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Lydia's Journey: An Armenian Refugee's Story
Ten-year-old Lydia's life is upended in 1915 when soldiers storm her village at the start of the Armenian Genocide. Separated from her parents and younger brother, Lydia is marched from her home in Zeitun, through the desert, and into Syria. She's sold into slavery, and endures years of captivity. When her orphanage arranges her marriage, she emigrates to England, only to find herself in London during the World War II bombing. Inspired by family history and supported by extensive research, Lydia' story is a harrowing but ultimately reassuring story of resilience, faith, and survival.
234 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 6, 2023
6 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 23, 2023
Once I began to travel Lydia's Journey along with her, this book was stuck to my hands. It is everything a novel should be: a story of unbearable suffering and personal mastery over humanity's inhumanity. Between the book's dark covers, Katherine Covell has recreated the life of her grandmother from the age of ten, when she was part of an Armenian deportation, expelled from Zeitun in the Ottoman Empire in 1915 during The Great War.
Using a spare, matter-of fact style, the author writes of the worst horrors a child could experience or witness, understanding this is the only way the story could be told and remain readable. Covell's language becomes softer as the novel progresses, but Lydia's life is never soft as she goes from refugee, to slavery, to life in an orphanage and a camp for displaced-persons, to teacher, to mail-order bride. When she moves to London to marry a fellow Armenian, she endures the Second World War while trying to protect her own children from the blitz and nightly flying bombs.
I think of the accident of birthplace, my own grandmother five years older than Lydia but born in Halifax; I think of her hard times and know how comparatively easy they were. I think of Lydia, her life, her endurance, her utter bravery, and her granddaughter bringing her back to life in this important book. I hope it becomes a world-wide best seller, because we all need to know how history happens.
Using a spare, matter-of fact style, the author writes of the worst horrors a child could experience or witness, understanding this is the only way the story could be told and remain readable. Covell's language becomes softer as the novel progresses, but Lydia's life is never soft as she goes from refugee, to slavery, to life in an orphanage and a camp for displaced-persons, to teacher, to mail-order bride. When she moves to London to marry a fellow Armenian, she endures the Second World War while trying to protect her own children from the blitz and nightly flying bombs.
I think of the accident of birthplace, my own grandmother five years older than Lydia but born in Halifax; I think of her hard times and know how comparatively easy they were. I think of Lydia, her life, her endurance, her utter bravery, and her granddaughter bringing her back to life in this important book. I hope it becomes a world-wide best seller, because we all need to know how history happens.
May 21, 2023
This touching and gripping story about a woman who survived the Armenian genocide is a must read. The author based the story on her own family’s story and additional research, and the details are stunning.
Lydia is separated from her family during the beginning of the genocide, forced to endure a brutal march that killed many of her fellow Armenians, sold into slavery, rescued and married to a man she’d never met in England. Just when she thought her life might settle down, she survives the London blitz and the increasing hostility against non-English during WW2 and afterwards.
The details of the many hardships Lydia endures are grim and traumatic, but what shines through is her courage, adaptability, and resilience. It is, in the end, a hopeful book, though I find today’s white nationalism seems far too like the stories in this book. We must be on guard.
This is a must read because, while every school child is taught about the holocaust during WW2 in Europe, little if any time is given to discussion of this equally horrific incident. It is a profound disservice to the survivors to neglect and forget this history.
It’s also a must read because, quite frankly, it’s an excellent book! Read it! Lydia’s quiet heroism creates a story that brings light, one that we could use in our current worrying times.
Lydia is separated from her family during the beginning of the genocide, forced to endure a brutal march that killed many of her fellow Armenians, sold into slavery, rescued and married to a man she’d never met in England. Just when she thought her life might settle down, she survives the London blitz and the increasing hostility against non-English during WW2 and afterwards.
The details of the many hardships Lydia endures are grim and traumatic, but what shines through is her courage, adaptability, and resilience. It is, in the end, a hopeful book, though I find today’s white nationalism seems far too like the stories in this book. We must be on guard.
This is a must read because, while every school child is taught about the holocaust during WW2 in Europe, little if any time is given to discussion of this equally horrific incident. It is a profound disservice to the survivors to neglect and forget this history.
It’s also a must read because, quite frankly, it’s an excellent book! Read it! Lydia’s quiet heroism creates a story that brings light, one that we could use in our current worrying times.
July 5, 2023
Lydia's Journey is a novel based on the true life of Katherine Covell's grandmother - an Armenian refugee who was dragged away from her family, forced to march into the desert and than sold to a Turkish family. From there she made her way to London England where she survived the Blitz and raised her family. I was moved very much by the story of one woman who represents so many others but felt I did feel that the emotional impact was dampened a bit by how the story jumped from year to year . I would have liked to have had more details - without spoiling it - did she find any more members of her family? I believe there are many more stories from this time and I hope to read them.
May 11, 2023
'Lydia's Journey' is sad and emotional, but shows the resiliency of the human spirit. A well-written fictional story based on the true events of the Armenian Genocide during World War I. Best of all this story gives closure that readers crave, but all too often do not receive.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
July 11, 2023
I really enjoyed this second book by Katherine Covell. Her background as an advocate for Children’s Rights simultaneously shines through and is explained through her recounting of the Armenian Genocide and its impact on children and their families. I learned a lot about the Armenian Genocide, a topic that I was not very familiar with. While learning about this history through the struggle and resilience of Lydia, I was also struck by the similarities around us in society today that indicate that this type of event could easily happen again if we are not diligent. Therefore, this story is both a recounting of history and a warning for the present and future. We need to embrace our shared humanity, accept differences and value people’s rights in order to prevent repeats of the horrific events of history. Lydia’s story provides a poignant reminder of this.
On top of that, the personal story of one girl/woman coping with such deep loss and creating something new from the fragmented pieces that are left is compelling and beautiful.
On top of that, the personal story of one girl/woman coping with such deep loss and creating something new from the fragmented pieces that are left is compelling and beautiful.
June 19, 2023
My husband and I actually have a friend who is Armenian, and his family suffered under the genocide that begins this book. I was interested to find out more about it from another personal view. While I learned a good deal from the book, I was somewhat disappointed that the book was less about that experience and more about Lydia's life story. While interesting, it wasn't what I expected. The book begins with Lydia and her brother in a pleasant family home, and only a few pages later, the horrors begin abruptly. Since the beginning descriptions of Lydia's family and home are detailed, I did not expect the abrupt change and feel that perhaps I didn't get the feel of the characters' reactions. Perhaps this is done intentionally, to shock the reader into experiencing just a tiny bit of what Lydia must have felt. Lydia shows great strength of character through her ordeal and her journey, and this is truly inspirational.
**I received a free copy of this book through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program in exchange for an honest review.**
**I received a free copy of this book through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program in exchange for an honest review.**
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews