Stories My Grandmothers Didn't Tell Me

by Andra Putnis

When she breaks an unspoken family code not to dig too deep into the past, Andra is plunged into the bleak world of the Soviet and Nazi occupations of Latvia in World War II, and secret lives of her grandmothers.

As children, we'd sneak into Grandma's bedroom on secret missions. Her cupboard was filled with old fur coats, strange woven folk costumes and small mountains of glowing amber. We were half-scared, made breathless by our discoveries, but knew we hadn't seen it all, hadn't understood what was really hidden there. When she breaks an unspoken family code not to dig too deep into the past, Andra is plunged into the bleak world of the Soviet and Nazi occupations of Latvia in World War II, and secret lives of her grandmothers.

Teenage Aline is separated from her parents and sent to serve in Germany's war-time labour force. With the much-feared Soviet army on the doorstep, pregnant Milda embarks on a desperate winter escape with her young son. They face heart-wrenching decisions and endure years of hardship before finally voyaging to Australia. Among the tight-knit Latvian migrant community, Aline and Milda forge new lives. But even there, reminders of wartime scandal and grief threaten to drag them under.

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

304 pages, Paperback

Published July 2, 2024

About the author

Andra is an Australian writer working to tell powerful stories to help us better understand our world and each other.

Her debut book reveals the incredible stories of how her two Latvian grandmothers lived through the terror of the Second World War and survived to immigrate to Australia.

Against the backdrop of our increasingly uncertain world, the book delves into why we need the stories of our grandmothers to better understand where we come from and who we want to be.

Andra lives in Canberra on Ngunnawal and Ngambri country with her partner and two children. She's loves spending time curled up reading or outside in the sun.

Reviews

[Veronica ⭐️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I often wonder with biographies if we are really getting the full story or just the watered down version of the person's life. The nice bits.

I can honestly say that Stories My Grandmothers Didn't Tell Me comes across as a 'warts and all' telling. The grandmothers reveal long held secrets and even air, what might be considered to them to be, their dirty washing.

I loved Andra Putnis' grandmothers for their honesty. Nothing is held back in this sincere biography.

Stories My Grandmothers Didn't Tell Me is a heartfelt story on a grand scale. I have read much about the lives of ordinary people displaced by World War II and the measures they went to to escape persecution; however I have never come across anything on the war in Latvia and the people who were forced to flee their homeland.
Stories My Grandmothers Didn't Tell Me is a book that champions the courage and resilience of these remarkable women. It opened my eyes and my heart to these women.

Andra retells conversations with her grandmothers, Milda and Aline, and also other members of the family and people from the Latvian Community in Australia. The story goes beyond the war and escaping Russian rule to venture into life in Australia and trying to adapt to a new country whilst also trying to hold onto their own heritage.

Thank you Andra Putris for sharing your family's story with me and also your treasured family photos which were truly an honour to pore over.

Stories My Grandmothers Didn't Tell Me is an emotional story, filled to the brim with love.
Do yourself a favour and read this remarkable book!

[Elina Dlohi · Rating 5 out of 5]

sirdi plosoša grāmata, kura jāizlasa ikvienam

Ir grāmatas, kuras izlasot tu jūties satricināts. Un tieši tā man bija ar Andras Putnis biogrāfisko romānu "Ko manas vecmāmiņas man nestāstīja". Šo atsauksmi nav pavisam viegli uzrakstīt. Neesmu droša, ka man izdosies jums nodot tās emocijas un sajūtas, kuras man bija lasot šo grāmatu, tāpēc varu tikai ieteikt izlasīt šo grāmatu jums pašiem.
Grāmatas atvēršanas pasākumā, kurā man bija iespēja satikt autori, mani aizķēra doma par klusēšanas kultūru mūsu ģimenēs. Par to, cik daudz netiek pateikts. Cik daudz ir norīts. Manā prātā uzreiz bija manas vecmāmiņas - cik gan maz es īstenībā par viņām zinu. Šī grāmata man lika aizdomāties: ko mēs visi esam palaiduši garām, jo neesam jautājuši? Vai arī tāpēc, ka atbildes nekad nav dotas?
Autore grāmatā dod balsi savai dzimtai — vecmāmiņai Mildai un omītei Alīnei, kuras atklāj sen glabātus noslēpumus un izstāsta savus stāstus.Grāmata aizved mūs no Latvijas kara un pēckara gadiem līdz pat dzīvei Austrālijā — mēģinājumiem iejusties, nezaudējot sevi. Tas ir stāsts par bēgļu pieredzi, par sieviešu izdzīvošanas spēju, par dzimtas klusuma slāņiem un atklāšanas dziedinošo spēku, arī par kaunu. Kā autore raksta “omīte man iemācīja, ko nozīmē būt cilvēkam, kā izpelnīties žēlastību un viedumu, kas rodas pārdzīvojot tumsu un svinot gaismu”.
Šī nav "uzfrišināta" biogrāfija, kurā stāstīti tikai skaistie un ērti pārstāstāmi dzīves notikumi. Šeit ir arī netīrā veļa — patiesības, kuras sabiedrība mēdz ignorēt vai nosodīt. Un tieši tas padara šo grāmatu tik spēcīgu. Ir vietas, kurās ar pavisam maz teksta ir pateikts kas vairāk. Ceru arī Tu lasot to pamanīsi. Mēs tieši vakar ar Vija Kilbloka Zvaigznes sarunu vakarā tās pārrunājām.
"Ko manas vecmāmiņas man nestāstīja" ir emocionāls un dziļi personīgs stāsts, kas atgādina, cik svarīgi ir klausīties — kamēr vēl varam.

Paldies, Andra, ka dalījies ar šo stāstu🇱🇻❤️.

Stories My Grandmothers Didn't Tell Me is an emotional and deeply personal journey that reminds us how important it is to listen — while we still can.
Thank you, Andra, for sharing this story🇱🇻❤️

"Vecākās paaudzes, kas piedzīvojušas šausmīgus laikus, bieži par tiem nerunā. Taču dažreiz viņu balsis pirms dzīves beigām ir saklausāmas dedzīgas un trauksmainas, skaļas un skaidras. Citreiz tās ir dzirdamas tikai atmiņās, mājienos un čukstos - mājienos par to, kas palicis pagātnē”.

[Ieva Strazdiņa [mrs.lasitaja] · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pabeidzu ar asarām acīs. 💔

[Janete Spure · Rating 5 out of 5]

6 💔 no 5 💔
1. Valoda un rakstības stils.
Līdz kaulam trāpīgi pat tikai fakti, nerunājot jau par pašu stāstījumu, kas pilns atklātu sarunu un patiesu atklāsmju. 🙏🏻💔
2. Sižets un tēmas aktualitāte.
Kāds varbūt teiks, ka šī ir grāmata par Otro pasaules karu, bet vairāk tas ir stāsts par cilvēkiem, kuri šo karu pārdzīvoja. Par cilvēkiem ar stipru garu, kuru neizdevās salauzt un par cilvēkiem, kuri salūza un nekad vairs nebija tādi kā agrāk. Daudz skarbas realitātes, kas liek uzdot jautājumus par mīlestību,nāvi, ciešanām un Dievu. Daudz tiek pacelta arī baznīcas tēma, kas mani tikai pārliecināja, ka Dievs ne vienmēr jāmeklē baznīcā. Bieži pat tieši pretēji...No vienas puses komunisms ar savām represijām, no otras baznīca ar savām. Grūti atrast vidusceļu.
Latvija pilnīgi citā skatījumā, kā valsts, kura tika atņemta tās iedzīvotājiem un atkal jāsaka, ka mēs neaptveram kā mums paveicies, ka varam dzīvot tādā Latvijā kāda tā ir šodien. Vai spējat iedomāties dzīvi bēgļu nometnē tā vietā, lai atrastos savās mājās ar savu ģimeni? Kur ēdienu varēja dabūt iemainot kādas no personīgajām mantām. Un tā vēl bija liela veiksme, jo tas nozīmēja, ka jūs neaizsūtīja uz Sibīriju. Vai vērot kā nodeg baznīca, kura bija jūsu mājas un, ja mēģināt to glābt tiekat nošauti. Nē, mēs to visu nevaram pat aptvert, bet šis stāsts ir viens no tiem, kas uzrunā dziļi personīgi. Šī pagātne skar mūs visus, jo tās ir mūsu saknes, paldies autorei, kura parādīja, ka, tomēr gaisma uzvarēja tumsu. 🙏🏻💔
3. Tēlu atveidojums.
Dzīvi, īsti un patiesi cilvēki ar savām domām, ego un pasaules uztveri. Kas var būt interesantāk?
4. Emocionālais pārdzīvojums.
Kad sāku lasīt man bija kosmētika, kad izlasīju vairs nebija. 😪 Bet daudzas no šīm asarām bija arī aizkustinājuma asaras.🙏🏻
5. Atziņas/Citāti
Citāts, kas izsaka ļoti daudz:"Pats galvenais ir Staļins nevis Dievs."

[Zane B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

​Romāns parāda, kā vēstures traumas ietekmē paaudžu likteņus, pat ja par tām atklāti nerunā. Spēcīgs, skaists un vajadzīgs stāsts par mīlestību, klusēšanu un latvisko mantojumu.

[Sintija Levica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brīnišķīga grāmata! Paldies par šādu, dziļi personisku vēstures atspoguļojumu.

[Katie Puttock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I so enjoyed this intimate story, told from such a unique yet relatable point of view. It is a remarkable story of female strength, determination and desire to do best for our family, and children. It is written in such a way that draw the reader both into the family, will simultaneously reflect on one’s own family and story of being. Highly recommend.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful book as a granddaughter seeks to understand her Latvian born Grandmothers who arrived in Australia as Displaced Persons after WWII.

"Older generations who have been through terrible times don't speak very often about them. But sometimes their voices come before the end, in a roaring rush, loud and clear. Other times they are heard only through memories, hints and whispers, clues they've left behind."

As someone who has researched and written on the DPs who came to Australia for well over a decade now this was a fascinating read. Based on memories, letters, interviews/oral testimonies and archival research Putnis bought to life the story of her DP grandmothers and others. A very personal story, and yet poignant to so many who have lived with the legacy of this period of history. Essential reading for those who do not know of it.

"Trauma often passes down the generations. The children of DPs grew up with a terrible knowing and not knowing of the terrors that had come before them. In order to survive, they often used a combination of techniques: embracing the narrative of the distant homeland as their own; seeking to run as far away from it as possible; and, above all, wanting to do well enough in their own lives to somehow remove their parent's pain."

Highly recommended.

[Inga Kalna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vajadzēja veselu nakti, lai saprastu, ko vēlos par šo teikt. Pirmkārt, šis nav romāns, šis ir ļoti personisks autobiogrāfisks ģimenes dzīvesstāsts - tieši realitātes apziņa šo darbu padara īstu. Pēc Šepetis stāsta par Sibīriju - par tiem, kas nepaspēja aizbraukt un tika deportēti, šis stāsts par tiem, kam izdevās aizbraukt, pavēra aizkara otru pusi. Manā bērnībā - 90.tajos, tie, kam bija radi Amerikā vai citur ārzemēs, šķita veiksmīgāki, laimīgāki - viņiem bija "paveicies". Šajā stāstā bija iespēja ielūkoties realitātē, kādu to piedzīvoja un pieredzēja "laimīgie" aizbraucēji. Atzīšos, ka es mazliet vīpsnāju par ārzemju latviešiem, kas lepni sevi apkarina ar prievītēm un auseklīšiem - man, padomju laikā dzimušam bērnam, tas šķita mazliet pompozi un smieklīgi. Sak', ko jūs vispār saprotat, baigie latvieši, dzīvo savā iedomu utopiskajā Latvijā. Taču tagad nokaunos par šo. Tā BIJA VIŅU Latvija, kādu tie, savos pašos skaistākajos jaunības gados būdami, bija spiesti atstāt un doties svešumā. Jo īpaši pēdējās nodaļās aprakstītās sajūtas, kad pēc 50 gadu prombūtnes viņi atkal sper kāju uz brīvas, savas Latvijas zemes... Es spēju sagaršot to vilšanos.
Paldies autorei par šo dzimtas stāstu!

[Ilze · Rating 5 out of 5]

Candid and heartbreaking journeys of Latvian women deeply affected by horrors of WW2, and then building a life in Australia.

[Jennifer (JC-S) · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘So, you want to know about Latvia and the war?’

In this book, Ms Putnis addresses the journeys made by her Latvian-born grandmothers, Milda (1913-1997) and Aline (1924-2021), from war-torn Europe to a new life in Australia. In her late twenties, Ms Putnis decided to write about the hidden stories of her grandmothers, about how they survived World War II in Latvia and then journeyed to Australia. By then, Ms Putnis’s maternal grandmother Milda was dead, but she had lived with her daughter’s family for some years beforehand and Ms Putnis had had many conversations with her. Her paternal grandmother, Aline, was willing (after asking some tough questions) to share her story.

In 1942, as a teenager, Aline was separated from her parents and served in Germany’s war-time labour force. In 1944, with the war coming to an end and the Soviet Army poised to replace the Germans, Milda left Latvia with her parents and her eighteen-month-old son Juris. Milda was seven months pregnant. She thought her husband Rudis was dead. Both women ended up in Displaced Persons camps in Germany before arriving in Australia. In the early 1950s, both Milda and Aline settled in Newcastle, where they met through the Latvian migrant community.

There is much more to both stories than this. Stories of heartbreak and trauma, of the need to make difficult decisions and of resilience. Reading this book, I could both understand why the past was not often revisited, and why revisiting the past is so important.

‘Most refugee stories become largely about the next generation born in the new land.’

Understandably, people want to move on from painful memories while also maintaining important cultural and social links and ties. The generation born in the new land will have a different perspective. By providing historical context and speaking with her parents as well as her grandmothers, Ms Putnis succeeds in demonstrating the struggles faced by the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. These three countries were invaded by Russia, then by Nazi Germany and then by Russia again. Communication with those left behind was difficult.

I finished this book full of admiration for Milda and Aline, and for the way in which Ms Putnis tells their stories.

I would recommend this book to anyone seeking to read an account of how ordinary people navigated extraordinary events during and after World War II.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

[Dvīņu Mamma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Silti iesaku visiem izlasīt šo grāmatu. Es burtiski negulēju naktis, jo rakstītais šķita tik ļoti interesants! Man skolā vēsturē vispār nemācīja par Latvijas-Austrālijas bēgļiem, tāpēc viss lasītais bija absolūts jaunums. Man nebija ne jausmas par ilgo "marinēšanos" Vācijā pirms došanās tālāk. Tāpat nebija ne jausmas, ka Austrālijai bija īpaša bēgļu programma. Mēs daudz esam dzirdējuši par Sibīrijas šausmām, tomēr arī Austrālijā dzīve nebija salda. Skumji bija par bēgļu paaudzes bērniem, kam bija jāmācās atrast savas saknes, jo teorētiski ir grūti būt latvietim, ja esi dzimis ārpus Latvijas, bet neesi arī austrālietis, jo tēvs un māte nāk no Latvijas... Un vēl tās krasās dabas izmaņas, ja salīdzina abas valstis... - īstenībā nekad nebiju domājusi, cik ļoti daba un klimats var veidot latviešu identitāti (Austrālijā ir grūti iekopt savu dārziņu, ko dara praktiski katrs tā laika Latvijā).

Pati stāstījumsa forma arī ir interesanta - kā divu atšķirīgu Latvijas sieviešu dzīves savijās Austrālijā. Grāmatas autore ir šo sieviešu mazmeita, kuras zinātkāri un cieņu pret vecmāmiņu dzīvēm var tikai apbrīnot!

[Marta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Šī grāmata mani SAGRĀVA. Kā jau katrs cilvēcīgais stāsts par šausmām Latvijā, kas sākās ar Otro Pasaules karu un ilga visus okupācijas gadus, arī šis ir ļoti smags un liek uz bezpersonisko statistiku paskatīties pavisam citādāk. Autore apkopojusi savas ģimenes stāstu, kā abas viņas vecmāmiņas devušās bēgļu gaitās uz Austrāliju. Lielisks atgādinājums, ka arī aizbēgušajiem dzīve nebija vienkārša - jā, viņi bija drošībā, bet viņi tāpat cīnījās par iederēšanos un savas identitātes saglabāšanu. Pēdējās 40 lappuses asaras valdīt vienkārši nav iespējams.

[Vija · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grāmata nu ir iznākusi arī Latvijā latviešu valodā, vērts izlasīt katram!

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a fictional-like narrative style, debut author Putnis tells of the journey of discovering the fascinating past of her Latvian-born grandmothers.

The story traces the lives of Grandma Milda and Nanna Aline, their childhood in native Latvia, experiences in WW2, relationships, emigration to Australia and their later years.

Putnis uses a mixture of family interviews, research and lived experience to weave together the twin stories of her grandmothers. The result is an engaging narration where the reader joins Putnis on her journey of discovery. It is exciting to find an author who is in command of their craft. The story flows with the aid of maps, a family tree, chapter titles and short chapters.

Putnis’s grandmothers lived their lives and shared their remarkable stories. It is clear in the book that Putnis considers her life has been enriched by knowing where she came from. How many other stories of this calibre remain untold?

This story has given me a taste of the history and culture of Latvia and I want to know more. I am also prompted to examine my own family history.

An enriching read.

I was granted access to an advanced copy in return for a review.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book. I cried 3 times.

Following the stories of Grandma Milda and Nanna Aline was suspenseful and captivating. Their struggles, triumphs, loves and friendships kept me glued til the very end.

From the perspective of a granddaughter I began to question all the stories my grandmother never told me and the life she led migrating from Europe. So many stories untold.

2 narratives that could easily be paralleled in a movie.

[Laine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mana 2025.gada labākā izlasītā grāmata. Negaidīju, ka šī gada pēdējā izlasītā grāmata mani tā pārsteigs. No vēstures laikiem es visiem vairāk lasu par Otro Pasaules karu un tā sekām, tad šī grāmata man atvēra vēl 2 atmiņu stāstus. Arī es pati cenšos ko uztaustīt no omītes, kādreiz no vectēva, taču vectēvam jau ir diez gan stipra demence, diez vai ko sanāks vēl uzzināt. Savu dzimtas koku veidoju jau no padsmit gadiem, ap 25+ gadiem jau padziļinàti esmu rakusies, uzzināt savas dzimtas uzvàrda izcelsmi un vēl šo. Pirms meitas piedzimšanas jau varēju palepoties, ka esmu arhīvos atradusi arī vispār dzīvē neredzēto radu bildes.

Andra Putnis ir varonīgi un ar lielu nozīmi izpētījusi savu vecmammu ceļus uz Austrāliju, no manas puses milzīgi aplausi abām omītēm, sevišķi Alīnei, cilvēks nodzīvoja apbrīnojamu mūžu, bet kā īsteni ticīgs cilvēks nekad sev nepiedeva daudzus reliģiskus pārkāpumus. Mēs cilvēki noteikti nekad nevar būt otra soģi par to, ko dzīvē ir nācies piedzīvot, nekad nezinām, kāpēc otrs veicis kādu soli, kas bija labākais bezizejas situācijā. Pat, ja varētu labāk, Tu nekad nezini, ko otram tas ir maksājis. Nav kļūdu, ja vien tās nav milzu nezvērības, ko veic ļauni cilvēki, un karš ir necilvēcīga kļūda. Mazo cilvēku mazās kļūdas ir pieņemamas un ar laiku piedodamas! Novērtējamam to, kas mums ir!

Manas dzīves top grāmatas ir Andras Putnis "Ko manas vecmāmiņas man nestāstīja", Aleksandra Pelēča "Sibīrijas grāmata" un Edija Džeiku "Laimīgākais cilvēks uz Zemes", visas lieku pirmajā vietā.

[Diāna L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nav daudz ko piebilst. Pelnīti augsti novērtēta grāmata.

Ar nolūku lasīju lēnām, neļāvu izraut vienā vakarā. Lasīju, domāju, pārlasīju rindkopas, pārdzīvoju un nožēloju to, ka tik maz iztaujāju savu Omi. Atmiņu fragmenti palikuši, bet savienojumu vietas izdilušas. Mans teiciens- tu nekad nemirsi!- nepiepildījās, bet tā es tiešām Omai bieži teicu :)

Šajā dzimtas likteņstāstā mani neatlaiž Pētera atmiņas:
Visgrūtāk bija ar Irēni. “Kad man bija aptuveni vienpadsmit gadi, es reiz paņēmu viņu līdzi, ejot ar draugiem uz peldbaseinu. Es turēju māsu ūdenī, un viņas ķermenis atslāba. Viņa vienkārši gulēja manās rokās zilajā ūdenī, un mūs apspīdēja saule. Es biju laimīgs, ka varu kaut ko darīt māsas labā. Tas šķita tāds kā miera mirklis.”

Jā, šis bija mans raudamais mirklis- par skaisto brālīša sirdi, kam prieks, ka slimā māsa uz mirkli atslābusi un guvusi mieru.
Un tad māsiņai sākas lēkme un ar to jātiek galā tikai 11 gadus vecam zēnam.

Skarbi skaista grāmata.

[Sisī · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lasīju ar lielu interesi un līdzjušanu kā Mildai, tā Alīnei. Cik gan neprognozējams varbūt cilvēka liktenis laikos, kad viss jūk un brūk... Latviešu spēks, sīkstums un dzimtenes mīlestības saglabāšana par spīti visam.
Aizdomājos pa to, ko nezinu un nepaguvu pajautāt savām vecmāmiņām.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Australian Andra Putnis was a young graduate living in Darwin when she broke her family’s unwritten code of not asking her grandmothers, Milda and Aline, about their Latvian pasts.
The resulting book is an incredible legacy for Latvia, for Latvian-Australians, for Putnis’s family, and for all families.
Milda was a beautiful young newlywed in 1940 when the Soviet Union invaded Latvia. Aline was only a teenager, part of a devout Catholic family, attending a traditional singing festival with her father before soon afterwards a Russian officer and his wife moved into her family’s house.
The Russian occupation, and its Year of Terror, saw the first wave of Latvian deportations to Siberian gulags. Things were so bad that many people welcomed the 1941 invasion by Nazi Germany, with street celebrations and flowers, before the horrors of the Holocaust began emerging.
Milda’s husband was conscripted to the German Army when it became clear the Germans were losing the war and the Red Army would soon return to Latvia.
A pregnant Milda, her toddler son Juris and Milda’s parents were forced to flee Latvia without Rudis, who was later assumed dead. They made it to Germany, where baby Janis was born, and miraculously survived. They made it across Germany, at one point hiding from soldiers under the floorboards in a church, where “with my back on the frozen dirt, I felt as if I was already in a grave”.
Milda and her two small boys lived in different Displaced Persons camps for four years in Germany before voyaging to Australia on an American warship and arriving in New South Wales in 1950, where Milda met and married Edgars, a “man of gold”.
Meanwhile, teenage Aline’s dreams of becoming a nurse (what her mother described “with such love” as her life’s work) ended when she was sent to Germany to work for the war effort, without family or friends. She never saw her parents again. Young, beautiful, vulnerable and naïve, she became pregnant and married an older priest, Eddy, who left the priesthood and subsequently blamed her. Also spending years in German Displaced Persons camps, she landed in Western Australia in 1949.
They both eventually resettled in Newcastle and met when Milda was hosting one of her many gatherings for Latvians.
Putnis has put this book together beautifully. It will be a wonderful source for historians and history students, but it is also a page-turner. Thousands of hours of conversations and research have been turned into a coherent, chronological story of the lives of two brilliant, loving, loyal, brave women who were also incredible survivors.
As Putnis told her nanna Aline, the book is also about life, about how “events and people circle back around as if there’s some great pattern to it all. Your personal stories, the arc of your life – it has held the universe inside it”.

