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The Blue Suitcase
It is 1932, Silesia, Germany, and the eve of Antonia's 12th birthday. Hitler's Brownshirts and Red Front Marxists are fighting each other in the streets. Antonia doesn't care about the political unrest but it's all her family argue about. Then Hitler is made Chancellor and order is restored across the country, but not in Antonia's family. The longer the National Socialists stay in power, the more divided the family becomes with devastating consequences. Unpleasant truths are revealed and terrible lies uncovered. Antonia thinks life can't get much worse - and then it does.Partly based on a true-life story, Antonia's gripping diary takes the reader inside the head of an ordinary teenage girl growing up. Her journey into adulthood, however, is anything but ordinary.'We think by now that there can be no more untold stories from the 1930s and the Second World War. Then a book like this comes along and we are once again astonished by the capacity of some humans to do unspeakably cruel things, and of others to survive them. The simple, almost mundane tone of Antonia's diary makes The Blue Suitcase all the more shocking. It's hard to read, but harder to stop.'James RobertsonEDITOR'S CHOICE (May 2011) Historical Novel ReviewIn Silesia, Germany, in 1932, Antonia Nasiski is about to celebrate her 12th birthday. Hitler’s Brownshirts are fighting Red Front Marxists in the streets, but all Antonia cares about is her birthday. However, the political unrest is a constant source of argument in her family. Her mother, a doctor, is outraged by Hitler but her father, a civil servant, is more conciliatory. As Hitler takes control of Germany Antonia’s family disintegrates.The reader is drawn into a world not often portrayed in fiction—that of the German civilian during Hitler’s reign. Antonia tells her story through her diary. At twelve she’s self-absorbed and unaware of the political upheaval. By the end of her journey she’s an adult who has somehow survived the most harrowing of experiences and emerged a strong and resourceful woman.Antonia shows how the German population gradually came to understand what a monster Hitler was but was helpless in the face of the Gestapo and SS. The devastation the British bombings caused to the civilian population is graphically depicted. Having survived the Nazis and the war, Antonia then has to face the barbarity of the Russian troops. When Silesia becomes part of Poland, Antonia and the remainder of her family are displaced.This is not an easy read but it is a compelling one. The simple narrative style of a diary is exactly right. The most appalling deprivations and gruesome events are related in a matter-of-fact way that makes them even more horrific.This superb book is based on the life of Marianne Wheelaghan’s mother, and she has seamlessly supplemented the facts with impeccable research. I found this story uncomfortable to read but couldn’t put it down. It’s a story that will stay with you for ever. This is a must-read book for 2011. Fenella Miller - Historical Novel Review
292 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2010
11 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
About the author
Marianne Wheelaghan
3 books34 followersI left home at seventeen and returned to Edinburgh after twenty-five years, where I now live with my family.
The Blue Suitcase is my first novel. An historic fiction, it was published in 2010. The interest shown in it has been remarkable. It was inspired by my mother's life and based on letters and diaries I found after her death. The novel tells the story of an ordinary Christian girl girl growing up in Nazi Germany.
My first and second crime novels are Food Of Ghosts and The Shoeshine Killer respectively. They are both The Scottish Detective Lady mysteries, featuring the feisty, fictional detective DS Louisa Townsend.
"To read a Scottish Detective Lady mystery is to be taken on a thrilling trip to the Pacific and immersed in its many glorious cultures and peoples."
Before becoming a writer I did many things, including being a croupier, a marketing manager, a chambermaid, a cashier, a Brussels sprouts picker, but mostly I was a teacher. I taught English and/or Drama in Germany, Spain, the Republic of Kiribati and Papua New Guinea. I also wrote plays.
"The best time for planning a book is while you're doing the dishes." Agatha Christie
The Blue Suitcase is my first novel. An historic fiction, it was published in 2010. The interest shown in it has been remarkable. It was inspired by my mother's life and based on letters and diaries I found after her death. The novel tells the story of an ordinary Christian girl girl growing up in Nazi Germany.
My first and second crime novels are Food Of Ghosts and The Shoeshine Killer respectively. They are both The Scottish Detective Lady mysteries, featuring the feisty, fictional detective DS Louisa Townsend.
"To read a Scottish Detective Lady mystery is to be taken on a thrilling trip to the Pacific and immersed in its many glorious cultures and peoples."
Before becoming a writer I did many things, including being a croupier, a marketing manager, a chambermaid, a cashier, a Brussels sprouts picker, but mostly I was a teacher. I taught English and/or Drama in Germany, Spain, the Republic of Kiribati and Papua New Guinea. I also wrote plays.
"The best time for planning a book is while you're doing the dishes." Agatha Christie
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
May 29, 2016
This is one of the best books I have read in a long while.
I became aware of Marianne Wheelaghan when I was in Kiribati last year, as she has written Food of Ghosts however due to my little idiosyncrasy that I read an author's books in the order they were written, regardless of whether their books link on to one another or not, I couldn't read that one until I had ticked off this book as its her first novel.
So rather unsuspectingly I picked this up yesterday in an aim to get it out the way so I could get to the book I actually wanted to read.....well it certainly got my attention quickly!
Now I haven't read very much about Nazi Germany, aside from probably Anne Frank's diary, which in a way this reminded me of. Its sort of a bulked out version of the same time, from the other side if you will, and gives you a very well rounded story of how horrific the circumstances were at that time. This is based on the author's mother's diaries, family's letters and some very intricate historical research. It is superb!
The narrative is compelling and all in all the book is very well underplayed... this just gripped me throughout.
Ok Marianne Wheelaghan, you've got my attention, lets see what else you've got up your sleeve!
I became aware of Marianne Wheelaghan when I was in Kiribati last year, as she has written Food of Ghosts however due to my little idiosyncrasy that I read an author's books in the order they were written, regardless of whether their books link on to one another or not, I couldn't read that one until I had ticked off this book as its her first novel.
So rather unsuspectingly I picked this up yesterday in an aim to get it out the way so I could get to the book I actually wanted to read.....well it certainly got my attention quickly!
Now I haven't read very much about Nazi Germany, aside from probably Anne Frank's diary, which in a way this reminded me of. Its sort of a bulked out version of the same time, from the other side if you will, and gives you a very well rounded story of how horrific the circumstances were at that time. This is based on the author's mother's diaries, family's letters and some very intricate historical research. It is superb!
The narrative is compelling and all in all the book is very well underplayed... this just gripped me throughout.
Ok Marianne Wheelaghan, you've got my attention, lets see what else you've got up your sleeve!
December 10, 2012
This powerful, informative and entertaining novel had been sitting on my Kindle for more than a year before I got around to reading it. By the end of the first chapter I realized that I had been depriving myself of a real treat. That feeling stayed with me until the end of the story, which is told in diary and letter form by Antonia (Toni), the youngest daughter of a middle-class German family.
The novel begins in Breslau in June 1932 and ends with the bloody displacement of ethnic Germans at the war's end, from what is present-day Poland to present-day Germany. Against the backdrop of Hitler's rise to power and his ultimate destruction of her homeland, Toni recounts her difficult relationship with her mother, the hopes and disappointments of her two elder sisters, the discarded ideals of her father, the political and sexual differences between her brothers, one of whom is a communist at the beginning of the book while the other becomes a member of the Hitler Youth Movement, and her own fight to maintain her integrity before, during and after the war.
Toni is the main character, but the beautifully rounded descriptions she gives of her family members and friends and the people she observes, both her fellow Germans and the foreign workers brought into Germany to work in slave conditions, ensure that this book is the complete opposite of an exercise in navel-gazing.
Although the subject matter is dark, including episodes such as the fight to save a family member from Hitler's application of eugenics, Wheelaghan writes with a light tough and there are many moments of family humor in among the episodes of pain, disease, defeat and the Armageddon Germany brings down on itself by the war's end.
This book will appeal to a wide range of readers, from those who usually read Young Adult novels to people who have done some research into European WWII history and who will quickly realize that Marianne Wheelaghan has researched her subject thoroughly and never puts a foot wrong. Wheelaghan's impeccable research is on the same level as that displayed by David Downing in his Berlin novels, especially the fourth one, Potsdam Station, which takes place at the war's end and thus covers the same period as the latter part of The Blue Suitcase. Any reader who has admired Ben Shephard's The Long Road Home, a recent non-fiction book about the millions of people displaced in Europe at the second world war, will also find much to learn in this novel.
The novel begins in Breslau in June 1932 and ends with the bloody displacement of ethnic Germans at the war's end, from what is present-day Poland to present-day Germany. Against the backdrop of Hitler's rise to power and his ultimate destruction of her homeland, Toni recounts her difficult relationship with her mother, the hopes and disappointments of her two elder sisters, the discarded ideals of her father, the political and sexual differences between her brothers, one of whom is a communist at the beginning of the book while the other becomes a member of the Hitler Youth Movement, and her own fight to maintain her integrity before, during and after the war.
Toni is the main character, but the beautifully rounded descriptions she gives of her family members and friends and the people she observes, both her fellow Germans and the foreign workers brought into Germany to work in slave conditions, ensure that this book is the complete opposite of an exercise in navel-gazing.
Although the subject matter is dark, including episodes such as the fight to save a family member from Hitler's application of eugenics, Wheelaghan writes with a light tough and there are many moments of family humor in among the episodes of pain, disease, defeat and the Armageddon Germany brings down on itself by the war's end.
This book will appeal to a wide range of readers, from those who usually read Young Adult novels to people who have done some research into European WWII history and who will quickly realize that Marianne Wheelaghan has researched her subject thoroughly and never puts a foot wrong. Wheelaghan's impeccable research is on the same level as that displayed by David Downing in his Berlin novels, especially the fourth one, Potsdam Station, which takes place at the war's end and thus covers the same period as the latter part of The Blue Suitcase. Any reader who has admired Ben Shephard's The Long Road Home, a recent non-fiction book about the millions of people displaced in Europe at the second world war, will also find much to learn in this novel.
October 7, 2012
Lots of novels have been written about the Second World War. Very few of them though are told from the point of view of ordinary German people.
The Blue Suitcase is Marianne Wheelaghan's first novel, based on her mother's diaries, the family's letters and additional historical research.
Told in the format of a diary, the novel follows Antonia from 1932 when she was 12, growing up in Silesia, a part of Germany that is now in Poland and ending in 1946, when she leaves Germany to start training as a nurse in the UK.
The diary format works brilliantly, you can sense Antonia's growing maturity, from her self centred attitude to her 12th birthday meal being disrupted through her unsuitable friendship with Liesl and Rolf who are the only children to befriend her when she first moves away from the town of Breslau (now Wroclaw) to a small village to her later forced labour helping to build the city defences during the siege of Breslau.
