Member Reviews
Took me a little while to get into this audio book but I began to get engrossed in the story. I do enjoy books set during this piece of history. Quite sad in places but made me think about what folk went through during the war. Great narration to bring the story alive.
Listening to Miriam’s and Rosa’s stories in this audiobook was enjoyable; both author and narrator did an excellent job of entertaining the listener with this war story of love and heartache. I’d highly recommend a listen. My thanks to Bookoutre Audio for granting me a digital copy to review.
I read a lot of World War II historical fiction, but I wanted to read something else, something beside the battles on the front or the life in the concentration camps, and that's what I got in this novel.
It is 1945, and the concentration camps have been liberated. Germany is controlled by Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Refugees have flooded the streets and many are looking to leave the country. Miriam is the only survivor in her family beside her daughter, Rosa, who married Daniel and managed to immigrate to England before the war began. Arriving in Great Britain, Miriam starts a race against to look for her daughter, the only relative she has.
After many hours at the border, Miriam is devastated by the journey she has made, on foot, walking for weeks, without food, without proper clothing or shelter, the only thing that kept her alive was the hope of finding her daughter alive. She is determined not to let anyone stop her and dreams of the moment when she will meet her daughter again. The unexpected help comes from one of the customs officers, Jack, who happens to know Rosa. With Jack's help, Miriam has a huge chance to find her daughter in a strange and unknown city, destroyed by the bombings.
The two women had a very hard life, Rosa became a distrustful wife, who is in an unhappy marriage, but can’t divorce because of Hans, her son. However, she is an extremely strong, brave and fearless woman. Miriam is a woman who has nothing to lose. A German woman in London, alone, without money and without documents. Her luck was Jack.
Although most of this story is told in 1945, there are a few flashbacks where we find out why Rosa married Daniel and they fled to Britain. The story is relaxing. The novel tells both Miriam's and Rosa's stories. However, what I liked the most was that everything happens in the present, and the characters briefly remember the past. Liz Trenow has written a beautiful story that is both heartbreaking and full of hope. The book touches many other subjects, including sexual and domestic abuse, women's roles in society, deception, war criminals or prejudices.
I listened to the novel and it was very nice. The audiobook was narrated by Karen Cass who did a wonderful job with the voices of the characters. There were different ages, accents and characters, both male and female and she did a great job, giving them their own voice. Her expression added emotion and the rhythm was great for me, especially since I'm not used to listening to books.
Searching for my Daughter by Liz Trenow is a story of WWII and the aftermaths. I can't imagine what it was like to look for someone in the aftermath of that horrendous time. Before computers could list their names for us to look through and before the Nazis destroyed piles and piles of records. Simply heart-rending. And that is what this story gives us.. When Miriam Kaufmann is released from a concentration camp at the end of the war, the only thought she has is to find her daughter. Rosa is married and in London, but Miriam isn't sure how to even begin looking for her. She meets Jack, a border guard, and the two set out together to find her. A gripping story about love and family and hope, the book had me shaking my head and praying that it all worked out in the end. Read and see what happened for yourself!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to listen to the audiobook. The narrator did a good job!
This story starts with Rosa. The young Jewess was abused by her wicked employer, a nazi officer. But she's made a deal with the devil to save her beloved father, and paid a brutal price. When the opportunity arrived to escape the hell that she called life - Rosa jumped to it without further thought. Unfortunately, what she thought would be an escape to a better life placed her family into danger.
Horrific years of the war have passed, and there is peace in the world at last. Miriam is on her way to London to find her daughter. Her journey is rough, but she meets all the right people and her chances to find her daughter is very high.
A beautiful, heartwarming story of a family that has been torn apart by the war. Although I knew this book would have a happy ending, the actual finale of the story was better than I expected. I've enjoyed following Miriama and Rosa's stories. After reading tens of WWII books, and revisiting each unique story, this novel gives yet another moving uplifting ending. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy of this lovely novel.
Based around the time of the holocaust and the turmoil that families went through, not only devastation but also loss of family and friends and those that have survived……looking for them.
This was so well written I could easily place myself in the footsteps of the mother looking for her child.
Walking miles upon miles. Getting to another camp to queue up only to be turned away for the day.
Heartbreakingly realistic.
Liz Trenow has become one of my historical authors who have lately discovered I just love her writing.
I listened to this on netgalley audio. I thought the narrator did a grand job of pitch power and pace
This is a really moving book and most enjoyable, if you can enjoy hearing about such awful atrocities of history. The characters are well developed, although it did feel as if Miriam was much younger than she is. Perhaps she felt younger having missed out on such key years of her life. I won't try to describe the story here as others have done so already. Suffice to say, you won't be disappointed in this book if you enjoy 20th C historical fiction.
Searching for My Daughter is astonishingly moving. This book shattered my heart and filled it to overflowing, all within one story. Three stories of extraordinary courage intertwine in the run up, horror of, and chaotic aftermath of World War II.
The story begins with Miriam Kaufmann, freshly released from Auschwitz. Miriam walked a long way to reach a British checkpoint in Germany, desperate for a visa to get to England. Her husband and son both died in the camp, but daughter Rosa got to the UK before war broke out. Miriam has lived only for the day they might be reunited.
She encounters officer Jack, who is reluctant at first to help her. But then Miriam triggers a connection to Jack’s lost love and he becomes her unlikely ally. While Miriam faces indignity after dead end, the story of Rosa’s life before and after she arrived in England, is woven in.
Rosa suffered severe abuse in Germany, and that part of the book is not easy reading. There should be a trigger warning. While not graphic, the brutality of what Rosa suffered is delivered in such a way as to leave the reader in no doubt about what occurred. However, Rosa finds escape in a marriage of convenience to Daniel Levy, a young engineer with tickets to a new life in England.
BRAVERY AND TENACITY
Miriam’s tenacity in never stopping her search, despite abuse, anti-German sentiment (despite her own mistreatment at the hands of the Nazi’s) and precious little help or hope, is truly moving. Rosa’s bravery in facing all the exploitation and coldness is little short of remarkable.
Jack’s role in all of it is brave and moving. And the only reason I didn’t give this five stars is because Jack’s story is left unfinished. But make no mistake, this is a beautifully written, powerful story and I highly recommend reading it. However, as I said up top, there are some very difficult themes so be aware there are some parts you may need to skim over.
*I typically only read works of Christian fiction, but the storyline of this one was compelling. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a great job.
This is a highly emotional tale of a family separated by the horrors of the holocaust. The narrator of this does a stellar job of portraying the intensity of the very difficult situation of a mother trying to reunite with her daughter. Trenow's writing delivers high emotional impact and this one will tear at your heartstrings.
Rich characterizations, realistic emotions, and a lovely story make for a can't-put-it-down emotional read. Listened to the audiobook.
I received a free Advanced Reading Copy via NetGalley in exchange for a complete and honest review. The narration has good pace and flow,and the narrators voices seemed right for the characters they were portraying.
I read a lot of WWII Historical Fiction, but I wanted something besides the fighting and the concentration camps and that is what I got in Searching for My Daughter. It is 1945, and the camps have been liberated. Germany is controlled by Russia, Britain and the US. Refugees have flooded the streets and many are looking for visas to leave the country. Miriam is the sole survivor of her family who were sent to the camps, but her daughter, Rosa, married Daniel and escaped to England before the war began. She shows up at the Embassy and coincidentally runs into an English officer named Jack, who it turns out used to know and love Rosa. Jack provides her with a visa, tickets to get to England and his address to keep him in the know. Will Miriam find Rosa?
Although the majority of this story is told in 1945, there are some flashbacks that set up the reason Rosa married and fled with Daniel. There is also some information about the action and fate of her parents and brother, but it is minimal. There are parts of this story that are heartbreaking and some made me very angry. Miriam was a character with nothing to lose, she had one thing keeping her going and that was finding her daughter. A German in London didn't have an easy time, but she had Jack on her side. Meanwhile, Rosa is also looking for her family and coming up against dead ends. The story is told from the POV of Miriam and Rosa, with the end being a third person narrative, and it works well. Liz Trenow has written a story that is both heartbreaking and hopeful. There were other themes including sexual abuse, domestic abuse, women's roles, cheating, war criminals and prejudice all enmeshed in this story. I did a read/listen and enjoyed both formats. The audiobook was narrated by Karen Cass. She does a wonderful job with the voices of the characters. There were different ages, accents and both male and female characters and she does a great job giving them their own voice. Her expression added emotion and the pacing was good. I will definitely watch for more books she narrates. If you are a fan of historical fiction, especially dealing with the time after WWII, then I recommend this book to you.
I have read several of Liz Trenow’s books over the years and they always completely enrapture me, this one was better as I listened to an audio version. The narrator brought the book alive and I was completely mesmerised by it.
The main characters were written so well, I could picture them and the scenes were unfolding, even the awful ones that you tend to get in this era of books. Some of them were brutal and I think this makes the author’s work stand out as they don’t shy away from what went on.
An excellent audiobook book and highly recommended if you enjoy this genre.
I read the Audiobook version of this book. It was narrated well and easy to listen to.
It is 1945 and Miriam has survived the horrible prison camps. She is searching for the only surviving member of her family, her daughter. She has been lining for hours at the checkpoint, for potentially travelling into England. The guard counts the people in the queue, they reach their quota for the day and they turn Miriam and the rest of the crowd away. Miriam is devastated, she has been travelling on foot for weeks now, with no food, no clothing or shelter, the only thing she has to live for is the hope of finding her daughter. A voice inside her head tells her to be brave, the voice of her daughter. She stands up to the guard and begs him to let her into the checkpoint, and he obliges.
Once inside Miriam is requested to wait, before she can be attended to, it is warm and quiet inside, Miriam accidentally relaxes and falls asleep. She is awoken by a guard and discovers that everybody has left, for the day. She is told she must leave and return again tomorrow to try again. Miriam refuses to do this, and begs to stay there, she insists she wont be any trouble. Miriam meets an officer Jack, whom as it turns out has previously met Miriam's daughter Rosa. With Jack's help, Miriam may actually have a slight chance of potentially finding her daughter Rosa.
I found the story itself was good. The book tells two stories, Miriam's story and also Rosa's story, which keeps it interesting. Both ladies have had a very tough life, but Rosa's is incredulous, she is a very strong lady, who is brave and fearless.
Rosa's and Miriam's journey had me in tears, there is a special moment in the book that had me a blubbering mess. The book takes a little while to get going, but after a while you are hooked.
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this advanced audio. This book is available to purchase from May 15th, 2022
3 Stars: It was a good book and well-crafted. I would recommend it to the right person.
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Miriam has survived a German death camp, her husband and son were not so lucky. The only thing that keeps Miriam going is the hope of finding her daughter, Rosa. At the beginning of the war, she and her husband sent Rosa to England, where she will marry Daniel in order to keep her safe and now Rosa will do anything to be reunited with her daughter. She meets Jack, an English soldier who may be able to help her, only to discover that Jack actually knows Rosa. She is the woman he fell in love with during a long English summer, but reuniting Rosa and Miriam will put everything Jack, and Rosa have in jeopardy. How far will will you go for the one you love? I liked this story for many reasons, it concentrates on what happened to survivors of the atrocities of World War II, something most books don’t touch
Set immediately after WW2, Miriam has survived Auschwitz and is desperate to travel to England to find her daughter Rosa who moved there just before the war. When she arrives at the checkpoint in Berlin, the first step in her journey to England, she meets an officer Jack Preston. What a coincidence, as Jack knew Rosa a few years ago in Englenad … can he help Miriam find her daughter?
This book follows Miriam as she travels to England and searches for her daughter – of course it is not all straight forward and there are many hurdles along the way. The storyline was quite different to the usual WW2 fiction and whilst there were some slightly unrealistic moments and some difficult topics (including racism & abuse), overall it was very sensitive to the survivors of the Holocaust and the families separated by the war. I felt that the author has researched how families might have undertaken the search to reunite with family members and incorporated how it was not always straightforward.
I listened to the audiobook and the narrator worked well for the book, differentiating the characters well. Overall this is an emotional read that will tug at your heartstrings, with moments that will bring tears & ones that will bring hope.
This novel was so moving, and I spent all day Sunday listening to the advanced audio.
Germany 1945: Miriam as survived one of the camps and has traveled a long way after losing her son and husband. Now she is determined to find her daughter Rosa.
Miriam arrives at the checkpoint and it’s closed, but she befriends an English officer Jack who gives her a place to stay overnight. Finding a compassionate person is hard in those times. The officer knows he could risk his job and life, but there is something about this woman. The officer is sympathetic to her story, and she needs his help to travel to England.
As Jack listens to Miriam’s story about Rosa, he realizes he is transported to a different time. This story is heart wrenching but full of hope and love. I cannot wait to read what’s next!
Cover: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Writing: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Character Building: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ending: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for the opportunity to listen to this arc audiobook.
This book follows Mirriam's story of her journey to England to be reunited with her daughter Rosa and Rosa's life in England and the fallout of a horrific experience earlier in her life.
Both Mirriam and Rosa's stories were unique and at times heartbreaking. I really love historical fiction. This one was amazing.
The narration was great, kept you captivated and held just the right pace.
This book is amazing! I absolutely loved it so much!
In Germany in 1945, Miriam has survived the war after losing her husband and son, and she is now waiting in line to get a visa to England, so that she can be reunited with her daughter Rosa. While she is there, she meets a man called Jack, who it turns out used to know and love Rosa. He helps her get to England, but, after a long journey, will she finally be reunited with Rosa?
This is a heartbreaking, emotional and heartwarming novel which is full of love, romance, sadness, fear, strength, bravery and family values. It will bring a tear to your eye, but it will also fill your heart to the brim with warmth and hope.
I loved everything about this book; it was well written and captivating, and the audiobook narrator was superb.
It is one of the best books I have read this year and I would now love to read more books by this author. Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.