I’ll start by saying The Light After the War ended up being not quite what I had expected going in, but one I ended up enjoying once I really got into it. If I had to sum it up in few words, I’d say it read like a coming of age story with a historical backdrop. Surprisingly to me, because it took a while for them to grow on me, the two main characters turned out to be a highlight for me, as I especially appreciated seeing them go and grow through the experiences and circumstances they faced. Both Vera and Edith definitely had their flaws (don’t we all?) but each had a unique strength and perseverance to make the most of what they were handed and see things through, that I really found myself rooting for them all along the way.

As for the story itself, it was very clearly researched and I really felt like I was immersed in the various settings right alongside the characters. There were also some little twists and turns here and there that I wasn’t expecting, which was fun, but overall I guess I just wanted a little bit more. More history, more glimpses into the past, more of an ending. Everything was a little too easy at times and I was left wishing for a bit more depth.

I’m still really happy I read this story of friendship/sisterhood, love, resilience, survival in the aftermath of war, and boldly facing the future while still moving on from the past. I definitely saw the heart that the author poured into this story, and it made it even more meaningful once I realized it was a true story about the author’s family.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for the gifted copy.

Thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this historical fiction book set just after ww2 about Vera and Edith Hungarian girls who escaped Auschwitz by jumping from a train. After WW2 they first move to Capri and then on to Caracas when they can't immigrate to the US. I could see the beauty in Naples through the girls eyes once they arrive and how they enjoy being young and alive there. Vera is the primary character, and we learn more about her life and her parents in flashbacks and of her childhood friendship with Edith during that time. I liked learning about Venezuela and how some Jews went there before and after the war. I enjoyed that the plot wasn't predictable and the book was based on a true story. Pick it up if you are a fan of historical fiction!

I should start this review by stating that I read an ARC e-galley from Atria Books through Net Galley. The final product may differ.

I need to be honest and say that I had mixed feelings on this book. I am a huge WWII genre fan and I really like true stories the best as I tend to find them inspiring and compelling. However, while this story is based on true events, I found it hard to believe. (But hey – truth can be stranger than fiction!). I struggled to connect to both of the main characters, preferring Vera over Edith as Edith seemed petulant and self-centered for most of the book. I found events hard to believe (e.g. one of the Rothschilds sees their picture in Time Magazine and sponsors them to come to the US but drops dead and can’t pick them up at Ellis Island so they go elsewhere; Vera falls in love with her boss and they truly love each other, but he leaves her as he can’t have children due to mumps as a child). I guess the thing that is hardest for me is that throughout this story, people want to help these two young women not because they have been through and survived the Holocaust and lost their families, but because they are beautiful.

I struggled a bit with the writing in parts, esp in the dialogues, but again, my copy was an ARC.

So – I did find the story really interesting of how they survived while hiding in a barn and helping with a farm, and how they went to Caracas as many Jewish refugees did and started over, and how they rebuilt their lives. And maybe all the amazing events are true — as I said truth can be stranger than fiction — there really was an Edith Ban who was a Hungarian Holocaust survivor who lived in Boston, was she the same Edith as in this book?

Overall I was left with mixed emotions. I don’t want this review to seem negative, I’m just being honest. I would have loved a bit at the end where the author says what’s true and what isn’t!

If you want a WWII read that is part romance and part survival and based on true events, then pick up a copy of The Light After the War! Let me know what you think.

The Light After the War is a beautifully told story of two girls trying to make sense of life after World War Two. After losing everything else to the war, Vera and Edith only have each other as they navigate each step forward to rebuilding their lives. They spend their years together working through what a new normal means in terms of being a post-war woman including jobs, love, and dreams.

So many mixed reviews in this one!!
Based on true events, best friends Vera and Edith escape Auschwitz by jumping off the train and hiding out until they were able to flee.
Resilience, friendship, and love make up this beautiful story.

Anita Abriel has written a great debut. Based on the events of her mother's life, Abriel tells a story of two teenage girls that defy the odds at every turn despite all the tragedies that they experience. Abriel weaves the hard-to-read truth about the war with the life experiences of these girls.

I found this to be a very quick and engrossing book. I read it in little over a day. I will definitely be looking for more books in the future from this author.

I’m a fan of WWII novels but I especially enjoy those that are based on a true story. Anita Abriel pens a beautiful and haunting story depicting her mother’s life. The reader gets to see glimpses of what might have been her mother’s most cherished memories - remembrances of love, love lost, and her beloved family.

Once I started this delicious novel, I simply could not put it down. I needed to know what happened to Jewish friends Vera Frankel and Edith Ban who fled Budapest and the war, living in hiding for over a year. I needed to know that they were alright as they temporarily settled in Italy. These best friends, so very different from one another, were tied to each other forever after being birthed just days a part.

