The Occupied Garden: Recovering the Story of a Family in the Wartorn Netherlands

by Den Hartog Kristen and Kasaboski Tracy

A moving, revealing memoir about a man and his young family during the Nazi occupation of Holland, as told by his granddaughters, one a beloved novelist.

At once a memoir and a social history of a time, The Occupied Garden is the story of a good but poor man, a market gardener, and his fiercely devout wife, raising their young family in Holland during the Nazi occupation. Pieced together by the couple’s granddaughters, who combed through historical research, family lore, and insights from a neighbour’s wartime diary, the story chronicles how the couple struggled to keep their children from starving, but could not keep them from harm, and reveals the strife and hardship endured not just by them, but by a nation. These experiences, kept from subsequent generations of the family, were almost lost until, long after their deaths, the path of the couple through the war and on to Canada was uncovered. A personal and intimate account within the larger context of a terrorized nation, this is also a story of the bonds and strains among family, told with the haunting, evocative prose for which Kristen den Hartog is known.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, War, Biography, World War II, Memoir, Canada

272 pages, Hardcover

First published March 18, 2008

Reviews

[Kathleen]

The Occupied Garden: Recovering The Story Of A Family In The War-Torn Netherlands is the powerful story of a market gardener and his fiercely devout wife, who were living a simple life in Holland when the Nazis invaded in 1940. Throughout the subsequent occupation, Gerrit and Cor den Hartog struggled to keep their young family from starving and from being broken up, in an era of intimidation, disappearances, and bombings. And one devastating day, they found they were ultimately unable to protect their children from the war.
The Occupied Garden contains moments of breathtaking courage summoned up by everyday citizens - a young mother’s bicycle journey of three hundred kilometres to find food for her children, a brother and sister’s escape into unoccupied France - and numerous acts of resistance, both personal triumphs and larger efforts led by the Dutch royal family while in exile.
Evocative and haunting, The Occupied Garden is a portrait of a time and an enduring story of the resiliency of ordinary people, written by two sisters determined to keep their family history alive.
4 stars

[Rolanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never fully realized what my parents meant when they said things like "finish the food on your plate" or "don't complain about what color your socks are, be glad you have them to wear" I always felt as though both my parents were a little dramatic when these kinds of phrases shot out of their mouths at us five children during our younger years. It wasn't until now that I can respect the things that my parents have said to me in my younger years. Both of my parents were born very shortly after the war, I can remember both of them telling us stories as children how boxes of clothing came from other countries because the Nazi's had taken everything. My own grandfathers served in the war and were very much a part of it keeping my parents, uncles and aunts safe through out starvation, no running water, no electricity and just the simple basics of everyday life that I tend to take for granted. This book is possibly just the tip of the ice burg, when it comes to how families tried to survive during the German occupancy in the Netherlands. The story of the den Hartog’s, Gerrit and Cor and the birth of five children both prior to the war and during. The individual struggles that they faced as a family and how they worked through everything with constant hope for liberation. It was by far one of the most difficult books for me to read. I finally realize what my parents, grandparents, and relatives went through to survive this most horrific time in our history. It has been a great eye opener for me. The reality struck hard even after so many years. I think that I am a better person for reading this book. Finally, while you may read this review and it may seem very disjointed, please forgive the fact that even trying to put into words how I felt reading this book was very difficult to piece together.

[Oana · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really enjoyable book, well-written with a good flow and excellent narrative style. Good look at how every day people survived the occupation, with especially interesting information on the Hunger Winter.

I had a hard time deciding whether to give it four or five stars; my biggest issue was that the authors invented dialogue and feelings (their grandparents did not keep diaries). The book could also have used a map for those of not familiar with much more than Rotterdam and Amsterdam in the Netherlands. One other small quibble is that there are very few dates within the text; I kept having to refer back to the chapter subtitles and my own calculations.

Aside from that, the book is a good read for anyone who hated high school history but is still convinced that history must have some interesting bits. Ultimately I gave it five stars because it worked as a pop history book.

[Melodie Norris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book took me forever to read but I’m glad I finished it. It is about a family of 7 living in the Netherlands during the Nazi occupation. After the war they move to Ontario, Canada, because “there was no future” in the Netherlands in the late 1940’s. They chose Canada because the Canadien army liberated their town. What was sad was the fact that the parents, Gerrit and Cor, had such a strong faith in God through all their hardships; God, church and family were huge parts of their lives, but when the 5 children were adults, all their marriages ended in divorce and they all turned away from the Church.

[Leo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Misschien wel het meest pakkende familie geschiedenis die ik tot nu toe gelezen heb. Niet alleen geeft het een zeer levendig beeld hoe de tweede wereld oorlog gevoeld moet hebben voor de doorsnee Nederlander. De schrijver laat je ook verplaatsen in o.a Koningin Wilhelmina en zelfs de Duitse bezetter om ook een groter perspectief van de periode te doorvoelen. Aanrader!

[Tricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I am married to a Dutchman whose parents are holocaust survivors, it was interesting hearing what non Jewish families endured.

