The Lost Son

by Stephanie Vanderslice

How does a mother survive the unsurvivable? After her husband and the baby's nurse kidnap her infant son, Nicholas, and take him back to their native Germany, Julia Kruse must completely rebuild her life in America. The Lost Son chronicles Julia's journey from Depression-Era Queens, NY through World War II as she struggles to provide for herself and her remaining son, Johannes. Over the years, her search for Nicholas is thwarted at every turn, until she falls in love with chauffeur Paul Burns, whose boss might have the political connections to find her son and bring him home from the German front during the last days of the Third Reich, where Johannes is also fighting for the Allies.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

245 pages, Paperback

First published March 14, 2022

About the author

A Huffington Post writing life blogger (The Geek's Guide to the Writing Life) and university creative writing teacher, I write fiction and creative nonfiction (memoir) and have published many books and essays on creative writing in higher education. Represented by Anne Bohner at Pen and Ink Literary, my fictional territory remains the German and Irish neighborhoods of Queens, NY in the last century, where I grew up.

Reviews

[Shirley McAllister · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Mother's Hope

Heartbreaking, but uplifting a story of a mother's hope to find her baby. She never give up, yet she lives a life with her other son. It is a story of a love gone wrong and a family divided.

In 1920's New York, a young immigrant family is living a good life. Robert Kruse is a businessman working in a prominent jewelry shop. They have a young son and a beautiful apartment. Julia and Roberta are overjoyed when she finds they are expecting a second child.

The birth is a hard one and following a difficult c section surgery with complications a nurse is hired to help Julia with the new baby and with her son Johannes. This appears to be working very well and Julia is just starting to get back on her feet. On her first long walk alone with her son Johannes, Julia returns home to find the house empty, her baby son Nicholas , the nurse and her husband gone. She finds a note that Robert has fallen in love with the nurse and taken her baby son to Germany.

This story is about Julia's search for her missing son Nicholas, her life with her sister and her son Johannes. The hope she keeps alive through many life challenges, the depression and finally WWII that she will someday find Nicholas and bring him home.

It is a great story of a mother's love and her survival as an immigrant in New York raising a young son and searching for her missing son. The books was a great book with history of the period and with the trials of the young mother and how she copes with life and with her loss.

I enjoyed the story, the characters and the history of the period. It was a good story with a bittersweet ending. I would recommend this book.

Thanks to Stephanie Vanderslice for writing a great story, to Regal House Publishing for publishing it and to NetGalley for making it available to me.

[Anita Grendell · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many things got in the way of Julia searching for her son, how could you expect anything other than more pain for her. Her feelings of inadequacy after being abandoned by her husband and her helplessness to get her son back made my heart hurt for her. I'm thankful that my own sisters are more supportive of me than Lena was of Julia.

[Gerrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

The Lost Son by Stephanie Vanderslice is a bittersweet story of romantic, love lost and found, a mother’s fierce love for her children, and the experience of being a German immigrant in the US during WWII.
Spanning the years of 1910—1945, this is the story of Julia Kruse, who travels to New York City as a newly-wed. After the birth of her second child, she suffers an unspeakable wrong when her husband Robert steals the 6 week old infant and returns to Germany with his new love, the baby’s nurse. Julia is left heartbroken with her older child, Johannes, to support.
The writing is superb, and nicely nuanced. It was easy to become immersed in the characters and settings described.
I recommend this novel to readers of historical fiction, domestic drama, and skilled storytelling.

Thank you to Regal House Publishers and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my unbiased opinion.

[Karla Huebner]

The Lost Son tells the tale of Julia, a young woman from Germany, and her loss of her younger son. The daughter of a chef, brought up in the household of his wealthy employers, she elopes with the son of her father's employers and goes with him to New York, where they have their first child, Johannes. But life becomes painful after the birth of Nicholas, when Julia's husband returns to Germany with Nicholas and the nurse. From the 1920s to World War II, Julia must build a new life for herself while trying to get back her lost child, who grows up in Nazi Germany despite being technically an American citizen.

This is a sensitively told novel that focuses on Julia and her emotions, particularly her strong maternal love for both her boys. It will appeal to many fans of historical fiction, and also to readers of women's fiction. My thanks to NetGalley and Regal House for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Maggie Boyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Lost Son is a very straightforward women’s fiction novel centering around – you guessed it – a woman’s quest to find her missing child.

Julia Kruse’s mother died in childbirth. Her father, a famous chef at a luxury hotel, fears his demanding job will keep him from spending time with his two young daughters, so he takes a position at the Kruse estate, managing their kitchen. The Kruse family insists on treating them as kin, and Julia and her sister Lena join the Kruse’s own children in being tutored.

For young Julia, this is a dream come true. An early reader and avid student, she quickly outshines all the other kids in the small, private classroom, a fact that causes Lena to resent her. Life would be miserable for Julia if it wasn’t for her father and Robert, the cherished son of the Kruse’s and Julia’s champion.

The two families enjoy many happy years together until Julia’s father dies unexpectedly during her final year of schooling. Robert encourages his family to let Julia stay at their house until she turns eighteen and then the two of them marry. His parents aren’t thrilled, but they do offer them minimal support and arrange for Robert and Julia to head to New York. The Kruses are jewelers and their plan is for Robert to learn the trade from friends of theirs in the city and open a branch of their store there at some later date. Everything is proceeding smoothly and Julia gives birth to her eldest son, Johannes, shortly after arriving in New York. It’s an easy delivery and he is a happy baby, so she is surprised when the delivery of her second son, Nicholas, is difficult and she has to come home in a wheelchair, sick and accompanied by a nurse named Helene.

With all the help she is receiving, Julia is slowly able to recover, but just as she thinks life is about to get back to normal, the unthinkable happens. Robert and Helene abscond to Germany with Nicholas, leaving Julia to raise Johannes alone. Although she does her limited best to search for them, she is never able to locate them.

See the rest of my review at https://allaboutromance.com/book-revi...

[Thomas Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can you imagine that you family works for a prominent family in Germany and at the beginning of World War 1 this a boy from that prominent family marries you either because he loves you or it is away to help you get away from the troubles and a new start in the United States. Now things move forward and life is getting better but after complications having your second son you are bedridden and can go no further then your apartment and have to have a live in nurse to help take care of you.
Everything is reasonable well until your husband runs off with the nurse and your new born back to Germany. Julia is left with her older son and having to live with overbearing older Sister who is real pain in the butt. Eventually Julia finds some relief going to work in a bakery and getting to use the skills she learned from her father. But Julia does not ever give up here search for the baby she barely had a chance to know and bond with. Eventually the job not only gives her a break from the stress of missing a child, a chance to make a living and maybe a second chance at a relationship but it also may give her a chance to complete her lifes mission to find her child. This story moves back and forth between the beginning of the 20th century and the 1940's. This is a great read as Julia develops her relationship with her older Son, a chance at what a real relationship can be and search for her lost child. I would rate this book 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.

[Paulette Guerin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Lost Son is a gripping story of a mother who never loses hope. We journey with the heroine through her heartbreaking past and a present in which she debates risking her heart.

With Vanderslice’s beautiful language, we encounter believable, complex characters woven into a story that reminds us that sometimes the right people come into our lives at exactly the right moment, even if we can’t see it at the time.

Many books tell compelling stories, but far fewer offer an ending that enlarges everything that came before. The final paragraph, so poignant, leaves the reader with an important reminder about the journey we all walk on this earth.

Highly recommend.

[Debra Hale-Shelton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written story of a mother, a lost son, and a war that both divides and unites them. Take time to savor the story and the writing as you read this book.

[Kc1morepage · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1930s Queens, NY, Julia Kruse was still recovering from an extremely difficult delivery when her husband and nurse took her newborn son to Germany to raise as their own.

Julia rebuilds her life as a single mother to her older son, Johannes, but she never gives up the idea of going to Germany and finding her son. Johannes never stopped missing his baby brother either, and as he grows up and World War II looms, he finds a way to get to Germany to find his brother.

I loved the pacing and the characters in The Lost Son. Stephanie Vanderslice has a wonderful writing style that makes it easy to immersive yourself in the world of the story.

[Joanne]

This is a poignant, heart-breaking story set in the 1920s to WWII. A woman’s newborn is stolen by her husband and taken back to Germany. The woman perseveres in trying to raise her older son and find a way to get her baby back, but is constantly thwarted by external circumstances. Excellent attention to period detail, and a gripping, emotional story. Highly recommend.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved The Lost Son, written by a teacher of creative writing, Stephanie Vanderslice. The story began when Julia consulted a doctor in 1945 in New York, and that small scenario changed to Julia as a child in Germany in 1910. I loved her kind father, who always had time to talk to her, to teach her until she was ready to study with the governess of the house.

Julia's father had been a chef at a grand hotel in Munich until he lost his wife. When the wealthy Kruse family again offered him the chef position in their home, he accepted. He knew being with his two daughters, Julia and Lena, was what his wife would have wanted. The short chapters always opened with a juicy new piece of Julia's life, her job at a bakery in Queens, and her horrible journey from Germany to New York by ship.

I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next. The story has a mixture of all the hardships life brings along with babies, war, and the Great Recession. The author created mystery and suspense in this historical novel. I would recommend it to everyone who enjoys a complex story that includes tragic loss and great love.

Thank you to NetGalley and Regal House Publishing for this ARC.

[Donna M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephanie Vanderslice's The Lost Son is a beautiful read. Complex characters who are interesting and comforting. It was a pleasure to be in their company. The mirror between the 40s and contemporary times was interesting. We should heed well the experiences of ordinary German people. This book allows us to look without judgment, to think without pain. As a mother, I understand the choices Julia makes even as I long for her to be more selfish.

I could have finished this in one sitting. It was that good.

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered this book in a zoom chat with the author and a local indie bookstore and got an autographed copy. I was attracted to it by the story and the nostalgia for 1920-40s Queens, NY. This was a quick read and left me a bit wistful but I enjoyed the writing and the author's accomplished prose. I don't want to post any spoilers so just read this excellent book and help support a new fiction author! Bravo, Stephanie!

[Guy Choate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I struggled with the back and forth in time and place at first — as I normally do — but settled into it after the first 50 pages, when the narrative takes off. A good gut-punch will tether you to a story no matter where it goes in space and time. In this book, Vanderslice gives us a solid World War II family drama that pulls especially hard on the ties that bind siblings to each other, and parents to their children. I finished this one with a quiet, snotty cry next to a stranger on an airplane.

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely novel by a dear friend and I have no idea why it took me so long to read it. Once I started I just zipped along, the story drawing me on and on. Exploring the lives of German American characters, mostly in the era between the wars and the at the end of WWII, it covered interesting territory from an unusual perspective. I really enjoyed it.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this book. The story kept going back and forth from past to present. I liked the style of writing. Easy to read and follow. Not the ending I had hoped for but I think that’s what made this story so emotional.

[Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just could not get into this one, no matter how much I tried. The story on its face was compelling, but somehow I never got pulled into the emotion of it.

[Kristy Johnston · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story was told in third person primarily from the point of view of Julia in dual timelines of 1922 and 1945 New York City, with some earlier chapters on her childhood in Germany and sometimes through letters to her former governess and friend Judy. There are additional changes to the narration later in the novel by her son Johannes in 1947 Germany with an occasional chapter narrated by her boyfriend, Paul. I found this inconsistent format didn’t work well for me.

I enjoyed the characters in this story. Julia’s frustration with Robert and his actions along with her disappointment in her sister’s inability to support her search for Nicholas was portrayed admirably. I was a little unclear on what happened between Johannes’ childhood and his going off to boot camp. Despite the fact that each chapter is carefully labeled with time and setting, I constantly felt lost in the story.

I also needed more historical context. For example, Julia’s sister was a nurse for Bell, which I found odd. Why did Bell need nurses? Or was it common for large companies to keep medical personnel on staff in this time period? I would have liked to know more about why some German-American soldiers were separated from their training groups and sent across country to be shipped to the Pacific (like my father) and others were allowed to be on the frontlines in Germany (like Johannes in this story). Was it only the officers? Only the soldiers with the special training that Johannes had? Was it because Johannes spoke German while so many in America at the time wouldn’t let their children even learn German?

While I found Julia’s quest for finding her missing son an interesting and emotional story, I felt the novel as a whole was missing necessary information to provide a fulfilling historical read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Regal House Publishing for the free copy provided for an honest review.

[Paula Ackley · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a mother I cannot imagine being separated from my son for 17 years knowing who took him, knowing the general idea where he is and yet not being able to get him back. The people Julia asks for help don't help or cannot help. There is no family to turn to except an unsympathetic sister. She has few friends and romance is unthinkable after being betrayed by her husband. All the anguish of her loss gets pushed down inside as she raises another son into a strong, brave and compassionate man while holding down a steady job. World War II starts and now Julia is in fear of losing this other son. Ms.Vanderslice has created a wonderful, well written story of sadness and joy, strength and determination and a mother's enduring love for her child with the unwavering hope that they will be reunited. The Lost Son will hold your heart from start to finish and never let go. It is well worth your time to read it.

[Kimberly Tierney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spanning from right after The Great War ended into the Second World War, this story shows that a mother’s love and devotion can never be broken. This is a story of perseverance above all else. Julia struggled through so much and just kept pushing forward. Despite language barriers, the great depression, and being abandoned by the one who promised to love her, she never gave up.

I really liked reading this. It moves seamlessly between chapters and compels you to keep turning pages. I haven’t read anything about a devoted mother like this in quite a while. And there was something refreshing about how the characters were written that made me genuinely care about their outcome, even the minor characters. There are plenty of stories out there about divorce, parental kidnapping, single mothers, etc., but this was written in a way that didn’t feel like an overused trope, and I think that makes it stand out among all the rest.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heartbreaking and yet poignantly redeeming novel about Julia, a young German girl who emigrates with her husband to America after WWI and has two sons. But the husband elopes with the baby nurse to return to Germany, taking also the youngest child Nicholas and leaving behind the older boy Johannes who is still very young. All Julia's attempts fail to raise enough money to go to Germany to seek her lost son until Johannes, now in the U.S. military, makes plans to find his now almost-grown brother who they fear may be recruited to fight on the German side, having been taken as an infant and not knowing he is an American citizen.

Lyrically written, tender and gripping, I stayed up very late to finish it. Wonderful! Julia is exquisite!

[Risa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephanie Vanderslice’s bittersweet, historical novel shows how a mother and her toddler Johannes survive after her husband kidnaps her infant son to the old country with the baby’s nurse. Chapters bounce between locations and times, and show how a mother’s love know no bounds. It’s also a story of Julia learning to trust again as a new love emerges. The writing flows and keeps the reader’s interest. I highly recommend this book, and can’t wait for the next novel from Stephanie Vanderslice.

[Hannah Daiell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was well written but I am upset about the ending. She waits seventeen years to finally find her son only to have him die of pneumonia? This is supposed to be fiction. You can’t have the doctor just slip him some penicillin? All that suffering and her reward was ten seconds with her lost son before he dies? This author is so cruel.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Won this book through Goodreads Giveaways.

This was a very nicely written novel on the power of a mother's love. Characters were well written and the story flowed smoothly.

A good read.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard to put down. The characters are well developed and the story draws you in from the beginning. It is a bittersweet story of love and loss.

[Hana Gabrielle (HG) Bidon · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a beautiful and heartbreaking story. I wish that I read this book much sooner especially that I'm a huge fan of historical fiction and women's fiction.

[Melanie Falconer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartbreaking, but uplifting story about a mother who never gives up searching for her son. Julia Kruse is left in America grief-stricken after her husband and the baby nurse kidnap her infant Nicholas and take him back to Germany. We read of Julia’s struggle to take care of herself and her other son Johannes through the Depression and WWII. The whole time, she is trying to get money and an opportunity to go to Germany and find her son. Then she begins dating a man who may have connections to help her bring Nicholas home from Germany, where her older son Johannes is also, fighting for the Allies. A touching story about the power of a mother’s love!