Agnes and Dieter are children in East Prussia during WWII. Germans by birth, they must escape the Russian invasion of their homeland. Their father is drafted to fight and the family must survive in oppressive conditions.
The story timeslips to the present in the UK where Agnes, in her 80s, is the neighbor to Finn and another grad student. They take Agnes under their wings and keep track of her. A famous pianist post war, Agnes has a story to tell. As she warms up to them, she shares her WWII story.

In 1944 East Prussia, Agnes is left alone with her young brother. Basically becoming feral, the two children do what they can to evade the wrath of the Nazis. An uplifting and poignant story.

The cover of this book picked me. It caught my attention and I had to read it. I'm glad I did. It was excellent. I felt all the raw emotions you can experience while reading. It was just what I needed at the time. Just what you may need also?! Forget about anything else you need to do and dive right in. You'll be immediately hooked like I was and nothing else in the world matters except finishing this book. You could tell that Ann Bennett wrote this from her heart and it made it that much more amazing. I highly recommend it! I think you'll love it!

This is the first book I’ve read by Ann Bennett and I was utterly amazed at how the book drew me in. What a fantastic author! The characters are rich in depth along with the plot and dual timeline. With some dual timeline books you get lost along the way, but not this one!

It’s completely authentic and well researched. I’ve read many historical fiction books and this is right up the top with the best. You will be engrossed, saddened, and on an emotional rollercoaster.

The Child Without a Home
by Ann Bennett

Dual timeline - World War II - England - East Prussia - Orphans - Brothers & Sisters - Forgiveness - Bravery - Survival - Family Secrets - Lost Countries - Children - Lithuania - Wolf Children

Heart-wrenching World War II novel about East Prussian orphans - "wolf children" - stuck between the approaching Russian Army and the menacing German Army. A young girl tries to keep a promise to her mother to protect her younger brother, no matter the cost. Tragedy after tragedy follows. What a terrible, heart-breaking time to be alive. Highly recommend!

I was gifted this advance copy by NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Loved this book set in WW II and present day. The dual timeline is wonderful and the story of 12 year-old Agnes in East Prussia during 1944 and 1945 is heart breaking. During present day the story of Agnes meeting her new neighbor Freyar when Freyar moves into the house next door is so heart warming. It had me in tears. Such a wonderful story of pain and healing. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book

this book set in WW2, historical and gripping, it certainly gives the reader something to think about. Story begins in Prussia, where women and children are forced to leave their homes.. This leaves 2 young children alone in a vast woodland, one trying to protect the other and survive against all the odds. Well written, really enjoyed this book. It grips your mind then the tears fall.

Agnes and Dieter's story is heart-wrenching. The terrible things endured and brought upon the innocents of the world because of the consequences of war re unspeakable. The time and lives wasted because of the fanatical meanderings of one man is so out of our realm of understanding as to almost be believed to have been a fictional story. ?So sad that is was anything but.
:The Child Without a Home" shines light on the high cost of WWII, not just to those who experienced it first hand, but to generations who came after.
A highly readable novel, bring the box of tissues and set aside some time, once you start reading you won't want to stop.
Thank you to Bookouture and Net Galley for the free ARC, I am giving my honest review in return.

What a heart wrencher9 this is. Agnes' story told movingly and respectfully. What Agnes suffered is unbelievable in the terrible days nearing the end of the war. Living in East Prussia, Agnes and her family were living near to starvation and in permanent fear of both German and Russian armies. The story switches between time frames and as Agnes nears the end of her life, she is befriended by her neighbours Freya and Finn in Cambridge.

Freya has issues and worries of her own regarding her brother and her grandfather who has recently died and who was also affected by his experiences in the war.

Ann Bennett is a wonderful writer and has thoroughly researched this period of history. I was not really aware of East Prussia and its horrendous persecution by both sides, German and Russian.

Thank you Netgalley.