Their journey takes them around the world as they endeavor to live their best possible lives, not accepting the hands they were dealt. The best way that I can describe this book is that it is a celebration of life. When the darkness of all these women endured could have shattered them forever, they chose to focus on the light. This novel is so well-written, I felt I was on the journey with these two astounding and unforgettable women. I highly recommend this novel and intend to gift it to friends.

I received an advance copy of this novel; all opinions are my own.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this. I will be posting a full review to Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram.

This story is based on a true story from the author's own family. The second historical fiction book that I read recently that dealt with the time after WWII. In this story two young Jewish girlfriends have escaped the Hungary and the Holocaust and have ended up in Naples Italy, where they are trying to get on with their lives. Vera, the more serious of the two lands a job working for the American Embassy where she meets Anton. Against her better judgement they fall in love, but Anton has tragedies of his own. Edith, Vera's best friend has always been looking for love, especially since her first love was lost in the war. They both try to find a way to enjoy life after so much tragedy. The story takes the reader to Caracas, Ellis Island and even back to Budapest, as these young women try to rebuild their lives after losing everything

What a great tribute to a true story. Vera and Edith are wonderful characters that I enjoyed following their journey.
A historical fiction novel with a love story, heartache and loss as well as hope. Thank you NetGalley!

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First things first, I think that Anita Abriel has such a unique and beautiful writing style. Her details were so deep and rich. I enjoyed that so much. I LOVE historical fiction, and I was absolutely here for this story. Edith and Vera were just such powerful characters that you just loved to know.

I love how this story was formatted after the life of Abriel's mother and her best friend. It was absolutely beautiful. Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

This story was incredible. The author’s voice is beautiful and writes with details that are so rich and delicious. You’re right there with Vera and Edith in Naples and can smell and taste the bolognese and can see the bright colors and hear noise of Caracas. ⠀

The story of the two women’s journey from Budapest during WWII, their escape from the train to Auschwitz, and as refugees after the war trying to make a life for themselves is empowering. It’s a story of struggle and overcoming adversity, but also of love and success and joy. ⠀

I found myself laughing right along with Vera and Edith, and crying with them as well. This was a story that will definitely stick with me for a while. ⠀

The Light After the War is the story of Vera & Edith post WWII. These two Jewish Hungarian girls managed to survive the war by being pushed off a train to Auschwitz by their mothers and hiding in an Austrian barn for a year. In 1946 they are told that their mothers were killed and that they should go to Naples where they can start over. After a couple of failed lover affairs in Naples they find themselves invited to come to America by a wealthy philanthropist but when they arrive a Ellis Island they discover that their benefactor died the week before.

What should they do now? With a Cunard brochure in hand they randomly select Caracas. For the next few years they live in Caracas where they meet new friends, start new careers, and one even gets married, but this is not the end of their story.

The Light After the War is actually the story of the author's mother and her best friend. The book feels very much like We Were the Lucky Ones in the fact that they are both written by the character's family member. There is a simplicity to the writing but a love in the story that would not exist if the author did not have an unconditional love for the people who are the characters.

I am a huge fan of historical fiction so when I read the description of this book I knew I had to read it. This book takes place during World War II and is about two Hungarian women who have escaped a train headed to Auschwitz. Auschwitz is a horrible concentration camp, I have read several other historical fiction novels that are based on true stories and it just sounds so awful. The story focuses mostly on the friendship between the two main characters, Vera and Edith. This is a very powerful story about these two women and the aftermath of WWII and how so many people had to completely start new lives. I highly recommend this book to every historical fiction lover.

After escaping a train destined for Auschwitz, friends Vera and Edith find very different post-war lives. Based on the the experiences of the author's mother, this is written in a poignant and touching style. Recommended reading.

The Light After the War describes life during WW!! for the Jewish population who had to run from the Germans. The two central characters are young teenages when the book begins. They had been gathered up with their parents and many other Jews and put ina train on its way to a camp. Oneof their mothers pused themout ofthedoor wheit opened for a short time. This began their jurney looking for safty and someplace to call home. Both are haunted by the loss of their mothers and home. However as the books title tells us there was light at the end for both young woman. They were part of the lucky ones who could ake a life for themselves after the war. Allthose who are intereested inhistory wswhould read thisbook.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting, yet it kept my interest throughout. There is more focus on romances and relationships than on Vera and Edith's actual experience of escaping the train headed to Auschwitz and their lives during that time. At first I was really disappointed in how Vera's romance with Anton played out as well as some of the following situations Vera and Edith experienced; however, I then remembered that The Light after the War is inspired by the author's mother's real life. And real life comes with sadness and disappointment and tragedy. Things don't always go the way we wish they'd go, yet we keep going. I can't imagine the strength it took for Vera and Edith to keep going, but they did. They made something of their lives when they could have just curled up and died. I wouldn't have blamed them. Their strength is inspiring.

I received this novel ARC from Netgalley. Thank you to Netgalley.

Vera and Edith are two displaced young women who escape a moving traincar to Auschwitz. Thinking their parents are dead, they try to make a life for themselves in post-war Europe. Eventually, the twists and turns of their lives take them to Venezuela, where their lives will never be the same.

Overall, I enjoyed the read and progressed through it quickly. At times, it felt a little too much like a romance novel, but on the whole, an enjoyable read.

The Light After The War is a lesson in life:
how to continue through tragedy, heartache, guilt and sometimes continuing means that you have to do it over and over again.
Although this book is told through narrative that tells instead of shows the lessons that are learned are poignant.

Vera’s mother-in-law, Alessandra Albee, a strong, independent women who lectures at the local University, but knows that Venezuelan men expect certain behaviors from their wives, teaches Vera a very important lesson when she first meets Vera.

Do you know what the most important human trait is? It is not Piety, as our Catholic priests would wish; it’s not honesty or even loyalty. It is empathy. If we don’t have empathy for others, we are finished. How can we learn empathy without studying history and geography and Literature?”

"Empathy is not a normal virtue in most people’s lives. Usually, it is either something you are born with, or something you can learn if you are willing to let life show you the beauty of each human being. Not everyone will ever learn to be empathetic. Most live selfish lives only thoughts of what life can give them. This might be because they aren’t being stretched through hardship and struggle as people did during WWII. Life is much easier when there is prosperity.

Vera lives an empathetic life. She observes everything around her, she sees that life can have meaning and that you can add meaning to other’s lives too. Most of The Light After The War comes from her interactions with others she encounters in the four years that she is wandering with Edith trying to find a life that gives meaning to the both of them.

Vera meets Rabbi Gorem after she learns her parents are alive and they arrive in Venezuela. He plays chess with her father, Lawrence, and provides Vera with a spirituality that Vera hasn’t had while trying to find meaning in her life after being pushed off the train to Auschwitz. I personally believe that combined with Alessandra’s lesson on empathy and this lesson from Rabbi Gorem, there is hope that the world will never repeat the atrocities that happened during WWII if we keep teaching what happened to all generations after ours.

"In Judaism we take the study of the soul very seriously. God could not create the soul in everyone equally. Some people are born with Souls that reach for the light like buds in spring. For others it’s more difficult to seek true meaning, their thoughts get in the way.
But God makes sure no one’s life is for nothing. Every Jew who died in the camps left behind something: a piece of music or a poem or a new idea.”

Anton, Vera’s first love (and boss,) Anton while on a trip to Capri teaches her about the light that can be found even during darkness.

"During the Roman Empire, Tiberius built twelve villas in Anacapri… He ruled the most important empire on earth from this spot. After the Roman Empire fell, civilization went dark. For centuries the world revolved around war and disease and death. But now we have the Sistine Chapel and the Louvre. We have Shakespeare and Dante and Proust. Symphonies perform Mozart and Beethoven, and museums display Rembrandt and Monet. Europe will recover from Hitler’s atrocities, and a new crop of artists and philosophers will emerge. No one man can wipe out truth and beauty. Human beings were born to create great things, and they will do so again.”

I truly believe that “not one man can wipe out truth and beauty”. That is paramount to remember, especially during times where people believe that a dictator or a president can destroy the fabric of their lives. Hitler’s ideas and values devastated and killed millions of innocent lives. Survivor’s had guilt, they mourned, they pushed on to live how they could. Some decided they could push on even in the concentration camps because the Germans couldn’t take their thoughts and their prayers away even if they took everything else.

Like the sun coming through the clouds even after a devastating storm there is brightness and light if only we look for it and add to it.

Thank you Netgalley, Atria Books and Anita Abriel for the opportunity to read The Light After The War in lieu of my honest review.

The premise of this story, based on the author's mother's experiences following the war, immediately jumped out and grabbed me - two best friends that survive WWII and then travel to Italy, America, and Venezuela as they try to rebuild their lives.

I wanted to be blown away by this book, but it never came to that - although I did like it well enough, and it was a solid debut. I never really felt connected to either of the girls (Vera and Edith), and some of the things they did made absolutely no sense. The main character, Vera, was very hypocritical at times, and it was hard to take her seriously during these too-frequent moments. I did like the friendship between Edith and Vera, or what was shown of it, and the flashbacks showed promise for future books by this author.

If I could have asked for one thing, it would have been a more elaborate Author's Note or Acknowledgments (maybe there will be one in the finished copy, this was an eARC). So much of the experiences described seem far fetched, and it made enjoying the story more difficult. Even knowing the basic outline of her mother's true journey and relationships would have helped, I think. As it stands it was an enjoyable book, but not one that I would put high on my list of WWII Historical Fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley & Atria Books for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date. This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.