[Sintija Meijere · Rating 4 out of 5]

Akk, man tik ļoti gribējās, lai šai grāmatai es ieliktu 5 un vairāk zvaigznes, bet gribu būt godīga - man kaut kas pietrūka.
Es lieliski saprotu, ka autore ir bēgļu mazmeita un dzīvo otrā pasaules malā, bet man tomēr traucēja tas, cik distancēta viņa ir no Latvijas, no izpratnes par padomju savienību, krieviju un okupāciju kā tādu.. Jā, saprotu, ka stāsts parāda to, ka lielākās traumas dzīvē daudzi izvēlas noklusēt pat no tuvākajiem, man tomēr pietrūka vairāk emociju, klātesamības, atklātības. Arī emocionālas sasaistes ar varoņiem.
Varbūt pie vainas tas, ka esmu lasījusi tiešām dziļus un sirdi plosošus darbus par šiem pašiem laikiem un tāpēc man šis stāsts, lai arī atklāja daudz, tomēr likās nedaudz virspusējs un neuzplēsa dvēseli.
Gribējās kādu asariņu nobirdināt, bet nesanāca..
Tomēr - šī ir ļoti laba grāmata, ko noteikti vērts izlasīt. Lai arī mani nepameta sajūta, ka vairāk tā patiks tiem, kas gan ģeogrāfiski, gan ģeopolitiski atrodas tālāk no mūsu platuma grādiem vai nav daudz lasījuši par karu, okupāciju, dīpīšu nometnēm, trimdu un viņiem šis liksies kaut kas jauns un satricinošs.
4,5⭐

[Stefe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really resonated with me. From forced labour in Germany, escaping the Russian occupation, to the DP Camps to Chocolate City at Greta migrant camp and making a new life in Australia- this is also my family’s story. Unlike the author I wish I’d asked more questions when I had the opportunity.

[Caroline Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Page turning narrative non-fiction.

I was lucky enough to be an early reader of this work. It’s great and will be released in July. Watch out for it

Many years in the making, Putnis’ book follows her two grandmothers growing up in Latvia, through the terrors of the Second World War, and then finding new homes in Australia.

It’s beautifully written and thoughtful with lots to say about Latvia, about Australia and about grandmothers.

[Alan Andersen]

I really loved this book. I was captivated not only by the experiences of the two grandmothers, but by the beautiful way their stories were put together by Andra. I was so moved by it. It is compelling reading.

[Toyah Smith]

An interesting read. Not a perspective I have ever thought about. Beautifully written with a great amount of respect.

[Linards Jansons · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was deeply impressed and moved by this book. One reason is how transparently the author, Andra, sets out her grandmothers’ stories. Although the book draws on memories, impromptu conversations, and deliberate interviews with family members, Grandma Milda and Grandma Aline speak candidly and for themselves. They tell of their early lives and dreams, their flight from war torn Latvia, and their eventual resettlement in Australia. The final result often takes the form of an unburdening, a confession, and a bringing to the surface things previously too painful to put into words. While skillfully and simply written, I feel that the real art lies in the author’s ability to listen, and the love that enabled her grandmother Aline (who was directly interviewed) to share some very private memories.

But what really grabbed me was how closely the accounts mirrored the history of my own family. Both of my parents fled Latvia as children with their immediate families, my mother from Riga and my father from Liepaja. It was my mother (now aged 83) who first read the book and found it to be an almost visceral experience, her heart literally racing as a personal history so much like her own was recounted.

My grandparents have long since passed, but when I read the book, I immediately recalled many of the stories my paternal grandmother told me about those times: her family’s suffering at the hands of Russians (including the murder of her father, brother and nephew on a single day), their natural affinity with the German ‘liberators’ mingled with the dawning horror of what was happening to their Jewish neighbours, their terrifying flight to Germany, and their eventual good fortune of ending up in the US Zone when the war ended. After years in Displaced Persons camps in Germany, there followed the passage to Australia (and yet more camps) with its utterly alien landscape and culture (or lack of, according to many Latvians). All this is related by Grandma Aline and Grandma Milda, but it could have been my own family history, and in the broader sense it was. There is one scene, in fact, in which it is entirely plausible that my father’s family could have bumped shoulders with Grandma Milda’s family.

Even though I haven’t been culturally connected since my childhood, the author’s experience of her Latvian extended family is quite relatable. The cultural events, the food, the language, the striving to maintain Latvian culture, all this rings true. My vecmamma’s insistence on stuffing us with true Latvian food, the hours she spent in preparing it, and the obligation to partake (“you must eat!”) are ordeals I well remember. I also asked my grandmother for stories about her past. She often did, but usually reluctantly, for back then I did not fully understand how each story was a recalling of trauma. While the author uses words and concepts like ‘trauma’ sparingly, that is clearly what it was. The bundle of letters Grandma Aline produced, written decades ago by her long deceased mother, was for her an entirely present tense reality. The past was ‘now’.

It is perhaps overblown to describe these grandmothers as tragic-heroes. And yet, their lives are the epitome of ordinary tragedy and heroism. Their tragedy was to be ordinary and flawed persons in unbearable times. Their heroism was merely to have survived, and more than that, to adapt and then grow when transplanted on the other side of the world. At times their stories betray a naked self-preservation and self-justification, a reminder that our high ideals are often a luxury not available in times of turmoil.

Milda and Aline also provide a study in contrast, something I’ve kept thinking about. Milda was ostensibly skilled and determined, a natural and pragmatic leader, and yet at the same time brittle and insecure. Perhaps her micromanaging and interfering attitude was how these qualities came together. As a girl and young woman Aline was naïve and terribly vulnerable, and throughout her life was plagued with shame and self-doubt. While Milda was cultured and capable, Aline believed herself to be hopeless, a view encouraged by her husband. And yet in time Aline becomes a person of remarkable empathy and perspective. Both grandmothers exhibit how pride and humility can equally be sources of strength or weakness.

These, of course, are my own reflections and interpretations as a reader. The author herself just lets her grandmothers speak and tell their stories. However, Andra does provide an interpretive comment, right at the end, when she says to Grandma Aline: “Your personal stories, the arc of your life – it has held the universe inside it”. A similar thought had occurred to me – marked as they are by the intensities of suffering and love, there is a universal, even archetypal, quality about their lives.

Poignancy is added by accounts of return visits to Latvia and the bitter-sweet juxtaposition of memory and present reality. The final pages bring us to the invasion of Ukraine, sadly reminding us that for many, this chapter of history is not at all over.

My thanks to the author for embarking on this project.

[Vineta Medne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ja šeit varētu, es liktu nevis 5*, bet 100+++*! Izrāvu vienā elpas vilcienā, pat nezinu kā citādāk šo noraksturot. Ģimenes dzimtas izpēte un piedzīvotais ir tik skaudrs, tomēr līdz mielēm patiess. Atzīt sāpes par patiesām un atmiņas, kuras nevar izdzēst - jābūt ļoti spēcīgai personībai. Esmu patiesi pateicīga Andrai par šo apkopojumu un vēstures izstāstīšanu. Manai omei tūlīt būs 90 gadi. Zinu daudz, tomēr lasot šo grāmatu - šķiet ļoti, ļoti maz... Paldies par iedvesmu to visu uzzināt!

[Cundurs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Šie atmiņu stāsti, personīgās pieredzes no kara laika un sekas tam, ir ārkārtīgi vērtīgi.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A special book if you want to discover the resilience of Estonia and how two women reinvented their lives

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional book! I think every Latvian should read this book to appreciate what we have.

It’s a heartbreaking story. I wish all Latvians abroad would keep their traditions alive like Alīna and Milda did.

I cried reading this book. Paldies, Andra!