A harrowing story about a side of the war we don’t seem to read so much about. The story is told during the war years alongside a current story. An excellent book

On my goodness. My first Ann Bennett novel and The Child Without a Home really takes you on a journey. Based on real life, the story tells us of Agnes' memories during 1945, and we learn about the "Little Germans". We really need to know these stories so that we can understand what people went through. I'm not ashamed to say that I had a few tears at some points. Powerful story.

Like a lot of the books I am reading right now in this genre I am loving the historical elements not so much the modern timelines, for me they are nowhere near as powerful. Still I am glad that I have read the book.

I was given an advance copy by the publishers and netgalley but the review is entirely my own.

It’s been two years since I have last read a book by Ann Bennett and in that time I had forgotten just how much of a great author she is. The Child Without a Home is her new novel and, as with the previous excellent books I have read by this author, I was completely sucked in from the very beginning. I always think based on the covers of the books that they will be family sagas and then am always pleasantly surprised by the depth of the stories. This new story proved to be no exception and as it was a dual timeline story (which is my favourite kind of read) going between the past and the years of World War Two, I found myself fascinated by the events that were unfolding. Both elements to the story were as strong as each other and it moved seamlessly from one to another. Although I found myself engrossed in the present that I didn’t want to venture back to the past and vice versa when the change occurred again. So that to me is the sign of a strong and riveting book that can hold my attention and leave me always wanting more.

In the present day, Freya is returning to Cambridge to continue work on her thesis. She had left for some time away following the breakdown of her relationship with Cameron. The brief glimpses we get of Cameron make you soon realise that Freya was much better off without him. I loved that Freya’s focus of study was history even though the topic that she was studying wasn’t grabbing her attention but the seeds of a more interesting story were scattered in front of her if she was willing to nurture them and watch them grow. Freya moves into a new flat and soon meets her neighbour Finn. They have a slightly uneasy friendship at first. I think Freya wasn’t that willing to be open to men of any kind given her recent experiences despite how nice Finn seemed to be me but I sensed that could all change. But Freya and relationships were not the dominant theme of this book and I am glad in the way this was handled because this isn’t a romance story at all. Instead when Freya meets another neighbour Agnes then the real plot of the book starts to be developed.

Agnes lives on her own and is in her 80‘s. She is cold, prickly and defensive. Deep down you could tell if she had someone who was willing to be there for her, and show her some care and attention, then she had a story that was worth sharing. That she had suffered an awful lot and been through such emotional and physical turmoil which has lingered long in her mind. Freya is wracked by guilt that her brother Matthew left on bad terms with her for an assignment for his job. Their grandfather had recently died and she had expected to be left some of his belongings, primarily a chest which contained details and items from his time as a Polish RAF pilot. An argument had ensued between Matthew and Freya and she hadn’t wanted this to happen at all. Will learning of Agnes’s story, when she eventually opens up to Freya, help her reconcile with Matthew?

It’s not just the argument that has Freya’s mind in a spin. It’s the way her grandfather had never forgiven her for something and the fact he refused to talk about what happened to him during the war. There are so many emotions running through Freya’s head and it’s easy to see she needs to find some sort of resolution in order to move on with her life and continue working on her thesis. As she spends time with Agnes and grows closer to her the picture of a castle in a woods that hangs on the wall of Agnes’ house starts to have a significant meaning. A powerful, haunting and soul destroying story emerges and despite the tough subject matter re. Agnes and what she endured I found myself utterly compelled by what I was reading. In hearing Agnes’s story of the past it really starts to help Freya make sense of the present and future and perhaps she can set about the right path she needs to venture on.

