Amazing book on family, losses, sadness and perseverance. Looking forward to reading more of Tetyana's books!

This is such a emotive book, I felt every emotion whilst I read this, even more so because it was based on true events.

Julia showed such strength of character, despite all she had been through. Whilst this is a hard account to read about, the authors writing style flows, which makes it easy to read. An important read during current times and a must for history fans.

Absolutely heartbreaking story. So many parallels to the events in Ukraine at the moment. How can mankind never learn from their past mistakes.

Thank you for sharing your grandmothers story Tetyana. She truly WAS remarkable.

And I bet you never imagined how the timing of this book's release would so resonate with what is currently happening in Ukraine.

A lifetime story that takes us from Ukraine, to Germany to Italy, to Australia and finally to USA. A life running, from the past, from conflict (external and internal) always hoping for a new beginning holding a promise of peace.

Julia and her sister leave their parents to avoid both Russian and Nazi enemies closing in on Ukraine. Soon Julia is captured by Nazi soldiers and forced into a German labour camp, where she meets Henry. Their new joint journey begins - successfully leaving the camp, and in 1950, being lucky enough to be offered a place in Queensland, Australia amongst the sugar cane fields. A new life with their daughter Slava.
But life takes a starting turn after a violent offence against Julia.....trust and love is shattered. Having to make a gutwrenching decision which will mean the lives of 2 young children are abruptly derailed.
Moving again, to New York, many years pass and new "normal" is established. She carries her secret until she receives a phone call in the middle of the night.

An epic story of hope and moving on..again and again. Rebuilding and continuing to live without the crushing of your spirit. Hard hard times, often with complex undertones.

What I love about a true story, is the honesty. And how I never cease to be amazed by humans resilience. Thank you for sharing your families cherished past Tetyana

I didn’t enjoy this book. I found it a chore. It was so slow and I kept waiting for it to pick up but sadly it never did.

1941: Julia and her sister are sent away by their parents, towards Nazi Germany and away from the Soviet troops. Julia survives the journey and the war, moving to Australia with her husband and child. But the immigrants do not find peace in their new home...
The Child of Ukraine is an historical novel based upon the experiences of the author's grandparents. This alongside the current situation in Ukraine makes the book more poignant and relevant as well as heartbreaking.
Julia's parents face an almost impossible decision: the Nazis or the Soviets. Their sons are already dead and they are truly desperate. Only fear can force the family apart and I can't imagine being put in that position. Julia doesn't have an easy life after the war. Her husband is not always kind and they are unable to have another child.
The characters all face serious issues and the human pain and emotion is easy to relate to and understand. The endurability of the human spirit and the capacity to love and hope are strong themes and elements to the book. I found the complexities and nuances of life to be authentic. The book is full of detail that captures the imagination and emotion of the reader.
The Child of Ukraine is an emotional and realistic portrayal of the experiences described.

The Child of the Ukraine is an emotional, heartbreaking novel that brought me to tears. This is a book I read in one sitting because I absolutely could not put it down. It is also a story of hope and one woman’s fight to not be broken.

Tetyana Denford has written a breathtaking and beautiful story that is a must read. Have the tissues handy because you will need them when you read this story.

Thank you to #netgalley and #bookouture for allowing me to read the eARC of this book. All opinions expressed above are my own.

The time I decided to read this book was definitely done on purpose. It wasn’t long before the recent Ukrainian conflict really began to pick up. Knowing this was a true story of the author’s grandparents brought the whole thing into your heart and mind. Knowing what was going on now, kicked up the emotional level on the book. More than my share of Kleenex was gone through. The writing is so good! I want to save them all.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Ukraine, 1940. She cups her daughter’s face with her trembling hands, imprinting it on her mind. ‘I love you. Be brave,’she whispers through her tears, her heart breaking into a thousand pieces. Sending her child away is the only way to keep her safe. But will she ever see her again?



When war rips their country apart, Julia is sent away by her tearful parents in the dead of night, clutching her mother’s necklace and longing for one last embrace. But soon she is captured by Nazi soldiers and forced into a German labour camp, where behind a tall fence topped with cruel barbed wire, she has never felt more alone.



Just as she begins to give up on all hope, Julia meets Henry, a young man from her village who shares her heart full of dreams. And when she feels a fluttering in her belly that grows and grows, she longs to escape the camp and begin a new life with their child. But then Julia is forced to make a terrible choice. A choice no mother should have to make.



New York, 2011. With her heart shattered and her life changed forever by the shadows of war, as the years go by Julia thinks she will never be whole again. For decades she has been carrying a terrible secret with her, her every moment tainted by tragedy and loss since those dark days of the war.



But when she receives a phone call in the middle of the night, far away from the home and family she lost in the war, will Julia finally be reunited with the missing piece of her heart? Or is it too late for her wounds to heal?

This beautifully heartbreaking story is based on a true story. I loved the perserverance of the characters and the way it portrays the lengths a mother will go to protect her children. I highly recommend reading this heartbreaking, heartwrenching story which is so beautifully written. Thank you netgalley and bookouture for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

#netgalley #thechildofukraine

The Child of Ukraine is based on the life of the author’s grandmother, who was born in Ukraine and was forced to flee there during WWII. It is a gritty book, not pulling any punches, but very beautiful as well. Julia's parents made the grim decision to send Julia and her sister out of Ukraine, where her brothers had been captured and murdered, to somewhere they prayed would be safe. I expected this to be a story of refugees in Europe but it went far beyond that as Julia moved first to Germany, then Australia, and finally to New York. The characters have a hard life but experience times of joy and friendship. Family is the central theme. Julia and Henry’s marriage is paramount. Julia's strength of spirit and love of family is staggering as she survives harsh physical conditions, heartbreak, and a gut-wrenching decision no mother should have to make. I found the book flowed well and I was always anxious to pick it up again. I think this book is a very good illustration of the hardships of refugees and how they never feel at home in any country. I highly recommend it. Many thanks to Tetyana Denford, Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC. The views expressed are my own.

I had requested a few book tours recently and ended up with a most of them, which meant my last few reads have been mostly planned out. This week, I was able to enjoy The Child of Ukraine by Tetyana Denford.

I love books based on true stories, and The Child of Ukraine is based on the author's own family. Reading what the family went through, from the war and prison camps, to Australia and their struggles there, and finally to America, really highlighted the perseverance of human nature. Julia went above and beyond what one could even imagine a woman could handle and somehow managed it all with dignity and grace. I am still processing this read. The story is deep and will have you in tears more than once as you follow Julia's journey.

Read more on RockyMountainReads.com

Publication date 20th July 2022.

This is the first book I have read by this author. 

I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that 'Based on the incredible true story of the author’s grandparents, The Child of Ukraine is a breathtakingly powerful tale of love, loss and family secrets, perfect for fans of The Four Winds, The Last Green Valley, and The Nightingale.' I am a huge fan of 'The Nightingale' so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of a prologue, 43 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in Ukraine 🇺🇦, Germany 🇩🇪, Australia 🇦🇺 and New York, USA 🇺🇸. 

This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonist is Julia. The benefits of third person perspective are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything. 

'The Child Of Ukraine' discusses some topics that may upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Tatyana discusses/includes war and violence.

Well, what can I say but wow!!! This story is definitely not going to leave my head anytime soon. Firstly I must congratulate Tatyana  for an absolutely extraordinary novel that seriously needs to be made into a movie which I assure would be best selling!!! 

This book is extremely powerful and extremely well written. It is devastatingly heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. The vivid descriptions left me feeling like I was on a journey around the world with Julia and Henry. Tatyana's writing style is informative, personal, friendly, vivid and raw and I was thoroughly entranced throughout the novel. It is chilling, heart breaking and thought provoking. I will continue to think about Julia and her life story for some time to come. It's one of those books that you want to consume as quickly and as slowly as possible all at once and then when you come to the end you want to read it all over again. I read this book using a mix of media and I read approximately 50% on my kindle and then listened to the other 50% on audio book. I must say the narrator Stephanie Cannon did an absolutely fantastic job of bringing this beautiful story to life. Stephanie was spot on with the accents and did a fantastic job representing both male and female voices. I had to be careful where I was listening to or reading this story as it was so powerful that it could make me shout at the injustice of it all or cry at any point!! 

The storyline of this book is based on the true story of Tetyana's grandparents, although fictional Tetyana has done an absolutely excellent amount of research into her family which shines throughout the book. Nothing is left out she and brings Yulia and Hironimus Rudnyckyj story to life via Julia and Henry.  It is absolutely rammed with emotions that are filled with heartbreak, pain, love, confusion and hope on a roller-coaster ride. This book was previously titled 'Motherland'. 

It is a multi layered and evocative story of one woman and then a couple's and then a family's journey from WWll taking them through Germany, Italy, Australia and then New York from 1940 to 2011. It is quite hard to know what to say that won't give any spoilers away. I loved discovering "Julia" and "Henry's" stories and seeing them brought to life before my eyes. Julia and Henry are such amazingly strong people who I absolutely loved. I was completely invested in their stories and lives throughout and even after. I am looking forward to doing more of my own research on immigrant displacement and family stories of that time. I must admit that this was not something I have even thought to look into previously which I am quite ashamed to say as it happened and happens so much yet I know so little of it all. 

A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Tatyana for writing this beautiful story which does your grandparents so much justice and for bringing them to life again. They say that history repeats itself and the fact that these people are from Ukraine which is a country that is yet again under attack and whose people are suffering makes the story more poignant. It is also most definitely an eye opener to what those who not just previously but also present and even future have gone or go through throughout their lives when many of us just take lives for granted. 

Clear your schedules and grab your tissues as you will not be able to put this book down or stop the tears from streaming!!! 

Again congratulations Tatyana on an absolutely stunning emotional rollercoaster ride of a book!!

Overall a heart wrenching, devastating yet beautiful story of love, loss and hope that will keep you sucked into the pages throughout. 

Genres covered in this book include Historical European Fiction, Women's Historical Fiction, Historical Russian Fiction, Women's Literary Fiction, Historical Literary Fiction, Romance Literary Fiction, Historical Biographical Fiction and War Story amongst others. 

I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of 'The Four Winds' , 'The Last Green Valley' and 'The Nightingale'. 

 

414 pages.

This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle or free on kindle unlimited (at time of review) via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!! 

Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook. 

Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews 

#TheChildOfUkraine #Bookouture #TetyanaDanford #NetGalley #BookReview #BlogTour #BooksOnTour

@TetyanaDanford @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86 

https://kcmw86.wixsite.com/bookworm86

https://m.facebook.com/Bookworm1986/?ref=bookmarks

  

https://m.facebook.com/Bookwork86/?__tn__=%2As-R

https://www.instagram.com/bookwormwhitlock86/

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/34299953-kirsty-bookworm86

The Child of Ukraine by Tetyana Denford


When Julia rode away with her sister Maria leaving their parents on their farm in Ukraine, she did not know what their future would be or if she will ever see her parents again. The only thought the parents had, was to get their girls to safety away from the war not knowing if they will ever see them again.

This book tells us about what happens to Julia from 1941 to 2012. I do not want to give too much away but Julia’s bravery and endurance throughout her life, the choices she had to make along the way left me in awe and I went thru more than one box of tissues reading her story.

I loved reading this book, it portrays so many elements: that a mother’s love is unselfish and a mother would do anything for her children no matter how difficult it is for her. The courage and strength of immigrants, as they leave their own country, sometimes never to see their own parents again and everything they know to settle in another country with a completely different language and way of life but knowing it is best for their family’s future.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Bookouture for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Child of Ukraine by Tetyana Denford. This book is the true story of a girl torn from her family home during the Second World War and all the heartbreaking things that happen to her afterwards. After the war Julia is left with a small child and a husband and whilst the war is over, her troubles aren’t. Julia and Henry bounce from place to place showing that even after a war, things just don’t go back to normal. I thought the story was really important and helpful in understand how people dealt with life after the war but I wish they had added more details into the story. It seems like some things, like being in the camp at the beginning just doesn’t have enough details for me. Worth a read, especially given what is happening in Ukraine but more details please.

The Child of Ukraine was for me an utterly compelling and at times a heart breaking read. I will be honest and say for the first few chapters i found it difficult to settle into this read, I thought it was lacking something. However after a few chapters I was completely captivated by this story and I was completely engrossed. This book is based on a true story which makes it all the more poignant.

It was Ukraine, 1940 when Julia and her sister Maria, were sent away by their parents, for their own safety. They'd recently lost their brothers, captured by the Russians, and Julia's parents were fearful of having the two girls home. With Maria, always in bad health, passing away as they travelled by horse and cart, Julia was on her own when she was taken to the German labour camp where she worked, reasonably safe, but always hungry and fearful. She met Henry and together they formed a forbidden relationship. As war was in its final days, Henry and Julia were quietly married, looking forward to a future together.

Eventually, in the 1950s, the couple escaped on a ship to Australia and the birth of their daughter was a celebration. Living in Queensland with Henry working long hours in the sugar cane fields, Julia cared for Slava, lonely with no friends. With a dreadful tragedy marring their lives, the family moved to Sydney, then on to New York where Julia's crippling secret weighed her down. What would be the family's future with the heartache which never left?

Previously published as "Motherland", The Child of Ukraine by Tetyana Denford is based on the true story of the author's grandparents and shows the power of love, the devastation of loss and the heartbreak of dark secrets. Spreading from 1940 through to 2011, the amount of change from "then" to "now" is incredible. Recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

From 1940, Ukraine, to Germany to Australia and finally New York in the 1970s to the early 2000s, this story takes Julia and Henry through a life that is rife with problems many Ukrainians and other immigrants dealt with, but their secret is surprising. What will a mother do to save her children and family? No one knows until they find themselves in that position.

The Child of Ukraine was very different from what I was expecting based on the synopsis. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy this story, because I did. Julia was sent away by her parents in 1970 to save her after her brothers had been imprisoned and murdered. It was the last time she ever saw them. Unfortunately, what they had hoped for Julia did not happen. Captured and imprisoned in Germany, Julia did what she could to survive. She eventually met and fell in love with Henry and they were sent to Australia to work, where they would eventually have their own home. I was extremely impressed with Julia. Her strength, her love of family and her will to survive, had her making decisions that changed the course of life for more than just herself. Times were different for women then, but I still was very angry at Henry for what he put her through. Their move to the US was a new start for them and again, Julia showed her strength and adaptability. I found it very interesting to learn about their lives in Australia and how they made their comfortable life in the US. This is not an easy story to read, there is a lot of heartbreak. This book is based upon the life of the author's grandparents and it just shows us that we haven't learned from past mistakes, and mankind will continually be at war, as long as someone wants more power. The toll on the innocent is so sad. If you enjoy historical fiction based on normal, everyday people, and family sagas, then I recommend you pick up The Child of Ukraine.

I have one word – Breathtaking!!!

I knew that this was going to be a monumental book, the title hints at something which speaks of the past and present, and the back blurb shouts at something special, a story full of truth and courage and ultimate bravery. But it’s the fact that this is based on the real story of the author’s grandparents and their personal journey and the hard journey the author herself went on to tell this heartbreaking story really speaks to me.

Utterly breathtaking, this book is astounding, I was a mess by the end and most of the time I was reading with tears in my eyes. I have never felt as moved by a book as I did with this one. Whether that’s because of what is happening in Ukraine at the moment or because the author’s writing is so emotionally raw, so vivid and utterly compelling. I think it’s partly both, you can not deny that this is a masterpiece, it’s hard to read at times but so absorbing you will soak up every word and feel every single minuscule emotion which is so meticulously entwined into the pages. I can’t quite put in words just how incredibly poignant and beautifully written this book is.

This is one of those books which you will never forget, you will hold into your heart, you will keep replaying it in your mind and you will re-read it over and over and over until you know every word by heart.

The Child of Ukraine is a chilling, heartbreaking, thought-provoking and poignant story of true suffering, of the sacrifice of survival or striving to overcome your past and most importantly telling your story for the future. If ever there was a more timely story then this is it, and if you’re like me you will be left with questions running through your mind wondering if history is once again repeating itself and have learnt from the past to save the present and the generations to come.

I applaud the author, she has an incredible talent and has put her entire heart and soul into this story which has left its mark on my heart and soul. Honestly, I cannot recommend this enough, stunning!!

“A wartime sacrifice. A mother’s love. A hope that never dies”


In a personal message at the end of the book, but which I felt was more relevant for me to have read first, author Tetyana Denford, lets the reader know that the story surrounding her main protagonists, Julia and Henry, was inspired by that of her own grandparents, Yulia and Hironimus Rudnyckyj (Babchya and Dido), with parts of the book being fictionalized to link together certain big events, which were true.

…

These really are the bare, almost ‘spoiler free’ details of this story…

In a war ravaged Ukraine of 1941, it was almost impossible for me to relate to the fact that Julia and Maria’s parents, along with so many of their fellow countrymen, decide that evacuating their children (particularly their daughters), from their homeland, west across the border into the unknown of a Nazi German State, was more preferable than to have them remain, as the impending threat of occupation from the east by Russian forces, became a harsh reality. Both of their sons are already missing, presumed dead, so the need to protect their daughters, becomes even more urgent, despite Maria’s (the eldest of the two) frail and deteriorating health, as their family farm is a prime target for Stalin’s ruthless new regime.

At a stop-off in an Austrian refugee camp, Maria’s condition worsens, and she dies in her sister’s arms. A distraught, teenaged Julia is forced to grow-up quickly, if she is going to survive and when she reaches the German border camp at Neumarkt, whilst she is housed in conditions little better than those of the prisoners, she is set to work as a bookkeeper.

It is here that she meets Hironimus ‘Henry’ Rudnick, himself a Ukrainian refugee, now a German officer, who immediately recognises Julia as the sister of one of his friends. Although from a much wealthier background and against the odds, the two find they have plenty of things in common, so when the inevitable happens, it is no surprise that the two marry in secret, just before their daughter is born.

When the war finally comes to an end and the labour camps are closed down, Henry persuades a reluctant Julia, that they are not going to be safe by trying to find their way back home, so they should move onwards and upwards with their lives and emigrate to Australia.

Life for new immigrants on the other side of the world, is not the ‘milk and honey’ it was advertised to be, so when Henry’s long hours of back-breaking and slave-like toil in the sugar cane fields, combines with the amorous attentions of their bad-boy neighbour Iliya, the perfect storm develops, which threatens everything in Julia’s life. Hell definitely hath no fury like a woman scorned, when Iliya’s wife Elina gets her claws out and a usually mild mannered Henry, shows Julia a whole new and very harsh side to his personality, when he lays her choices on the line and tells her to make her mind up.

The added dilemma of a natural disaster of epic proportions, means that Julia opts for self-preservation and keeping her daughter Slava, by her side. Then, just to turn the screw a little tighter, Henry announces that a better lifestyle awaits them in the USA, leaving Julia to abandon all hope for a future reconciliation of the second family, she must once again leave behind.

Life in America turns out to be the making of Henry and Julia, who settle into a new, much calmer and more caring way of life, resigned to Slava being their only child together. The ‘what ifs’ and ‘if onlys’ which still plague Julia from time to time, become softened and blurred with time, although she doesn’t forget what she was forced to leave behind and never stops blaming herself. However, when Henry is taken from Julia all too soon, a phone call from out of the blue and a voice which Julia never thought to hear again, stuns her, turning her world upside down all over again. When a terrible truth is told, she is forced to confront and confess a past to Slava, which her daughter cannot remember, and which has always been kept from her. Julia underestimates the acceptance and resilience of modern youth and matters are taken out of her hands by a daughter who loves her and strangers for whom the truth means the opening of a whole new chapter in their lives.

It is Slava’s daughter Lyuba, who decides to set Julia’s record straight, remove the stigma of shame from an act committed more than half a century ago, by highlighting her grandmother’s loyalty and love for all her family; and her ability to forgive those who had wronged her and deprived Henry and herself, of the one thing that could never be.

…

In such a monumentally important, character rich, epic family saga storyline such as this, where fact and fiction are so closely linked, I really worry about any comments I write sounding in any way disingenuous to the author or her family, particularly as Tetyana features extracts from her own story, towards the book’s finale. I think I worked out which were the ‘big things’ Tetyana referred to in her letter, however I had so many questions by the end that I would have treasured a chat with Julia (Yulia) herself, although I am certain that I would fall far short of her tremendous strength of character and resilience, her loyalty to her husband and family, and her determination to try and right the wrongs of the past, no matter how painful the consequences.

Add to that how the parallels of 1941, resonate so loudly with those of today’s 2022 war in Ukraine, with the atrocities heaped upon the portion of the population least able to resist and unable to evacuate the taken areas, and my moral dilemma is only multiplied exponentially.

In fairness, WWII was only the catalyst for much of this storyline, although the stories of immigrant displacement, secrets which were taken to the grave, love, loss, motherhood and most importantly, hope, were indelibly imprinted upon the very souls of so many future generations, with their lasting effects continuing to have repercussions into the present day.

This wonderfully evocative and tenderly poignant, multi-layered storyline, is highly textured and so very fluently written, presented in well-signposted chapters, which draws the story to its inexorable and cathartic conclusion.

The story has a large physical footprint, stretching from Ukraine to Germany, on to Australia ending up in the USA, with the vividly descriptive and beautifully nuanced quality of the dialogue, offering a continually genuine sense of the changing times and landscapes; enough to satisfy my most avid ‘armchair traveller’ tendencies.

There is quite a large cast of characters, all emotionally complex, raw and passionate, often a little unreliable and volatile. However, whilst they could be difficult to relate to or invest in, as often the family dynamics and synergy didn’t welcome outside intrusion, I found them all to be relatively genuine, believable and authentic. All the main players, who have been well developed in their roles, were given a loud and clear voice with which to tell their story, together with an inner strength and determination to fulfil their destinies and set the records straight for future generations.

What always makes reading such a wonderful experience for me, is that with each and every new book, I am taken on a unique and individual journey, by authors who fire my imagination, stir my emotions and stimulate my senses. This was another of those “one of a kind” stories, which had the power to evoke so many feelings, that I’m sure I won’t have felt the same way about it as the last reader, nor the next, so I can only recommend that you read The Child Of Ukraine for yourself and see where your journey leads you!

Full review to follow, and I highly recommend this novel. In order for us to understand what the investment in Ukraine's defense against Russia's deeply unjust invasion means, the stories of normal Ukrainians must be shared to a broader audience; and the history of Ukraine's struggle must be understood. Denford has gone out on a limb by sharing a deeply personal story and bringing to life a family whose struggle with identity and understanding is a universal one.

More to follow!