Mia is close with her grandmother but soon realizes she doesn’t know everything about her. Mia travels to see Ilse when she learns that she’s fallen and ends up in the hospital. Ilse has always been strong and dependable for her granddaughter but before she can’t remember she must dive into the past to help heal old wounds and hopefully find forgiveness.

Szymon… the name comes out of her mouth before Ilse realizes who she’s speaking about. Once his name comes to surface everything else must be explained as well. The childhood spent down by the river and playing near the cemetery has been pushed aside to reveal what else has occurred at the river which will never be forgotten. Young love is turned into something different. The young Ilse seeks adventure as a young German girl but her polish friends just want to seek freedom. Szymon and Tadeusz head to the front to fight for their homeland in Poland while the others try to make sense of the world around them. One of them escapes with their life as the other is taken to a POW work camp. As the friends come together to help the other find freedom the others begin to learn that freedom doesn’t just mean being out of the camp. A deal is struck with the “devil” and turns their plan inside out.

As Mia, Marlena, Ilse and Tadeusz reveal parts of themselves and their past that hasn’t been spoken of in years they start to find healing with acceptance of the past and possibly forgiveness.

You’ll fall in love with this novel and each character in it. You’re not just reading a story as your heart becomes invested you’re taken back to the past to relive the events. I couldn’t put it down and had to see how each character would find their version of freedom. This is a must read and share with everyone.

This emotional story has a dual line and is told by several different POVs. It shows the lack of involvement of the Polish elite in contrast with the brutal lives of the Jewish residents and the prisoners of war. It's a story of love and forgiveness, the effect of keeping secrets and the effects of the war during and after.

Ilse was a youg woman living in Poland with her family. Her family was very rich and snobby and the war didn't seem to affect their lives. Ilse and her best friend Marlena enjoyed spending time walking across the bridge that connected Poland to Germany. They met two young boys and Ilse fell in love with one of them. When the war started, both young men joined the Polish Army. One of them became a deserter and the other ended up in a POW camp. Ilse is so immature that she thinks she can help rescue the friend in the camp without considering the danger that it would put him in. She ends up fleeing to the UK and later has a son. When her son and his wife die, she raises her granddaughter Mia and then when Mia started college, she moved back to her hometown in Poland. Mia stayed in England to work but when she lost her job and her boyfriend, she decided to go see her grandmother. She knew that Ilse had fallen but was not aware of her real health conditions. Her grandmother tells her a few things about her life in Poland during the war and she hears the rest from Marlena and one of the men who was part of her friends group in her younger days. Ilse's story shocks her and she vows to try to find the person that her grandmother had loved before the war. What she finds out makes her view her grandmother differently and she realizes that Ilse never really allowed herself to live life and be happy because of her guilt about things that happened during the war.

This book was beautifully written and well-researched. The characters were all easy to love - except for Ilse because she was so out of touch with what was going on and she wanted to do things her way no matter what the consequences might be. The story was very emotional and some of the descriptions of the POW camps were difficult to read but overall this was a fantastic book about forgiveness and love. This is my first book by this author but it definitely won't be my last.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read "The Postcard" in exchange for my honest review.

Ms. Schabowski has once again crafted a touching and sensitive story that will transport the reader back in time to when friends and neighbours who have lived together for generations find themselves on different sides of the war.

We meet Mia and hear her story told in the present, her grandmother - Ilse's story is told in the past and in the present, Tadeusz tells his story in the past and present as well.

Mia finds letters and postcards addressed to her grandmother from Tadeusz and she sets out to find the message hidden in these postcards. Her beloved grandmother, her only family is in hospital. They had lived together in Cheltenham in England but her grandmother lonely for her home and friends and the ability to speak her own language moved back to Görlitz, Germany, on the border with Zgorzelec, Poland where she meets and becomes friends with cousins - Szymon and Tadeusz.
Along with her friend Marlena, the four of them become inseparable in 1937. Ilse's parents are wealthy and they shield Ilse from what is going on - they decide to move to Berlin and she has to leave her friend's behind. Upon her return she finds that things are very different. A great deal of the story is told from Ilse's memories of the war years as well as Tadeusz filling in the blanks of what happened to him and Szymon.

Ilse was a well to-do young woman who did not understand the dangers of war. She knew nothing about what was going on and was often foolish and did stupid things. To her life was a grand adventure, full of excitement. But for the cousins who were Polish life was not like that. Szymon is taken to Stalag VIII-A where he dreams of escape. Ilse learns that each decision that she made, each choice she made changed the lives of other people. The promises she made and broke, changed the lives of other people. Tadeusz fills in a lot of the missing pieces as to what happened to Szymon and him.

Ilse keeps a lot of secrets and doesn't tell her grand-daughter that she is dying, that she actually does have family. After her grandmother dies Mia creates a family of her own with her newly found grandfather and her "aunt" Marlena. She realizes that her grandmother cut herself off from life because of her guilt and regret - she had no room for joy or forgiveness of self.

There are parts of this book that are difficult to read but Ms. Schabowski writes so beautifully and sensitively. To them read at the end her notes how she did her research to craft this lovely story of family made the read all that more special.

With as many World War 2 historical fiction books that I have read, I shouldn't be surprised at my reactions. I didn't think my reaction to The Postcard would be so extreme. But The Postcard left me speechless. The story had me wanting to roll up in a ball and cry hysterically. The story was a blunt reminder of how the war was very different from one person to the next, one city to the next. The details of war left me completely.

The story takes place in a town on the border of Germany and Poland. A walking bridge, that once connected the two countries, became a reminder of the horrors of war. Soon the Polish people are prisoners marching daily over the bridge to work in German factories. People that were once friends, co-workers, lovers can be seen marching over the bridge, no longer equals, no longer of value, now looked down upon.

Much of the story centers around Ilse. Her father owns munition factories in Germany. She is part of the German Elite. Even worse, she is selfish and self-centered. Her actions will have repercussions for years to come. As a reader I learned more about the war by learning about her mistakes. As a reader, I cried for those that were affected by her decisions. I did not shed a tear for her.

She did not experience the POW camps like the boys she knew and cared for before the war. The author's telling of their lives during the war were earth shattering. She did not suffer the aftermath of war, trying to begin again. The author's descriptions of the lack of homecoming, the loss of life, the continued suffering were heartbreaking. She did not suffer the horrible consequences of her actions. Denial was her friend and she needed to accept the consequences, the lack of forgiveness. She did not face her mistakes until it was almost too late.

Reading Ilse's story does give us small glimpses into the time period. I, for one, will never understand it all. I will never know it all. There were too many lives altered forever. The author's words painted a picture to help transport the reader to a time that many choose to forget. But we must never forget. We need to treat people better as a way to honor those that lost everything.

The Postcard was a very emotional read. This book had me in tears and kept me hooked until the final page. Even when I closed the book for the day, I could not stop thinking about the characters. I could not stop imagining what it must have been like. I do know that no matter what I think it was like, it was much, much worse. It is books like this one that help us understand enough to make sure it never happens again.

THE POSTCARD by CARLY SCHABOWSKI is a very sad WW11 novel in which the author deals with a town divided by a river, with Eastern Germany and Poland on opposite banks.
When Mia goes to Gorlitz, summoned by her grandmother Ilse’s childhood friend, Marlena, she finds the old lady in hospital with terminal cancer. She also finds secrets to which she desperately needs the answers. Ilse, who has taken care of Mia from an early age in England after the death of her parents, ledca completely different life during the war years……
The story is emotionally taxing as we watch a rather selfish and dramatic young girl, trying to make amends to the people she has hurt through her rash actions.
There are some interesting characters.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bookouture. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

An emotional story of love, survival, overwhelming guilt and forgiveness.

The Postcard by Carly Schabowski is a gripping and emotionally charged read. Mia, a woman who has lost her job and boyfriend, returns to Germany when her grandmother is hospitalized and uncovers a story from her grandmother's past. It is a story about Ilse, a carefree girl drawn to adventure and excitement, who made decisions during World War II with lasting effects. Schabowski wonderfully captures the bond of friendship, the harsh realities of the war, and the power of letting go and forgiveness. The story is a testament to the power of resilience and triumph and will leave a lasting impression.

This was my first book by Carly and will be reading more.
Thankyou NetGalley for the ARC.

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley.
Set in a post-WWII world, Mia's only remaining family is her grandmother who has never been a very warm person. Mia visits Ilse and soon her whole idea of the world and her grandmother changes. POV changes between Mia, her grandmother Ilse, and Ilse's friends during WWII and afterwards. A book about making amends before it's too late.

The postcard follows Mia after returning home to find her grandmother dying from cancer, Mia discovers a postcard that has her questioning about her grandmother past. Told through multiple narratives of Mia, Ilse, Szymon and Tadeusz and shifting timelines- the story is finally pieced together.

I found the multiple narratives to sound all the same and so it was difficult to identify which character you were reading. The novel really dragged in some parts and some events were retold from different perspectives and so it felt redundant. The LGBT inclusion was annoying and wasn't necessary for the story. I was disappointed in the lack of character growth of most of the characters- they spend their whole lives holding onto anger and bitterness which is just so sad. Realistic, perhaps, but sad to read about.

Overall, this story provides some interesting reading if you like WWII historical fiction. 2.5 stars

This book is not an action-packed kind of WW II historical fiction but rather the slow-burn kind. The story is one of secrets and the generational harm they can do. It also highlights that no one survives a war unscathed, even when there aren't physical scars.

At first, I struggled with the main character, Ilse, because she was so self-centered. Being personally unaffected by Hitler's rise & protected by family wealth, she ignored the effects of his abhorrent policies all around her for years. I adored her best friend, Marlena, who never fit into the conventions set for women yet remained true to herself.

If you enjoy character-driven fiction, you'll enjoy this dual timeline, newest book by Carly Schabowski as I did. It will be published on August 29, 2023. Now I have to patiently wait for her next one.

Many thanks to NetGalley & Bookouture for this ARC. All opinions and the review are my own.

Loved this one, it’s all about a woman’s brave decision to save the man she loves from the Nazis. An unputdownable and moving story about courage which I found hard to switch off from. Overall four stars.