It was evident there was so much research done by the author in order to make Agnes’s story as authentic as possible. I felt I was on an endurance journey with her where events lurched from one bad scenario to an even worse one. Agnes’s grew up in a little village in East Prussia. I had never read anything about this area of Germany before and it made me realise how much ordinary German citizens suffered as a result of the war also. Especially as the Russians edged ever closer as the German defeat was on the horizon. It was a harrowing, dangerous, cruel and heart-breaking story that unfolded and I thought there was so much injustice and loss that befell Agnes and her younger brother Dieter. Agnes’s story is mostly set during the winter of 1944/45 and my god the freezing temperatures and deep snow made the situation 100 times worse. I felt the cold echoing from the pages and this only intensified the hardships Agnes and her family were enduring. It was all so hard to read about and I can’t even comprehend what the people of Prussia were going through knowing they had to flee as the Russians were advancing. For if they stayed the consequences didn’t bare thinking about.

You forget as you read about Agnes’s story that really she was only a child herself who had to grow up overnight. Her father is conscripted to fight for the German’s and she is left with her mother and brother. Food is next to impossible to find and even though they go to stay on their Aunt’s farm digging through the snow to find sustenance is just such a heart-breaking image. What shines through about Agnes is her bravery, strength, grit, courage and determination. She seeks every opportunity going to try and provide for her family. It’s like she takes on the role of her father in his absence and she is hopefully that nothing bad will happen to her mother, aunt and brother if she can keep finding food.

Agnes’s story is painful to read about but is an important one to be told in order to honour the sacrifices and bravery of so many at the time. Of how so many were lost but yet there were those that came through it. But what they experienced affected their lives forever. What was witnessed could not be unseen and the suffering and loss will never make up for the regret Agnes lives with. She made a promise and broke it, through no fault of her own, and in the present day it eats away at her. You can’t help but think she is being too harsh on herself but that is the type of woman she is.

There are so many twists and turns to Agnes and Dieter’s story, I felt like I was on a rollercoaster. At some points you see a glimmer of hope and then that hope is dashed, and you think god what else can the author possibly throw at them? How are they still standing and going strong in the face of such horror, adversity and hardship? It was one thing after another, and I thought oh god they desperately need a break. I don’t think I can cope with much more of this but then as I neared the end of the book and I was reflecting on what I had read, I came to appreciate that the hardships had to be there. For this is what the people endured for six long years and for Agnes and her family the worst came towards the end with the Russians as a new enemy. War stole their childhood and robbed them of their innocence in the most horrific of ways and showed how the consequences of the Nazi regime and the Russian invasion were so absolutely devastating for so many ordinary innocent people. The Child Without a Home is a brilliant and unputdownable read. It’s deeply emotional and filled with characters that will linger on in your mind long after you have read the final word.

East Prussia, 1944, Agnes is just 12 years old when everyone in her village is forced to fight for the Nazis while all the women and children are forced to leave their homes. But when tragedy strikes her family, Agnes and her brother Dieter, are completely alone. Agnes takes care of her brother the best that she can. Cambridge, present day, Freya is devastated at the loss of her grandfather. Not only did he raise her but, she loved hearing his stories of when he was a pilot in World War Two. Now he is gone and so are his stories. Soon, Freya meets her new next door neighbor, Agnes and there is something very familiar about her. Agnes has stories of her own and some of them, if told would change everything Freya knows about her own family. This book was so captivating, I was on edge while flipping through the pages as fast as I could, to find out what was going to happen. I felt a connection with Agnes, and I admired her courage, determination, and will to survive. Her bravery and dedication to protecting her younger brother was truly heartwarming. This was an emotional, heartbreaking and engrossing read. I loved this story and it is a must read for every historical fiction fan.

Thank you Ann Bennett for such a wonderful story. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved that it was a time slip novel. The storyline of 1944 and present day was really amazing and kept me totally interested. The connection to the characters was really heartwarming. I enjoyed this story from the beginning to the end. I highly recommend it.