[Neil Crocker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somewhat reminiscent of "We Were the Lucky Ones" but this time about a Christian Dutch family in occupied Netherlands. Although there is a lot of family detail, there is lots of background about the general situation and challenges in occupied Netherlands from 1940 to 1945. Despite being Canadian, knowing one of the people in this book and having spent a reasonable amount of time in The Netherlands, I was blissfully unaware of how awful the situation was during WW2 and the role that Canadians played in ending the German occupation. I found the book fascinating although a little slow to start and a little difficult to actually read due to to the ink color used by the publisher.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant, gripping book that I will treasure forever! My Oma grew up not far from Leidschendam. And was a similar age to Rige so at times it was hard thinking my Oma had gone through similar things. But I want to learn about what my Oma went through as she is no longer around to ask the questions.
I loved how the book didn’t just focus on the family, but gave facts and included the Royal family.

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading about World War II is always sad. When you read about people who actually existed and what people went through it really means more. There was a lot of history in the book, which helps when you haven't learned it before. My father was one of the liberators so I keep learning more of what he did since he didn't talk about it.

[Rosemary Blough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent history and again so many people who helped others during the reign of terror from Hitler. Never knew of families in the Netherland who were effected by the war and how far the destruction of lives . We always read of those in France, Poland and even Russia but this family endured.

[2sonreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book, weaving one family's story with the history of World War 2 in the Netherlands.

[Nancy ADAMS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written but heartrending.

[Delaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how this story gives us a different perceptive on what families went through during the war.

[Tomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unusual - I haven’t read much about the German occupation of the Netherlands. This book was very sad.

[Brigitte McMillan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about a Dutch farming family and how they survived WWII. Written by their Canadian granddaughters. Canadian and Dutch history.

[Ellen Enns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really slow start but defitely gets better

[Alexandra]

Enjoyed the book because of my dutch heritage. Others may find the war details too tedius

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. The story of a couple and their children surviving WWII and the occupation of Holland, written by two of the couple's granddaughters. Apparently the couple (Gert and Cor) rarely talked about the war and occupation after it was over, and it was only after their deaths that the two women started searching for their history.
It's an awe-inspiring story of simple survival, nothing extravagant, nothing complex, just simply surviving the horrors of the war and having your homeland taken over by Nazis.
A lovely read too, for a Canadian, as Holland was liberated by Canadians, and, after the war, Gert and Cor moved their family to Canada and remained here the rest of their lives.
I highly recommend it.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very real account of wartime Netherlands - with moving descriptions of daily life under the Nazis and the struggle to eat and stay warm - together with tradegy and suffering. The book is interspered with vigettes about Queen Wilhemina and her daughters and their struggle to inspire a conquered country from abroad. Of course some of the royal family stayed in Ottawa during the war and the Dutch were liberated by the Canadian Forces, so it was natural after the war for many families to move to Canada - which is the Epilogue.
The families in the book lived outside of The Hague - not that far from Gouda. So I was interested because Hiram and Rutger live in the area.

[Thalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being half Dutch, I thought this would be both very interesting and enlightening. I think I can understand my Oma and Opa better now, and even my own mother. Though she was born after the war (her brothers before it) I can see how this would have affected her life. I am greatly impressed with the ablilty of the authors to create the story so well cosidering how much time had passed and that tmany "sources" had passed away. I can't fully imagine what these times were like and hope I never have to.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having Dutch grandparents who lived in Occupied Holland, I found this book really informative. My grandparents don't normally discuss their lives during that time, but I know it had and has an impact on everything they've done from 1945 on. This book has helped me to understand why they do the things they do. Why scrimping and saving is deeply ingrained in them despite their relative ease of life in Canada. I also understand their prejudices and their difficulty moving with the times.

[Kathleen McRae · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very detailed account of a man and a woman and their young family in the Netherlands during the war years and their emigration to Canada after the war to start a new life in Ontario. The description of this book describes this book as the story of a man and his young family but his wife is as central to the story . Cor and Gerrit are a hardworking young couple who live through the starvation and bombing while raising a young family.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was excellent for me. I thought it was such a personal story of the Den Hartog family combined with the history of Holland during the war. It is well written. I thought it was interesting to put the comparison of the family of Queen Wilhemina's war experience with the experience of an "everyday" Holland family.

[Tracy Schillemore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read a lot about ww2 and about the holocaust but this book offered a side of war that I hadn't yet experienced. The story follows a Christian family living on the Netherlands during German occupation. It was interesting to read about the war through their eyes. I was also proud to read about the Canadian heroism that help lead to the end of the war. Beautifully written and moving.

[Bill McDougall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read for family history buff

Excellent read for a family history buff. Started reading the hardcover edition from the library. Found very difficult to read; very small font, very dark paper for pages. Resorted to purchasing e-version. Much easier to read. Also with the e-book from Amazon, translating the numerous Dutch words was convenient.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had it's ups and downs for me. I'd really enjoy a page or two and get interested then too many facts/places would be mentioned and it felt too much like a history lesson.

I do think the book would have been better if there was a map.

It's a great story, just not on paper.

[Linds · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished this. LOVED IT. I love reading about WW2. I didn't really know anything about the occupation in Holland, and I found this book IMMENSELY educating and entertaining. Lots of history I didn't know. :)

[Alisa Roukema · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written book which blends their family history with the events of that time. Especially recommended for those with a Dutch Reformed heritage. I kept thinking this could be my grandparents and it made me want to know more of their story.

[Mar · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm intrigued by the war in the Netherlands, but found this book didn't give the type of information I wanted. At times the information was sketchy or surmised and at other times the details would interest the den hartog family, but not necessarily the average reader.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a gem, particularly in the way it interweaves the present story with the past, and in showing the complexity of life at that time -- not easy for anyone, with heroes and villains strangely mingled at times. Definitely worth reading for anyone with an interest in this period.