It is interesting to see the different reactions that her family have towards Hitler as he comes to power and takes over in Germany then their different responses to the war. One of her brothers joins the Communist party and is imprisoned in a series of concentration camps, another enthusiastically becomes a member of the Hitler Youth.Her mother, a doctor, vociferously opposes Hitler, and is pushed out of her job by his edicts against women working in the professions. She later becomes very ill.
This compelling and moving novel is essential reading for anyone who wants to see how the Second World War affected ordinary German families.
The Blue Suitcase is Marianne Wheelaghan's first novel, based on her mother's diaries, the family's letters and additional historical research.
Told in the format of a diary, the novel follows Antonia from 1932 when she was 12, growing up in Silesia, a part of Germany that is now in Poland and ending in 1946, when she leaves Germany to start training as a nurse in the UK.
The diary format works brilliantly, you can sense Antonia's growing maturity, from her self centred attitude to her 12th birthday meal being disrupted through her unsuitable friendship with Liesl and Rolf who are the only children to befriend her when she first moves away from the town of Breslau (now Wroclaw) to a small village to her later forced labour helping to build the city defences during the siege of Breslau.
It is interesting to see the different reactions that her family have towards Hitler as he comes to power and takes over in Germany then their different responses to the war. One of her brothers joins the Communist party and is imprisoned in a series of concentration camps, another enthusiastically becomes a member of the Hitler Youth.Her mother, a doctor, vociferously opposes Hitler, and is pushed out of her job by his edicts against women working in the professions. She later becomes very ill.
This compelling and moving novel is essential reading for anyone who wants to see how the Second World War affected ordinary German families.
June 16, 2014
'Everyone is on edge and scared - scared to say what they think, and scared of what might come. Those not killed by the bombing are collapsing in the street from stress and anxiety.'
The Blue Suitcase is a fictional work that was inspired by actual letters and diaries which the author Marianne Wheelaghan found amongst her mother's belongings after her death, and it tells the story of a teenage girl growing up in Nazi Germany. The author writes in her prologue:
'I discovered the story of a vital person, who endured a shocking history, and this is why I have translated everything and put it in book form here. Simply put, her story deserves to be told.'
Written in the form of diary entries by the central character, Antonia Nasiski, as well as letters between her and members of her family, with some entries just a few lines long, others several pages, this is a moving, honest account of several years in a girl, and young woman's, life before, during and after World War II. Antonia lives in Breslau, in what in 1932 was the Province of Silesia in Germany, and is now an area within Poland. The story follows Antonia's life through the 1930s and 1940s, and charts the political and societal changes happening around her and her family, and the way these affect them all.
It's a frank record of turbulent times, when there seemed to be a strong answer to a country's problems but which turned into an horrific, destructive regime. And here is the voice of a girl, growing into a young woman as all this happens, recording her thoughts, her feelings, her reactions, what happens to her and those around her.
I started reading and felt that the child's voice felt authentic and believeable; her observations suit the age that she is at - nearly twelve in 1932 when the novel starts - with sibling rivalry and jealousy, childlike hope, happiness and indignation at things she sees as unfair. She mentions the changes happening in the world around her, most affected by the fact that the events are causing her family to argue all the time. Antonia's Papa, who was initially not keen on the new leader, remarks that 'All Hitler is trying to do is gain stability. If anyone can hold Germany together, he can.' To which his wife replies 'What's gaining stability got to do with locking up my son and raiding bookshops?' And so we hear about the wonderful authors whose books have been removed from the shelves. Twelve-year-old Antonia witnesses all of this and writes 'I wish they would stop arguing!' This conflict represents the divide between those who believe the changes may be for the better and those who are uneasy or angry about what is happening to their country. It's hard to read about this period of history without thinking about the horrific outcome, but the author portrays here how, at the time, some people were swept up and deceived by the force of change.
Through her diary recording her daily life, including the disagreements between her family, we see the implications of the large scale political changes as they affect one group of ordinary people causing divides and unrest. She writes of the dramatic things that happen to her family. She sees her brothers torn between the extremes, Hubert loyally following Germany's new leader, Hansi sympathising strongly, later to his cost, with the communists. I thought the positions taken by her two brothers, and the paths they followed, made for a very interesting contrast within the story. Her sister Maria is unable to fulfil the ideal role of a mother that society wants her to be. Through Maria's letters we learn of the bombing of Berlin. It was sad to read how Antonia's mother becomes a shadow of her former self.
The situation grows desperate and frightening for them all. In April 1945 Antonia writes of the way the people are being treated now by the German authorities; 'They terrorise and bully us and don't care if we live or die. How did it come to this?' She has grown up through such tumultuous times, seen so much distress, we observe the way she has to mature, just to cope, going from a girl who just wanted an enjoyable birthday celebration without arguments at the start of the book, to a woman desperately trying to survive in a city turned to ruins, seeing what was her homeland disappear. I felt the terror and fear as people were ordered to leave Breslau.
There is so much change, so much suffering and sadness as their lives become more and more difficult, and it's a battle to survive. In taking as its focus ordinary German citizens, this novel tackles an area not always broached in WWII fiction, the author illustrating how war affects people on all sides. I'm reminded a little of the conflicting empathy I felt whilst reading other novels such as The Undertaking by Audrey Magee and The Aftermath by Rhidian Brook.