Kudos to Ann Bennett for bringing her readers right into the lives of two young children fleeing the Soviet Army in 1945. The resilience of Agnes, 12 years old, and her brother, Dieter, 8 years old will long be remembered. I cannot imagine the hardships and grief they experienced in their attempts to flee East Prussia. This is the first book I have read that shared the horrors of the Soviet troops and the debilitating conditions that existed for the population of East Prussia.
The plight of orphaned children living on their own in heavily wooded areas scrounging for a few meager bites to keep them alive while remaining invisible from the Soviet army was heartbreaking. These children were known as wolfskinder. They were true survivors. Ann Bennett truly made them come alive and made me feel so powerless to help these poor children. Knowing this actually happened was devastating to me.
Agnes’s story was so intense that Freya’s story paled in comparison. As a reader, I was again reminded that everyone has been shaped by their experiences in life and everyone needs to be treated with kindness as there may well be reasons why people act/react the way they do. Agnes’s commitment and love of Dieter will long remain in my thoughts.
This story is truly an incredible part of history so skillfully brought to life. Many many thanks to Ann Bennett, Bookouture, and NetGalley for affording me the pleasure of reading an arc of this just published book.

Reading The Child Without a Home was a deeply moving and emotional experience. A duel timeline historical fiction of Prussia at the end of World War II and modern day England. You will feel so many emotions reading this story.
A story about how the past has the power to change everything and reveal long kept secrets.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

This was a heartbreaking and emotional story from the first page.

It's a historical novel with dual timelines. It takes place in modern day Cambridge and in Prussia at the end of world war 2.

The main characters are amazing in this and you really feel for them and what they went through.

Highly recommend

Oh this one is beautiful. Heart breaking. Poignant. Just wonderful. Written with such heart. This author is just amazing and this book is Wow!

Thoroughly enjoyed A Child From Home. Ann's last book was my first time reading her work so I was thrilled to nab a copy of this one.
I adore historical fiction and A Child From Home gave me such a great insight into East Prussia. A slightly different angle for reading about world war 2
She writes with such great skill that you know this author has done her research and feels passionate about her story. Her characters Freya & Agnes I simply loved.
I quite enjoyed the build up to their friendship and the two timelines between now and East Prussia 1945 helped tell the story superbly.
Agnes had a sad life and I really felt for her.
Freya felt so bad with how it all ended with her grandfather that I hoped the friendship between herself and Agnes would in time help her see her grandfather in a different light.
An excellent read, well worth your time.

Two stories that move between present and past, between the present moment and WW2 between Prussia and Cambridge.

Freya is devastated after her grandfather passed away, she is looking for answers but at the same time is trying to move on with her career, but things are not as easy as they seem and once Freya meets her news neighbor she will understand more of what she is looking for.

The stories of Agnes a young girl trying to survive the war, determined to follow her mother wishes to care for her younger brother when everything around them is making it impossible to survive, the germans, the red army, and the displaced people trying to find food all around.

A great friendship is formed, Agnes, Freya, and Finn a neighbor who has been very kind in helping Agnes for a while. The past stories of Agnes were very sad I really had a hard time reading everything she and her brother went through it was always someone trying to undermine their progress or sabotaging everything they had gained, there was no love no kindness, or any consideration even for kids. is like the war made everybody cold and didn't have a once of empathy.

Eventually, the two stories intertwine and make great sense of what was happening during those days of WW2 for Agnes and Freya's grandfather.

Agnes was a very strong heroine, she was smart, kind and did everything she could to help her brother and others around her. I was amazed at how strong she was but it also made me sad the burden she was carrying in her heart, as she felt responsible for whatever he brother went through a promise she felt very responsible to fulfill.

I also love how Freya grew up with the friendship of Agnes, I felt she became more mature, more grounded than when she arrived in the neighborhood.

One of the things that I really liked was when finally Freya spoke to her brother, they really were making too much of a deal of what happened in the past with their grandfather. I felt like Agnes was right there was no time to waste and to make things balanced again between them especially after learning about Dimitri

This wasn't an easy ready, I cried and felt sad and anxious most of the time but it was a good story

Overall it was a good story and entertaining.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookoture.