Susan Meissner has done it again! She has penned a beautiful, emotional, heartbreaking tale of friendship and war.

It is 1943 and fourteen-year-old Elise Sontag’s world is about to be turn upside down! She returns home from school one day and sees her father Otto Sontag being arrested and accused of being a Nazi sympathizer. As a result of this arrest Elise and her family are sent to an internment camp in Texas. Elise is scared and confused as to why this has happened to her and her family. All she wants is to just be a “normal teenager.” While at the camp Elise meets Mariko, a Japanese-American girl her age, and the two girls become fast friends. They vow to be friends forever, but due to circumstances beyond their control they lose touch with each other. Elise, now eight-one years old, wants nothing more than to find her friend and get the closure she desperately needs before it is too late.

I loved this book! The writing is exceptional and it is extremely well-researched. It is the perfect blend of fact and fiction. One of the many things I learned was that the Santa Anita race track was an assembly center that temporarily held Japanese-Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. I literally lived just a few miles down the street from Santa Anita and have even been to the race track on a few occasions. I immediately took to the internet to learn more about this, as I had no idea the race track I drove by nearly every day for years held this unfortunate piece of history!

At the center of this book is the friendship of Elise and Mariko. They have both had their lives ripped away from them and long to gain some normalcy. The friendship they forged was very touching and crossed barriers that others put into place. They saw each others’ hearts and the color of their skin was not relevant.

This book is so well written that I felt like I was sitting down for a cup of tea with my friend Elise while she opened up her heart to me and shared her life story. The good, the bad, and the ugly! I learned about her time in the U.S. just prior to her father being arrested, the unthinkable time she spent in the internment camp, the shocking deportation to her parents’ homeland Germany, and her quest to get back to the U.S. I grew quite fond of Elise and deeply admired her drive, attitude, and persistence. She is amazing!

I could go on and on about this book, but won’t. I beg you, just read it, you won’t be sorry!

Everyone has their genre that they tend to be drawn to when reading and I find myself most often swept up in WWII era novels so The Last Year of the War was in my wheelhouse so to speak. What drew me to the novel was that instead of focusing on Europe it told the stories of those that were in internment camps here in the United States. This whole chapter in our history is pretty much swept under the rug so I was intrigued by this story.

Elise and Mariko meet while they are both in Crystal City, Texas and form an unlikely friendship that both will never forget. I thought from the description of this novel that it would be mostly about their unlikely friendship and how it endured their eventual separation. Instead while their friendship plays a part of the story, it is mostly about Elise and her time during and after the war with an older Elise's story sets up the framework.

Overall I really enjoyed the story but I found it a smidge heavy on the telling instead of showing of the friendships. I think more could have been done to beef up the girls friendship but I did really enjoy getting to know Elise.

The Last Year of the War

I love reading World War II historical fiction, so I was super excited for this book. The premise for this book particularly piqued my curiosity. Unfortunately, the storytelling didn't live up to my expectations. I almost stopped halfway through, but decided I should push through so I could give a fair review.

What I liked:
You could tell Susan Meissner had thoroughly researched her topics. I enjoyed learning more about WWII internment camps in the United States. I honestly had no idea that German and Japanese citizens were repatriated back to their respective countries. Meissner also did a fine job of describing the various settings throughout the book so you could get a sense of the surroundings.

What I didn't like:
Unfortunately, the book didn't make me feel anything. The whole story hinges on Elise and Mariko's friendship, but I didn't really fell like they were undying friends. I think it would have been better if there had been a true moment where their friendship was forged.

The phrase that kept coming to mind was "Show, Don't Tell." The book just told and told and told, but didn't show. The plot just kept rolling on, but none of the events prompted anything more than a cursory reflection. Elise is in Pfzorheim when it is bombed, but this event is really not delved into. It's just another in a long string of things that happened to her.

4.5 stars

What an unbelievable story of friendship in so many different forms. This book brought to light some aspects of WW2 that I had not read about. I was not familiar with much about the internment of US citizens and residents during WW2.

I will admit that this book seemed a little long-winded to me so that is the only reason that I did not give it a full 5 stars. The last 1/3 of the book really picked up. I didn't want to put the book down.

Susan Meissner again brings us a wonderful story that is also thought provoking. One of several passages that continues to stick with me was "What made the three men different was how they chose to think. We decide who and what we will love and who and what we will hate.We decide what we will do with the love and hate. Every day we decide. It was this that revealed who we were, not the color of our flesh or the shape of our eyes or the language we spoke."

I received an ARC from NetGalley. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

one of the best books that I have read in a LONG time. . Full of everything that a book should be full of! I really really enjoyed it! Be warned some tears may fall if they don’t you may be heartless. Can’t wait to read the next book

Elise Dove narrates the story of her friendship with Mariko, whom she meets while both are interned in Crystal City, Texas, along with thousands of other Japanese, Germans, and Italians during World War II. Even though both girls were born in the United States, they, along with their families, are repatriated to Germany and Japan but attempt to stay in touch. Elise recounts her horrifying experiences in Germany during the last year of the war, where she learns to speak German and deals with privation, bombing raids, isolation, and losses, all the while yearning to return to the United States.

I was getting tired of novels about the world wars until I read The Last Year of the War. I absolutely loved this novel and cannot wait to recommend it to patrons, family members, and friends. I presume that many Americans have a good understanding of the atrocities tne U.S. government forced on the people from Germany, Italy, and Japan during WWII. This book educated me and kept me reading late into the night.

Thank you, Susan Meissner!

The Last Year of the War by Susan Meissner brought to light another chapter of the dreaded World War Ii that I knew little about--internment camps and the residents of those camps during the war. The characters brought this information forward in an exciting plot and a satisfying ending as their lives were woven together.

The Last Year of the War is a beautiful story that left me in tears. Many times.

Elise is an American born to German parents. Her family ends up in one of America's internment camps during World War II, and there she meets her good friend, Mariko. Circumstances force them apart, Elise to Germany and Mariko to Japan, and they aren't able to meet up with each other until they are both old women that are near death themselves. Elise has Alzheimer's and can barely remember the things that are happening today, but she remembers what happened during The Last Year of the War.

This is such a beautiful story. Their friendship is gorgeous, and the story feels so real, it felt like a true story at times, even though I know it was not. There are many details about World War II and the internment camps in this book that I know are true, but it doesn't read like a history book.

I absolutely love how this story played out and the ending is lovely too. I definitely recommend this book.

Leave it to Susan Meissner to take an aspect of WWII that little is known about, and bring it to the forefront in this wonderful novel! If you have read many stories from this time period, you are probably aware of the displacement of the US Japanese residents after the attack on Pearl Harbor. But were you aware that there were German Americans also sent to internment camps by virtue of their heritage? Elise's parents had been in this country for decades, yet various people conspire to have her father arrested as a threat to war security. Soon the entire family is shipped off to a barbed wire enclosed "camp" to spend their days, presumably until the war ends. It is within the camp that Elise meets a Japanese American girl and they develop a strong bond of friendship. While the majority of the book centers on the last year of the war, there is a modern day component as Elise tries to find out what happened to her best friend, as ultimately they both get sent from the camp. I loved the characters in this book, even the minor ones like Elise's mother, who never forgives herself for the role she plays in them being sent to the camp. This is a novel of unjust behavior, of perseverance, and of forgiveness, but mostly it is a novel of friendship helping you through bad times.

Ms. Meissner is an auto-buy author for me, I have thoroughly enjoyed all her books. I always learn something from history that I rarely knew about before reading. I would highly recommend this title, as well as any of her back titles.

Susan Meissner is an author you can always count on to delve into deep subjects and offer up well-written, thought-provoking prose, while telling you a beautiful story about human nature and teaching you about something you didn't know about before. This book is no different in this regard. This book takes place from the perspective of Elise Dove (nee Sontag), a German-American, who spent the last year of war (WWII) in an American Internment camp. While I was maybe aware that those camps existed during the war, this book brought to life the camp as well as what came before and after to families like Elise's, who simply had the misfortune of being German.

The book begins in 2010 when Elise, as an older woman diagnosed with Alzheimer's, feels the strong inclination to find her best friend from that last year of war, Mariko - a Japanese-American, who found herself in that same internment camp. As she seeks out her old friend, we are transported back in time to just before the bombing at Pearl Harbor, leading up to the friendship between Elise and Mariko. We see the world through Elise's viewpoint as her father is arrested and later as she and her family are all interned and later repatriated to Germany. The horrors of war are seen first-hand, and as a teenager, Elise is dealing with true ostracization - both in the US because of her German heritage and then in Germany because she's an American. Ms. Meissner pulls on your heart-strings as you are able to truly see and feel what Elise is experiencing.

The story-line is absolutely captivating and the characters are very likeable. Character growth and development is also a strong theme. My only complaint (and only because I discovered Susan Meissner when she wrote solely Christian fiction) was that God's name was taken in vain a few times (and it was really unnecessary in my opinion) and there were some minor swear-words. Though I know that this particular book is not labeled Christian Fiction, I've come to expect completely clean (free of any coarse language) from this author. There was not enough to detract from the book (I still gave it 5 stars), but it was a bit disappointing to me.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced E-copy of this book. I was under no obligation to write a review and the thoughts and opinions contained herein are my own.

I enjoy historical fiction and always look forward to Susan Meissner’s books. They often focus on a lesser known chapter in history or a topic I know little to nothing about. So I was thrilled to win an early copy from @berkleypub
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Her upcoming release follows the story of two teenage American girls living in internment camps during WWII. But don’t be quick to say, “Oh- another WWII book.” This book offers a fresh perspective. The story weaves themes of identity, family loyalty, loss, coming of age and friendship. All of which are impacted by the war.
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If you like historical fiction- add this to your TBR (Releases 3.19.19) Not only will you walk away with a memorable reading experience, you will have learned something new along the way. I love when that happens. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Susan Meissner does it again! This is the 5th book of hers I’ve read and they all draw you in from the very start and transport you to another time and place. She does an excellent job of developing the characters and makes you care deeply for them. Another read-way-past-my-bedtime kind of book! I read this through Net Galley but will probably buy the book when it’s released in March so I can pass it along to family and friends.

The unforgettable, shocking story of two young American girls and how their lives and the lives of their families are affected by World War II. The Last Year of the War tells the story of internment camps in the USA. A very eye-opening gripping story of friendship, good and evil and love and loss. One of my picks for the best books of 2018. Highly recommend to all interested in historical fiction and especially American history.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Historical novel about a lifelong bond between two girls who met in a WWII internment camp.

Susan Meissner’s latest novel, “The Last Year of the War” is set against the backdrop of World War II, but it could easily be written about today’s plight of immigrants around the world.
Elise Sontag Dove is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. She knows the dark pall is rapidly descending upon her, taking everything—and everybody---she has loved. Before it’s too late, Elise wants to find her friend, Mariko, whom she hasn’t seen since their families were housed near each other in an American-government sanctioned internment camp in Crystal City, Texas, in 1943-1944.
Through a series of fortunate events, Elise locates her friend who is now living in San Francisco. Will her disease rob her of her friend before she can see her again? Elise doesn’t know, but it’s urgent that she see her as soon as possible.
As Elise makes her way to meet her friend, she recalls growing up in Davenport, Iowa. Her parents had emigrated from Germany twenty years earlier. Although they were registered aliens, they had never applied for citizenship. They always thought there would be time. Davenport, Iowa, is not exactly a hotbed of Nazi sympathizers, but fear of the German war machine is racing across America. Suddenly, Elise’s father, Otto, is arrested and sent to an American-government internment camp. Elise is stunned but not quite as stunned as when her friends and their parents begin to shun the Sontags.
Otto requests, and is granted, relocation to a family internment camp in Crystal City, Texas. There she meets the Japanese-American girl, Mariko. The two become best friends, planning a future move to New York to become journalists after the war is over and they turn eighteen.
That dream dies when the families are pulled apart. Elise and her family are sent back to Germany while Mariko and her family are sent to Japan. Neither country is a welcome place in the middle of a world war. The girls are forced to stop having contact with each other, but Elise has never forgotten her friend.
“The Last Year of the War” is a fascinating look at fear of people who might be different than you and the unbreakable bonds of friendship. The dueling timelines, one of my favorite plot structures, is well done. I would estimate that ninety percent of the book takes place from 1943 on, which gives readers an opportunity to get to know Elise as she was before the Alzheimer’s begins to rob her.
It does drag a bit in the middle. That is the reason “The Last Year of the War” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Elise Sontag and Mariko Inoue meet at an internment camp in Texas during WW2. Elise is a German American and Mariko is a Japanese American. Elise's family is sent to the camp because the government is worried her father is a Nazi sympathizer even though he has been living in America for 20 years and Elise and her younger brother Max were both born in America. At the camp, most people stick their own nationality. A friendship between German and Japanese girls is unheard of.They dream of turning 18 and going to New York to start their lives. In the last year of the war, Elise and her family is sent back to Germany. Elise doesn't even speak German. This book is a heartbreaking story of two unlikely friends and the horrors of war. I loved the characters and the descriptions are so real you are in the camps with Elise and Mariko and in Germany with Elise and her family. I truly enjoyed this book and tissues will be needed while you are reading. I received an advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Berkley. All opinions are my own.

At age 81, Elise Dove traveled from her home in Los Angeles to San Francisco to see her old friend, Mariko who was dying of cancer. It had been over sixty years since they had seen each other, and this was their last chance to look back at their lives and experiences.

Elise and Mariko became friends during World War II when they were elementary school students. Mariko’s family was of Japanese descent and lived in California. Elise’s family was of German descent and lived in Iowa. With little or no proof, the families were suspected of sympathizing/conspiring with the enemies the United States was fighting. Both families were displaced from their homes and transported to an internment camp in Crystal City, Texas and their lives were irrevocably changed.

This well written and well researched novel focuses on the injustices perpetrated on thousands of citizens and immigrants who resided in the United States during World War II. While the horrific atrocities that were committed by the Nazis were far worse, it is still important to expose injustices that were committed here. Ms. Meissner’s characters are believable, the sense of place is very realistic, and the experiences they had are based on fact. This timely historical novel is definitely worth reading!

Thank you to First to Read, NetGalley, Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Random House, and author Susan Meissner for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC of this historical novel.

Yet another little known part of the war, Meissner knows her stuff. Sure to be a bo
ok club favorite this season.

Set against the American and German front, Susan Meissner's newest novel The Last Year of the War focuses on a little teenage girl as she experiences prejudice and hate because of her heritage. I have read plenty of novels that feature World War II, but majority of them focus on the German's reign across Europe and through London, so it was nice to actually see what the Americans were doing at the same time. The Last Year of the War is an original story with a frame narrative told as a flashback of an older woman experiencing Alzheimer's. For readers who usually stay away from World War II fiction because of all the violence, there really isn't much in this book. We understand the world from a fifteen-year-old who feels trapped and betrayed. Even though the story was different, there were moments, I felt like the story just kept going and going. When was it going to end? Then it sped up, and there wasn't many pages left in the novel. The meeting between the heroine and her friend seemed a major disappointment too. (It could be just me.) The romance wasn't really an plot point either. Overall, The Last Year of the War was a nice change to focus on for World War II, so I learned more about the war. But would I pick it up again and read it? Probably. It was entertaining enough for a second pass through.

I received a complimentary copy of The Last Year of the War by Susan Meissner from Berkley Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.