The writing style, presenting the events day by day and with such a frankness and at times factual tone, yet showing the very personal effects they have, makes the novel very readable and shocking at the same time. Marianne Wheelaghan has taken the personal documents she found, part of her own family history, and combined this with historical research to create a compelling, frank portrait of ordinary people living through a period of huge change and terrible destruction, people surviving at times through awful conditions and changed irrevocably during those dark days. This isn't always easy reading, at times it is uncomfortable and harrowing, but it is fascinating, thought-provoking and hard to put down, I was eager to know what happened to Antonia and her family. I liked the representations on the suitcase on the book cover of the journeys which Antonia makes.
The Blue Suitcase is a fictional work that was inspired by actual letters and diaries which the author Marianne Wheelaghan found amongst her mother's belongings after her death, and it tells the story of a teenage girl growing up in Nazi Germany. The author writes in her prologue:
'I discovered the story of a vital person, who endured a shocking history, and this is why I have translated everything and put it in book form here. Simply put, her story deserves to be told.'
Written in the form of diary entries by the central character, Antonia Nasiski, as well as letters between her and members of her family, with some entries just a few lines long, others several pages, this is a moving, honest account of several years in a girl, and young woman's, life before, during and after World War II. Antonia lives in Breslau, in what in 1932 was the Province of Silesia in Germany, and is now an area within Poland. The story follows Antonia's life through the 1930s and 1940s, and charts the political and societal changes happening around her and her family, and the way these affect them all.
It's a frank record of turbulent times, when there seemed to be a strong answer to a country's problems but which turned into an horrific, destructive regime. And here is the voice of a girl, growing into a young woman as all this happens, recording her thoughts, her feelings, her reactions, what happens to her and those around her.
I started reading and felt that the child's voice felt authentic and believeable; her observations suit the age that she is at - nearly twelve in 1932 when the novel starts - with sibling rivalry and jealousy, childlike hope, happiness and indignation at things she sees as unfair. She mentions the changes happening in the world around her, most affected by the fact that the events are causing her family to argue all the time. Antonia's Papa, who was initially not keen on the new leader, remarks that 'All Hitler is trying to do is gain stability. If anyone can hold Germany together, he can.' To which his wife replies 'What's gaining stability got to do with locking up my son and raiding bookshops?' And so we hear about the wonderful authors whose books have been removed from the shelves. Twelve-year-old Antonia witnesses all of this and writes 'I wish they would stop arguing!' This conflict represents the divide between those who believe the changes may be for the better and those who are uneasy or angry about what is happening to their country. It's hard to read about this period of history without thinking about the horrific outcome, but the author portrays here how, at the time, some people were swept up and deceived by the force of change.
Through her diary recording her daily life, including the disagreements between her family, we see the implications of the large scale political changes as they affect one group of ordinary people causing divides and unrest. She writes of the dramatic things that happen to her family. She sees her brothers torn between the extremes, Hubert loyally following Germany's new leader, Hansi sympathising strongly, later to his cost, with the communists. I thought the positions taken by her two brothers, and the paths they followed, made for a very interesting contrast within the story. Her sister Maria is unable to fulfil the ideal role of a mother that society wants her to be. Through Maria's letters we learn of the bombing of Berlin. It was sad to read how Antonia's mother becomes a shadow of her former self.
The situation grows desperate and frightening for them all. In April 1945 Antonia writes of the way the people are being treated now by the German authorities; 'They terrorise and bully us and don't care if we live or die. How did it come to this?' She has grown up through such tumultuous times, seen so much distress, we observe the way she has to mature, just to cope, going from a girl who just wanted an enjoyable birthday celebration without arguments at the start of the book, to a woman desperately trying to survive in a city turned to ruins, seeing what was her homeland disappear. I felt the terror and fear as people were ordered to leave Breslau.
There is so much change, so much suffering and sadness as their lives become more and more difficult, and it's a battle to survive. In taking as its focus ordinary German citizens, this novel tackles an area not always broached in WWII fiction, the author illustrating how war affects people on all sides. I'm reminded a little of the conflicting empathy I felt whilst reading other novels such as The Undertaking by Audrey Magee and The Aftermath by Rhidian Brook.
The writing style, presenting the events day by day and with such a frankness and at times factual tone, yet showing the very personal effects they have, makes the novel very readable and shocking at the same time. Marianne Wheelaghan has taken the personal documents she found, part of her own family history, and combined this with historical research to create a compelling, frank portrait of ordinary people living through a period of huge change and terrible destruction, people surviving at times through awful conditions and changed irrevocably during those dark days. This isn't always easy reading, at times it is uncomfortable and harrowing, but it is fascinating, thought-provoking and hard to put down, I was eager to know what happened to Antonia and her family. I liked the representations on the suitcase on the book cover of the journeys which Antonia makes.
September 26, 2011
The Blue Suitcase is historical fiction, set around World War II. Antonia lives in Silesia, formerly part of Germany, with her opinionated family. Her parents are outraged that one son, Hubert, wants to join Hitler Youth and the other, Hansi, is a member of the Communist Party. Antonia's two sisters are fighting over which one of them should be sent off to become a nun. But all Antonia wants to do is celebrate her 13th birthday in peace! Things only get worse in 1933 when Adolf Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany and begins national boycotts of Jewish businesses and starts rounding up anyone who disagrees with his policies. Hansi disappears, Hubert joins the Hitler Youth march, and Antonia's mother loses her job. Women are meant to be at home taking care of the family, according to Hitler. Not surprisingly, family is the first thing to crumble under the harsh new regime.
The novel follows Antonia's struggles to find work, a home, and later simply to survive as the war ravages Germany. Marianne has flawlessly recreated images of rubble-infested Breslau and emaciated German citizens forced to evacuate their homes on foot, despite the frigid winter. It was hard to put this book down -- I had to find out what happened to Antonia, her family, and the German people. The book is all the more powerful because it's based on real events.
The novel follows Antonia's struggles to find work, a home, and later simply to survive as the war ravages Germany. Marianne has flawlessly recreated images of rubble-infested Breslau and emaciated German citizens forced to evacuate their homes on foot, despite the frigid winter. It was hard to put this book down -- I had to find out what happened to Antonia, her family, and the German people. The book is all the more powerful because it's based on real events.
July 31, 2012
I have just finished The Blue Suitcase and found it to be a fascinating book. The story is `now' rather than the reader being told about the political situation of Germany in the 1930's. In many ways it is a happy / sad story of a young girl growing up in Germany, during that disturbing decade. The author held my attention throughout the book - not once did I skip forward, because I wanted to know every detail of the main character's life. The story is wrapped around the changing political situation with its highs and lows, the broken political promises and broken family relationships. A bitter sweet story that reminded me of a symphony that builds from the pleasant tones of everyday life to the crashing finish of a destroyed Germany. A novel it may be, but I have a feeling that there is more to this story, for this author, than just a story.
December 27, 2012
Amazing diaries of a young girl growing up in Nazi Germany
March 28, 2024
Niebieska Walizka to książka o rodzinie, którą zniszczyła wojna. Pokazane jest jak rozwijała się ideologia nazistowska. Jak niektórzy się jej poddali, a inni z nią walczyli. Jak niszczyła i rozbijała rodziny. To wzruszająca historia pełna bólu i strachu. Jeszcze bardziej uderza w nas, ponieważ nie jest to coś wymyślonego, lecz oparta na prawdziwej historii. Opowieść ta jest oparta na listach matki autorki, które zostały odnalezione po jej śmierci. Książka ta powinna być przestrogą dla każdego, ostrzeżeniem by nie popełniać tych samych błędów i uczyć się na histori. Ale czy tak jest ... jak widzimy nie. Uważam, że ważne jest by mieć świadomość tego co się wydarzyło. Ta historia powinna zostać z nami, gdzieś z tyłu głowy
August 26, 2013
Author Marianne Wheelaghan did an excellent job of writing a novel that shows a side of World War II that hasn't been covered extensively, and that is the story of what a Christian German family went through around this time frame. Inspired by the true story of the author's mother, who was a German citizen, this novel is told in diary format. The first entry is in 1932 when the narrator Antonia is 12 years old, and the last entry is written in June of 1947, when she is 27.
The typical "blunt honest" voice of a teenager that is written in the diary entries through the years gives readers a good picture of how a lot of "average" Germans might have felt about: the rise and fall of Hitler; the evolving state of Germany during these years; other countries and people who lived in them; and the pros and cons of being a German citizen.
Wheelaghan illustrates several of these things in a simple, yet engaging format via the diary entries, as Antonia writes about her own ups and downs, and about the lives of her family, including: one brother who joins the Communist party and is later jailed for a long time; another brother who joins the Hitler Youth; a sister who is to become a nun; another sister who can't "do her duty" and get pregnant; a mother who is a doctor but during Hitler's reign has to give that up, and a father who seems to have to deal with all the other family members.
I'm a 41-year-old American born citizen and the majority of what I've heard about World War II is of course centered on Hitler and the atrocities done to the Jewish population at that time. I'm ashamed to admit that I don't recall ever watching a TV program, viewing a movie, or reading a book or even a newspaper article that detailed any of the struggles the "ordinary" German experienced during the years covered in The Blue Suitcase, such as those in war-torn Breslau, the hometown of Antonia. I'm glad that by reading this novel, which is based on actual letters and diary entries, coupled with a lot of research the author did, that I'm now aware of some "more chapters" of the World War II story.
Marianne Wheelaghan's debut historical novel The Blue Suitcase will keep readers turning the pages to find out how the life of a young Christian German citizen changes from month to month over a span of a 15 years, as she and the people of her country face the changes that come leading up to, during, and at the end of World War II. I enjoyed the author's writing style and I look forward to reading Wheelaghan's second novel, Food of Ghosts, which is a totally different genre – a crime novel about a detective who is from the same town where -the author now lives, Edinburgh, Scotland.
The typical "blunt honest" voice of a teenager that is written in the diary entries through the years gives readers a good picture of how a lot of "average" Germans might have felt about: the rise and fall of Hitler; the evolving state of Germany during these years; other countries and people who lived in them; and the pros and cons of being a German citizen.
Wheelaghan illustrates several of these things in a simple, yet engaging format via the diary entries, as Antonia writes about her own ups and downs, and about the lives of her family, including: one brother who joins the Communist party and is later jailed for a long time; another brother who joins the Hitler Youth; a sister who is to become a nun; another sister who can't "do her duty" and get pregnant; a mother who is a doctor but during Hitler's reign has to give that up, and a father who seems to have to deal with all the other family members.
I'm a 41-year-old American born citizen and the majority of what I've heard about World War II is of course centered on Hitler and the atrocities done to the Jewish population at that time. I'm ashamed to admit that I don't recall ever watching a TV program, viewing a movie, or reading a book or even a newspaper article that detailed any of the struggles the "ordinary" German experienced during the years covered in The Blue Suitcase, such as those in war-torn Breslau, the hometown of Antonia. I'm glad that by reading this novel, which is based on actual letters and diary entries, coupled with a lot of research the author did, that I'm now aware of some "more chapters" of the World War II story.
Marianne Wheelaghan's debut historical novel The Blue Suitcase will keep readers turning the pages to find out how the life of a young Christian German citizen changes from month to month over a span of a 15 years, as she and the people of her country face the changes that come leading up to, during, and at the end of World War II. I enjoyed the author's writing style and I look forward to reading Wheelaghan's second novel, Food of Ghosts, which is a totally different genre – a crime novel about a detective who is from the same town where -the author now lives, Edinburgh, Scotland.
October 6, 2012
This is the story of Antonia, a girl growing to womanhood in Silesia, then part of Germany, in the 1930s and 40s. We see the rise to power of Hitler and his insidious beliefs from the viewpoint of her family members. It divides the family as some feel the Nazi movement is bringing Germany back her pride and self-belief while others start to notice what is happening to the weak, the non-Aryan, the mentally ill. Some refuse to believe what is happening. Some believe it and are mortally afraid to speak up, knowing what happens to those who go against the regime. Through the diary of Antonia, and family letters, we watch a gradual slide become all out terror and follow the lives of people who are forced to live in brutal conditions to survive as they try to stave off the Russian attacks.
The writing is spare and factual and all the more hard-hitting for that. Marianne Wheelaghan based this story on the life of her own mother and the narrative, initially child-like as Antonia starts her story aged 12, rings very true. It ends as she is in her late 20s and of course, much more thoughtful and bearing a great weight of experience and suffering. I found that reading the young girl's viewpoint with the hindsight of one who knew the outcome of the war made for a gripping read. Some books stay with you. This one certainly will.
The writing is spare and factual and all the more hard-hitting for that. Marianne Wheelaghan based this story on the life of her own mother and the narrative, initially child-like as Antonia starts her story aged 12, rings very true. It ends as she is in her late 20s and of course, much more thoughtful and bearing a great weight of experience and suffering. I found that reading the young girl's viewpoint with the hindsight of one who knew the outcome of the war made for a gripping read. Some books stay with you. This one certainly will.
November 2, 2011
The Blue Suitcase is a welcome addition to the literature of World War 2. Written from the point of view of a German family, the book addresses the universality of suffering in wartime in a very compelling way. Using family documents as a base, the author has creatively blended non-fiction and fictional elements. The story is told in the form of diary pages written by a young woman. This format, which might have been problematic in the hands of a less talented writer, adds a sense of immediacy and draws the reader into the story.
One thing I particularly like about this well crafted book is the way in which the author keeps her characters in the moment and context of their lives. No modern retrospective interpretation of the politics or history is allowed to intrude. In doing so, we are introduced in a creative way to the ambiguities of patriotism and enmity that apply to both sides of any conflict. As a student of this time period and place, I am well aware of what the German and British peoples endured. What this story accomplishes, that conventional history might not convey, is the personal element, the identification of the reader with the reality of the lives of the characters. A book that any writer would be proud to have written and one to recommend.
One thing I particularly like about this well crafted book is the way in which the author keeps her characters in the moment and context of their lives. No modern retrospective interpretation of the politics or history is allowed to intrude. In doing so, we are introduced in a creative way to the ambiguities of patriotism and enmity that apply to both sides of any conflict. As a student of this time period and place, I am well aware of what the German and British peoples endured. What this story accomplishes, that conventional history might not convey, is the personal element, the identification of the reader with the reality of the lives of the characters. A book that any writer would be proud to have written and one to recommend.
December 10, 2012
This is one of the best historical novels I have ever read. The book takes the form of diary entries written by a German girl named Antonia that span a period of almost 15 years; starting before the rise of Hiltler and the Nazi party to power- when she was just twelve years old- until the end of the Second World War.
It is a real eye-opener and it sheds light on a side of the story that is rarely covered in most of the books; the suffering of ordinary German families under Hitler's rule.
It is worth saying that the book is mainly based on the diary of the author's own mother and it is not a fictional story, which makes it very credible yet heartbreaking.
I couldn't imagine how people in Germany have endured these awful circumstances whether during Hiltler's era or after the end of the war when the Germans were defeated and had to face the brutality of the allied forces who took over their country. But in the end, I had to remind myself that this is unfortunately the price of war that millions of people had to pay in the past, and that there are millions of other people who are also suffering all over the world from present wars, and we can do nothing to help them.
All in all, this is a brilliant book that I highly recommend.
It is a real eye-opener and it sheds light on a side of the story that is rarely covered in most of the books; the suffering of ordinary German families under Hitler's rule.
It is worth saying that the book is mainly based on the diary of the author's own mother and it is not a fictional story, which makes it very credible yet heartbreaking.
I couldn't imagine how people in Germany have endured these awful circumstances whether during Hiltler's era or after the end of the war when the Germans were defeated and had to face the brutality of the allied forces who took over their country. But in the end, I had to remind myself that this is unfortunately the price of war that millions of people had to pay in the past, and that there are millions of other people who are also suffering all over the world from present wars, and we can do nothing to help them.
