.

[Ann Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing love story with an unlikely setting. It would have been nice to have photos included.

[Roberta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not my usual cup of tea because I would not normally choose to read a book about the holocaust. There is pretty much nothing as depressing as the holocaust. But this book was recommended to me by someone who enjoys reading some nonfiction but would not normally choose to read holocaust books either. She was right, I did find it an interesting personal story of two people stuck in a certain time and place in history and an overall enjoyable story. I may search out the author's earlier book The Return: A Family Revisits Their Eastern European Roots.

This book is set during the holocaust and the main character is in two of the worst concentration camps, however, it is mostly a love story. A love-at-first-sight story. A love-conquers-all, even the Nazis, story. But be warned that there are a few gruesome bits.

If you are looking for smut, as one reviewer was, you will also be disappointed. "Though the men and women were not segregated, the punishment for personal contact was death." The sentence in the description of the book above is misleading. Men and women were mostly segregated in the concentration camps by barbed wire enclosures and "personal contact" does not equal "sex." Depending on the the Nazi commandant, it might include things like talking in private, exchanging gifts, or touching of any kind. If you want, say, Fifty Shades of Grey with Nazis, you need to look elsewhere.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is amazing! I read it for the first time in high school when I was still having trouble comprehending the magnitude of the Holocaust and every re-read since I get more and more context from the book. While the story itself is one of tragedy and loss the ending makes you believe that the two lead characters could get their happily ever after (or at least start a new life together). The fact that it's a true story is both more tragic and more optimistic if that's possible

[Mawgojzeta · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a retelling of the real events surrounding Petru's in-laws who fell in love during WWII while interned at a concentration camp. It is a wonderfully written book. He did their history great justice; I do not think he compromised the story in any way. I was honored that they would allow him to share this with the world.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

As touching as this story promised to be and was starting to be, I had to put it down. I was getting very strong hints that fornication, premarital intercourse, whatever you want to call it, was going to be in the storyline and I didn't want to stick it out to see if I was right in my predictive powers. Fornication is wrong and I don't want to read about it. End of story.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely a must read. How they survived I really don't know, but their story is amazing.

[Kathleen Vosburg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very powerful.