Last Light

by Elizabeth Farnsworth

The year is 1943. Victorious in North Africa, the Allies send thousands of German prisoners of war to the United States. Severely injured or ill POWS will be treated in U.S. Army hospitals. On a hot day in August, a young newspaper reporter rides her horse to the Buffalo Ridge Army Hospital just west of Topeka, Kansas. Carrying an aura of mystery, Isabelle Graham speaks German with a Viennese accent. She is soon hired to interpret for an amnesiac prisoner who claims to be a corporal but behaves more like a high officer. Isabelle must discover his identity. Her quest will end in bloody violence with consequences not only for her and the prisoner, but also for many others in the far-away conflagration of war.

190 pages, Hardcover

Published March 12, 2024

Reviews

[Doris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting, easy read. I would recommend for Book Clubs.

[Don Heiman · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 2024 Flint Hills Publishing released Elizabeth Farnsworth’s novella “Last Light.” Her book is an historic fiction about a Kansas prairie military hospital and POW World War 2 Buffalo Ridge complex. The book also features Vienna Italy’s educational facilities and Topeka Kansas’ military support sites. In the Fall of 1933 Anne and William Graham with their daughter Isabelle leave their home in Topeka, Kansas and travel by train and sea boat to Vienna, Italy where William, who is a medical doctor, takes classes in advanced surgery at the Medical University of Vienna. While he is attending these classes, the family arranged with a tutor for Isabelle to take courses to learn German. From these courses, she developed skills in speaking and writing German which enabled her later in life to help the United States military communicate with German POW’s at the military hospital and confinement facilities in Kansas. The book describes how the conflicts between U.S. military personnel and German detainees in the Kansas POW camps caused a chain of events resulting in murders and awful prisoner and military confrontations. These shocking events profoundly impacted Isabelle, American military leaders, and international foreign affairs experts. Isabelle’s role in the confrontations, her moral beliefs, and her survival skills are central themes of Farnsworth’s historic novel, The book is exceptionally well written, very captivating, and in a unique way very enlightening about World War 2, Hitlerism, and American justice. It is a book I will long remember (P)

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is clear that Farnsworth holds Kansas, the prairie, and telling a story in high regard. It's hard to say which of those she values the most. Farnsworth wastes little dialogue to tell an engaging, wistful, and memorable story. She has a distinct writing style that is hard to put into words, but one thing is clear: she doesn't like contractions in her dialogue. When it comes to feelings that our characters will experience, those still come second to the story and what *must* be told. As someone who has spent nearly her entire life in Topeka, where the story takes place, I fondly saw glimpses of places I've been countless times: the hospital, 21st Street, even the pairie. I worked at the "Topeka library" that is referenced, and it brought a smile to my face to see it get a nod in her story. Farnsworth clearly wanted to pack quite a bit into her novella, and she does, with sometimes minced words or glossing over parts that could've been explored more-but it isn't my story to tell, it's hers. I encourage anyone who is on the fence about diving into this story, to listen to her conversation on KPR about the writing of it: it becomes clear how important this story is to her, and how much she loves Kansas.

[Gary · Rating 2 out of 5]

A story of a girl and German POWs in Topeka KS in WW II. The story is very strong, and told in no-nonsense, journalistic prose. It is a novella, no wasted words, that can be read in a sitting. Farnsworth is the former top foreign policy reporter for the PBS News Hour.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent novella with great WWII plot twists. The Kansas setting was so powerfully drawn, the characters memorable and the plot kept me riveted. I loved Isabella, the protagonist -- her curiosity, compassion, bravery and moments of indecision and self-doubt.

[Bobbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing story of some German prisoners of war in Topeka, Kansas, in World War II. The settings have a familiar resonance! And there are horses! I felt like I was there! Very enjoyable!