All in all, this is a brilliant book that I highly recommend.
September 27, 2012
A stunning read . . . .
As a child of the 1940s, I generally tend to shy away from reading books that deal with World War II. Each uncle and cousin that served in that war filled our ears with references to it well into our late teens. That said, I want to congratulate Ms. Wheelaghan for presenting us with another side of the story.
This is not a book that once read will leave your thoughts. Perhaps because I knew the ultimate outcome of the Nazi regime, I found myself cringing and gasping at the naivete of those young German students who became caught up in the Nazi movement. When the full realization of what the regime has done to their country catches up to them, they are faced with harsh realities.
Ms. Wheelaghan has done a superb job in crafting this book. It is nearly impossible to stop reading it until the final page. The characters are vividly portrayed through the letters and journal entries and I was thoroughly amazed that the Blue Suitcase survived throughout.
As a child of the 1940s, I generally tend to shy away from reading books that deal with World War II. Each uncle and cousin that served in that war filled our ears with references to it well into our late teens. That said, I want to congratulate Ms. Wheelaghan for presenting us with another side of the story.
This is not a book that once read will leave your thoughts. Perhaps because I knew the ultimate outcome of the Nazi regime, I found myself cringing and gasping at the naivete of those young German students who became caught up in the Nazi movement. When the full realization of what the regime has done to their country catches up to them, they are faced with harsh realities.
Ms. Wheelaghan has done a superb job in crafting this book. It is nearly impossible to stop reading it until the final page. The characters are vividly portrayed through the letters and journal entries and I was thoroughly amazed that the Blue Suitcase survived throughout.
June 8, 2011
The consummate quality inherent in the prose of this work is enviable. The novel excels on so many levels; style, storyline, characterisation, development, pace etc. are flawless throughout. The depth of the research and the utilisation of its results are impressive. The plot, powerful yet expertly underplayed, is revealed with masterful control as the reader grows with Antonia, at first youthfully naive and flushed with her own importance, then bewildered and bruised by the hard lessons of the realities of life in Nazi Germany. At times, The Blue Suitcase is not a comfortable read, and does take the reader into a frightening and intimidating period of recent history, but the realism and the apparent veracity make it hard to put aside. This is a highly commendable novel and well deserving of the glowing reviews it has accumulated.. Robert Davidson. The Tuzla Run
September 1, 2011
We’re all familiar with World War II from the Allied perspective. The Blue Suitcase presents an unfamiliar view of the pre-war and war years in Germany.
Antonia is a German girl of 12 when the book begins in 1932 – an unremarkable young girl living in a remarkable time – and her diary allows us to see the rise of Hitler and the Nazis in quite a different way. In fact, the members of her family are radically split in their views, and the effect Nazi Germany and the war it engendered have on them is dramatic and gripping. Toni herself is a survivor, meeting adversity with stamina and even heroism.
It is unusual to be presented with the suffering of the German people during this time period, and gives us a unique opportunity to examine our reactions to that picture.
Well-researched and compelling, this is a book you won’t be able to put down.
Antonia is a German girl of 12 when the book begins in 1932 – an unremarkable young girl living in a remarkable time – and her diary allows us to see the rise of Hitler and the Nazis in quite a different way. In fact, the members of her family are radically split in their views, and the effect Nazi Germany and the war it engendered have on them is dramatic and gripping. Toni herself is a survivor, meeting adversity with stamina and even heroism.
It is unusual to be presented with the suffering of the German people during this time period, and gives us a unique opportunity to examine our reactions to that picture.
Well-researched and compelling, this is a book you won’t be able to put down.
September 2, 2011
A friend highly recommended this book, so I had to have a read myself and see what all the fuss was about!
Although not usually a fan of historical fiction, The Blue Suitcase was a thrilling story about the the life of a typical German family during WWII. Even though I say 'typical', the story is far from mundane, with heart wrenching family problems and scarily true stories of what life was like in the Second Word War under Hitler's rule and during his uprising.
This book touches on an area which has hardly been brushed upon, and does so with such skill and passion, that once you start reading, you will struggle to put it down!
JB
Although not usually a fan of historical fiction, The Blue Suitcase was a thrilling story about the the life of a typical German family during WWII. Even though I say 'typical', the story is far from mundane, with heart wrenching family problems and scarily true stories of what life was like in the Second Word War under Hitler's rule and during his uprising.
This book touches on an area which has hardly been brushed upon, and does so with such skill and passion, that once you start reading, you will struggle to put it down!
JB
December 16, 2015
This is one of those "inspired by a true story" books. The author discovered her mother's diary and created narrative out of them. What a serendipitous gift for Marianne Wheelaghan to find that blue suitcase. The book is set in Silesia, Germany (now Poland) beginning in 1932 and ending in 1947. I grew up with people who lived through similar experiences and this book only reinforced the history of my own family. Their displacement brought them to Canada. The Blue Suitcase is gripping and enlightening, while at the same time, dark and tragic. Readers will appreciate the glossary at the end and the maps at the beginning.
September 1, 2011
This was an excellent read! My girlfriend got this for me and at first I was a bit wary as I'm not usually interested in books written in diary form but as soon as I started I couldn't stop! I also prefer to read non-fiction but because this book is based on real facts I would recommend it to both people who love fiction or non-fiction. The author obviously did a lot of research before writing it which made it a really interesting read. It gave me a fresh insight into how the WW2 affected german people.
May 11, 2015
The Blue Suitcase.
The Blue Suitcase, has an amazing start and very strong characters throughout the book.
I felt as though the story dragged you into the war and bloodshed.
However the letter from each family member was so well put together, and I couldn't stop reading it, In fact I read it all in a couple of hours it was that mind affecting, you just felt almost like you were travelling with each page.
The Blue Suitcase, has an amazing start and very strong characters throughout the book.
I felt as though the story dragged you into the war and bloodshed.
However the letter from each family member was so well put together, and I couldn't stop reading it, In fact I read it all in a couple of hours it was that mind affecting, you just felt almost like you were travelling with each page.
February 26, 2022
I really got hooked on this after hearing Marianne speak at a Readers' Day event. Even the other authors got drawn in to the story as she described it. Amazing historical events woven in to a painful coming of age novel. If you're interested in the horror of war, man's inhumanity to man or our tremendous capacity tour survival, this is one to read.
October 3, 2011
a great read it was iteresting to read a second worldwar diary from a german perspective i would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical diaries
September 17, 2023
The Blue Suitcase by Marianne Wheelaghan - Good
I should preface my review by saying that my family history makes it difficult to have sympathy with the characters in the book...but I have endeavoured to keep an open mind.
The premise is that the author found her mother's old blue suitcase when clearing her house after she passed away. In it she found old diaries and letters from when her mother was a child, growing up in Breslau, Silesia (Wrocław) in the 1930s and living in Germany through to the end of the war. Once she had translated and read them she turned them into this novel.
I must admit I wonder how much is fact and how much fiction, but nevertheless it rang true for me. There is an obvious narrative voice change from that of a child as she grows up and we watch as the family and the nation are slowly but surely brainwashed and indoctrinated as they go from a devout catholic family with fairly liberal ideals (for the times) to fully fledged party members in some cases. Mostly, they went along with everything that was done in the name of a stronger Germany even when they knew it was wrong - just like everyone else - too scared to stand up for what was right. It really is true that "The only thing necessary for evil to triumph in the world is that good men do nothing".
I didn't like the early entries but once she began to grow up and events began to increase in pace, it was an engrossing read. I just wish the author had added a little note at the end to let us know what became of the family members that survived the war. I'd love to know what actually happened to them.
We always think it could never happen again but you only have to look at what is happening in Eastern Europe with an aggressive Russia, UK with Brexit and fear of immigrants and the US with Trump/MAGA to see that it would be so easy to slip back into something horrific. How brave will we be?
#review
I should preface my review by saying that my family history makes it difficult to have sympathy with the characters in the book...but I have endeavoured to keep an open mind.
The premise is that the author found her mother's old blue suitcase when clearing her house after she passed away. In it she found old diaries and letters from when her mother was a child, growing up in Breslau, Silesia (Wrocław) in the 1930s and living in Germany through to the end of the war. Once she had translated and read them she turned them into this novel.
I must admit I wonder how much is fact and how much fiction, but nevertheless it rang true for me. There is an obvious narrative voice change from that of a child as she grows up and we watch as the family and the nation are slowly but surely brainwashed and indoctrinated as they go from a devout catholic family with fairly liberal ideals (for the times) to fully fledged party members in some cases. Mostly, they went along with everything that was done in the name of a stronger Germany even when they knew it was wrong - just like everyone else - too scared to stand up for what was right. It really is true that "The only thing necessary for evil to triumph in the world is that good men do nothing".
I didn't like the early entries but once she began to grow up and events began to increase in pace, it was an engrossing read. I just wish the author had added a little note at the end to let us know what became of the family members that survived the war. I'd love to know what actually happened to them.
We always think it could never happen again but you only have to look at what is happening in Eastern Europe with an aggressive Russia, UK with Brexit and fear of immigrants and the US with Trump/MAGA to see that it would be so easy to slip back into something horrific. How brave will we be?
#review
January 18, 2019
Excellent
Well written from the perspective of a girl growing up in turbulent times , reflection from family members with different political views documented with clarity and understanding
Well written from the perspective of a girl growing up in turbulent times , reflection from family members with different political views documented with clarity and understanding
December 3, 2019
This was an engrossing read from start to finish and I really enjoyed it. It appears to be based on a true story and appeared to lack any contrition for the nazi sympathies expressed earlier in the book. This was quite glaring to me and should have been covered in some way in my opinion.
January 8, 2020
couldn't stop reading, very touching.
February 5, 2024
A tough read and to say I enjoyed it is maybe not quite right but still Toni's story needs to be told and heard/read
May 18, 2016
It's fascinating to read about the WWII events from German point of view, and from a person who witnessed the events since 1932. It just goes to show that ordinary people will suffer the most horrific faith on both sides of the conflict, regardless of what the conflict is about.
Historical events aside, it was heart breaking to read about the mother in this book and how easily relationship with a daughter can go so terribly wrong. It scared me.
I could not put this book down.
Historical events aside, it was heart breaking to read about the mother in this book and how easily relationship with a daughter can go so terribly wrong. It scared me.
I could not put this book down.
Read
January 5, 2017Amazing exploration of the life of a child growing up in during the rise of Nazi Germany.
Read
August 22, 2021this is so goooddddd! I randomly picked this book, and yes it's worth reading.
It's hard to read, but harder to stop.
It's hard to read, but harder to stop.
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